John Coltrane: All About Jazz announces the availability of John Coltrane's album, The Impulse! Albums: Volume Five. (Pre-order the CD, The Impulse! Albums: Volume Five, at Barnes & Noble.)
Miles Davis: iTunes is offering a free download of the Miles Davis song "No Blues," according to Davis Online.
Miles Davis: On the 20th anniversary of Miles Davis's death, Ryan Foley repeats five funny — but perhaps apocryphal — stories about him in the SF Weekly.
Miles Davis: The Guardian's Music Blog remembers Miles Davis's wardrobe, his wit, his photographs, etc.
Wes Montgomery: All About Jazz reviews the Wes Montgomery album, Movin': The Complete Verve Recordings. (Purchase the CD, Movin': The Complete Verve Recordings, at Barnes & Noble.)
Bud Powell: Several people commented on great jazz pianist Bud Powell on what would have been his 87th birthday. These include:
Do the Math examines several Bud Powell pieces, including "Honeysuckle Rose," "Blue Garden Blues," and "Floogie Boo."
On the anniversary of the death of Miles Davis, I want to look at several books about the legendary musician.
Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe (1990) is the candid, pull-no-punches kind of autobiography that one would expect from Davis. He provides a detailed picture of the jazz scene from the 1930s through the 1980s and the musicians who were part of that scene, most of whom worked with him. He tells some wonderful stories about skipping school to play with Bird or about quitting heroin "cold turkey" or about almost making an album with Jimi Hendrix. His prejudices, his sense of victimization, his pursuit of his vision of what the music should be — it's all here, straight from the legend himself. (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
So What: The Life of Miles Davis is a balanced biography of Davis by Yale professor John F. Szwed (2004) that is particularly good at looking at the development of the great musician's art, from his days playing with Charlie Parker and feeling inadequate in the face of Parker's brilliance. Szwed also does a good job of explaining the context for Davis's music, the environments in which it was developed, the artists who influenced him, and the details of the most important recording sessions. Szwed also had unprecedented access to members of Davis's family and provides information not previously made available. (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Ashley Kahn's Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece (2007) focuses on the most popular jazz album of all time and discusses a wide range of topics related to that album, including the creative vision of Davis, the history of jazz, the jazz scene of the late 1950s, recording techniques, and the marketing of jazz recordings. The book examines every song on the album in detail, from origin to realization. Kahn also looks at the relationships among the musicians who recorded the albums — Davis's respect for pianist Bill Evans, his influence on saxophonist John Coltrane's musical development, and the impact of Davis's heroin addiction on himself and on his band. The book is an excellent tribute to the great album and should help listeners appreciate the music even more. (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Miles Beyond: The Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967-1991 by Paul Tingen (2003) looks at Davis's experiments with what would eventually become fusion — the use of rock and funk music, electric instruments, lengthy group improvisations, and electronic postproduction techniques — from the 1968 album, Miles in the Sky; the 1969 album, In a Silent Way; and the seminal Bitches' Brew. Tingen notes that this period of Davis's career is often dismissed by critics but that it was, in fact, a continuation of experiments that the artist had been conducting since the mid-1960s and was partly motivated by Davis's desire to reach a larger audience. A feature of the book is Tingen's interviews with a number of Davis's side men, including pianist Herbie Hancock, guitarist John McLaughlin, and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Philip Freeman's Running the Voodoo Down: The Electric Music of Miles Davis (2005) is similar in scope to Paul Tingen's book but is, on the one hand, more provocative and, on the other hand, less well researched. Freeman does a good job of using his own knowledge of heavy metal, hard bop, and funk to make the often difficult music more accessible. Freeman is also good at setting the early fusion music in context. (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Miles on Miles: Interviews and Encounters with Miles Davis by Paul Maher Jr. and Michael K. Dorr (2008) is a collection of 28 interviews given by Davis. These range from an interview in 1957 to promote one of his recordings to an interview just two years before his death in 1991. Davis, as one might expect, comes across as tough, fearless, and incredibly talented. Davis's honesty — whether discussing his music or racial issues — comes through loud and clear in these conversations. (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis died on September 28, 1991, at the age of 65 from the combined effects of a stroke, pneumonia, and respiratory failure in Santa Monica, California. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.
Davis helped found several of the major genres of modern jazz, including bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, and jazz fusion. His groups included many musicians who went on to greatness, including John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, John McLaughlin, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, and Jack DeJohnette. His album, Kind of Blue, is generally regarded as the best selling jazz album of all times and one of the most influential albums in jazz.
Davis's second quintet can be heard on the 1965 recording of "E.S.P.," which features a long, six-chorus solo by Davis, beginning at 1:23.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends seven albums by Miles Davis, more than any other artist. These include:
'Round About Midnight (Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
Louis Armstrong: Ricky Riccardi provides cuts to listen to in conjunction with chapter 9 of his book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, at his blog, The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong. (Purchase the book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, at Barnes & Noble.)
John Coltrane, Miles Davis: James Hale tells a story that illustrates the difference between a Miles Davis concert and a John Coltrane concert at Jazz Chronicles.
Bud Powell: Several people reminisced about the great Bud Powell on his birthday, including Peter Hum in the Ottawa Citizen, David Brent Johnson at Night Lights, and Peter Pullman at Do the Math.
Jazz pianist Bud Powell (1924-1966) was born on September 27 in New York City. Powell was one of the great bebop musicians and is often known as "the Charlie Parker of the piano." The great jazz pianist Bill Evans said of Powell, "If I had to choose one single musician for his artistic integrity, for the incomparable originality of his creation and the grandeur of his work, it would be Bud Powell. He was in a class by himself."
Powell's technique — the sharp, jabbing chords of the left hand and the rapid improvisations of the right hand — can be heard in "Tempus Fugit":
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 1, which is available on CD from Barnes & Noble.
Jazz singer Betty Carter died on September 26, 1998, of pancreatic cancer at the age of 69. Fellow vocalist Carmen McRae once claimed that "there's really only one jazz singer - only one: Betty Carter."
Carter was especially known for her ability to capture the instrumental timbres in her voice. In fact, she insisted that the voice was as legitimate an instrument in jazz as any other. She was also fiercely independent and had her own Bet-Car label in the 1970s.
She sings "That Sunday, That Summer" here:
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album Betty Carter (Bet-Car MK 1002). Jim Determan, who updated the Lyons list, also recommends The Audience with Betty Carter, which was not available when Lyons wrote his book.
Blues singer Bessie Smith died on September 26, 1937, at the age of 43, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, following an automobile accident.
Smith was known as the Empress of the Blues, but she was also the first maajor jazz singer and can be said to have used the blues in jazz. Her phrasing, in particular, allowed her to transcend the rigid framework of the blues.
An excellent example of her singing is "Reckless Blues," which she sings with accompaniment by Louis Armstrong on the cornet and Fred Longshaw on the reed organ. The call and response between Smith and Armstrong is remarkable.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Bessie Smith's album, Nobody's Blues But Mine (Columbia CG 31093, 2 LPs). Unfortunately, the album is only available in vinyl. (There is a CD with the same title but without the same tracks.) Jim Determan, who updated the Lyons list, recommends instead the following:
Bessie Smith: The Essential Bessie Smith (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Bessie Smith: Bessie Smith - The Collection (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 2 (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 3 (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 4 (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 5 (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
John Coltrane: JazzWrap reviews the John Coltrane album, Live At The Jazz Gallery 1960. (Purchase the CD, Live At The Jazz Gallery 1960, at Barnes & Noble.)
Chick Corea: John Fordham reviews the album, Orvieto, by Chick Corea and Stefano Bollani for The Guardian. Nate Chinen also reviews the album at the New York Times. (Pre-order the CD, Orvieto, at Barnes & Noble.)
Chick Corea: John Kelman reviews the album, Further Explorations, by Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez, and Paul Motian at All About Jazz. (Purchase the CD, Further Explorations, at Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: Davis Online reports that Miles Davis's boyhood home in East St. Louis was recently vandalized.
Miles Davis: At Jazz Chronicles, James Hale talks about listening to two recent boxed sets: three complete concerts by Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis's live concerts from 1967. (Purchase the CD, The Miles Davis Quintet Live in Europe 1967 - The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1, at Barnes & Noble.)
Bill Evans: The Ottawa Citizen asks Vince Rimbach and Garry Elliott five questions about Bill Evans and their tribute show to him.
Sonny Rollins: Fred Kaplan reviews the Sonny Rollins album, Road Shows, Vol. 2, at Stereophile. (Purchase the CD, Road Shows, Vol. 2, at Barnes & Noble.)
September 23 is the birthday of a real giant in the world of jazz, John Coltrane (1926-1967), who "challenged himself artistically to a greater extent than any saxophonist in jazz's history," according to Len Lyons.
Coltrane plays "Giant Steps" (with animated sheet music) here, a good example of what critic Ira Gitler referred to as the "sheets of sound" that Coltrane produced.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends four albums by Coltrane, all of which are available in CD:
Jelly Roll Morton, the first major arranger of jazz, was born on September 20, 1885 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Morton claimed that he invented jazz, and while that claim is a stretch, he was certainly an important transitional figure between the stiff approach of ragtime and the flexibility and freedom of jazz.
Jelly Roll Morton and his Red Hot Peppers play "Dead Man Blues" here. It is a good example of Morton's sense of collective improvisation.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends two albums by Jelly Roll Morton: Jelly Roll Morton and His Red Hot Peppers, 1926-1927, Volume 3 (RCA France 731 059); and Jelly Roll Morton, 1923-1924 (Milestone M-47018, 2 LPs). These are available in vinyl only. There is a CD version of the latter album, but it omits the cuts from side 4 of the vinyl LP.
Jim Determan, who has updated Lyons's list of albums for CD, recommends instead the following titles:
Jelly Roll Morton: The Jelly Roll Morton Centennial (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Jelly Roll Morton: 1926-1930 (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Jelly Roll Morton: Birth of the Hot (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Jelly Roll Morton: Rare Recordings of Piano Solos, 1923-1926 (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Art Blakey: Tim Niland reviews the album, The History of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, at Music and More. (Purchase the CD, The History of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, at Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: Wolfgang's Vault released a newly restored recording of the Miles Davis performance on April 11, 1970 at the Fillmore West.
Bill Evans: Marc Myers reviews Alan Pasqua's tribute album to Bill Evans, Twin Bill: Two Piano Music of Bill Evans, at JazzWax. (Purchase the CD, Twin Bill: Two Piano Music of Bill Evans, at Barnes & Noble.)
Louis Armstrong: Terry Teachout has written a play about Louis Armstrong, "Satchmo at the Waldorf," which made its world premiere in Orlando, according to the Orlando Sentinel
Louis Armstrong: Jon Wilde discusses his favorite album, The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings by Louis Armstrong, at the Guardian's music blog. (Purchase the CD, The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings, at Amazon.com.)
Count Basie: Marc Myers discusses the album Frank Sinatra and Count Basie: The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings, which includes two albums previously released by Sinatra and Basie, Sinatra-Basie: An Historical Musical First and It Might as Well Be Spring, at Jazz Wax. (Purchase the CD, Frank Sinatra and Count Basie: The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings, at Barnes & Noble.)
Ella Fitzgerald: NPR's JazzSet features a Kennedy Center concert with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Janis Siegel, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band celebrating the music of Ella Fitzgerald.
Jon Hendricks: Lara Pellegrinelli has an article entitled "Jon Hendricks: The Father Of Vocalese At 90" at NPR Music. She also interviews Al Jarreau, who praises Hendricks, at NPR Music: Voices.
Jazz singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks was born on September 16, 1921 in Newark, Ohio. He was a member of the trio Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross and is one of the originators of vocalese, a technique that adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs. Al Jarreau, a pretty decent singer in his own right, called Hendricks "pound-for-pound the best jazz singer on the planet."
A good example of vocalese is Hendricks's version of the Herbie Hancock piece, "Watermelon Man":
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross album, The Best of Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross (Columbia C-32911 or JCS-8198). Unfortunately, the album is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan, who has updated Lyons's list of albums for CD, recommends instead the following title:
Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross: Everybody's Boppin' (Columbia Jazz Masterpieces) (Buy at Barnes & Noble)
Alto saxophonist Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley was born on September 15, 1928 in Tampa, Florida. Adderley is best known for his 1966 single "Mercy Mercy Mercy," which was a crossover hit on the pop charts, and for his work with trumpeter Miles Davis, including the iconic 1959 album, Kind of Blue.
A good example of Adderley's hard bop style is "Autumn Leaves," from his 1958 album, Somethin' Else, which included Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Sam Jones, and Hank Jones. (Purchase the CD, Somethin' Else, at Barnes & Noble.)
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Cannonball Adderley's album Coast to Coast. Unfortunately, the album is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan, who has updated Lyons's list of albums for CD, recommends instead the following titles:
Pianist Bill Evans died on September 15, 1980, in New York City of a bleeding ulcer, cirrhosis of the liver, and bronchial pneumonia. Evans's friend Gene Lees called Evans's struggle with drugs as "the longest suicide in history." He is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.
Evans is arguably the most influential jazz pianist of the last 60 years. He had an impresionistic sound and an introverted style that allowed him to expand the traditional jazz repertoire and introduce a more European, classical style of playing. An excellent biography of Evans is Peter Pettinger's Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings. (Available from Barnes & Noble)
Evans plays "My Foolish Heart" here:
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends two albums by Evans, The Village Vanguard Sessions and Intuition. Both are available from Barnes & Noble: the remastered The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 and Intuition.
Louis Armstrong: Ricky Riccardi provides cuts to listen to in conjunction with chapter 8 of his book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, at his blog, The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong. (Purchase the book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, at Barnes & Noble.)
George Benson: Jazz Times has a promo video for George Benson's new album, Guitar Man. (Pre-order the CD, Guitar Man, at Barnes & Noble.)
Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius: NPR's A Blog Supreme has a feature on the electric bass in jazz and includes Stanley Clarke of Return to Forever and Jaco Pastorius of Weather Report.
Miles Davis: Nate Chinen reviews the new Miles Davis album, Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1, in The New York Times. (Pre-order the CD, Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1, at Barnes & Noble.)
Sonny Rollins: The new live Sonny Rollins album, Road Shows, Vol. 2, is reviewed by:
September 7 is the birthday of arguably the greatest living jazz saxophonist, Sonny Rollins, who turns 81 today. Rollins is particularly important for his ability to hint at the underlying melody of a song while improvising. He is also known for the energy and exuberance of his live concerts, a feeling that some critics have argued cannot be captured in studio recordings.
Rollins plays one of his best-known compositions, "St. Thomas," here:
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Saxophone Colossus and More (Prestige P-24050, 2 LPs) and More from the Vanguard (Blue Note BN-LA475-H2, 2 LPs). The former is now available on CD — see below — but the latter is not. Jim Determan, who has updated the Lyons list for CD, also recommends the last four CDs in the list below.
Saxophone Colossus and More (Purchase from Barnes & Noble.)
Louis Armstrong: Ricky Riccardi provides cuts to listen to in conjunction with chapter 6 and chapter 7 of his book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, at his blog, The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong. (Purchase the book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, at Barnes & Noble.)
Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman: Jazz Lives discusses the 1953 aborted tour by Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman.
Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman: JAZZ.FM91 listeners selected their 50 best big band recordings, and Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing" was selected as the top recording, followed by Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train" and Count Basie's "April in Paris."
John Coltrane: Tim Niland reviews the album, John Coltrane - The Impulse! Albums Volume 4, at Music and More. (Purchase the CD, John Coltrane - The Impulse! Albums Volume 4, at Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: According to Jazz FM 91, Sony is using social media to create a new Miles Davis compilation, "Blue Flame."
Miles Davis, Billie Holiday: NPR's A Blog Supreme lists "Five Classic Jazz Takes On 'Porgy And Bess,'" including versions by Billie Holiday and Miles Davis.
Jon Hendricks: Kevin Burke, Aria Hendricks, Michelle Hendricks, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves, and Sachal Vasandani will join the 90-year-old Jon Hendricks to perform the tunes of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross at Jazz at Lincoln Center, according to Jazz Times.
Thelonious Monk: John Fordham lists his favorite album, Thelonious Monk's Brilliant Corners, in the Guardian'sMusic Blog. (Purchase the CD, Brilliant Corners, at Barnes & Noble.)
Sonny Rollins: NPR's First Listen features the new live Sonny Rollins album, Road Shows, Vol. 2. (Pre-order the CD, Road Shows, Vol. 2, at Barnes & Noble.)
Fats Waller: The legendary pianist and composer Fats Waller is featured on Riverwalk Jazz.
Louis Armstrong: Ricky Riccardi provides cuts to listen to in conjunction with chapter 5 of his book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, at his blog, The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong. (Purchase the book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, at Barnes & Noble.)
Count Basie: Jazz Times announces that Concord Records will re-issue the album Frank Sinatra & Count Basie: The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings. (Pre-order the CD, Frank Sinatra & Count Basie: The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings, at Barnes & Noble.)
Ornette Coleman: C. Michael Bailey reviews the 1961 Ornette Coleman album This is Our Music at All About Jazz. (Purchase the CD, This is Our Music, at Barnes & Noble.)
Miles Davis: According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the owners of Miles Davis's trademarks have sued the operators of Miles' Cafe in New York City for infringement.
Miles Davis: dancohen has shared an animated sheet music version of Miles Davis's famous "So What" on YouTube.
Nicole Henry: Nicole Henry, whom we featured a couple of weeks ago in a post about "5 Female Vocalists Who Deserve to Be Better Known," is highlighted in a piece at All About Jazz. (Pre-oredr Nicole Henry's new CD, Embraceable, at Barnes & Noble.)
Earl Hines: Maria Popova has posted a video of Earl Hines explaining various piano techniques at Brain Pickings.
Bud Powell: Tim Niland reviews the Bud Powell album, Jazz Giant, at Music and More. (Purchase the CD, Jazz Giant, at Barnes & Noble.)
Lester Young: The music of Lester Young is featured on Riverwalk Jazz.
September 2 is the birthday of jazz pianist Horace Silver, who turns 83. Silver is a hard bop pianist with a humorous, funky style. Silver was also influential in the make-up of his quintet (trumpet, tenor sax, piano, double bass, and drums), which served as a model for many small jazz groups in the 1950s and 1960s. His groups also provided the training ground for players such as Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Woody Shaw, and Joe Henderson, among others.
One of Silver's best known pieces is "Song for My Father," from 1964.
In his 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends Silver's album, Doin' the Thing: At the Village Gate (Blue Note BLP-4076/BST-84076). This album is available on CD. (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
