Jazz pianist John Lewis died on March 29, 2001, in Manhattan, New York, following a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 80 years old.
Lewis is best known as the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet, which was formed to provide members of Dizzy Gillespie's band more improvisational freedom. As critic Scott Yanow points out, Lewis had a vision of "making jazz seem respectable by occasionally interacting with classical
ensembles and playing concerts at prestigious venues, but always leaving
plenty of space for bluesy and swinging improvising." Unfortunately, differences between vibraphonist Milt Jackson and Lewis led to the former's departure from the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1974 and the group's break-up.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Modern Jazz Quartet's album, European Concert (Atlantic). The album is available from Amazon.com.
The Modern Jazz Quartet, with Lewis on piano, plays one of his compositions, "Django," here:
Sarah Vaughan, "The Divine One," was born on March 27, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey.
Critic Scott Yanow says that Vaughan possessed "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century" and that she "ranked with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday in the very top echelon of female jazz singers."
In his 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends the album, Sarah Vaughan and Count Basie (Roulette). Unfortunately, that album is not available in CD or MP3 format, and Jim Determan recommends instead:
Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (Polygram), available at Amazon.com
No Count Sarah (Mercury/Polygram), available at Amazon.com
Determan adds that the two albums "may be better first choices for Vaughan. ... [Lyons] mentions these as two of Vaughan's best albums, both were out of print at the time, but are available on CD now. The first is small group sessions and was Vaughan's personal favorite, the second is an earlier collaboration with a group from the Basie band (again without the Count). Either would make an excellent first purchase of Vaughan."
Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck: BBC Music Magazine lists six of the best jazz hit singles in the UK and includes "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong and "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Charles Mingus: New Jazz United shares a clip of Charles Mingus playing "Passions of a Man." (The song is available on the album, Oh Yeah, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Jazz pianist Cecil Taylor turns 84 today. Taylor was born on March 25, 1929, in New York City. He is regarded as one of the most advanced and radical improvisers in jazz, with what one critic described as an "intense atonal percussive approach [that] involves playing the piano as if it were a set of drums."
Taylor's performances at the Five Spot Cafe in the late 1950s, along with those of Ornette Coleman, are generally seen as one of the origins of free jazz.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends two albums by Taylor:
Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures (Blue Note), available from Amazon.com.
Cecil Taylor: Silent Tongues (Arista), available from Amazon.com.
Here, an 80-year-old Cecil Taylor performs in Perugia, Italy, in July 2009.
Dizzy Gillespie: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, "Last Call at the Downbeat," an original show about Dizzy Gillespie will open in Philadelphia in April.
Sonny Rollins: Tim Niland reviews the 1964 Sonny Rollins album, The Standard Sonny Rollins, at Music and More. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Jazz guitarist George Benson turns 70 today. Benson was born on March 22, 1943, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Benson first performed professionally as a singer, winning a contest at four and performing in nightclubs at eight. In 1960, he formed a rock band, using a guitar that his stepfather made for him.
Benson, as Len Lyons puts it, "has a warm, clean, melodic delivery along the lines of ... Wes Montgomery," Benson's mentor.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the George Benson album, Weekend in L.A. (Warner Brothers), which is available on CD from Amazon.com.
Louis Armstrong: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, the Louis Armstrong House Museum will help celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month by featuring a previously unissued recording of Louis Armstrong performing "West End Blues."
Louis Armstrong: Jeff Tamarkin reviews the Louis Armstrong album, The OKeh, Columbia & RCA Victor Recordings 1925-1933, at JazzTimes. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines: Jazz Rhythm shares several half-hour broadcasts from San Francisco's Club Hangover, which was the premier spot for jazz in that city in the 1950s.
Miles Davis: Philip Clark reviews the Miles Davis album, Miles Davis Quintet Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Volume 2, at Gramophone. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: Trumpeter Terence Blanchard discusses the Miles Davis album, Four and More, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Eric Dolphy: New Jazz United shares a video of Eric Dolphy playing "Warm Canto" with pianist Mal Waldron. (The song is available on the album, The Quest, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Jazz saxophonist Lester Young died on March 15, 1959, in New York City at the age of 49. He had just returned to New York from a European tour, during which he ate almost nothing and literally drank himself to death. He is buried at the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn.
Young was one of the most important tenor sax players in the history of jazz, and Len Lyons ranks him as "the most innovative instrumentalist in jazz between Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends The Lester Young Story, Vol. 1 (Columbia JG 33502, 2 LPs). Unfortunately, this album is only available on vinyl. A good alternative on CD is the British import, The Lester Young Story, which is re-issued on the Proper label and contains four CDs. (Purchase the CD, The Lester Young Story, at Barnes & Noble.)
Young plays "Mean to Me" from a September 1958 broadcast here:
Charlie Parker, arguably the most influential jazz musician of all time, died on March 12, 1955, in New York City. The official causes of death were listed as lobar pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer. The coroner who performed his autopsy mistakenly estimated Parker's 34-year-old body to be between 50 or 60 years of age.
Parker was buried in Kansas City's segregated Lincoln Cemetery over the objections of his partner, Chan Parker, who knew that Parker never wanted to return to the city of his birth. Dizzy Gillespie paid for the funeral arrangements.
Len Lyons put it best when he said, "If you have never heard Charlie Parker, the experience could permanently change the way you think about music." Parker led the development of bebop, which differed from the straightforward, dance-able tunes of the swing era, replacing these with rapid tempos, fragmented asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that did more than just keep time.
In his 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends two of Parker's albums:
The Very Best of Bird (Warner Brothers 2WB 3198, 2 LPs)
Unfortunately, both are available only on vinyl. Instead, Jim Determan (who has updated the Lyons list for CD) recommends the following:
The Legendary Dial Masters, Vols. 1 and 2 (Jazz Classics) (Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
Best of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings (Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes (Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings 1944-1948 (Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
About the latter three, Determan says, "Three reissues let you choose the depth to which you want to delve into this material. These recordings are the basis of bop, so I would recommend the 3 CD Complete Master Takes set, which covers most of what was on the two double albums [Len Lyons] recommended. If you’re not sure and want to try out just a cross-section, then pick up the first disk. If you already know you are a serious fan, then you may be inclined to go for the Complete Recordings."
Jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931) was born on March 10, 1903, in Davenport, Iowa. Beiderbecke was one of the first great soloists of jazz and played a sensitive, "cool" style of jazz that contrasted with the hot, hard playing of someone like Louis Armstrong. Jazz critic Terry Teachout called Beiderbecke and Armstrong "the two most influential figures in the early history of jazz."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends The Bix Beiderbecke Story: Bix and Tram, Vol. 2 (Columbia). Unfortunately, this album is not available in CD or MP3 format. According to Jim Determan, who has updated the Lyons book for CD, there are two good alternatives:
Bix Beiderbecke: Singin' the Blues, Volume 1 (Sony), which Determan says "is a better collection than [The Bix Beiderbecke Story], since it includes the best tracks from the LP, has more cuts, and includes Bix's unique piano solo, 'In a Mist.'" It is available on CD from Amazon.com.
Bix Beiderbecke: Bix & Tram (JSP), which Determan claims "has superior remastering by John R. T. Davies on most tracks, and makes an excellent choice, especially for those who want more than one Beiderbecke disc." It is available on CD from Amazon.com.
Beiderbecke is featured in this 1927 recording of "Singin' the Blues" by Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra. Beiderbecke's cool, balladic cornet solo starts at 1:03.
Miles Davis: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, a panel discussion at the annual SXSW music conference in Austin will explore Live In Europe 1969, Bootleg, Vol. 2 by Miles Davis and his so-called "lost quartet." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman turns 83 today. Coleman, who was born on March 9, 1930, in Fort Worth, Texas, is best known as one of the great innovators in the "free jazz" movement of the 1960s.
Coleman's music, which was quite controversial, focused on the mood or feeling of the melody and moved away from the chord changes that had dominated jazz in the 1950s and 1960s. As Coleman said, "Let's play the music, not the background."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends two Ornette Coleman albums, both of which are available on CD:
Ornette Coleman: The Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic), available from Amazon.com. Lyons calls this "perhaps the boldest album in the history of jazz" and "certainly ... the first to depend primarily upon collective improvisation."
Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz (Atlantic), available from Amazon.com.
Coleman's quartet plays "Lonely Woman," from "The Shape of Jazz to Come," here:
Art Blakey: Tim Niland reviews the Ark Blakey and the Jazz Messengers album Africaine at Music and More. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Anthony Braxton: Troy Collins reviews Anthony Braxton's new album, Eight (+1) Tristano Compositions 1989 For Warne Marsh, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Ornette Coleman: New Jazz United shares a video of the Ornette Coleman Quartet playing "Embraceable You." (The song is from the album, This Is Our Music, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Chick Corea: At The Guardian, John Fordham reviews a performance of Chick Corea and his quintet, The Vigil.
Miles Davis: According to Miles Davis Online, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the DVD, "Miles Davis with Quincy Jones and the Gil Evans Orchestra Live at Montreux 1991" in March.
Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery (1923-1968) was born on March 6 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in Jazz.
Montgomery played with his thumb rather than with a pick, and this gave his playing a uniquely round and soft sound. 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."
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.
Brazilian jazz singer Flora Purim was born on March 6, 1942, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is known as the "Queen of Brazilian jazz."
Purim met and married percussionist Airto Moreira in Brazil in the late 1960s and then moved with him to the United States, where she worked with Stan Getz and pianist Duke Pearson before joining Chick Corea, Joe Farrell, Stanley Clarke, and Moreira in the original Return to Forever band in 1972.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Flora Purim and Airto Moreira album, 500 Miles High/At Montreux (Milestone), which is available on CD from Amazon.com.
Purim sings "Light as a Feather" from the Chick Corea and Return to Forever album of the same name here:
Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson: Nick Morrison shares "A List Of 5 Songs About ... Lists" at NPR's Take Five and includes Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson, playing "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)." (The song is on the album, Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Earl Hines: Marc Myers has a long appreciation of pianist Earl Hines at JazzWax.
Sun Ra: New Jazz United shares a video of Sun Ra And His Arkestra playing "Springtime Again." (The song is from the album Sleeping Beauty, which is available on Amazon.com.)
Jazz guitarist Charlie Christian died on March 2, 1942, in New York City, a year after he contracted tuberculosis. He was just 25 years old. He is buried in the Gates Hill Cemetery in Bonham, Texas.
Christian was a key figure in the history of the electric guitar, and his technique helped establish the guitar as a legitimate solo instrument. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra from August 1939 to June 1941 and was a major influence in the development of bebop and cool jazz.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Christian's album, Solo Flight (Columbia CG 30779), but this has not been issued on CD or MP3. Instead, Jim Determan recommends the three alternatives listed below. As he notes, the box set "is the definitive reissue [but for] those wanting a single Charlie Christian CD, the first Columbia single CD makes a good choice." The third CD, according to Determan, "has good sextet material, but Christian's role is less prominent."
Charlie Christian: Genius of the Electric Guitar, Box Set (Sony) (Available at Amazon.com.)
Charlie Christian: Genius of the Electric Guitar (Columbia/Sony) (Available at Amazon.com.)
Charlie Christian: The Benny Goodman Sextet Featuring Charlie Christian (Columbia/Sony)
