tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1294459565666912702024-03-13T04:52:28.192-07:00Jazz FlashesA companion site to 'The Vintage Bandstand,' this is a series of brief posts about all kinds of good jazz, written and published by Anton Garcia-Fernandez in Martin, Tennessee, U.S.A.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-69503246571052519422020-06-04T10:48:00.001-07:002020-06-04T11:35:07.077-07:00Guy Jones Interviews Jim Tomlinson in Stockholm, Parts II and III<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Tomlinson photographed by Goio Villanueva</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As noted in earlier posts in Jazz Flashes, my Stockholm-based confrère <b>Guy Jones</b>, founder of the reissue label <a href="http://www.fogartsmusic.com/" target="_blank">Fog Arts Records</a>, has had the chance to interview <b>Jim Tomlinson</b> on three separate occasions that the British saxophonist/flutist visited the Swedish capital along with his wife, American vocalist <b>Stacey Kent</b>. You will find the first part of their conversation <b><u><a href="http://jazzflashes.blogspot.com/2018/06/guy-jones-interviews-jim-tomlinson-in.html" target="_blank">here</a></u></b>. Back in 2018, a mere five months after their first meeting, Guy recorded a follow-up to their conversation, pretty much picking up where they'd previously left off. The second part of their chat was recorded at Stockholm's Humlegården and is a perfect companion to the first, since the two of them cover some different ground, but it was not to be the last. Being a frequent visitor to Scandinavia, Tomlinson met up with Guy for a third time at the same spot a year later, in October 2019, and on that occasion the discussion centered around British jazz greats such as <b>Dudley Moore</b>, <b>Tubby Hayes</b>, <b>Johnny Dankworth</b>, and <b>Cleo Laine</b>, among many others. All three podcasts, which may be found on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClZA0jQKEJ7r-vmuyw9PWwQ" target="_blank">Fog Arts YouTube channel</a>, should be of interest to serious jazz enthusiasts. The second part is available at the end of this post for your listening pleasure, while the third installment may be accessed <b><u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIaYVITRCdA" target="_blank">here</a></u></b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>JIM TOMLINSON IN CONVERSATION WITH GUY JONES, Part II</b></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-31648007915587516032018-08-08T12:19:00.000-07:002018-08-08T12:19:05.263-07:00Jazz Flashes Podcast: Drummer and Jazz Journalist Steven Cerra<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steven Cerra (Photo: Melody Cerra)</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Any jazz fan who follows blogs currently published about the genre is surely acquainted with <b>Steven Cerra</b>'s <i><b><a href="http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jazz Profiles</a></b></i> and the very informative, in-depth articles about jazz musicians that he offers there. The length and thoroughness of the posts, some of which comprise in excess of 100 pages of written text, make this blog unique and one of the most interesting on the internet. Rather than giving an overview of a style or of the history of jazz, Mr. Cerra is interested in focusing on individual performers, many of whom are rather obscure and not written about very often. This is a feature that has always attracted me to his blog, and for a while I've been wanting to interview him for an episode of the <i>Jazz Flashes Podcast</i>. That came together a couple of months ago, when he joined me for a chat from his home in Southern California, and you may hear the episode at the end of this brief post. As a drummer, Mr. Cerra was there during the heyday of West Coast jazz, in the 1950s and '60s, and throughout our conversation he reminisces about the West Coast scene and speaks fondly of musicians he knew personally, such as vibraphonist-pianist <b>Victor Feldman</b> or ace drummer <b>Shelly Manne</b>. He also elaborates on the rationale for the writing of his blog posts and speaks passionately about the past, the present, and the future of jazz. It was a pleasure for me to have Mr. Cerra as a guest on the podcast, and it's my hope that all readers of <i>Jazz Flashes</i> will find this episode interesting and engaging.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-2607099078932689182018-07-23T08:26:00.000-07:002018-07-23T08:26:05.781-07:00New Releases: Woody Shaw Live in Tokyo, 1981<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>I would like to offer my gratitude to my good friend Guy Jones for alerting me to the recent release of this excellent Woody Shaw album.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The European label <a href="http://www.elemental-music.com/" target="_blank">Elemental Music</a> describes itself as "a new label that specializes in releasing newly discovered archival or out-of-print jazz recordings," and one of its latest issues is <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-81-Woody-Shaw/dp/B07CQL32QH/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1532359462&sr=1-1&keywords=woody+shaw+tokyo+81" target="_blank">Tokyo '81</a></i></b>, an outstanding concert by trumpeter <b>Woody Shaw</b> in Japan that had lain dormant in the vaults for several decades. Shaw, who on this occasion plays both trumpet and flugelhorn, appears in a quintet setting alongside a stellar lineup: <b>Steve Turre</b> on trombone and percussion, <b>Mulgrew Miller</b> on piano, <b>Stafford James</b> on bass, and <b>Tony Reedus</b> on drums. Though the tapes are almost forty years old, the sound is good, and the repertoire is magnificent and extremely accessible, consisting of four Shaw originals, one composition by Miller, and a tour-de-force interpretation of <b>Thelonious Monk</b>'s well-known standard "'Round Midnight."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The opening track, an extended reading of Shaw's "Rosewood," sets the pace for the rest of the concert: the listener will be treated to Shaw's inimitable style of jazz, with lengthy versions of tunes that will afford plenty of opportunities for everyone involved to shine. This is particularly evident in the 15-minute "'Round Midnight," one of the true gems of the album, which brings to the fore the musical richness and genius of the Monk standard, which has been played so often that it's seemingly impossible to make it sound fresh and different. Yet the quintet achieves just that, mixing soft, intimate passages with others that pick up the tempo and the energy, and featuring extremely inventive solos by Shaw, Miller, and Turre. On "Apex," written by Miller, the piano is understandably more prominent, and the melody inspires Turre and Shaw to do some swift, highly imaginative soloing.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pianist Mulgrew Miller.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The ballad "From Moment to Moment" slows down the proceedings, with Shaw playing in a melancholy, yet passionate way, ably supported by the rhythm section, and Turre exploring the lower registers of the trombone in a short but memorable solo. "Song of Songs" is arguably the most experimental of the six tunes, a fresh reading of the title track of Shaw's 1972 album that opens with a dissonant dialogue between the trumpet and the piano with Reedus playing the cymbals in the background and that clocks in at over 16 minutes of intensely expressive playing. Finally, "Theme for Maxine" is no more than a closing vamp that allows the leader to introduce the band and put an end to an excellent concert. We congratulate Elemental Music on the release of this indispensable live appearance by Shaw that would have gone otherwise unnoticed and hope that there will be many more similar issues from this label in the near future.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trombonist Steve Turre.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-33474202867449791042018-06-04T10:36:00.000-07:002018-06-04T10:36:22.471-07:00Guy Jones Interviews Jim Tomlinson in Stockholm, Part I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Tomlinson and Stacey Kent</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I've recently heard that my good friend <b>Guy Jones</b>, founder of the Stockholm-based jazz reissue label <a href="http://fogartsmusic.com/" target="_blank">Fog Arts</a> and occasional guest on the <i>Jazz Flashes Podcast</i>, has had the chance to interview the great British saxophonist and flutist <b>Jim Tomlinson</b>. The interview took place back in May 2018 in the lobby of the Scandic Grand hotel in the Swedish capital, which Tomlinson visited with his wife, American singer <b>Stacey Kent</b>, to play a few dates and give a talk on the collaboration between the two of them and Nobel laureate <b>Kazuo Ishiguro</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">.</span><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fog Arts founder and manager Guy Jones</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Tomlinson is a versatile and engaging player who began his performing and recording career in the 1980s and who is well known via his albums as a leader, as well as his frequent collaborations with Kent on her critically acclaimed records. This 88-minute conversation offers a great deal of insight into the British reedman's art, covering all sorts of topics related to Tomlinson's life and illustrious musical career. The first part of the interview has been made available as a podcast on SoundCloud and on the Fog Arts YouTube channel, and readers of Jazz Flashes may access it at the end of this post. A second part of the conversation is forthcoming, and we're eagerly awaiting it.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-68580181368170157132018-05-20T15:34:00.000-07:002018-05-20T15:49:58.537-07:00Jazz Flashes Podcast: Chris Byars on His New CD, New York City Jazz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The sound of <b>Chris Byars</b>'s band is forcibly changing due to the fact that his guitarist, <b>Pasquale Grasso</b>, hitherto one of the anchors of Byars's approach to jazz, has signed an exclusive recording contract of his own and is thus leaving the group. The New York-based saxophonist adheres to the motto that one shouldn't try to replace what's irreplaceable, and so he will be modifying the sound of his combo following the guitarist's departure. That's one of the many reasons why Byars's latest CD release, <i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/York-City-Jazz-Chris-Byars/dp/B07894H9LD/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1526855605&sr=1-1&keywords=chris+byars" target="_blank">New York City Jazz</a></b></i> (SteepleChase, 2018) is a must—because it captures the sound of this particular sextet for what may well be the last time.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Cut in December 2016, the album finds Byars playing alto sax and flute in the comfortable company of Grasso on guitar, <b>John Mosca</b> on trombone, <b>Stefano Doglioni</b> on bass clarinet, <b>Ari Roland</b> on bass, and <b>Stefan Schatz</b> on drums. The program is bookended by two rather obscure compositions by <b>Gigi Gryce</b> ("Transfiguration" and "B.G.'s Holiday") and includes a beautiful ballad by <b>Freddie Redd</b> ("Dawn in the City"), two names that have influenced Byars greatly. "The General's Song" is a curiosity that the saxophonist learned from Saudi Arabian musician <b>Tarek Abdel-Hakim</b> during the course of one of his many trips overseas as a jazz ambassador for the U.S. State Department. The rest of the tracks are all Byars originals, and they are prime examples of his talent as a composer, as well as of the variety and depth of his influences: from the slow, intimate "Bridge of Locks," a melody that borders on the tone poem, to the jumpy "Quick Turnaround" and "Hot Dog." "Chess" is another bouncy number that references Byars's son's mastery of that ages-old game, and the Midde Eastern-sounding "No Message," one of the highlights of the set, is actually inspired on ancient traditional tune from Bahrain. On the whole, this new album by Byars is a testament to the rich music of this world-traveling saxophonist, as well as to the consummate musicianship of his magnificent band, with plenty of solos from everyone involved and a great deal of excellent bowed bass from Roland. A definite winner that serious jazz fans should seek out.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We recently caught Byars at his NYC apartment right before a recording session, and we had the chance to chat with him for about an hour for a new episode of the <i>Jazz Flashes Podcast</i>. Throughout the conversation we addressed the album, the impending changes in his band, and the impact that this will have on the sound of the tracks for a forthcoming new CD that we are impatiently awaiting. Hoping that the episode will be of interest to <i>Jazz Flashes</i> readers, it's available in its entirety here below.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-88229627677207246532018-05-02T11:59:00.000-07:002018-05-02T11:59:08.253-07:00Jazz Flashes Podcast: Interview with John Radanovich on Cuban Singer Benny More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">In his native Cuba, vocalist <b>Benny More</b> (whose first name was sometimes spelled as "Beny" on record covers and whose nickname was "El Barbaro del Ritmo," i.e. "The Wildman of Rhythm") has transcended his status as a popular singer to become an iconic figure, someone who is still spoken of with reverence many decades after his untimely death in 1963. And there's good reason for that, judging by the handful of phenomenal recordings he made in the 1950s and by the few videos of live performances that have survived, many of which may be enjoyed on YouTube. Though he came from a humble background and had no formal musical training, he had a fantastic ear for music and composed unforgettable melodies such as "Que Bueno Baila Usted" or "Santa Isabel de las Lajas," among many others that have become standards of Cuban music. More was comfortable in very different settings: he drew heavily on his African roots for his rhythm tunes, got a great deal of inspiration from American big bands, and was a master of the more romantic bolero. Moreover, on stage he was quite the showman, a fiery performer who always knew how to get the best out of his musicians and who would become one of Havana's most exciting performers at a very exciting time in Cuban music--the late 1940s and the 1950s. When More sings, the listener simply has to stop and listen intently, almost mesmerized by his voice and irresistible charisma.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Radanovich</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Florida-based music critic <b>John Radanovich</b>, who over the decades has written for prestigious publications such as <i>Off-Beat </i>and <i>Downbeat</i>, became enthralled by More's music and personality to such an extent that he spent 15 years researching his life, including visits to Cuba at a time when it wasn't as easy for Americans to have access to the island as it may be today. The result is the only English-language biography of More, <i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wildman-Rhythm-Life-Music-Benny/dp/0813033934/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Wildman of Rhythm: The Life and Music of Benny More</a></b></i> (University Press of Florida, 2009), a carefully researched and highly enjoyable book that is the perfect introduction to More the artist, the person, and the icon. A few weeks ago, Mr. Radanovich kindly agreed to guest on a new episode of the <i>Jazz Flashes Podcast</i>, and we had the chance to discuss in depth both his book and his love for More's music. The whole conversation, which I found extremely interesting, is now available to the readers of <i>Jazz Flashes</i> on the video below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-53491650493349371532018-03-30T15:15:00.000-07:002018-03-30T15:15:44.130-07:00Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson, 1957<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Though his career began back in the twenties, <b>Louis Armstrong</b> cut some of his best albums in the 1950s—<i>Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy</i>, his classic collaborations with <b>Ella Fitzgerald</b> for Verve, and <i>Louis Under the Stars</i> are just a few examples. Perhaps because of the sheer quantity and quality of his recordings from this era, his 1957 meeting with pianist <b>Oscar Peterson</b> is often forgotten or overlooked by critics, and very unjustly so. Predictably titled <i><b>Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson</b></i>, the album was recorded in Hollywood over the course of two separate sessions in July and October 1957 and finds Satchmo at his most laid-back and relaxed, going through a number of well-chosen standards with the inestimable help of Peterson's quartet. Armstrong's vocalizing is showcased to a greater extent than his trumpet playing (though he takes some exciting solos, such as on "Let's Fall in Love" and "Moon Song") which may be another reason that has affected the visibility of the record and its lukewarm critical reception.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown, Peterson, and Ellis</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But no matter, because the mood achieved by Armstrong, Peterson, guitarist <b>Herb Ellis</b>, bassist <b>Ray Brown</b>, and drummer <b>Louis Bellson</b> is delightful. The album opener, "That Old Feeling," sets the pace as the dates are mostly dominated by medium tempos, which works really well with tunes such as "I Was Doing All Right," "Just One of Those Things," and "Sweet Lorraine." Armstrong typically sings to the accompaniment of the Peterson trio plus Bellson, occasionally throwing in trumpet solos that aren't as brief as some critics have noted. The bluesy 5-minute reading of "Blues in the Night" is arguably one of the highlights of the sessions, which also yielded some excellent slow numbers, such as "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "What's New?" On "There's No You," Armstrong's voice is backed only by Ellis's lovely guitar, and the track makes us wish Satchmo had recorded a whole album with Ellis, something that, alas, never happened. The slow, wistful approach to "You Go to My Head" is yet another memorable performance that has Armstrong playing the tune once through and then going into the vocals. The 1997 CD reissue fortunately offers four extra tracks ("I Get a Kick Out of You," "Makin' Whoopee," "Willow Weep for Me," and "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)") that never made it to the original vinyl release but that are equally engaging. Once again, producer Norman Granz was right in pairing Louis and Oscar, and over 60 years later, the outcome of their collaboration is in need of rediscovery and reevaluation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-38343735438735599972018-03-27T09:45:00.005-07:002018-03-27T09:45:56.029-07:00Jazz Flashes Podcast: Interview with Jazz Pianist Marc Devine<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marc Devine performing at Smalls</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not long ago I published a <a href="http://jazzflashes.blogspot.com/2018/03/new-releases-inspiration-by-marc-devine.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> in which I reviewed <i><b>Inspiration</b></i>, the debut album as a leader by New York-based pianist <b>Marc Devine</b>, a trio outing alongside bassist <b>Hide Tanaka</b> and drummer <b>Fukushi Tainaka</b>. Shortly after the review was published, Devine agreed to guest on a new episode of the <i>Jazz Flashes Podcast</i> and joined me from NYC to discuss the CD, his life and career, and his views on jazz and the current New York jazz scene, among many other topics. The entire 85-minute conversation is now available here below for any readers who may be interested in listening to it. For more information about the Marc Devine Trio and their excellent, swing-drenched debut album, please visit Devine's <a href="http://www.marcdevine.com/" target="_blank">homepage</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-10813604556525215332018-03-17T15:33:00.000-07:002018-03-17T15:33:02.313-07:00Jazz Flashes Videocast: Will Friedwald's Best Books on Jazz and Classic Pop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anyone who has read my posts here in <i>Jazz Flashes</i> and in my other blog, <i><a href="http://vintagebandstand.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Vintage Bandstand</a></i>, especially those that deal with vocal jazz, classic pop, and the crooners, is aware of my admiration for the work of New York-based critic <b>Will Friedwald</b>. To me, Mr. Friedwald is an authority on the subjects of classic pop and vocal jazz, and all his books are an absolute pleasure to read because of the depth of his knowledge, the wide variety and scope of information they include, and the incomparable wit of his writing style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been following Mr. Friedwald's work since the 1990s, when I first ran across a copy of his eye-opening study, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Singing-Americas-Voices-Bessie/dp/0306807122/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521325767&sr=1-6&keywords=will+friedwald&dpID=41wHewjmGoL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">Jazz Singing</a></i>, and I've read nearly all his works, from his exploration of twelve of the greatest songs from the Songbook (<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stardust-Melodies-Will-Friedwald/dp/0375420894/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521325788&sr=1-4&keywords=will+friedwald&dpID=5124Q21C3YL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">Stardust Melodies</a></i>) to the biography of <b>Tony Bennett</b> that he wrote in tandem with the singer (<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Life-Autobiography-Tony-Bennett/dp/0671024698/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521325817&sr=1-17&keywords=will+friedwald" target="_blank">The Good Life</a></i>) to his volumes on the music of Warner Bros. cartoons to his mammoth (and indispensable) <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Biographical-Guide-Great-Jazz-Singers/dp/0375421491/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521325850&sr=1-3&keywords=will+friedwald" target="_blank">Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers</a></i>. Mr. Friedwald is also the author of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sinatra-Song-You-Singer%C2%92s-Art/dp/068419368X/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521325877&sr=1-5&keywords=will+friedwald&dpID=41WP9dEiUGL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">Sinatra! The Song Is You</a></i>, which, in my opinion, is by far the best book ever written about the music and the recorded legacy of <b>Frank Sinatra</b>. His latest work, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Jazz-Pop-Vocal-Albums/dp/0307379078/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521325877&sr=1-1&keywords=will+friedwald&dpID=51eF-g2mzlL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch" target="_blank">The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums</a></i>, is yet another necessary addition to the shelves of any serious vocal jazz aficionado. It's a collection of essays on some of the most influential vocal jazz and classic pop albums that will have readers dusting the records off and listening to them under a new, different light. Mr. Friedwald is a very persuasive writer, never afraid to offer his personal opinion on a given LP, artist, or arrangement, and even though we may not always agree with his view on a particular point, more often than not, we'll find ourselves rethinking our own approach to each specific album after reading what he has to say about it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a personal tribute to a writer from whom I've learned a great deal and who has been a primary influence when it came to discovering or rediscovering this or that artist or album, I've recently recorded a videocast whose aim is to review briefly my five favorite books by Mr. Friedwald. It's really not my intention to rank them, so I simply talk about them in chronological order of publication, beginning with <i>Jazz Singing</i> and ending with <i>The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums</i>. For anyone willing to understand vocal jazz and classic pop or to gain a deeper knowledge of both subjects, Mr. Friedwald's work is undoubtedly the place to start. I'd like to express my sincerest gratitude to Mr. Friedwald for the marvelous books that he's been producing for many years now, and I hope the video will serve as a fitting introduction to his work for many readers of <i>Jazz Flashes</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-46061694994811917902018-03-08T14:45:00.000-08:002018-03-08T14:45:19.333-08:00New Releases: Inspiration, by the Marc Devine Trio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>After a brief hiatus, Jazz Flashes returns with a review of an excellent trio album released just a few months ago.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">His first CD as a leader finds pianist <b>Marc Devine</b> in a trio setting and in a company in which he feels extremely comfortable and relaxed: bassist <b>Hide Tanaka</b> and drummer <b>Fukushi Tainaka</b>, whose pedigree is impeccable if we bear in mind that they've worked with illustrious names such as <b>Junior Mance</b> and <b>Lou Donaldson</b> respectively. The album, recorded in April 2017 and simply entitled <i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Inspiration-Marc-Devine-Trio/dp/B075NJ3P7Z" target="_blank">Inspiration</a></b></i> (ITI Records), amounts to an outstanding calling card that underscores Devine's straight-ahead approach, with more than a hint of bebop and hard bop but always full of swing and extremely listenable. Devine moved to NYC in 2009 after establishing a solid reputation as a top-notch jazz pianist in Austin, TX, and since settling in the Big Apple, he has been contributing to several recordings and making personal appearances at renowned clubs such as Smalls, forming productive associations with different musicians on the New York scene and now getting to cut some sides fronting his own trio.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And the music on Devine's first album as a leader is, indeed, inspired and shows the breadth of his influences. The collection opens with the trio's swinging take on <b>Hank Mobley</b>'s perennial "Soul Station," whose bluesy riffs become the perfect vehicle for some soulful playing from the pianist. No less soulful, though with perhaps more of an accent on swing and bop, is Devine's only original composition here, "Inspiration," which does seem inspired by the hard bop sounds of <b>Barry Harris</b> and includes brief solos by Tanaka and Tainaka. The Great American Songbook also has its place on the album via a lightly swinging rendition of the <b>Johnny Mercer</b> standard, "Dream," followed by "Vignette," a lesser-known gem by <b>Hank Jones</b> that Devine unearths for the occasion—and rightly so. <b>Bud Powell</b> is yet another of Devine's inspirations, as we can hear on his lively version of Powell's "Hallucinations," which also features a marvelous bowed solo by Tanaka.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Marc Devine Trio (Photo: Peter Shepherd)</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Devine has a knack for finding the swing that lies under the melody in the unlikeliest places, as on <b>Gerry Goffin</b> and <b>Carole King</b>'s "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," which, in Devine's hands doesn't sound anything like a <b>Shirelles</b> tune but swings nonchalantly in a manner that is reminiscent of <b>Oscar Peterson</b> or <b>Erroll Garner</b>. Similarly, <b>Elvis Presley</b>'s ballad, "Love Me Tender," is another seemingly odd choice that somehow works perfectly when taken at an ultra-slow pace that renders it almost minimalist. <b>Osie Johnson</b>'s "Osmosis" is the exact opposite: as vertiginous as it gets on the album, this is an extremely appropriate closer that leaves the listener hungry for more. In short, Marc Devine's debut album at the helm of his trio lives up to its title, and with its right doses of swing and bop, the excellent rapport between the musicians, and the variety of the tune selections, it's one of the best and most engaging trio albums I've heard in a very long time.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Further Information</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">For more information about the Marc Devine Trio, including upcoming live gigs, please visit Devine's website <b><u><a href="http://www.marcdevine.com/" target="_blank">here</a></u></b>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-60648478508414314212017-12-14T07:04:00.002-08:002017-12-14T07:04:50.618-08:00Jazz Flashes Podcast - Malcolm Macfarlane on Bing Crosby's Christmas Recordings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWcBV53QGnqaaFg0BfAleNG_LcTkJ_3FikHl1GmmiaqZu6KXE_mnJ1yRe7LIk5tz_lA1dqHZB6c7yWISviZvl1c9efLr3Ii7nwSGjxPyEYcXqtGz2lOFZX7NYg8QKOZpnyj6h62X-nVp3/s1600/crosbyxmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWcBV53QGnqaaFg0BfAleNG_LcTkJ_3FikHl1GmmiaqZu6KXE_mnJ1yRe7LIk5tz_lA1dqHZB6c7yWISviZvl1c9efLr3Ii7nwSGjxPyEYcXqtGz2lOFZX7NYg8QKOZpnyj6h62X-nVp3/s320/crosbyxmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Despite the size and depth of his recorded output, forty years after his passing on a golf course in Madrid, Spain, <b>Bing Crosby</b> is still mostly remembered by the general public for his holiday recordings, especially the many he made for Decca Records between the 1930s and 1940s. These are classic readings of tunes that have become popular Yuletide standards, such as "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," and most of all, <b>Irving Berlin</b>'s "White Christmas." Several years ago I wrote about these <b><u><a href="http://vintagebandstand.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-with-bing-frank-and-dick.html" target="_blank">here</a></u></b>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malcolm Macfarlane, co-editor of the ICC's BING Magazine</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the holiday season approaches, I've had the chance to sit down with my friend <b>Malcolm Macfarlane</b>, British co-editor of <a href="http://www.bingmagazine.co.uk/" target="_blank">BING Magazine</a>, the journal of the <a href="http://www.club-crosby.org/" target="_blank">International Club Crosby</a>, to discuss at length the importance of Crosby's Christmas output. On this new episode of the <i>Jazz Flashes Podcast</i>, Malcolm and I cover Bing's classic Decca sides, but we also delve into his holiday movies (1942's <i>Holiday Inn</i> and 1954's <i>White Christmas</i>), Christmas radio and television specials, and other holiday albums he made in the 1960s and 1970s, including <i>I Wish You a Merry Christmas</i> (1962) and <i>A Time to Be Jolly</i> (1971). All of these are the perfect records to get in a holiday mood Crosby-style. If you're interested in listening to our whole 75-minute program, it's available at the end of this post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like every year, <i>Jazz Flashes</i> would like to wish our entire readership around the world the happiest (and jazziest) of holidays! Thanks for your attention!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-40339853053404701142017-11-16T09:22:00.000-08:002017-11-16T09:22:07.155-08:00Frank D'Rone on Mercury, 1960<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8_ExXQiW2pDfR9ak8HRQRU5UyYoRs7cB2tmEJoc4wWsN6S254QqC8k1-RwDBtdXCUZiz73i9__15LGXr-E75ainTHRW2Jwm93CNf7OeC6c3Gq5YzabkFsv1gePoSdIO6llXA4VXAgLEX/s1600/frankdrone2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8_ExXQiW2pDfR9ak8HRQRU5UyYoRs7cB2tmEJoc4wWsN6S254QqC8k1-RwDBtdXCUZiz73i9__15LGXr-E75ainTHRW2Jwm93CNf7OeC6c3Gq5YzabkFsv1gePoSdIO6llXA4VXAgLEX/s320/frankdrone2.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Singer <b>Frank D'Rone</b> is perhaps one of the most obscure but definitely one of the most swinging vocalists of the 1950s and '60s. When he passed away in 2013 at age 81, <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-10-03/entertainment/ct-ent-1004-frank-drone-obit-20131003_1_frank-d-rone-judy-roberts-greg-fishman" target="_blank">his obituary</a> in the <i>Chicago Tribune</i> noted that on the day he gave his last concert, he "didn't know whether he should go to the emergency room or the concert hall." Such was D'Rone's devotion to music. Born in Massachusetts in 1932 but raised in Rhode Island, D'Rone developed an early interest in the guitar, and by the early '50s he was making a name for himself in jazz clubs around Chicago, both as a singer and as a guitarist. <b>Nat King Cole</b> was particularly impressed by D'Rone's musicianship, to such an extent that he took the younger singer under his wing and helped him get a recording contract with Mercury.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In his book <i>Jazz Singing</i>, critic <b>Will Friedwald</b> observes that "D'Rone has a forties-type voice . . . in a fifties Capitol F[rank] S[inatra] setting . . . and generates genuine warmth" (331). This Sinatra connection is particularly evident in the album After the Ball, recorded in 1960, partly because the vivacious arrangements are by Billy May. The twelve songs on the LP are loosely tied by the concept of an imaginary conversation between two lovers who have just attended a dance. Perhaps not enough to speak of a concept album in the strict sense of the term, but the set works extremely well because both the songs and the charts are top notch, and the tracks range from a high-octane swinging reading of an old chestnut like <b>Charles K. Harris</b>'s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgeE8rozaUA" target="_blank">"After the Ball"</a> to versions of well-known standards such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7KYxiAKp68" target="_blank">"My Melancholy Baby"</a> and <b>Cole Porter</b>'s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeAMYVrHp4I" target="_blank">"You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to,"</a> and even more contemporary tunes like <b>Bart Howard</b>'s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKZF5KpAF84" target="_blank">"Let Me Love You"</a> and <b>Matt Dennis</b>'s excellent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD29mRHV2ZU" target="_blank">"Will You Still Be Mine."</a> Whether he's singing an all-out swinger or a longing ballad, the warmth of D'Rone's voice shines through as he, according to the anonymous liner notes, "re-lives the whole early-morning romance vocally." This is most definitely an album in need of rediscovery, and so is the name on its cover—Frank D'Rone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-55325478378427180392017-09-12T09:32:00.001-07:002017-09-15T06:48:52.548-07:00Spike Robinson Live in Denver, 1991<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spike Robinson</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">A <a href="http://www.jazzwax.com/2017/09/spike-robinson-and-harry-warren.html" target="_blank">recent post</a> about tenorist <b>Spike Robinson</b> in <b>Marc Myers</b>'s blog <i><a href="http://jazzwax.com/" target="_blank">JazzWax</a></i> made me dust off my Robinson records and enjoy them all over again after several years. And I have many, all of them wonderful, because as Myers rightly says, "there are no bad Spike Robinson recordings." Born in Kenosha, WI, in 1930, Robinson didn't pursue a full-time career as a jazz musician until he was in his fifties. His job as a mechanical engineer paid the bills, and he simply played occasionally at nights in Colorado, mostly in the Boulder and Denver areas. He'd begun on alto saxophone and clarinet but later switched to tenor, and his playing was cast in the Four Brothers mold of <b>Al Cohn</b>, <b>Zoot Sims</b>, and <b>Stan Getz</b>. Robinson had a knack for ballads, but no matter what he plays, his warm tone always shines through. While in the Navy in the 1950s, he found himself in England, where he collaborated with some of the best British jazz musicians of the time, such as <b>Victor Feldman</b> and <b>Johnny Dankworth</b>, and where he even got to make his first records. Upon his return to civilian life in the United States, Robinson settled into his job as an engineer and wouldn't record again until about three decades later. His tours of the United Kingdom and other European countries in the 1980s created such a stir that he decided to quit his job and move there, making constant live appearances and recording quite prolifically for a variety of labels such as Capri, Hep, and Concord. Robinson passed away in England in 2001 at age 71.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guitarist Mundell Lowe</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">One of my favorite albums by Robinson, <b style="font-style: italic;">Reminiscin'</b> (Capri Records, 1992), captures him live at the Jazz Works in Denver in December 1991, in the company of guitarist <b>Mundell Lowe</b>, bassist <b>Monty Budwig</b> (one of his last appearances on record), and drummer <b>Jake Hanna</b>. This pianoless quartet setting brings out the Getz-like qualities of Robinson's playing, and both dates (December 12 and 15) find him exploring the higher registers of the tenor saxophone. The eight selections (all of them standards plus a bluesy original by Robinson) clock in at over six minutes, with plenty of opportunities for everyone to show their skills, particularly the leader and Lowe, who engage in long solos with the strong support of Budwig's bass. There are a quite a few peppy mid-tempo numbers, like the opener, "Dancing in the Dark," "The Girl Next Door," "Yours Is My Heart Alone," and a charming, Latin-flavored reading of "Without You." The excellent ballad "My Silent Love" is taken at a faster tempo than usual, but the album also showcases Robinson's breathy, <b>Lester Young</b>-influenced approach to slow tunes on <b>Cole Porter</b>'s "Dream Dancing" and <b>Rodgers</b> and <b>Hart</b>'s "Where or When." The album closer, Robinson's own "Blues for Sooz," is the perfect vehicle for the quartet to effortlessly delve into the blues idiom and simply have some fun playing together. Though rather forgotten today, Spike Robinson is one of the best saxophonists of the 1980s and '90s and deserves to be heard because he indeed never made a bad album.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-86170237966625209212017-08-11T09:06:00.000-07:002017-08-12T13:59:10.901-07:00New Releases: Roger Davidson's Prayer for Tomorrow (with interview)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">French-born American jazz pianist <b><a href="http://www.rogerdavidsonmusic.net/" target="_blank">Roger Davidson</a></b> has spent his whole career dabbling in several different kinds of music, from Caribbean to tango to classical. But his true passion, both personally and musically, has always been Brazil, as we can infer from his latest album, <i><b>Oração para amanhã/Prayer for Tomorrow</b></i> (Soundbrush Records, 2017). Davidson was born in Paris but soon moved to the United States and settled in the northeast, where he has been performing throughout his life. His music, always inventive and eclectic, has merited the enthusiastic approval of renowned jazz critics such as <b>Will Friedwald</b>, who has written that Davidson's new record features "brilliant musicians [and] great music."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hendrik Meurkens</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Davidson, who started his own label, Soundbrush, as an outlet to release different types of music that he enjoys and is passionate about, is surrounded here by some of the best Brazilian musicians on the current New York scene. Recorded live at NYC's Zinc Bar over the course of several dates in May and October 2016, the album finds Davidson in the company of his new trio—bassist <b>Eduardo Belo</b> and drummer <b>Adriano Santos</b>. The addition of the German-born <b>Hendrik Meurkens</b> on harmonica and vibraphone is welcome indeed, particularly since it brings variety and class to the proceedings with the inclusion of an instrument, the harmonica, that one doesn't get to hear often enough on jazz records these days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The album showcases twelve of Davidson's new Brazilian-styled compositions whose freshness and diversity of rhythms and approaches always keep the listener interested. The interplay between the four participants is flawless and always full of little surprises here and there, and Meurkens's vibraphone and harmonica blend perfectly well with the overall sound of the trio, making it fuller and more attractive. <i>Prayer for Tomorrow</i> is a welcome addition to the catalog of Davidson's Brazilian outings (The 2003 <b>Richard Rodgers</b> songbook <i>Rodgers in Rio</i> is another good example of what the pianist can do with Brazilian rhythms) and will definitely leave the listener longing for more. Fortunately, Davidson is already working on more music in a similar vein with this same trio. A few weeks ago, Davidson joined us from a French restaurant in New York for a new episode of the <i><b>Jazz Flashes Podcast.</b></i> You may listen to the whole conversation, which was extremely interesting despite some minor technical issues, here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-23226671006276656172017-07-10T10:14:00.001-07:002017-07-10T10:14:23.722-07:00Billy Taylor and Quincy Jones's Jazzy Take on My Fair Lady, 1957<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Though perhaps he isn't as well remembered today as his achievements deserve, the career of North Carolina piano man <b>Billy Taylor</b> was full of milestones: in the 1950s he worked as house pianist at New York's Birdland; in the 1960s he became the first black musical director of a major network television program, on the popular <i>David Frost Show</i>; and in the 1970s, he earned a doctorate in music from the University of Massachusetts. Taylor was also very involved in spreading the good news about jazz on the radio and on television, but he always found time to play live and enter the studio regularly for over fifty years, recording a respectable amount of albums for labels such as Prestige, Savoy, Impulse, and Capitol, among others. Born in Greenville in 1921, Taylor moved to NYC in the early 1940s playing and sometimes recording alongside great jazzmen like <b>Slam Stewart</b>, <b>Ben Webster</b>, and violinists <b>Stuff Smith</b> and <b>Eddie South</b>. While working at Birdland, he formed his first trio, the setting in which he felt most comfortable throughout his career, and cut his first of many records as a leader. Taylor passed away in New York in 2010 at age 89, leaving behind a solid musical legacy that's in need of rediscovery.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Those who have criticized Taylor for not being innovative enough should listen closely to what I consider to be his best album—<b><i>My Fair Lady Loves Jazz</i></b>, recorded for Impulse in NYC over the course of three separate sessions in January and February 1957. This was at a time when the successful show by <b>Alan Jay Lerner</b> and <b>Frederick Loewe</b> had been running on Broadway for about a year, and in fact, there was even a release party for the LP that was attended by most of the theatrical cast. Taylor's trio features bassist <b>Earl May</b> and drummer <b>Ed Thigpen</b>, but it's augmented for this project by several excellent horn players like trumpeter <b>Ernie Royal</b>, baritone saxophonist <b>Gerry Mulligan</b>, altoist <b>Tony Ortega</b>, and trombonist <b>Jimmy Cleveland</b>, to mention just four. The horns, arranged by none other than <b>Quincy Jones</b>, are a perfect complement for the elegant sound of Taylor's trio, which they enrich greatly. This is evident from the very first bars of the opening track, "Show Me," which also features Royal on trumpet prominently, and the rest of selections always leave room for solos by Taylor and his guests—Ortega shines on the ballad "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and Cleveland contributes a fine solo to the bouncy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssSQL-F6jcU" target="_blank">"Get Me to the Church on Time,"</a> for instance. Jones's charts underscore the jazz elements of great tunes like "I Could Have Danced All Night" and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixdBnpXNIC0" target="_blank">"On the Street Where You Live"</a> without straying too far away from the melodies, and Taylor obviously feels extremely comfortable in the company of May and Thigpen, for whom he only has words of praise in the liner notes. The result is classic, boppish Taylor, a thoroughly satisfying album that serves as the perfect introduction to his music. Other jazz treatments of <i>My Fair Lady</i>, like those by <b>Shelly Manne</b> (for Contemporary, 1956, with <b>André Prévin</b> and <b>Leroy Vinnegar</b>) and <b>Chet Baker</b> (his 1959 Lerner & Loewe songbook for Riverside), may be better known, but Taylor's approach to that memorable musical is one of the most interesting ever recorded.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-40246650310640410082017-06-27T08:12:00.000-07:002017-06-27T08:12:03.559-07:00Two-Sentence Jazz Reviews, May-June 2017—Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Here's the second installment of the brief two-sentence reviews of jazz records that I heard during my recent European trip and that I originally published in my Facebook page.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Music-MODERN-QUARTET-ROLLINS-SONNY/dp/B000GIXIH8/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1498575826&sr=1-6&keywords=modern+jazz+quartet+music+inn" target="_blank">The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn, Vol. 2</a></i> (Atlantic, 1959)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Recorded live in Lenox, MA, in the summer of 1958, this date showcases the usual elegance of the forward-thinking <b>Modern Jazz Quartet</b> along with tenorist <b>Sonny Rollins</b> on two tracks (on Vol. 1, recorded two years earlier at the same place, it's <b>Jimmy Giuffre</b> that guests). The carefully chosen set list works perfectly, mixing standards with tunes by <b>John Lewis</b>, <b>Milt Jackson</b>, and <b>Charlie Parker</b>, and the two tracks with Rollins ("Bags' Groove" and "Night in Tunisia") are the highlights of an album that is superb all around.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Peterson-Trio-Verve-Originals/dp/B000TJ6CPY/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1498575745&sr=1-1&keywords=oscar+peterson+plus+one" target="_blank">Oscar Peterson Trio + One</a></i> (Mercury, 1964 / Verve, 2007)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Cut for Mercury in 1964, this is one of <b>Oscar Peterson</b>'s most relaxed, bluesiest dates of the 1960s, featuring a special guest in trumpeter <b>Clark Terry</b>, who plays both flugelhorn and trumpet. Peterson's piano playing is characteristically dazzling, as usual, and the comfortable interplay between his trio (<b>Ray Brown</b> on bass and <b>Ed Thigpen</b> on drums) and Terry is a joy to hear, making this an essential entry in Peterson's vast, rich discography.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Jan Lundgren Trio—<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Svenska-Landskap-Jan-Lundgren-Trio/dp/B06XYSH5Q4/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1498575663&sr=8-1&keywords=jan+lundgren+svenska" target="_blank">Svenska Landskap</a></i> (Sittel, 2003 / Fog Arts, 2017)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This 2003 gem now available for digital download and streaming finds <b>Jan Lundgren</b> and his trio (<b>Mattias Svensson</b> on bass and <b>Morten Lund</b> on drums) on a musical journey around Sweden via jazz versions of traditional tunes and a couple of very appropriate Lundgren originals. The playing is swift and fresh on the uptempo tracks and lyrical and introspective on the ballads, and the album as a whole won't disappoint anyone who takes a chance on it. [You may read a more detailed <i>Jazz Flashes</i> review about this album <b><u><a href="http://jazzflashes.blogspot.com/2017/05/new-reissues-ella-fitzgerald-johnny.html" target="_blank">here</a></u></b>.]</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Freddie Hubbard—<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Born-Be-Blue-Freddie-Hubbard/dp/B000000YXO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1498575568&sr=1-1&keywords=freddie+hubbard+born" target="_blank">Born to Be Blue</a></i> (Pablo, 1982)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This is a lovely, very recommendable late-career album by trumpeter <b>Freddie Hubbard</b> in a percussion-laden sextet that also features the great <b>Harold Land</b> on tenor sax and flute. It features some very engaging uptempo numbers (like "Joy Spring," for instance) and some typically sensitive, lyrical ballad playing such as the beautiful title track.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-66324885126521190552017-06-20T07:19:00.000-07:002017-06-20T07:19:25.362-07:00Two-Sentence Jazz Reviews, May-June 2017—Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Due to a recent trip to Europe, I haven't had the chance to publish anything in </i>Jazz Flashes<i>, but I did write some very brief reviews of jazz albums I heard and/or purchased while overseas on my Facebook page. Now that I am back, I have compiled these two-sentence reviews on this post. I hope you find something to your liking among these outstanding records—and stay tuned for the forthcoming second part!</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Buddy-Tate-Buddies-BUDDY-BUDDIES/dp/B000003H8M/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1497261316&sr=1-9&keywords=buddy+tate+buddies" target="_blank">Buddy Tate and His Buddies</a></i> (Chiaroscuro, 1994)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Saxophonist <b>Buddy Tate</b>'s buddies—trumpeter <b>Roy Eldridge</b>, saxist Illinois Jacquet, pianist Mary Lou Williams, guitarist Steve Jordan, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Gus Johnson—are mostly jazz royalty, musicians who feel at ease in each other's company and enjoy playing together. This powerful, blues-drenched 1973 New York City date is truly a masterclass in first-rate small-group swing and blues, five selections that give all participants plenty of room to shine and surprise the listener with their inventiveness and exciting knack for improvisation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Emil Viklicky—<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/feat-Franti%C5%A1ek-Uhl%C3%AD%C5%99-Josef-Vejvoda/dp/B071VN4CHN/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1497001423&sr=8-1&keywords=viklicky+box" target="_blank">Live at the Box</a></i> (Petr Bielicky, 2014 / Fog Arts, 2017)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Always the experimentalist, Czech jazz pianist Emil Viklicky feels at home distilling a mixture of jazz, classical, and Moravian folk music, as he does in Live at the Box, recently reissued for digital download and streaming by the Stockholm based Fog Arts label. This 2011 live date finds Viklicky in a trio setting, with Frantisek Uhlir on bass and Josef Vejvoda on drums, running through a varied selection of his highly personal compositions, the kind of eclectic jazz that surprises and grows on the listener with each play, with the highlight being bassist Uhlir's "Father's Blues."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Gerry Mulligan & Scott Hamilton—<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lights-Sweet-Music-Gerry-Mulligan/dp/B0000006FV/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1496661570&sr=1-1&keywords=gerry+mulligan+scott+hamilton" target="_blank">Soft Lights and Sweet Music</a></i> (Concord, 1986)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Though perhaps not as well known as it deserves to be, this is a memorable tenor-baritone saxophone meeting between Scott Hamilton and Gerry Mulligan, cut in the mid-1980s for Concord in a quintet setting with Mike Renzi on piano, Jay Leonhart on bass, and Grady Tate on drums. It's a mostly uptempo affair with a fair share of Mulligan originals, and the mutual understanding between both saxophonists makes for some extremely satisfying listening.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Howard McGhee—<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maggies-Back-Town-Howard-Mcghee/dp/B000000YWJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1496385166&sr=1-1&keywords=maggie%27s+back+in+town" target="_blank">Maggie's Back in Town</a></i> (Contemporary, 1961)</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">After quite a spell away from the studios due to drug-related problems, trumpeter Howard McGhee came back on the jazz scene with this amazing album that showcases his bop-inflected playing in the company of fantastic musicians like pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr., bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Shelly Manne. The result is one of the best bop records of the early 1960s, an inventive, exciting run through a few standards, an original composition by McGhee, and two Teddy Edwards tunes, all of which makes it clear that Maggie (as McGhee was known to his friends) was definitely back!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-59027845838679037232017-05-23T06:07:00.000-07:002017-05-23T06:07:54.496-07:00Jazz Flashes Podcast: A Conversation with Jazz Discographer & Historian Noal Cohen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rochester-born jazz discographer, historian, and musician <b>Noal Cohen</b> first heard the sounds of jazz at a very early age and was instantly hooked. And even though there were other interests in his life, he has devoted a big part of his time to listening to, playing, and studying this music, particularly the bop and hard bop of the 1950s and '60s. Now that he's retired and lives in Montclair, NJ, he has undertaken several important projects. One of them is his website, <i><b><a href="http://attictoys.com/" target="_blank">Noal Cohen's Jazz History Website</a></b></i>, which features thorough, painstakingly researched discographies of jazz greats such as <b>Gigi Gryce</b>, <b>Johnny Hartman</b>, <b>Elmo Hope</b>, <b>Lucky Thompson</b>, <b>Frank Strozier</b>, <b>Teddy Charles</b>, and <b>Herb Geller</b>, among others. The site is also a treasure trove of LP covers from his extensive jazz record collection and information about the 1950s Rochester, NY, jazz scene, which was extremely active. His other project is a book he has co-authored with his friend <b>Michael Fitzgerald</b>—<i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rat-Race-Blues-Musical-Gryce/dp/0990668606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495310225&sr=1-1&keywords=rat+race+blues" target="_blank">Rat Race Blues: The Musical Life of Gigi Gryce</a></b></i>, the definitive Gryce biography, which has already reached its second edition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I recently had the chance to chat with Noal about his life, his invaluable work as a jazz historian and discographer, and his personal views on jazz and its history, when he guested on the sixth episode of the <i><b>Jazz Flashes Podcast</b></i>. </span><span style="font-size: large;">During our lengthy conversation, which ended up lasting for about two hours, Noal and I discussed his excellent Gigi Gryce biography (which he had already written about a few months ago in <i>The Vintage Bandstand</i>, <b><u><a href="http://vintagebandstand.blogspot.com/2015/06/gigi-gryce-as-seen-by-noal-cohen.html" target="_blank">here</a></u></b>), his laborious discographical research on some lesser-known jazz greats from the '50s and '60s, his own work as a jazz drummer, and the many reasons why the Eisenhower years can be considered a golden era of high-quality jazz, among several other topics. I'd like to thank Noal for guesting on the podcast and for his time; our conversation was quite a thrill for me, and if you are interested in listening to it, you may access it in its entirety here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-89757790640319106392017-05-12T06:50:00.001-07:002017-05-12T06:50:56.227-07:00New (Re)Issues: Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mercer & Bobby Darin, Jan Lundgren<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This year marks the centennial of <b>Ella Fitzgerald</b>'s birthday, so it's the perfect time to celebrate her vast musical legacy and an amazing career that spanned several decades. While in this celebratory mood, Verve just released a 4-CD set entitled <i><b>100 Songs for a Centennial</b></i>, which offers a good cross-section of recordings from two important periods of her career—her associations with Decca and Verve. The sides Fitzgerald cut for Decca in the 1940s and '50s, after the years she spent with <b>Chick Webb</b> in the '30s, cemented her reputation as a top-notch jazz and pop singer and gave her the chance to record with other great names like <b>Louis Jordan </b>or the <b>Ink Spots</b>. It was also while at Decca that she made her beautiful intimate recordings with pianist <b>Ellis Larkins</b> that can be found on the <i>Pure Ella</i> CD. Whereas at Decca she concentrated on singles, after signing with <b>Norman Granz</b>'s Verve Records in the mid-'50s, Fitzgerald switched her primary interest to albums, and it was then that she began her acclaimed series of songbooks devoted to some of the greatest American composers, such as <b>Cole Porter</b>, the <b>Gershwins</b>, <b>Irving Berlin</b>, <b>Johnny Mercer</b>, <b>Duke Ellington</b>, and co. During this very successful period, she also had plenty of time to record thematic albums with top arrangers like <b>Nelson Riddle</b> and <b>Frank DeVol</b>, as well as cutting some classic live LPs. While <i>100 Songs for a Centennial</i> doesn't span her whole career, it's still interesting because it features some of Fitzgerald's most enduring recordings, all collected in one place.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In 1960, a seemingly unlikely musical collaboration took place as rocker-turned-swinger <b>Bobby Darin</b> and ace singer-songwriter <b>Johnny Mercer</b> entered the Atlantic studios to make an album together, with arranger <b>Billy May</b> at the helm. The result, released as <i><b>Two of a Kind</b></i>, was indeed unique and showcased the mutual understanding between both artists, who were clearly having lots of fun going through some Mercer classics and a few lesser-known songs that hark back to the 1920s. I already wrote about this LP several years ago, <b><u><a href="http://vintagebandstand.blogspot.com/2010/06/two-of-kind-having-fun-with-johnny.html" target="_blank">here</a></u></b>, but now the Omnivore label has reissued the original album along with a few unreleased outtakes that provide a glimpse into these incredibly charming, fun sessions, full of swing and camaraderie. The sound is fantastic, and this reissue is recommendable even for those who may already have the album on CD without the bonus tracks.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Stockholm-based label <a href="http://fogartsmusic.com/" target="_blank">Fog Arts</a> continues with the digital reissue of albums by the pianist <b>Jan Lundgren</b> (and others) that have been out of print for a while. On May 5 they made available for download and for streaming on all major services a recording that Lundgren and his trio (<b>Mattias Svensson</b> on bass and <b>Morten Lund</b> on drums) cut for Sittel back in 2003. Originally released both as <i><b>Svenska Landskap</b></i> and <i>Landscapes</i>, it's yet another masterful melding of jazz and Scandinavian folk music in the mold of the highly successful <i>Swedish Standards</i>. The concept here is clear—a collection of mostly traditional tunes culled from the different geographic areas of Sweden and transformed by the trio's personal jazzy sensibility and Lundgren's flair for melodies that are sometimes swift and lilting and sometimes pensive and introspective. The arrangements are at once respectful with tradition, imaginative, and sensitive, and besides a couple of Lundgren originals ("Småland" and "Blekinge") that blend in perfectly with the overall mood of the album, there's also one selection by the iconic 18th-century Swedish poet and composer <b>Carl Michael Bellman</b> and another by the highly respected Scandinavian artist <b>Evert Taube</b>. Anyone looking for truly beautiful jazz that incorporates both tradition and modernity need look no further. More information about <i>Svenska Landskap</i> <a href="http://fogartsmusic.com/svenska-landskap/" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">here</a>, and of course, further interesting Fog Arts digital reissues are slated to appear in the near future, including more recordings by Lundgren, as well as a collaboration between Czech pianist <b>Emil Viklicky</b> and New York trumpeter <b>Marcus Printup</b>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-14713688413389368652017-05-07T08:59:00.000-07:002017-05-07T08:59:44.474-07:00Thad Jones on Blue Note, 1956<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">One of the greatest jazzmen to emerge from the Detroit area, <b>Thad Jones</b> was born in Pontiac, MI, in 1923 and in time would become known as a trumpeter, arranger, and composer. He came, of course, from a musical family (his brothers, <b>Hank</b> and <b>Elvin Jones</b>, made names for themselves as pianist and drummer respectively) and began his professional career playing with <b>Sonny Stitt</b> and <b>Billy Mitchell</b>. It was, however, as a sideman with <b>Count Basie</b> in the 1950s that Jones began to rise to prominence. Even though he was forced to share solo duties with the equally accomplished <b>Joe Newman</b>, Jones got a chance to compose and arrange while with the Count, and this experience would later prove extremely valuable. In the early '60s, Jones started to concentrate on arranging, and by 1965 he had teamed up with drummer <b>Mel Lewis</b> to organize the popular and influential <b>Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra</b>, an outfit that boasted both established musicians and some outstanding young talent among its ranks. By the late 1970s, though, Jones had quit the orchestra and moved to Denmark, where he kept working steadily until his passing in 1986 at age 63.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Jones's first session as a leader for Blue Note took place at the New Jersey-based <b>Rudy Van Gelder</b> studio on March 13, 1956, and it was issued as <i><b>Detroit-New York Junction</b></i>, a tip of the hat to Jones's own roots. Overall, it's a very satisfying affair and already points to even greater things to come. It also gave Jones a chance to reunite with tenorist Billy Mitchell in a sextet that also features <b>Kenny Burrell</b> on guitar, <b>Tommy Flanagan</b> on piano, <b>Oscar Pettiford</b> on bass, and <b>Shadow Wilson</b> on drums. As the leader, Jones commands a great deal of attention with his spontaneous-sounding hard bop playing, yet there's also room for interesting solos by Burrell and Flanagan, and Pettiford's work on bass is never less than wonderful. The album also showcases Jones's talent as a composer, with three originals ("Tariff," "Zec," and the lengthy "Scratch") that seem tailor-made for his fresh, boppish approach, as well as for the rest of participants to show off their wares. The two standards selected are by <b>Richard Rodgers</b> and <b>Lorenz Hart</b>, and while the opening track, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlC0-J4REVY" target="_blank">"Blue Room,"</a> sets the pace perfectly for the whole album, it's the ballad <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFOy2TslqZM" target="_blank">"Little Girl Blue"</a> that stands out, a highly lyrical reading with just trumpet, guitar, and bass. The word that critic <b>Leonard Feather</b> repeats the most in his original liner notes for the LP is "elegance," which is indeed appropriate when applied to this date and to the six musicians that make up this memorable Detroit-New York junction.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-8272266509421733802017-05-01T07:20:00.000-07:002017-05-01T07:20:18.939-07:00Jazz Flashes Podcast: A Conversation with New York Saxophonist Chris Byars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Multi-instrumentalist <b>Chris Byars</b> has been very active in the New York jazz scene for several decades now. Though he is better known as a saxophonist, Byars also plays the flute and the clarinet, and he has done extensive work as a composer, arranger, and bandleader, as shown by a recent gig directing the WDR Big Band in Germany for a lovely concert celebrating the centennial of <b>Thelonious Monk</b>. Byars possesses a deep knowledge of the history of jazz and has devoted albums to revising and furthering the legacy of great jazzmen from the past who are somewhat neglected these days, like <b>Gigi Gryce</b>, <b>Lucky Thompson</b>, and <b>Duke Jordan</b>, to name but three. He has also been very active as a teacher and a world traveler, and as a Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, has brought live jazz music and musical education to over sixty countries across the globe. Byars took some time off his busy schedule to guest on a new episode of the <i><b>Jazz Flashes Podcast</b></i>, which you may access in its entirety here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During our two-hour conversation we had time to cover a lot of ground, from reminiscing about Byars's first encounter with jazz to sharing memories about his jazz-related treks around the world to musing about the form and meaning of New York jazz. But we also had time to discuss three recent CD releases by Byars, all of them on the Danish SteepleChase label. The latest one, <b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Music-Frank-Strozier-Chris-Byars/dp/B01MSYUE0I/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1493647909&sr=1-1&keywords=chris+byars" target="_blank">The Music of Frank Strozier</a> </b>(2017), is devoted to compositions by the underrated Memphis saxophonist arranged by Byars. <i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Music-Frank-Strozier-Chris-Byars/dp/B01MSYUE0I/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1493647909&sr=1-1&keywords=chris+byars" target="_blank">Two Fives</a></b></i> (2015) clearly shows the two sides of Byars's artistry: five tracks from jazz greats like <b>Tadd Dameron</b> and Duke Jordan, paired with five Byars originals that acknowledge the past of jazz while looking toward the future. Finally, <i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Due-Respect-Freddie-Redd/dp/B019NWDKNO/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1493648013&sr=1-3&keywords=freddie+redd" target="_blank">With Due Respect</a></b></i> (2016) is a date by legendary pianist <b>Freddie Redd</b>, now octogenarian, with arrangements provided by Byars. All three albums feature outstanding musicians such as <b>Pasquale Grasso</b>, <b>Ari Roland</b>, <b>Stefano Doglioni</b>, <b>John Mosca</b>, and Chris's father <b>James Byars</b>. It was an absolute pleasure to have the chance to converse with Chris Byars, and I hope the readers enjoy listening to our chat as much as I enjoyed being a part of it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-25065618333141894192017-04-14T07:20:00.000-07:002017-04-14T07:20:46.091-07:00Billy Eckstine & Quincy Jones at Basin Street East, 1961<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">One of the smoothest and most successful jazz and pop vocalists of the 1940s and '50s, <b>Billy Eckstine</b> was also one of the most forward-thinking, as we can infer from the lineup of his famous orchestra of the mid-'40s, which included soon-to-be famous jazzmen such as <b>Miles Davis</b>, <b>Charlie Parker</b>, <b>Dizzy Gillespie</b>, <b>Dexter Gordon</b>, and <b>Art Blakey</b>, among many others. Not only was Mr. B a fantastic vocalist, but he was also an intelligent man who made his mark socially and politically. As critic <b>Will Friedwald</b> has noted in his <i>Biographical Guide</i>, "before Louis Armstrong or Nat King Cole dared sing anything other than the blues or novelties, Billy Eckstine was among the first to show the world that the black man could be intellectual, passionate, sensitive, literate, articulate, proud—and profound." Indeed, Eckstine was all this, but most of all, he was profound: his voice was rich and deep, and he imbued everything he sang with a depth that very few singers in jazz, pop, or any other style could even dream of achieving. He felt at ease singing different types of music, but he excelled at the art of the ballad, particularly that of the intimate, emotionally deep variety, like his big 1947 hit, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZZSirka0-U" target="_blank">"Everything I Have Is Yours."</a> No wonder that his female fans—black and white alike, in a time of open segregation, no less—went wild over him. He was simply just that deep, that emotional, that attractive.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Producer and arranger Quincy Jones.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">By October 1961, when he was recorded live at Basin Street East in New York City, Eckstine's hit-making days were pretty much over, yet he was still at his peak vocally. For this engagement at the legendary club, Mr. B assembled a fantastic orchestra including great musicians such as trumpeter <b>Joe Newman</b>, trombonists <b>Curtis Fuller</b> and <b>Melba Liston</b>, and altoist <b>Phil Woods</b>. With <b>Quincy Jones</b> at the helm and taking care of the arrangements, the results couldn't be anything but outstanding. The album kicks off with a spirited R&B-inflected reading of "All Right, Okay, You Win" that makes it instantly clear that Eckstine still has it and that the listener is in for a real treat. After jokingly describing himself as "the Fabian of the forties," Eckstine goes into a lovely medley of three ballads ("I'm Falling for You," "Fool That I Am," and the classic "Everything I Have Is Yours") that show his mastery of the romantic ballad to great effect. <b>Cole Porter</b>'s "In the Still of the Night" is infused with a tasteful Latin beat that suits Eckstine's style perfectly. Next comes one of the highlights of the album—a medley of four <b>Duke Ellington</b> standards that work very well together and that Mr. B performs effortlessly, apparently in front of Ellington himself, who was in the audience on that particular night. Eckstine then moves into more contemporary territory, and his interpretation of <b>Nat Adderley</b>'s "Work Song" is surprising for its gospel undertones. The album closes with a fun, swinging rendition of the <b>Con Conrad</b> novelty "Ma (She's Making Eyes at Me)" that once again indicates Eckstine's versatility. Released on Mercury as <i><b>Billy Eckstine & Quincy Jones at Basin Street East</b></i>, this is one of Eckstine's best live records, and my only complaint about it is that it's entirely too short.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-55517273161480439862017-04-03T07:36:00.000-07:002017-04-03T07:36:37.337-07:00Charlie Parker Jams on Verve, 1952<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">While certain critics consider that producer <b>Norman Granz</b> was responsible for encouraging <b>Charlie Parker</b> to veer away from bebop somewhat and venture into more commercial territory, there's no doubt that Granz also helped widen Bird's horizons. It would be enough to mention the classic album <i>Charlie Parker with Strings</i>, in which Parker is paired with a string section to create a masterpiece that has stood the test of time and that would later be imitated by countless jazz soloists. But the producer influenced the career of the saxophonist in other ways, as well. Granz was very involved in the production and promotion of live jazz gatherings known as Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP), all-star groups of jazz musicians who interacted in a jam-session format and who toured both the U.S. and overseas. Many of these live concerts have been preserved on tape thanks to Granz's foresight, and the producer also organized similar studio sessions with an eye to releasing them commercially. One of these, cut in July 1952, involved Parker, who was joined by a stellar cast that included <b>Benny Carter</b> and <b>Johnny Hodges</b> on alto sax, <b>Ben Webster</b> and <b>Flip Phillips</b> on tenor, <b>Charlie Shavers</b> on trumpet, <b>Oscar Peterson</b> on piano, <b>Barney Kessel</b> on guitar, <b>Ray Brown</b> on bass, and <b>J.C. Heard</b> on drums.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jazz producer Norman Granz</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It's well known that all-star dates can be hit or miss, but from the very first bars it seems clear that this one is most definitely a winner. The length of the four cuts recorded (all of them over 13 minutes each) affords plenty of room for each soloist to show off his undeniable talents, and nobody gets in the way of anyone else. The result is a classic jam session that keeps surprising new listeners several decades after its original release. The meeting of these jazz greats is bookended by two bluesy compositions, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYYnmlmZiL0" target="_blank">"Jam Blues"</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> and "Funky Blues," which work perfectly as vehicles for each participant to explore familiar musical territory in a succession of imaginative solos that allow us to experience different approaches to the blues idiom. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Cole Porter</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">'s </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6emi5oFNYU" target="_blank">"What Is This Thing Called Love,"</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> introduced by an energetic piano solo by Peterson, is taken at a breakneck tempo and serves as an excuse for some inspired blowing by everyone. Finally, the cut simply entitled </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXV55f_ZQlM" target="_blank">"Ballad Medley"</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> presents the group at its mellowest and most intimate, as they tastefully run through a selection of slow standards by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Jerome Kern</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Matt Dennis</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>George Gershwin</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Richard Rodgers</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, and others. Throughout the whole session there's that kind of electricity created by a group of excellent musicians who feel comfortable playing together and who constantly spur each other on to achieve new heights with every new solo. The album has been issued on CD as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Charlie Parker Jam Session</b></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, and its contents are also available as part of the five-disc set </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>The Complete Norman Granz Jam Sessions</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, which also presents other similar jams produced by Granz in the same time period. While there are other Bird recordings that one should listen to first, in my opinion this remains one of the most satisfying dates of his remarkable career.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-22469746602643108992017-03-29T09:22:00.002-07:002017-03-29T09:22:43.350-07:00June Christy & Stan Kenton on Capitol, 1955<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">Illinois-born singer <b>June Christy </b>was arguably one of the most unique female vocalists to come out of the big band era and first rose to prominence in the mid-1940s as the replacement for <b>Anita O'Day</b> in the popular band led by <b>Stan Kenton</b> at a time when arranger <b>Pete Rugolo</b> (later a close associate of Christy's at Capitol) was writing most of the charts for the orchestra. During her rather brief tenure with the Kenton organization, Christy had an important part in the creation of such hits as "Tampico" and "How High the Moon" and quickly became known for her cool, relaxed approach to the vocal art. Christy went on to have a successful solo career starting in the early '50s, recording great concept albums such as <i>Something Cool</i> and <i>The Misty Miss Christy</i>, among many others that have become pop classics of the era. About ten years after she first joined his band, Christy reunited with former boss Kenton for an LP that stands as one of the most challenging in the careers of both participants. The project, simply entitled <b><i>Duet</i></b> and recorded for Capitol over the course of four sessions in May 1955, presents Miss Christy's divinely husky voice, with its astounding ability to convincingly narrate stories in song, sharing the spotlight with Kenton's forceful piano accompaniment, which is afforded plenty of space to shine in its own right throughout the album.</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: large;">The result of this collaboration is a classic, though often neglected, record that combines standards (<b>Cole Porter</b>'s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW3MJEkDl1s"><span class="s2">"Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye,"</span></a> <b>George</b> and <b>Ira Gershwin</b>'s "How Long Has This Been Going On," <b>Matt Dennis</b>'s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umSaadTxiSQ"><span class="s2">"Angel Eyes"</span></a>) with under-recorded gems (<b>Joe Greene</b>'s "Come to the Party," <b>Bobby Troup</b>'s "Just the Way I Am") that really sound special in the hands—and pipes—of the duo of Kenton and Christy. <b>Benny Carter</b>'s "Lonely Woman," with its powerfully dramatic undertones, and "Baby, Baby All the Time," a song that came to Miss Christy's attention via her much-admired <b>Nat King Cole</b>, are among the many high spots of the album, the latter even prompting the singer to do a little scatting. In his <i>Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers</i>, critic <b>Will Friedwald</b> notes that the album could well have been inspired by similar collaborations between <b>Ella Fitzgerald</b> and <b>Ellis Larkins</b>, and suggests that "the starkness of the accompaniment and the exposed, vulnerable nature of Christy's singing effectively foreshadow Tony Bennett and Bill Evans twenty years later." Though the 1993 Capitol CD reissue has been out of print for a while, this highly recommendable album has been included recently in a four-CD collection of Christy LPs from the '50s released by the European label Real Gone. The way to go, however, is still the Capitol reissue, since it boasts not only fine liner notes by Mr. Friedwald himself, but also two tracks ("Prelude to a Kiss" and the lovely <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hkuxBDLIxM"><span class="s2">"Thanks for You"</span></a>) that were left out of the original LP release.</span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129445956566691270.post-54587205335318496052017-02-28T12:50:00.000-08:002017-02-28T12:50:13.764-08:00Paul Desmond with Strings, 1961<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">There are many adjectives one can use to describe <i><b>Desmond Blue</b></i>, altoist <b>Paul Desmond</b>'s 1961 date with strings subtly arranged by <b>Bob Prince</b>. The album is moody, soft, and restrained. Desmond's playing is imaginative and soothing, and Prince's string arrangements serve as a sort of cushion, never getting in the way of the soloist. But, most of all, the adjective that comes most readily to mind when listening to <i>Desmond Blue</i> is <i>beautiful</i>, and sometimes one is simply in the mood to listen to jazz that is beautiful. If that's the case, then one can't go wrong with this album. Best remembered for his association with pianist <b>Dave Brubeck</b>, of whose very successful quartet he was an integral part in the 1950s and '60s, Desmond cut several excellent albums under his own name throughout his collaboration with Brubeck. Six of these were recorded for RCA Victor in the sixties, and fortunately, they were reissued in 2012 as a very attractive and affordable box set that reproduces the format of the original LPs, though adding some bonus tracks. And the first of these albums chronologically is <i>Desmond Blue</i>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Hall and Paul Desmond</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Recorded in New York City over the course of several sessions in September and October 1961, Desmond Blue was released in 1962 and, as its cover proudly states, it presents "a great saxophonist in a new setting." This new setting is, of course, Desmond accompanied by a string orchestra and performing a selection of well-known standards and two originals, "Desmond Blue" and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJt4mAIm5R8" target="_blank">"Late Lament,"</a> both of them included on the first side of the record. As his discography clearly shows, Desmond was always very fond of standards, and the ones he chose on this occasion seem tailor-made for his delicate, often understated style. He approaches classic ballads such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2cTgUK3MQY" target="_blank">"My Funny Valentine,"</a> "Then I'll Be Tired of You," and "I Should Care" with great lyricism. Yet, as we can hear on "I've Got You Under My Skin" and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8KMmZElJyA" target="_blank">"Like Someone in Love,"</a> he also sounds comfortable varying the tempo and lending some diversity to the album. <b>Jim Hall</b> guests on guitar on four of the tracks, blending in with the orchestra as perfectly as Desmond himself and adding an extra touch of class to the proceedings. The result is a magnificent album of the kind that is agreeable to the ears and soothing to the spirit, an album that could most appropriately be described as <i>beautiful</i>.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0