Recent Links :: July 31

• Cannonball Adderley: Nikwin reviews the 1959 album, The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco, at Nikwin writes ... (Purchase the CD, The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Cannonball Adderley: Chris Holmes posts a 1963 video of Cannonball Adderley's sextet playing "Jive Samba" at
  
• Art Blakey: Bill Plake writes about Art Blakey, "the most remarkable drummer I've ever had the privilege of seeing perform live," at Bill Plake Music.
  
• Miles Davis: Jonathan Dixon has a fascinating article on Miles Davis's chili recipe at Gilt Taste.
  
• Bill Evans: Sean Murphy reviews the new album, The Definitive Bill Evans on Riverside and Fantasy, at PopMatters. (Purchase the CD, The Definitive Bill Evans on Riverside and Fantasy, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Ella Fitzgerald: The Carnegie Hall blog has a short piece on the 1973 album, Live from Carnegie Hall: Ella Fitzgerald and Newport Jazz. (Purchase the CD, Live from Carnegie Hall: Ella Fitzgerald and Newport Jazz, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Herbie Hancock: RTI News reports that Herbie Hancock will perform at the 50th birthday party for President Barack Obama.
  
• Earl Hines: The excellent Handful of Keys blog has a video of Earl Hines playing and talking on jazz critic Ralph Gleason's program, "Jazz Casual."
  
• Keith Jarrett: A review of Keith Jarrett's 1976 album, Eyes of the Heart, appears at ECM Reviews. (Purchase the CD, Eyes of the Heart, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Keith Jarrett: Stephen Graham reviews the Keith Jarrett performance at London's Royal Festival Hall at JazzWise magazine.
  
• Thelonious Monk: Vijay Iyer talks about Thelonious Monk, among other topics, at the New Haven Advocate.
  

Robert

Recent Links :: July 29

• Mose Allison: Ken Smith has a great in-depth look at Mose Allison at Properganda.
  
• Louis Armstrong: Ricky Riccardi provides some cuts to listen to while reading chapter 3 of his new biography of Satchmo, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years.
  
• Art Blakey: Anthony Franceschi writes about discovering the music of Art Blakey.
  
• Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk: Palaverer has a very perceptive review of Richard Cook's book, Blue Note Records: The Biography, particularly Cook's take on Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey. (Purchase Richard Cook's book, Blue Note Records: The Biography, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Charlie Christian: July 29 is the birthday of jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, and All About Jazz has a short piece about him as their "Jazz Musician of the Day."
  
• Ornette Coleman: C. Michael Bailey reviews the 1959 Ornette Coleman album, Tomorrow is the Question! at All About Jazz. (Purchase the CD, Tomorrow is the Question!, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Miles Davis: Stuart Nicholson reviews the Miles Davis album, Tutu, at JazzWise magazine. (Purchase the CD, Tutu, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Lionel Hampton: Marc Myers has a nice piece on the reed section in Lionel Hampton's 1945 band at JazzWax.
  
• Earl Hines: Mike Conklin discusses the life and music of Earl Hines at Handful of Keys: The History of Jazz Piano.
  
• Keith Jarrett: John Fordham reviews the Keith Jarrett Trio's concert at Royal Festival Hall, London, in The Guardian.
  
• Modern Jazz Quartet: Joseph Taylor has an excellent piece on the Modern Jazz Quartet at SoundStage!HI-FI.
  
• Joe Pass: There's a discussion about jazz guitarist Joe Pass on the Jazz Guitar Forum.
  
• McCoy Tyner: Pianist McCoy Tyner will play the Johannesburg jazz festival in August, according to The Johannesburg Citizen.
  

Robert

Recent Links :: July 27

• DraconiaNetwork has a brief discussion of Ornette Coleman's song, "Sleep Talking," from the album Sound Grammar. (Purchase the CD, Sound Grammar, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• BET reports that Don Cheadle is making progress with his movie about Miles Davis.
  
• John Kelman reviews the DVD, Miles Davis: Live at Montreux - Highlights 1973-1991, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the DVD, Miles Davis: Live at Montreux - Highlights 1973-1991, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Arnold Koch remembers Benny Goodman in the Melrose (MA) Free Press.
  
• The Jez Nelson 2009 interview with Keith Jarrett is rebroadcast on BBC Radio 3. The interview with Jarrett begins at about 32:30.
  
• The Handful of Keys blog has an analysis of the first four measures of James P. Johnson's "Carolina Shout." (Purchase the CD, Carolina Shout, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Kevin Davis reviews The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside at All About Jazz. (Purchase the CD, The Definitive Thelonious Monk on Prestige and Riverside, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Tim Niland reviews the same album at Music and More.
  
• The Cecil Taylor Art Museum Benefit will be held on September 14, 2011 at Brooklyn Borough Hall in Downtown Brooklyn.
  

Robert

Recent Links :: July 25

• According to Ricky Riccardi, Louis Armstrong's private tapes will be featured on BBC Radio 2 on July 27.
  
• Riccardi provides cuts to accompany chapter 2 of his new biography of Louis Armstrong. (Buy Ricky's book at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Quad-Cities Online announces the launch party for a new biography of Bix Beiderbecke.
  
• Tim Niland reviews the John Coltrane album, Kulu Se Mama. (Buy the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• PR Newswire has more on that Miles Davis Quintet, box set: Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Volume 1.
  
• The PBS show, "History Detectives," has a great episode on what appear to be the printing plates for Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington's signature tune, "Take the A Train."
• The Kansas City Star has an article on Herbie Hancock's appointment to the post of UN cultural ambassador.
  
• The Washington Post has a similar story, in which Herbie Hancock states that he "wants his music to build bridges between cultures."
  
• Wolfgang's Vault ha made available concert recording from Newport Jazz for Freddie Hubbard and Lionel Hampton.
  
• Nick DeRiso reviews Freddie Hubbard's new album, Pinnacle: Live and Unreleased. (Buy the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Bebbop Cookbook's Jen-Kuang Chang has a fascinating piece on Charlie Parker's substance abuse.
  
• Cornelius Myers has a very nice interview with Sonny Rollins at JazzTimes.
  
• The Handful of Keys blog has an excellent piece on jazz pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith, including several vocal clips and his version of "Finger Buster."
  
• There's a group that aims to turn Cecil Taylor's home into a "living museum."
  

Robert

Recent Links :: July 22

• The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong features several clips of Louis Armstrong's music to listen to while reading the first chapter of Ricky Riccardi's new biography of Satchmo.
  
• Rifflord has a short biography of Charlie Christian.
  
• C. Michael Bailey reviews Ornette Coleman's album, Something Else!!!! The Music of Ornette Coleman at All About Jazz.
  
• Tim Niland reviews the John Coltrane box set, The Classic Quartet: Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings, at the Music and More blog.
  
• JazzTimes announces the availability in September of a Miles Davis boxed set, The Miles Davis Quintet Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol.1.
  
• Mike Conklin discusses the Bill Evans album, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, at This Quiet Fire and includes an excerpt of an interview with the pianist.
  
• Mark Saleski reviews Ella Fitzgerald's album, Love Letters from Ella at All About Jazz.
  
• The Jazz Music Blog discusses the differences between the styles of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman.
  
• The Brilliant Corners blog has a feature on George Gershwin's tune, "Summertime," including variations by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane".
  
• The Handful of Keys blog has a short piece on Harlem stride and includes a clip of James P. Johnson playing "Carolina Shout."
  
• The The Rumor Mill News Reading Room has a clip of Joe Pass playing "Joe's Blues."
  
• The Handful of Keys blog has a second piece on the great jazz pianist Art Tatum, including several clips of his playing.
  
• Malcolm Lowry @ the 19th Hole has a short piece on Art Tatum that includes a clip of his playing from the film "Fabulous Dorseys."
  

Robert

Recent Links :: July 20

• EJazzNews discusses the availability of lost recordings by Louis Armstrong and the Dukes of Dixieland.
  
• An entire set of Miles Davis performing live in August 1970 is currently streaming for free at Wolfgang’s Vault.
  
• Jazz Backstory has interviews with bassist John Lamb, drummer Louie Bellson, trombonist Grover Mitchell, and trumpeter Clark Terry about their experiences playing with Duke Ellington.
  
• JazzTimes explores the partnership between Ella Fitzgerald and producer Norman Granz.
  
• Singer Ann Hampton Callaway chooses her 10 favorite Ella Fitzgerald songs at JazzTimes.
  
• Drummerworld has a biographical sketch about Lionel Hampton
  
• Vocalist Gretchen Parlato chooses her 10 favorite Herbie Hancock tracks at JazzTimes.
  
• Singer Sachal Vasandani selects his 10 favorite songs by Jon Hendricks at JazzTimes.
  
• The Handful of Keys blog has a biographical sketch of Earl Hines.
  
• The Neo.Gringot blog has several videos of Billie Holiday to commemorate the anniversary of her death.
  
• Pianist Kenny Werner picks his 10 favorite pieces by Keith Jarrett at JazzTimes.
  
• Nick DeRiso reviews John McLaughlin's "Recovery" at Something Else.
  
• At ilikejazz.com, Chris Wood explains why Charles Mingus is his favorite bass player.
  
• Rock musician Chris Wood chooses his 10 favorite tracks by Charles Mingus at JazzTimes.
  
• southsidebaseball.com has a short piece entitled "Joe Pass Raises the Bar for Jazz Guitar Music"
  
• Bassist Jimmy Haslip lists his 10 favorite Jaco Pastorius tracks at JazzTimes.
  

Robert

Recent Links :: July 18

• justinrogers.com has a video of Cannonball Adderley playing at the Village Vanguard.
  
• AllAbout Jazz has a story on the availability of the lost recordings of Louis Armstrong and the Dukes of Dixieland.
  
• The Jerusalem Post has an interview with George Benson.
  
• John Coltrane died on July 17, 1967. szielinski at Firedoglake has a video of Coltrane playing "My Favorite Things."
  
• indieWire also has a tribute on the anniversary of Trane's death, including an hour-long 1990 documentary, ""The World According to John Coltrane."
  
• Billie Holiday died on July 17, 1959, and several stories about the great singer commemorate the date:
  
  • The Bozo Sapiens blog
    
  • Voice of America's "People in America" broadcast
    
  • Gibson's "This Day in Music"
    
  • Open Culture", which includes a video of Billie singing "Strange Fruit."
    
• Joe Morello was All About Jazz's Musician of the Day on July 17.
  
• The Handful of Keys blog has a piece on Art Tatum that includes his "Tiger Rag" and a clip of Dick Hyman and Billy Taylor discussing his talents.
  
• The Once Upon a Time blog discusses Fats Waller's tune, "Ain't Misbehavin'."
  

Robert

Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings (Review)

Peter Pettinger. Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. (Barnes & Noble)

I just finished Peter Pettinger's biography of the great jazz pianist, Bill Evans, entitled Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings.

The title of the book is derived from the title of a 1962 recording that a new Bill Evans Trio made a year after the death of bassist Scott LaFaro, whose innovative bass playing had helped take an earlier Evans Trio to undreamed of heights, and more specifically one of the cuts on that recording, a brightly swinging piece that belies the depression into which Evans had sunk after the death of LaFaro.  ("How My Heart Sings" on YouTube)

There is much to like about the book. Pettinger is himself a professional pianist and unabashed fan of Bill Evans. The former allows him to explain many of the technical intricacies of Evans's style and particularly the influences of classical composers on Evans. The latter allows him to write about that style with an enthusiasm that is contagious; in many ways, Pettinger is still the young boy in the jazz club audience listening to his idol. As a discography, too, the book is excellent. Pettinger outlines the setting, motivation, and backstory to most of Evans's recordings and includes a detailed listing of every recording that has been available for public purchase.

However, I do have a few quibbles with Pettinger's book. First, in spite of the fact that Pettinger's knowledge of the piano allows him to explain the details of Evans's music, his knowledge seems more classical and less jazz oriented. His explanations also strike me as a bit overwhelming to someone without his own depth of knowledge of music theory.

Pettinger also fails to discuss the more tumultuous side of Evans's life in sufficient detail. As one reviewer suggested, it is as if Pettinger is more interested in Evans the pianist than in Evans the man. Consequently, there is little discussion until the final chapter about Evans's drug habit. When we learn that Evans is dying and that drugs are to blame, we are surprised because little has been said about his drug use or his fragile physical condition until that point. Likewise, little is said about the musicians with whom Evans interacted, other than those who played in his various groups.

The lack of discussion about Evans's drug use is regrettable from a musical standpoint. As at least one reviewer has pointed out, there is a great difference in the smooth heroin-like sound of "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" and the more aggressive cocaine-like sound of the recordings towards the end of his career and life.

In spite of these points, however, I highly recommend Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings to anyone with an interest in the great pianist or in modern jazz in general. It may not be the definitive work on Evans, but it's a darn good start.

Robert

Recent Links :: July 16

• Blue Trane asks forum readers to name their favorite Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers recordings at The Blindman's Blues Forum.
  
• The Hot House blog has a video on the sad state of John Coltrane's former house in Philadelphia.
  
• More about the Miles Davis tribute, which includes Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, at the Olympia Theater in Paris on July 18 at The New York Times.
  
• The Perfect Sounds blog discusses Phil Schaap's Facebook post about a lost Eric Dolphy session.
  
• B. Ives reviews Billie Holiday's A Tribute To Billie Holiday on No Expiration — A Blog About Timeless Music.
  
• A review of Billie Holiday's 1956 album, Live at Carnegie Hall, appears on the Carnegie Hall blog.
  
• Kevin Whitehead talks about the Modern Jazz Quartet on NPR Music.
  
• Neo.Griot features a rare, hour-long 1999 French documentary, which includes footage of Bud Powell in Paris.
  
• Marc Myers explores "How Steely Dan Got Wayne Shorter" at AllAboutJazz.
  
• Show Business Weekly reviews "The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith".
  
• Robbie Gerson reviews the SACD reissue of the McCoy Tyner Trio's album Inception.
  
• The Old Time Radio Catalog has a 10-episode CD of Fats Waller broadcasts for sale.
  

Robert

Recent Links :: July 14

• Owen Cordle reviews Freddie Hubbard's Pinnacle at Jazz Times.
  
• Tim Niland reviews Freddie Hubbard's Pinnacle at Music and More.
  
• John Fordham reviews John McLaughlin's concert at Ronnie Scotts at The Guardian.
  
• Doug Payne reviews Return to Forever's The Complete Columbia Albums Collection at Sound Insights.
  
• Andrew Gilbert writes about "Capturing Charlie Parker" for MercuryNews.com.
  
• Stephanie Nebehay writes about Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Marcus Miller paying tribute to Miles Davis for Reuters Canada.
  
• Ricky Riccardi tells about "working behind-the-scenes on two major Armstrong boxed sets that will be released in the coming months" at his blog, "The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong".
  
• Mike Conklin's new blog on the history of jazz piano, "Handful of Keys" has entries on:
  
  • Fats Waller
    
  • Two Interviews with Fats Waller
    
  • Fats Waller's Handful of Keys
    
  • Hot Chocolates and Ain’t Misbehavin’
    
  • Harlem Stride
    
  • James P. Johnson
    

Robert

Jazz Books on Pitchfork's List of Favorite Music Books

Pitchfork.com recently published "Words and Music: Our 60 Favorite Music Books", a list of books on all aspects of music, from rock to classical, from individual artists to groups to music in general.
Included on the list were the following books related to jazz:

• The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings by Richard Cook and Brian Morton, about which Mark Richardson says, "Both the ultimate roadmap for newbies and a sure-fire argument-starter for old jazz heads. It's safe to assume that no single jazz guide will ever touch this one."
  
• Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe, in which (according to Joe Tangari) Miles "spills his guts like a motherfucker, giving an unflinchingly honest, darkly funny, and casually profane account of his life as one of the most influential musicians ever."
  
• The Freedom Principle: Jazz After 1958 by John Litweiler, a book that Marc Masters calls "the perfect book for novices."
  
• Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra by John F. Szwed, which "creates a bold narrative from one of music history's most amorphous personalities," according to David Drake.
  
• How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music by Elijah Wald, most of which "is an exploration of how popular music developed from the 1920s through the 50s, with particular focus on jazz, country & western, vocal pop, and rhythm & blues." (Mark Richardson)
  

Read and enjoy.
Robert

Jazz on Twitter

In honor of the fifth anniversary of the first public tweet, Culture Monster, a column at the Los Angeles Times, has just published "Whom to follow on Twitter? Start with 25 of Culture Monster's favorites", a list of the best folks in the arts to follow on Twitter.

These include the plastic arts, architecture, classical music and opera, dance, theater, and jazz.

The four Twitter feeds on jazz that Culture Monster recommends are:

• Next Bop (@nextbop), which Culture Monster describes as "Dedicated to championing the brilliant next wave of jazz artists."
  
• Nicholas Payton (@paynic), one of the finest jazz trumpeters and composers around. As Culture Monster notes, "Payton has become something like the jazz equivalent of Kanye West on Twitter with a steady barrage of unfiltered (and often foul-mouthed) rants and raves."
  
• Jason Crane (@jasondcrane), the writer and host of the Jazz Session podcast. Culture Monster say that his Twitter feed "includes lively reactions to happenings in the vibrant New York City club scene and the occasional poem."
  
• NPR's "A Blog Supreme" (@blogsupreme), the Jazz Journalists Association’s recent “Blog of the Year.” As Culture Monster points out, "this feed ... includes a variety of jazz news from around the Internet, as well as interviews, features and lively conversation-starters such as when and how people first heard Miles Davis."
  

There are plenty of other folks on Twitter who discuss jazz. For starters, check out the Shorty Awards, which maintains a list for jazz. These are voted on by the people who follow the Shorty Awards site, and the top four Tweeters are:

• Juan-Carlos Hernández (@jchernandezjazz), a jazz photographer who also runs a mighty fine blog.
  
• Donna M (@elementsofjazz), the creator of the wonderful ElementsOfJazz.com Website.
  
• Curtis Davenport (@curtjazz), who also runs the excellent blog, Curt's Jazz Cafe.
  
• Jonás Vergara (@hijodelamaquina), a Spanish-language Twitter feed. Vergara also runs a Spanish-language blog, Machinae 1975.
  

You could also check Listorious and other sites that provide searchable databases of Twitter lists. For example, according to Listorious, some of the most popular jazz artists on Twitter include:

• Diana Krall (@DianaKrall)
  
• Wynton Marsalis (@wyntonmarsalis)
  
• Saxophonist Kirk Whalum (@KirkWhalum)
  
• Saxophonist Joe Lovano (@joelovano)
  

There are, of course, many more folks on Twitter who talk about jazz (including @corejazz), and I may return to the subject with a longer list in the future.
Robert

One of the Main Purposes of This Blog

One of the main purposes of this blog is to maintain the list of jazz vinyl LPs, CDs, and MP3s that was first created by Len Lyons in his outstanding guide to jazz recordings, The 101 Best Jazz Albums (William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1980, ISBN 0-688-08720-5), and then updated by Jim Determan. Lyons listed vinyl LPs, and Determan added CDs. I have added MP3s.

The current list can be accessed via the page links in the left navigation bar.

Just how tricky it is to maintain this list can be seen by considering the very first album listed by Lyons: Scott Joplin's "Scott Joplin — 1916" (Biograph BLP-1006).

• The Biograph vinyl recommended by Lyons is available, and I have included a link to one of the versions that are available via Amazon.com. However, if you search "Scott Joplin - 1916" in Amazon's music store, you will find three or four different listings. One, for example, lists 4 used copies from $6.00. Another lists 3 used copies from $5.00. A third lists 1 used for $25.00. I have chosen to simplify matters and to list just one of the results from an Amazon search, usually the one with the most copies or the least expensive copies.
  
• As Jim Determan noted when he expanded the Lyons list to include CDs, this particular album has not been released as a CD. Instead, the cuts on the album have been spread out over 2 separate CDs. Unfortunately, Jim does not name these, and I have had to assume that he meant "The Entertainer" (Shout Factory) and "Elite Syncopations (Shout Factory). The first is available in CD and MP3 formats; the latter is available in vinyl LP, CD, and MP3 formats. I have linked these to Amazon.com.
  
• Jim Determan also recommended three alternatives to the Scott Joplin piano rolls, and even these present problems. The first, for example, is Dick Hyman's "Sixteen Classic Rags," which doesn't appear to be available in any format, and so I have listed "Scott Joplin's Greatest Hits," which includes 19 Joplin tunes, played by Hyman and James Levine.
  
• Determan's second alternative is Richard Zimmerman's "Scott Joplin - His Complete Works," which is available only on CD from Amazon resellers, and so I have listed it as well as Zimmerman's "Scott Joplin: His Greatest Hits," which includes 16 Joplin tunes and is available in CD and MP3 format.
  
• Finally, Determan suggests Joshua Rifkin's "Scott Joplin Piano Rags," which includes 17 Joplin tunes. But Determan also adds a note that he prefers the other two choices to Rifkin's "too slow and stately" interpretations.
  

Hopefully, in spite of these complexities, my efforts to update Lyons and Determan will prove helpful to folks who are interested in recorded jazz.
Robert