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.
The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra plays one of Redman's arrangements, "Rocky Mountain Blues," here:
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.
American flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione was born on November 29, 1940, in Rochester, New York.
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:
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."
Joplin plays "Maple Leaf Rag" via piano roll here:
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 piano 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."
John Coltrane, Miles Davis: At Music and More, Tim Niland reveals his selections in the 8th annual Francis Davis critics poll, which is hosted by NPR. Niland includes the following in his list of the best reissues of 2013:
Miles Davis, The Original Mono Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
John Coltrane, Sun Ship: The Complete Sessions. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Duke Ellington: Maria Popova discusses Duke Ellington's relationship with food, based on excerpts from Terry Teachout's book, Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington, at Brain Pickings. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)
Woody Herman: At JazzWax, Marc Myers discusses the Kennedy assassination and the Woody Herman album that was being recorded at that time, Woody Herman: 1964. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Charlie Parker: Ian Patterson reviews Yusef Komunyakaa's book, Testimony: A Tribute To Charlie Parker, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)
Lester Young: Brilliant Corners focuses on Lester Young and says that "anyone interested in playing jazz has to listen to Lester Young, even now, so many years after his death in 1959."
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 his own composition, "Passionette," here:
Charlie Parker: C. Michael Bailey reviews Gary Giddins's book, Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the books from Amazon.com.)
Jazz Album: Wayne Shorter Quartet, Without A Net (Blue Note). (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Historical Album: Miles Davis Quintet, Live In Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 (Columbia/Legacy). (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Jazz Group: Wayne Shorter Quartet
Soprano Saxophone: Wayne Shorter
Tenor Saxophone: Sonny Rollins
Piano: Keith Jarrett
Keyboard: Herbie Hancock
Composer: Wayne Shorter
Miles Davis: Miles Davis Online quotes Don Cheadle as saying, "Miles Davis flick is on. But I hate the word biopic like Miles hated the word jazz. It’s misleading. Not attempting to tell his life story."
The great stride pianist James P. Johnson died on November 17, 1956, in Jamaica, New York, four years after retiring from performing, following a severe stroke.
Johnson composed a number of hit tunes, including "Charleston," and was one of the giants of the Harlem Stride piano style.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends
Johnson's album, "The Original James P. Johnson" (Folkways). Jim
Determan also recommends his "Snowy Morning Blues" (Verve) and "Father
of the Stride Piano" (Sony).
Duke Ellington: At All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey reviews the re-mastered Duke Ellington album, The Ellington Suites. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Cecil Taylor: According to JazzTimes, Cecil Taylor has been awarded the Kyoto Prize, Japan’s highest private award for global achievement.
Jazz singer and pianist Mose Allison was born on November 11, 1927, in Tippo, Mississippi.
Allison has, as Forrest Dylan Bryant put it in a review at All About Jazz, a "melting-pot piano style, which seamlessly combines the sounds of back country and big city; [a] carefree, everyman way of singing; [and a] sly cynicism."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Allison's Seventh Son (Prestige), but that album is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan recommends Greatest Hits (Original Jazz Classics) and The Best of Mose Allison (Atlantic) as alternatives.
Seventh Son (Prestige). Purchase the vinyl record at Amazon.com.)
Greatest Hits (Original Jazz Classics). Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
The Best of Mose Allison (Atlantic). Purchase the CD at Barnes & Noble.)
Jazz singer Carmen McRae died on November 10, 1994, of in Beverly Hills, California from a stroke, following complications from respiratory illness.
Known as "The Singer's Singer," McRae was the winner of seven Grammy Awards and was best known for her behind-the-beat phrasing and her ironic interpretations of song lyrics.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album The Greatest of Carmen McRae (MCA). Unfortunately, the album is only available in vinyl, and Jim Determan, who updated the Lyons list, recommends the CD I'll Be Seeing You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae (GRC).
Purchase The Greatest of Carmen McRae from Amazon.com.
Purchase I'll Be Seeing You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae from Barnes & Noble.
John Coltrane: At Music and More, Tim Niland reviews the album, John Coltrane - The Impulse! Albums vol. 1 (Verve, 2007). (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: Miles Davis Online quotes Don Cheadle as saying that the Miles Davis biopic will be "Cubist" and "a gangster pic." The same blog questions whether Antoine Fuqua was ever going to be the film's director.
Herbie Hancock: At All About Jazz, John Kelman reviews the Legacy Records set, Herbie Hancock: The Complete Columbia Albums Collection 1972-1988. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Keith Jarrett: At JazzTimes, Tom Wilmeth discusses Keith Jarrett and in particular that artist's reputation for having a difficult stage presence.
Jazz pianist Art Tatum died on November 5, 1956, at Queen of Angels Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, from complications resulting from kidney failure. He was just 47 years old. Tatum is interred in the Great Mausoleum of Glendale's Forest Lawn Cemetery, next to his wife Geraldine.
Tatum was nearly blind and yet was probably the greatest piano virtuoso that jazz has ever seen. Charlie Parker himself once said, "I wish I could play like Tatum’s right hand!" Pianist Teddy Wilson once observed, "If you put a piano in a room [and then] get all the finest jazz pianists in the world and let them play in the presence of Art Tatum. Then let Art Tatum play ... everyone there will sound like an amateur."
Jazz critic Leonard Feather called Tatum "the greatest soloist in jazz history, regardless of instrument."
Tatum plays "Yesterdays" here:
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Tatum's album, Art Tatum: The Tatum Solo Masterpieces, Vol. 3 (Pablo). (Purchase at Barnes & Noble.)
