Monday, December 31, 2012

Recent Links :: 31 December 2012

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

RIP, Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952)

Bandleader Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952) died on December 29, 1952, in New York City. He was 55 years old. Henderson had suffered a stroke in 1950, which resulted in partial paralysis and ended his ability to perform as a pianist. He was buried in the family plot in Cuthbert, Georgia.

Henderson's orchestra was the first of the influential big bands and established the foundations for swing music. Louis Armstrong, the first great jazz soloist, and Coleman Hawkins, its first great saxophonist, were both members of Henderson's orchestra. in fact, when Henderson brought Armstrong from Chicago to New York in October 1924, he was responsible for moving the geographical focus of jazz in the United States.

The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra plays "My Pretty Girl" here:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album Developing an American Orchestra 1923-1927 (Smithsonian Collection). Unfortunately, that album is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan, who has updated the Lyons list, recommends as an alternative A Study in Frustration: The Fletcher Henderson Story (Columbia), which is available from Amazon.com.

Robert
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RIP, Freddie Hubbard (1938-2008)

Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard (1938-2008) died on December 29, 2008, in Sherman Oaks, California, following complications from a heart attack. He was 70 years old.

Hubbard was widely regarded as the most gifted jazz trumpeter of the post-bebop 1960s and 1970s. He first attracted attention in the 1960s for his work as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and for his work on albums with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and others. Although he was not an avant-gardist, he participated in three of the seminal recordings of the 1960s jazz avant-garde: Ornette Coleman's "Free Jazz" (1960); Eric Dolphy's "Out to Lunch" (1964); and John Coltrane's "Ascension" (1965).

Hubbard plays "Red Clay" here:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album Breaking Point (Blue note). The CD is available from Barnes & Noble.

Hubbard also joined Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams on another album recommended by Lyons, V.S.O.P.: The Quintet (Columbia), which is also available from Barnes & Noble. Lyons called that album "a magical reunion of the most important young players to emerge in the mid-1960's."

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Friday, December 28, 2012

Recent Links :: 28 December 2012

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Happy Birthday, Earl Hines

Jazz pianist Earl Hines (1903-1983) was born on December 28, 1903, in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.

Hines had a long and influential history, beginning with his collaborations with Louis Armstrong and lasting through his last concert, played just a few days before his death. Pianist Lennie Tristano said of Hines's recordings, "Earl Hines is the ONLY one of us capable of creating real jazz and real swing when playing all alone." Pianist Erroll Garner said, "When you talk about greatness, you talk about Art Tatum and Earl Hines". To Count Basie, Hines was "The greatest piano player in the world". And finally, according to pianist Teddy Wilson and saxophonist Eddie Barefield, "Art Tatum's favorite jazz piano player was Earl Hines."

Hines plays "Memories of You" from a 1965 piano workshop in Berlin here:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends three albums that feature Hines:
  • Earl "Fatha" Hines: Another Monday Date (Prestige). Available in CD from Amazon.com.
  • Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines: The Genius of Louis Armstrong, Vol. 1 1923-1933 (Columbia). Available in vinyl only from Amazon.com.
  • Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines: Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines, 1928 (Smithsonian Collection). Available in vinyl only from Amazon.com.
Because only one of these is available on CD, Jim Determan recommends an alternative, Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines: Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines, Volume IV (Columbia), which is available from Barnes & Noble.

Robert
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Recent Links :: 26 December 2012

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Monday, December 24, 2012

Recent Links :: 24 December 2012

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Sunday, December 23, 2012

RIP, Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)

Pianist Oscar Peterson died on December 23, 2007, of kidney failure at his home in Mississauga, Ontario. He is buried at the Saint Peter's Anglican Church Cemetery in Mississauga.

Peterson was born in Montreal and won seven Grammy Awards over his career. He is one of the few pianists whose technique approaches that of the great Art Tatum, who was a major influence on Peterson. Duke Ellington called Peterson the "Maharaja of the keyboard."

Peterson plays "When I Fall in Love" at:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album, In Concert (Verve - England 2683 063, 2 LPs). Unfortunately, that album is available only in vinyl and not in CD or MP3 format. Jim Determan, who updated the Lyons list for CD, offers no alternatives, and Lyons himself warns that "Good Peterson albums are abundant, but great ones are rare." Nevertheless, Lyons does speak highly of the solo album 'My Favorite Instrument,' which is available from Barnes & Noble, both new and used.

Robert
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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Recent Links :: 20 December 2012

  • Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Charles Mingus: Peter Hum's "Best Jazz of 2012" list at the Ottawa Citizen includes:
    • Chick Corea and Gary Burton's October concert with the Harlem String Quartet at the Centrepointe Theatre as one of the top concerts of 2012.
    • Keith Jarrett's Sleeper as one of the top discs of 2012. (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
    • Charles Mingus's The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65 as one of the top reissues of 2012. (Purchase at Mosaic Records.)
  • Miles Davis: According to Miles Davis Online, Don Cheadle is "still pursuing" the Miles Davis biopic.
  • Miles Davis: Miles Davis Online recalls the "We Want Miles" exhibition that toured Paris, Montreal, and Brazil in 2011 and wonders if the exhibition will come to the United States.
  • Duke Ellington: At All About Jazz, Carl L. Hager begins a long discussion of American politics by recalling Duke Ellington's Presidential Medal of Freedom Award from Richard Nixon in 1969.
  • Bill Evans: John Weatherman discusses the Bill Evans album, Waltz for Debbie, at the head in. (Purchase Waltz for Debbie from Amazon.com.)
  • Flecther Henderson: On December 18, his birthday, Fletcher Henderson was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.
  • John McLaughlin: John McLaughlin was on the cover of the January 2013 issue of Downbeat.
  • Fats Waller: Vintage Music has a tribute to Fats Waller on the 69th anniversary of his death. (In Spanish)
Robert
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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Happy Birthday, Fletcher Henderson

Bandleader Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952) was born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia.

Henderson's orchestra was the first of the influential big bands and established the foundations for swing music. Louis Armstrong, the first great jazz soloist, and Coleman Hawkins, its first great saxophonist, were both members of Henderson's orchestra.

The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra plays "The Stampede" (which features a great solo by Coleman Hawkins) here:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album Developing an American Orchestra 1923-1927 (Smithsonian Collection). Unfortunately, that album is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan, who has updated the Lyons list, recommends as an alternative A Study in Frustration: The Fletcher Henderson Story (Columbia), which is available from Amazon.com.

Robert
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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Recent Links :: 16 December 2012

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Saturday, December 15, 2012

RIP, Fats Waller (1904-1943)

Jazz pianist Fats Waller died of pneumonia on December 15, 1943, near Kansas City, Missouri, on a train trip from Hollywood to New York. He was just 39 years old. His remains were cremated and scattered by air over Harlem.

Waller was a protege of the great stride pianist James P. Johnson, an influence on painists from Earl Hines to Art Tatum, an incredible commercial success, and the author of popular songs such as "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Squeeze Me."

Waller plays his perhaps his best-known composition, "Ain't Misbehavin'," here:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Waller's album, Fats Waller Piano Solos, 1929-1941 (Bluebird). Unfortunately, that album is only available in vinyl, and Jim Determan recommends as an alternative Turn on the Heat — The Fats Waller Piano Solos (RCA), which is available on CD from Barnes & Noble.

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Recent Links :: 13 December 2012

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Happy Birthday, Toshiko Akiyoshi

Japanese American jazz pianist, composer/arranger, and bandleader Toshiko Akiyoshi was born on December 12, 1929, in Liaoyang, Manchuria. She turns 83 today.

Akiyoshi and her husband Lew Tabackin are best known for their Akiyoshi-Tabackin Big Band, which Len Lyons has described as "perhaps the last great hope for [the] continuance" of the big band. Akiyoshi has received 14 Grammy nominations, and she was the first woman to win the Best Arranger and Composer awards in Down Beat magazine's Readers Poll.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Akiyoshi-Tabackin Big Band's album Insights (RCA), which is available from Amazon.com.

Akiyoshi performs a piano solo, "The Village," here:


Robert
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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Happy Birthday, McCoy Tyner

Jazz pianist McCoy Tyner was born on December 11, 1938, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He turns 74 today.

Tyner is known for his work with John Coltrane as well as for his own long solo career. In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons calls him "a master of the piano on the order of a Hines, a Tatum or a Cecil Taylor."

McCoy Tyner plays a piano solo version of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" here:


Lyons recommends two McCoy Tyner albums, both of which are available on CD.
Robert
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Sunday, December 9, 2012

Recent Links :: 9 December 2012

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Recent Links :: 6 December 2012

  • Dave Brubeck: More posts following Dave Brubeck's death:
  • Dave Brubeck: On December 6, his birthday, Dave Brubeck was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.
  • Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea: The 55th annual Grammy Award nominees were announced. See JazzTimes and Elements of Jazz for the complete lists. Among the nominees:
    • Dave Brubeck and Chris Brubeck's "Music of Ansel Adams: America," nominated for Best Instrumental Composition
    • Chick Corea and Gary Burton's “Hot House,” from the album Hot House, nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo
    • Chick Corea, "Alice in Wonderland," from the album Further Explorations, nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo
    • Further Explorations by Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez & Paul Motian, nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album
    • Hot House by Chick Corea & Gary Burton, nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album
    • Chick Corea's “Mozart Goes Dancing,” from the album Hot House, nominated for Best Instrumental Composition
  • Miles Davis: All About Jazz announces that the Miles Davis Quintet album, Live In Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Volume 2 will be released in January.
  • Bill Evans: John Weatherman discusses the Bill Evans album, Sunday At The Village Vanguard, at the head in. (Purchase Sunday At The Village Vanguard from Amazon.com.)
  • Charles Mingus: Tim Niland reviews the Charles Mingus album, Charles Mingus: The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65, at Music and More. (Purchase Charles Mingus: The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65 from Mosaic Records.)
Robert
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Happy Birthday, Dave Brubeck

American jazz pianist Dave Brubeck was born on December 6, 1920, in Concord, California.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons reminds us that "Brubeck's sound, and perhaps his appeal to the college audience, was based on a blend of European 'classical' harmony and counterpoint with jazz rhythmic feeling and improvisation." Brubeck's Quartet was especially known for its use of unusual time signatures — 5/4, in the case of "Take Five," which was recently voted by listeners the best jazz song of all time at NPR Music.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet plays "Take Five" here:


Lyons recommends the Dave Brubeck Quartet's album, Dave Brubeck's All-Time Greatest Hits (Columbia), which is available only in vinyl. Jim Determan (who updated the Lyons list for CD) recommends the two alternative CDs below and points out that "Either or both of these discs would make an appropriate substitute for the recommended LP. The first one contains 'Take Five' and the other odd time signature material, which include many of the more memorable of Brubeck's 'hits.' The Greatest Hits CD picks up some of the other material, like 'Duke,' his tribute to Ellington."
Robert
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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

RIP, Dave Brubeck (1920-2012)

Jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck died of heart failure today in Norwalk, Connecticut, one day before his 92nd birthday.

Among the many obituaries and tributes are the following:
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Dave Brubeck Quartet's album, Dave Brubeck's All-Time Greatest Hits (Columbia), which is available only in vinyl. Jim Determan (who updated the Lyons list for CD) recommends the two alternative CDs below and points out that "Either or both of these discs would make an appropriate substitute for the recommended LP. The first one contains 'Take Five' and the other odd time signature material, which include many of the more memorable of Brubeck's 'hits.' The Greatest Hits CD picks up some of the other material, like 'Duke,' his tribute to Ellington."
The Dave Brubeck Quartet plays "Blue Rondo a la Turk" here:


Robert
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Monday, December 3, 2012

Recent Links :: 3 December 2012

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Saturday, December 1, 2012

Happy Birthday, Jaco Pastorius

Bassist Jaco Pastorius was born on December 1, 1951, in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Pastorius is best known for his work with Weather Report and is generally regarded as one of the most influential bass players of all time. He is one of only four bassists to be inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Weather Report's album, 8:30. The album features Pastorius on cuts like "Black Market," "Teen Town," and "Slang." It is available from Barnes & Noble.

Pastorius plays "A Portrait of Tracy" from a Weather Report concert in Germany in 1978 here:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Weather Report's album, 8:30. The album features Pastorius on cuts like "Black Market," "Teen Town," and "Slang." It is available from Barnes & Noble.

Robert
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Friday, November 30, 2012

Recent Links :: 30 November 2012

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RIP, Don Redman (1900-1964)

Don Redman, the first great arranger in jazz history, died on November 30, 1964, in New York City.  He was 64 years old.

Redman joined joined the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra in 1923, playing clarinet and saxophone, but he soon began writing arrangements and did much to formulate the sound that was to become big band swing.

Redman formed his own band in 1931, which he led until 1940.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra's album Developing an American Orchestra 1923-1927 (Smithsonian Collection). Unfortunately, that album is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan, who has updated the Lyons list, recommends as an alternative A Study in Frustration: The Fletcher Henderson Story (Columbia), which is available from Amazon.com.

The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra plays one of Redman's arrangements, "Rocky Mountain Blues," here:


Robert
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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Happy Birthday, Chuck Mangione

American flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione was born on November 29, 1940, in Rochester, New York. He turns 72 today.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons says that Mangione "has come to represent the fusion of jazz with popular song writing and arranging. … [From] 1970 to 1973 Mangione auspiciously combined his natural melodicism with a talent for creating multistylistic orchestral backgrounds."

Lyons recommends Mangione's album, The Best of Chuck Mangione (Mercury), which is available only in vinyl. As Jim Determan (who updated the Lyons list for CD) points out, only half of the songs on that album have been released on CD. As an alternative, Determan recommends Land of Make Believe (Mercury), which is available from Amazon.com.

Mangione plays "And in the Beginning" — a composition that Lyons said "proved Mangione was a composer to be taken seriously" — here:


Robert
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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Happy Birthday, Scott Joplin

Traditionally, November 24, 1868, has been given as the birthday of Scott Joplin, "The King of Ragtime." More recent research suggests that he was actually born in the second half of 1867.

In any event, Joplin blended European classical styles and African American harmonies and rhythm to produce ragtime, a music that, as one critic put it, "expressed the intensity and energy of a modern urban America." While some of Joplin's music (particularly "Maple Leaf Rag") was popular during his lifetime, interest in ragtime waned until its revival in the 1970s, thanks to the efforts of Joshua Rifkin and the use of Joplin's music in the film, "The Sting."

In his 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends Scott Joplin 1916 (Biograph). Unfortunately, that album is not available in CD or MP3 format. Jim Determan recommends the following alternatives on CD:
  • Scott Joplin: The Entertainer (Shout Factory), available from Barnes & Noble.
  • Scott Joplin: Elite Syncopations (Shout Factory), available from Barnes & Noble.
  • Dick Hyman and James Levine: Scott Joplin's Greatest Hits (RCA), available from Barnes & Noble.
  • Richard Zimmerman: Scott Joplin — His Complete Works (Delta), available from Barnes & Noble.
  • Richard Zimmerman: Scott Joplin — His Greatest Hits (Legacy International), available from Barnes & Noble.
  • Joshua Rifkin: Scott Joplin Piano Rags (Nonesuch), available from Barnes & Noble.
The first two albums listed above contain the six paino rolls from Scott Joplin 1916 that are actually played by Joplin. The Entertainer contains "Maple Leaf Rag," "Something Doing," and "Weeping Willow Rag," while Elite Syncopations contains "Maple Leaf Rag," "Ole Miss Rag" [by W.C. Handy], and "Magnetic Rag."

Joplin plays "Maple Leaf Rag" via piano roll here:


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Friday, November 23, 2012

Recent Links :: 23 November 2012

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Happy Birthday, Willie "The Lion" Smith

Jazz pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith was born on November 23, 1893, in Goshen, New York. He was one of the great stride pianists.

Duke Ellington once said that "Willie The Lion was the greatest influence of all the great jazz piano players who have come along. He has a beat that stays in the mind."

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album by Willie "The Lion" Smith and Luckey Roberts, Luckey and the Lion/Harlem Piano (Good Time Jazz S10035). The CD is available at Barnes & Noble.

Smith plays "Fingerbuster" here:



Robert
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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Recent Links :: 18 November 2012

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