Recent Links :: 29 January 2014

Eric Dolphy: New Jazz United shared a clip of the Eric Dolphy song, "Something Sweet, Something Tender." (The song is available on the album, Out to Lunch, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Erroll Garner: Talk About Jazz shared the song, "I'll Remember April," from the Erroll Garner album, Concert by the Sea. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Oregon: Talk About Jazz shared the song, "North Star," from the Oregon album, Music of Another Present Era. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Wayne Shorter: Several sources — including All About Jazz, JazzTimes, and The Ottawa Citizen — announced the winners of the 2104 Grammys in the jazz categories. Among the winners was Wayne Shorter, for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, for "Orbits." (The song is available on the album, Without a Net, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Horace Silver: Talk About Jazz shared the song, "Song for My Father," from the Horace Silver album, Song for My Father. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 24 January 2014

Ornette Coleman: New Jazz United shares the Ornette Coleman song, "Just for You." (The song is available on the album, The Art of the Improvisers, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Columbia/Legacy Recordings has announced the March release of the album, Miles at the Fillmore—Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3.

Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young: Mr. Porter discusses the clothing styles of several jazz icons, including Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, and Lester Young.

Sun Ra: Talk About Jazz shares the song, "Abstract 'I'," from Sun Ra's album, The Magic City. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Wayne Shorter: Talk About Jazz shares the song, "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5," from Wayne Shorter's album, Alegría. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943

On January 23, 1943, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performed at Carnegie Hall for the first time. The success of this concert led to an annual series of Carnegie Hall concerts by Ellington and his band; at these concerts, Ellington always premiered at least one new work. (The concert also marked the first jazz concert in Carnegie Hall since Benny Goodman's appearance in 1938.)

The resulting album, The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943, is one of the albums featured in Len Lyons, The 101 Best Jazz Albums. The CD can be purchased from Amazon.com, and the vinyl and MP3 versions are also available there.

The band includes trumpeters Rex Stewart, Ray Nance, and Shorty Baker; trombonists Tricky Sam Nanton and Lawrence Brown; and saxophonists Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, and Harry Carney.

Among the tunes on the album are Ellington's "Black, Brown and Beige" suite, performed here in the only full-length version ever recorded by his orchestra. Also of note are "Rockin' in Rhythm," "Bojangles," "Ko Ko," "Jack the Bear," "Cotton Tail," "Mood Indigo," and "Black and Tan Fantasy."

As critic Scott Yanow puts it, "Every serious jazz library should contain this set."

Robert
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Recent Links :: 22 January 2014

Count Basie: Talk About Jazz features the Count Basie tune, "Jumpin' at the Woodside." (The song is available on the album, The Jubilee Alternatives, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

George Benson: At NPR's A Blog Supreme, John Murph discusses five jazz covers of Donny Hathaway songs, including "The Ghetto" by George Benson. (The song is available on the album, Absolute Benson, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Anthony Braxton, Keith Jarrett: In the Groove ... Jazz and Beyond pays tribute to the latest NEA Jazz Masters, including Anthony Braxton and Keith Jarrett.

Miles Davis: New Jazz United shares a video of Miles Davis playing "Moon Dreams." (The song is available on the album, Birth of the Cool, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: Talk About Jazz features the Sonny Rollins tune, "Old Devil Moon." (The song is available on the album, A Night At The Village Vanguard, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 16 January 2014

Anthony Braxton: At Rifftides, Doug Ramsey discusses one of the four new NEA Jazz Masters, Anthony Braxton, and includes a video interview with Braxton as well a video of his piece, "To Pianist Cecil Taylor." (The song is available on the album, For Alto, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Eric Dolphy: New Jazz United shares the cut "Aggression," from the album, Eric Dolphy at the Five Spot. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Keith Jarrett: At Rifftides, Doug Ramsey discusses one of the four new NEA Jazz Masters, Keith Jarrett, and includes a video interview with Jarrett as well as two videos of his music.

John McLaughlin: In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond features a tribute to John McLaughlin.

Charles Mingus: Talk About Jazz features "Slop," a song from Charles Mingus's album, Mingus Dynasty. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Joe Pass: On January 13, his birthday, Joe Pass was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Wayne Shorter: At All About Jazz, Mark F. Turner lists his best jazz albums of 2013, which includes Wayne Shorter's Without a Net. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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Happy Birthday, Joe Pass

Jazz guitarist Joe Pass (1929-1994) was born on January 13, 1929, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He picked up the guitar after seeing actor Gene Autry's portrayal of a guitar-playing cowboy.

Pass had, as Len Lyons puts it, "a prodigious dexterity, an encyclopedic harmonic knowledge, and a driving sense of swing."  New York Magazine noted that "There is a certain purity to his sound that makes him stand out easily from other first-rate jazz guitarists."

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Joe Pass album, Virtuoso (Pablo), which is available on CD from Amazon.com.

Pass plays "All the Things You Are" here:

Robert
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Recent Links :: 12 January 2014

Herbie Hancock: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Herbie Hancock has been named the 2014 Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard.

Ornette Coleman, James P. Johnson, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Jelly Roll Morton, George Russell: At Gramophone, Philip Clark discusses the intersection of classical music and jazz. Among his examples are:

• James P. Johnson's "Yamekraw." (The song is available on the album, The Original James P. Johnson: 1942-1945, Piano Solos, which can be purchased from Smithsonian Folkways.)
• Jelly Roll Morton's "Black Bottom Stomp." (The song is available on the album, Jelly Roll Morton: 1926-1930, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
• Thelonious Monk's "Brilliant Corners." (The song is available on the album, Brilliant Corners, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
• Charles Mingus's "Pitecanthropus Erectus." (The song is available on the album, Pithecanthropus Erectus, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
• Ornette Coleman's "Forms and Sounds." (The song is available on the album, Forms & Sounds, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
• George Russell’s "Concerto for Billy the Kid." (The song is available on the album, Jazz Workshop, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Fats Waller: Jazz Lives shares a video of the Fats Waller tune, "Have a Little Dream on Me." (The song is available on the album, Have a Little Dream on Me, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 9 January 2014

George Benson, John McLaughlin: All About Jazz lists its ten "most read" articles from 2013, including pieces about George Benson and John McLaughlin.

Duke Ellington: At Do the Math, Ethan Iverson interviews Tony Teachout about, among other things, his biography of Duke Ellington, Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Duke Ellington: At Do the Math, Ethan Iverson provides a "personal celebration of Duke Ellington that disagrees with some of the musical analysis in [Tony] Teachout's biography."

Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter: At 100 Greatest Jazz Albums, Seb Kirby lists his 20 best jazz albums of 2013. They include:

• Keith Jarrett, Somewhere. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Wayne Shorter, Without A Net. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: On January 4, his birthday, John McLaughlin was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Charles Mingus: At All About Jazz, Dr. Judith Schlesinger shares "The Mingus Excerpt," a story that shows the gentler side of Charles Mingus through his friendship with a young Jewish kid.

Wayne Shorter: At Let's Cool One, Larry Appelbaum lists his favorite releases of 2013. They include Wayne Shorter's Without A Net. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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RIP, Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993)

Jazz trumpeter John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (1917-1993) died of pancreatic cancer on January 6, 1993, in Englewood, New Jersey. He is buried in the Flushing Cemetery, Queens, New York.

Gillespie was one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time and the intellectual force behind bebop. His brilliant solo lines, showmanship, and ability to communicate with his audiences made him perhaps the greatest single force in leading the public to accept bebop.

Wynton Marsalis said of Gillespie, "Dizzy was so quick-minded, he could create an endless flow of ideas at unusually fast tempi. Nobody had ever even considered playing a trumpet that way, let alone had actually tried. All the musicians respected him because, in addition to outplaying everyone, he knew so much and was so generous with that knowledge..."

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends two of Gillespie's albums:

• In the Beginning (Prestige). This album is only available in vinyl, but Jim Determan recommends as an alternative, Shaw Nuff (Discovery), which has all but one cut from In the Beginning. (Purchase the CD, Shaw Nuff, at Amazon.com.)
• The Original Dizzy Gillespie Big Band: In Concert (GNP), which is available on CD. (Purchase the CD, The Original Dizzy Gillespie Big Band: In Concert, at Amazon.com.)

Gillespie and his band play "One Note Samba," here:

Robert
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RIP, Charles Mingus (1922-1979)

Jazz bassist Charles Mingus (1922-1979) died on January 5, 1979, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, following complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). He was 56 years old. His ashes were scattered in the Ganges River.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons calls Mingus a "crucial" transitional figure between modern jazz and free jazz and attributes the power of his music "to his mastery of a wide range of emotions."

In his book, Lyons recommends two of Mingus's albums:

• The Charlie Mingus Jazz Workshop/Stormy Weather (Barnaby). Unfortunately, this album is not available on CD, and so Jim Determan recommends instead Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (Candid), which contains about half of the Barnaby album. Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus is available on CD from Amazon.com.
  
• Passions of a Man (Atlantic). Available on CD from Amazon.com.
  

Mingus and his quintet play "Flowers For A Lady" here:

Robert
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Happy Birthday, John McLaughlin

British jazz guitarist John McLaughlin was born on January 4, 1942, in Doncaster, England.

McLaughlin is a highly regarded guitarist — no less than Jeff Beck called him "the best guitarist alive." McLaughlin worked with Miles Davis on his landmark electric jazz-fusion albums In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew before forming his own Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s.  In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons notes that "The Mahavishnu Orchestra, led by the British guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin, proved that challenging improvisation and precise interplay among group members was entirely compatible with the high-energy, high-decibel sound of hard rock."

Lyons recommends McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra's album, The Inner Mounting Flame (Columbia), which he describes as an album of "compelling urgency and enthusiasm." The CD is available from Amazon.com.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra plays "One Word" here:

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RIP, Erroll Garner (1921-1977)

Jazz pianist Erroll Garner died of cancer on January 2, 1977, in Los Angeles.  He was 55 years old.  Garner is buried in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery.

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.

Garner plays "Misty" here:

Robert
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Recent Links :: 1 January 2014

Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald: New Jazz United shares a video of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald singing "Our Love Is Here to Stay." (The song is available on the album, Ella & Louis Sing Gershwin, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Art Blakey: Talk About Jazz.com shares a cut from the Art Blakey album, A Night At Birdland: Vol. 1. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter: R. J. Deluke lists his favorite albums of 2013 at All About Jazz. Among his choices are:

• Miles Davis, Live in Europe 1969; the Bootleg Series Vol. 2. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Wayne Shorter, Without a Net. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares a video of Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy playing live in Belgium, Norway, and Sweden in 1964.

Earl Hines: On his birthday, December 28, Earl Hines was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

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Happy Birthday, Milt Jackson

Jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson was born on January 1, 1923, in Detroit, Michigan.  Jackson is best known as a member — and, according to Len Lyons, the "showpiece" — of the Modern Jazz Quartet.

As Lyons notes, Jackson was "a spontaneous player and personality" and was "'emotionally contrapuntal' to the austere, restrained [John] Lewis."  In fact, the differences between Jackson and Lewis led to the former's departure from the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1974.

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.

Jackson is highlighted here at the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival in 1986 on his composition, "Bags' Groove":

Robert
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