Jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy died on June 29, 1964, in Berlin, Germany. He was only 36 years of age and apparently died of a coma brought on by an undiagnosed diabetic condition. He is buried in the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery in his home town of Los Angeles, California.
Dolphy — who played alto and baritone saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, and piccolo — partnered with Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and other jazz greats in the 1950s and 1960s and was, as Len Lyons puts it, one of the "crucial transitional figures between modern jazz and" free jazz.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Dolphy's Copenhagen Concert (Prestige), which is available from Amazon.com.
Chick Corea: Tim Niland reviews the album, The Mothership Returns, based on Return to Forever's second reunion tour in 2011, at Music and More. (Purchase the CD, The Mothership Returns, at Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: The Miles Davis album, Bootleg Sessions, Vol. 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia Legacy), was named the Best Historical Album in the 2012 DownBeat Critics Poll. (Purchase the CD, Bootleg Sessions, Vol 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967, at Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: According to Miles Davis Online, Don Cheadle has not yet responded to the rumor that Antoine Fuqua will direct the Miles Davis movie.
Bill Evans: The Bill Evans Trio album, Bill Evans Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top of the Gate, debuted at #19 on the jazz chart at JazzWeek. (Purchase the CD, Bill Evans Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top of the Gate, at Amazon.com.)
Jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown died on June 26, 1956, while driving from Philadelphia to Chicago. He was buried in the Mt. Zion Cemetery, in Wilmington, Delaware, where he had been born just 25 years earlier.
Brown was an incredibly gifted musician whose career lasted just four years, but in that short space of time, he "played with a full-toned, linear lyricism which proved to be the only vital alternative during the 1950's to Miles Davis's understated melodic style," according to Len Lyons. Sonny Rollins, who worked for seven months with Brown, said simply, "He had it all."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Clifford Brown's The Quintet, Vol. 1 (EmArcy/Mercury), but that album is nearly impossible to find and is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan recommends two alternatives:
Clifford Brown and Max Roach (EmArcy/Polygram). Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Study in Brown (PID/Polygram). Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
Miles Davis: The Miles Davis album, Bootleg Sessions, Vol. 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia Legacy), was named the Best Historic Recording/Boxed Set at the 2012 JJA Jazz Awards. (Purchase the CD, Bootleg Sessions, Vol 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967, at Amazon.com.)
Keith Jarrett: According to JazzTimes, ECM will release Sleeper, a previously unissued two-CD recording of a concert in Tokyo by Keith Jarrett.
Sonny Rollins: The Sonny Rollins album, Road Shows, Vol. 2 (Doxy Records), won the Record of the Year Award at the 2012 JJA Jazz Awards. (Purchase the CD, Road Shows, Vol. 2, at Barnes & Noble.)
Jazz pianist and composer George Russell was born on June 23, 1923, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As critic Richard S. Ginell notes, Russell's "biggest effect upon jazz was in the quieter role of theorist." His musical ideas, published in his book, The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, led to the modal music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Russell's album, Outer Thoughts (Milestone), which he calls "a uniformly excellent performance." The album is not available on CD, but Jim Determan recommends the following alternatives:
George Russell: Ezz-thetics (Riverside). Available from Amazon.com.
George Russell: The Outer View (Riverside). Available from Amazon.com.
George Russell: The Stratus Seekers (Riverside). Available from Amazon.com.
The George Russell Sextet plays "Round Midnight" (from the 1961 album Ezz-thetics) here:
Pavel Korbut's photo of Chick Corea,
winner of Photo of the Year
The 2012 JJA Jazz Awards were announced yesterday by the Jazz Journalists Association at the 16th annual Awards gala at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. The complete list of winners is available here.
Among the winners were several musicians highlighted by this blog, including:
Lifetime Achievement in Jazz: Horace Silver
Musician of the Year: Sonny Rollins
Record of the Year: Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Vol. 2 (Doxy Records) (Purchase the CD, Road Shows, Vol. 2, at Barnes & Noble.)
Best Historic Recording/Boxed Set: Miles Davis, Bootleg Sessions, Vol. 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia Legacy) (Purchase the CD, Bootleg Sessions, Vol 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967, at Amazon.com.)
Louis Armstrong: According to the Partners in Preservation Website, that group has awarded the Louis Armstrong House in Queens $150,000 "to repair exteriors including patio woodwork and interiors such as bathroom tiles."
Jazz multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy was born on June 20, 1928, in Los Angeles, California. Dolphy — who played alto and baritone saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, and piccolo — partnered with Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and other jazz greats in the 1950s and 1960s.
Dolphy was, as Len Lyons puts it, one of the "crucial transitional figures between modern jazz and" free jazz. Critic Scott Yanow adds that "While most of the other 'free jazz' players sounded very serious in their playing, Dolphy's solos often came across as ecstatic and exuberant."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Dolphy's Copenhagen Concert (Prestige), which is available from Amazon.com.
The Eric Dolphy Quintet plays "GW," from an August 1961 concert in Berlin, here:
Count Basie: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares a link to an episode of Fred Astaire's 1960 show, "Astaire Time," on which Count Basie and his orchestra appeared.
Charles Mingus: The Complete Columbia & RCA Albums Collection: 7 titles, 10 CDs
The Thelonious Monk Quartet: The Complete Studio Albums Collection: 6 titles, 6 CDs
Weather Report: The Columbia Albums 1971-1975: 6 titles, 7 CDs
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Wes Montgomery: The album, Echoes of Indiana Avenue, by Wes Montgomery, was #39 on the Top 50+ Jazz Albums for the Week of 11 June 2012 at Elements of Jazz. (Purchase the CD, Echoes of Indiana Avenue, from Amazon.com.)
Ella Fitzgerald, arguably the greatest female jazz singer ever, died on June 15, 1966, in Beverly Hills, California. She had been ill for a number of years, due to complications from diabetes and heart surgery. On her last day, she was wheeled into the backyard of her Beverly Hills home, where she sat for about an hour. When she was being brought back in, Fitzgerald looked up with a soft smile and said, "I’m ready to go now." She is buried in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
Bing Crosby summed up her talents best when he said, "Man, woman, or child, Ella is the greatest." Jazz critic Scott Janow says that Fitzgerald was "blessed with a beautiful voice and a wide range, … could outswing anyone, was a brilliant scat singer, and had near-perfect elocution." Len Lyons speaks of her "full-blown dynamic style," "rhythmic punch," "verve and imagination," and "energy and consistency."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends Ella's album, Mack the Knife (Verve), which is available on vinyl only. Jim Determan, who updated the Lyons book for CDs, recommends as an alternative Mack the Knife — The Complete Ella in Berlin (Verve), noting that "Some additional cuts, mostly standards of Ella's concert repertoire (not all actually from the Berlin concert), round out this set to make it an even better collection than it was." The CD is available from Amazon.com.
Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery died of a heart attack on June 15, 1968, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was just 45 years old. He is buried in the New Crown Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Jazz critics Dave Miele and Dan Bielowsky said that Montgomery "was certainly one of the most influential and most musical guitarists to ever pick up the instrument" and that he "took the use of octaves and chord melodies to a greater level than any other guitarist, before or since." Montgomery played with his thumb rather than with a pick, and this gave his playing a uniquely round and soft sound.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Wes Montgomery album, While We're Young (Milestone). Unfortunately, the album is only available on vinyl. For CDs, Jim Determan recommends the following:
Wes Montgomery: Incredible Jazz Guitar (Original Jazz Classics), available from Amazon.com.
Wes Montgomery: So Much Guitar! (Riverside), available from Amazon.com.
Jazz pianist Erroll Garner was born on June 15, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As critic Scott Yanow notes, Garner was a "brilliant virtuoso who sounded unlike anyone else." Garner's best-known composition, "Misty," is a jazz standard.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Garner's album, Concert by the Sea, which he calls "the steadiest selling jazz album in history." The album is available on CD from Amazon.com.
Bill Evans: Marc Myers discusses the newly-released Bill Evans album Bill Evans Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top of the Gate in the Wall Street Journal and at JazzWax. (Purchase the CD, Bill Evans Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top of the Gate, at Amazon.com.)
Bill Evans: Marc Myers interviews Marty Morell, who played drums in the Bill Evans Trio, about the great pianist for seven years at JazzWax.
Fats Waller: Dean Minderman shares several Fats Waller video clips, including "The Joint Is Jumping" and "Ain't Misbehavin'," at St. Louis Jazz Notes.
Clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman died of a heart attack in New York City on June 13, 1986, at the age of 77. He was buried near his country farm home outside Stamford, Connecticut, next to his wife, who had passed away in 1978.
Goodman was known as "the King of Swing" and led one of the most popular musical groups in America. Goodman's bands launched the careers of many major names in jazz, including Chrlie Christian, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa, and Lionel Hampton. During the age of segregation, Goodman also led one of the first well-known racially-integrated jazz groups.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert - 1938 (Columbia), which, according to Lyons, "catches the band at its peak." This concert is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz's 'coming out' party to the world of 'respectable' music." The album is available on CD from Amazon.com.
Goodman's band can be heard playing "Honeysuckle Rose" from that Carnegie Hall concert here:
Jazz keyboardist and composer Chick Corea was born on June 12, 1941, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Critic Scott Yanow calls Corea "one of the most significant jazzmen since the '60s," and Len Lyons says that "No musician has used the fusion concept with more variety, intelligence, and unimpeachable taste ..."
Corea, who has won 18 Grammy Awards, began working with Miles Davis in 1968, including playing piano on the historic Bitches Brew album. In the early 1970s, his band Return to Forever established a jazz fusion style that incorporated Latin elements. He also began a series of collaborations with artists such as Gary Burton, Herbie Hancock, and Bela Fleck.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends three albums by Corea:
Light as a Feather (Polydor). Available from Amazon.com.
Where Have I Known You Before? (Polydor). Available from Amazon.com.
My Spanish Heart (Polydor). Available from Amazon.com.
Corea and his band play "Spain" (from Light as a Feather) live at Montreux here:
Ornette Coleman: Mort Weiss reminisces about jazz in Los Angeles in the late 1940s through the early 1960s and particularly about an Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry appearance at the Big Top in 1957 at All About Jazz.
Chick Corea: At JazzTimes, Jeff Tamarkin announces that Chick Corea and Gary Burton will release a new album in September on Concord Jazz.
Miles Davis: According to Groove Notes, the new Miles Davis stamp is due out on Tuesday, June 12.
Bill Evans: Open Culture shares a clip of a March 1965 BBC performance by the Bill Evans Trio.
Bill Evans: Larry Taylor reviews the never-before-released Bill Evans album, Bill Evans Trio: Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top of the Gate, at All About Jazz. C. Michael Bailey reviews one of the cuts from that album, "My Funny Valentine," at All About Jazz. (Purchase the CD, Bill Evans Trio: Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top of the Gate , at Amazon.com.)
Jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher Anthony Braxton was born on June 4, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois. Critic Chris Kelsey claims that Braxton "might very well be jazz's last bona fide genius" and notes that "His self-invented (yet heavily theoretical) approach to playing and composing jazz seemed to have as much in common with late 20th century classical music as it did jazz."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Braxton's album, The Montreux/Berlin Concerts (Arista), which he calls "the most manageable, dependable vehicle for Braxton's adventurous spirit." This album is available on CD from Amazon.com.
Braxton and his quartet play "You Stepped Out Of a Dream" from a 1975 album, Five Pieces, here:
Jazz saxophonist and arranger Oliver Nelson was born on June 4, 1932, in St. Louis, Missouri. Nelson was, as critic Scott Yanow notes, "a distinctive soloist on alto, tenor, and even soprano [saxophone], but his writing eventually overshadowed his playing skills."
Nelson's best known album, The Blues and the Abstract Truth, according to Len Lyons, "receives nearly the same adulation among musicians as Miles Davis's Kind of Blue to which it is similar in style ..."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Nelson's album, Three Dimensions: The Dedication Series, Vol. 3 (Impulse). This album is not available on CD, and Jim Determan recommends instead two of Nelson albums:
The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Analogue Products) (Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
Sound Pieces (Impulse) (Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
"Teenie's Blues," one of the cuts from Nelson's The Blues and the Abstract Truth album, can be heard here:
John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins: antimusic reports that the first installment of Concord Music Group's "The Very Best of" series will include the works of the Miles Davis Quintet, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, and Sonny Rollins.
Miles Davis: May 26 was Miles Davis's birthday, and several sites took note, including Miles Davis Online, Hot House, and All About Jazz, which named Miles its Jazz Musician of the Day. Michael Ricci also celebrated Miles's birthday with some quotes by the great musician at All About Jazz
Miles Davis: According to Miles Davis Online, the new stamps commemorating Miles Davis and Edith Piaf will be dedicated at the the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City on June 12.
