Friday, May 30, 2014

Happy Birthday, Benny Goodman

Clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman was born on May 30, 1909, in Chicago, Illinois. Goodman was, as critic William Ruhlmann says, "the first celebrated bandleader of the Swing Era ..."

Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America, and his January 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City 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." Goodman's bands also 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." The album is available on CD from Amazon.com.

Goodman's band can be heard playing "Sing Sing Sing" from that Carnegie Hall concert here:



Robert
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RIP, Sun Ra (1914-1993)

Jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount) died on May 30, 1993, in Birmingham, Alabama, just 8 days after his 79th birthday. His death was attributed to stroke and pneumonia. He was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham.

Jazz critic Scott Yanow said that "Of all the jazz musicians, Sun Ra was probably the most controversial," primarily because of Sun Ra's eclectic music, unorthodox lifestyle, and claims that he was of the "Angel Race" and that he was from Saturn. Ra himself said, "I write about whatever I hear, whenever the spirit hits me to write.""

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons describes Sun Ra's Arkestra as "a band of high contrast in which driving riffs, free soloing, sensuous orchestration, and atonal collective blowing spin like the vanes of a pinwheel."

Sun Ra and His Arkestra play "Paradise" from their Sound of Joy album here:


Lyons recommends Sun Ra's album, Live at Montreux (Inner City). The album is available on CD from Amazon.com.

Robert
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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Recent Links :: 29 May 2014

John Coltrane: At JazzWax, Marc Myers discusses John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: On May 26, his birthday, Miles Davis was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Miles Davis: Ken Laster's podcast, In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond, plays the music of Miles Davis in honor of the jazz icon's birthday.

Miles Davis: At Music and More, Tim Niland reviews the Miles Davis album, Take Off: The Complete Blue Note Albums. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Weather Report: At NPR's A Blog Supreme, David Brent Johnson explores jazz elegies, i.e., instrumental tributes to deceased jazz musicians. Included are:
  • Miles Davis's tribute to Duke Ellington, "He Loved Him Madly." (The song is available on the album, Get Up With It, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
  • Dizzy Gillespie's tribute to Clifford Brown, "I Remember Clifford." (The song is available on the album, Birk's Works: The Verve Big Band Sessions, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
  • Charles Mingus's tribute to Lester Young, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." (The song is available on the album, Mingus Ah Um, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
  • Weather Report's tribute to Cannonball Adderley, "Cannon Ball." (The song is available on the album, Black Market, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Duke Ellington: According to Jeff Tamarking at JazzTimes, Legacy Recordings will release Duke Ellington: The Original Recordings That Inspired the Broadway Hit “After Midnight”, a collection of original recordings from 1927 through 1940, in May on iTunes and other digital retailers and in June on CD. (Pre-order the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Monday, May 26, 2014

Five of the Best Young Jazz Trumpets

While this blog focuses on the music of established or deceased artists, we occasionally take a look at the younger musicians who constantly revitalize jazz and keep the music and the legacy alive. This post looks at five of the best young jazz trumpeters on the scene today.

Maurice Brown won first place in the National Miles Davis Trumpet Competition in 2001 at the age of 20 and has been mentored by Wynton Marsalis and Ramsey Lewis. He describes himself as "Louis Armstrong and his trumpet uploaded for the 21st century to a Hip-Hop beat." JazzTimes critic Forrest Dylan Bryant said that Brown "makes every note count" and described "his meaty tone [as packing] a wallop once he gets heated up, jabbing repeatedly at a single note or phrase, then hopscotching forward." He is currently touring with the Tedeschi Trucks Band, with whom he won the the 2012 Grammy for Best Blues Album.
  • Hip to Bop was Brown's first album as a bandleader and mixes elements of hard bop with the rhythms of both hip hop and R&B. It features eight of his original compositions, including the soulful "It's a New Day" and the hard-swinging "Conceptions." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
  • The Cycle of Love was described by JazzTimes critic Forrest Dylan Bryant as "a solid sophomore outing" and a "crossover disc in the best sense of the word." Through songs like the aptly-named "Merry Go Round" and the funky "Misunderstood," this album reflects Brown's journey from New Orleans to Brooklyn, where he settled after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Philip Dizack combines a deep emotional intensity with a unique tone, and according to an interview at the blog Notes on the Road, tries "to go a little further emotionally each time [he plays] to really get the rawness of the human spirit in [his] playing. In 2007, Downbeat Magazine named Dizack as one of "25 Trumpet Players for the Future."
  • Dizack's atmospheric second album, End of an Era, was called "a statement of maturity that is born out of personal life experiences" by critic Mark F. Turner at All About Jazz. The album includes an unforgettable version of Coldplay's "What If" as well as original tunes, like "Grow," which features particularly intense interplay among the musicians. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
  • Single Soul is Dizack's most recent album, released in 2013. It combines original pieces, like the gently grooving "Jacob and the Angel," with standards, including an elegant a capella version of Duke Ellington's classic, "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Kirk Knuffke is one of four nominees for Trumpeter of the Year in the Jazz Journalists Association's 2014 Jazz Awards. He plays with a searching bravado and an especially energetic range. Critic John Litweiler described Knuffke's playing this way: "He’ll develop a distinctly etched line that suddenly, before you know it, veers off in a different direction, or he’ll just as suddenly start a train of thought in a faster momentum. His phrases are short, his themes and his improvisations rarely resolve."
  • Chorale is Knuffke's latest album and his fourth as a leader and includes eight original compositions and one cover. The songs range from the rhythmically nuanced "Wingy" to the spirited "Good Good." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
  • Orange Was the Color is a tribute to bass legend Charles Mingus and features Knuffke with pianist Jesse Stacken. Several of the songs, like "East Coasting" and "Celia," are lesser-known pieces by Mingus, but the album also includes the more familiar "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," which Knuffke and Stacken play at a slow, moving tempo. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Christian Scott, aka Christian aTunde Adjuah, was named the top Rising Star in Trumpet in Downbeat Magazine's 2013 Critics Poll. A product of the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts and the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Scott combines a wide range of styles, including hip-hop, funk, and African rhythms. As Scott himself says, "I like indie rock music. I like neo-soul music. I like polka. All that influences what I do. But the minute you say, 'This is x' ... you're putting something in a box.'"
  • Yesterday You Said Tomorrow was described by critic Chris May as "a gym-ripped amalgam of edgy jazz, hip hop and rock rhythms, off-kilter ostinatos, intimate rhapsodies and full-on passions, all welded together by the New Orleans-born player's alternately caressing and searing horn." The album opens with the dark "K.K.P.D." and incudes the lovely ballad, "Isadora." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
  • Scott's debut album for Concord Records, Rewind That, received a Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album category. All About Jazz said that the opening track, "Rewind That," "simultaneously whispers and screams, riffing off a distorted guitar right into a hard polyrhythmic funk groove, Scott blowing an oblique, incredibly fat-toned melody line on top." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

The Canadian Bria Skonberg plays the trumpet, sings, and composes, so well that Wall Street Journal critic Will Friedwald said that she "looks like a Scandinavian angel (or Thor’s girlfriend), plays trumpet like a red hot devil, and sings like a dream." Wynton Marsalis called her "the full package," and her versatility is also reflected in her style, which fuses classic jazz with more contemporary sounds.
  • Into Your Own is Skonberg's latest album and combines her strapping voice with her unrestrained trumpet playing on tune such as the light ballad "Break My Fall" and the funky "Go Tell It." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
  • So Is the Day features more of Skonberg's versatile — sometimes snarling, sometimes lyrical — trumpet and includes songs that range from the Dixieland sound of "Chilliwack Cheer" to the swinging "I Wish I Hadn't Forgotten," which features a duo with guitarist John Pizzarelli. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Robert
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Happy Birthday, Miles Davis

Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis was born on May 26, 1926, in Alton, Illinois. Davis was one of the great innovators in jazz and, in fact, in 20th century music in general. As critic William Ruhlmann notes, "To examine his career is to examine the history of jazz from the mid-'40s to the early '90s, since he was in the thick of almost every important innovation and stylistic development in the music during that period ..."

Davis helped found several of the major genres of modern jazz, including bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, and jazz fusion. His groups included many musicians who went on to greatness, including John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, John McLaughlin, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, and Jack DeJohnette. His album, Kind of Blue, is generally regarded as the best selling jazz album of all times and one of the most influential albums in jazz.

"So What," the cut that begins Davis's great Kind of Blue album, can be heard here:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends seven albums by Miles Davis, more than any other artist. These include:
Robert
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Sunday, May 25, 2014

Recent Links :: 25 May 2014

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi shares a video of Louis Armstrong's February 1955 appearance on Horace Heidt's TV show, "The Swift Show Wagon."

Chick Corea: At The Guardian, John Fordham reviews the Chick Corea London concert.

Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, Nenad Georgievski reviews Scott Gutterman's book, Miles Davis: The Collected Artwork. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Earl Hines, Charles Mingus: At Take the "A" Train, Ehsan Khoshbakht discusses the session on which Charles Mingus played with Earl Hines and provides a playlist of the music.

Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins: At JazzWax, Marc Myers discusses the October 1954 break-out in Sonny Rollins's career and the role that Thelonious Monk played.

Sonny Rollins: Bill Beuttler interviews Sonny Rollins for Esquire.

Sun Ra: On May 22, his birthday, Sun Ra was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Sun Ra: At The New Yorker, Richard Brody discusses the 100th birthday of Sun Ra and lists his six favorite Sun Ra albums among the 21 being released by iTunes.

Sun Ra: At The Paris Review, Albert Mobilio writes about "the alchemy" of Sun Ra.

Robert
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Saturday, May 24, 2014

RIP, Duke Ellington (1899-1974)

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington died of lung cancer and pneumonia on May 24, 1974, in New York City. His funeral was held in New York's Cathedral of St. John Divine and was attended by thousands of individuals, including numerous celebrities. He is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

Jazz critic Bob Blumenthal of The Boston Globe put it best when he said that "In the century since his birth, there has been no greater composer, American or otherwise, than Edward Kennedy Ellington." Ellington, who won 12 Grammy Awards, was not only a great composer and a great bandleader; he merged the two talents. As jazz critic William Ruhlmann notes, "Ellington used his band as a musical laboratory for his new compositions and shaped his writing specifically to showcase the talents of his bandmembers."

Ellington's band plays "Sophisticated Lady" here:


In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends five of Ellington's albums:
  • Rockin' in Rhythm, Duke Ellington and the Jungle Band, Vol. 3, 1929-1931 (MCA), available on vinyl at Amazon.com.
  • Duke Ellington - 1940 (Smithsonian), available on vinyl at Amazon.com.
  • The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943 (Prestige), available on CD from Amazon.com.
  • The Golden Duke (Prestige), available on vinyl at Amazon.com.
  • Pure Gold (RCA), available on vinyl at Amazon.com
Because so many of these recommended albums are available on vinyl only, Jim Determan has recommended the following alternatives on CD:
  • The Original Decca Recordings (The Complete Brunswick and Vocalion Recordings of Duke Ellington, 1926-1931) (Decca/GRP), available on CD from Amazon.com.
  • The Okey Ellington (Columbia Jazz Masterpieces), available on CD from Amazon.com.
  • The Blanton-Webster Band (RCA Bluebird), available on CD from Amazon.com.
  • Great Times! (Original Jazz Classics), available on CD from Amazon.com.
  • Happy Go Lucky Local (Discovery), available on CD from Amazon.com.
  • The Popular Duke Ellington (RCA Victor Europe), available on CD from Amazon.com
Robert
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Friday, May 23, 2014

RIP, Joe Pass (1929-1994)

Jazz guitarist Joe Pass died on May 23, 1994, in Los Angeles from liver cancer. He was 65 years old. He is buried in the Resurrection Cemetery in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Pass had, as Len Lyons puts it, "a prodigious dexterity, an encyclopedic harmonic knowledge, and a driving sense of swing." Jazz critic Scott Yanow said that "Joe Pass did the near-impossible. He was able to play up-tempo versions of bop tunes such as 'Cherokee' and 'How High the Moon' unaccompanied on the guitar."

Pass plays "How High the Moon" here:


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.

Robert
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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Recent Links :: 22 May 2014

Clifford Brown, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Blue Note Records has announced four new releases in its “Blue Note Select” collections: multi-CD sets from Clifford Brown, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk.

Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, Ian Patterson reviews the Miles Davis album, Miles At The Fillmore - Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Erroll Garner: At About Last Night, Terry Teachout shares a video of Erroll Garner playing "Earl's Dream."

Sun Ra: At NPR's A Blog Supreme, Patrick Jarenwattananon discusses the career of Sun Ra and lists his five "essential" tracks.

Sun Ra: At NPR's Morning Edition, Joel Rose discusses Sun Ra and shares a video of his tune, "Saturn." (The song is available on the album, Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Greatest Hits, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: Tim Niland shares links to several Sun Ra articles at Music and More.

Fats Waller: On his birthday, May 21, Fats Waller was the Jazz Musician Of The Day at All About Jazz.

Robert
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Happy Birthday, Sun Ra

Jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, 1914-1993) was born on May 22, 1914, in Birmingham, Alabama. Jazz critic Scott Yanow said that "Of all the jazz musicians, Sun Ra was probably the most controversial," primarily because of Sun Ra's eclectic music, unorthodox lifestyle, and claims that he was of the "Angel Race" and that he was from Saturn.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons describes Sun Ra's Arkestra as "a band of high contrast in which driving riffs, free soloing, sensuous orchestration, and atonal collective blowing spin like the vanes of a pinwheel."

Sun Ra and His Arkestra play "Of the Other Tomorrow" from that album here:


Len Lyons recommends Sun Ra's album, Live at Montreux (Inner City). The album is available on CD from Amazon.com.

Robert
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Happy Birthday, Fats Waller

Jazz pianist Fats Waller (1904-1943) was born on May 21, 1904, in New York City. Jazz critic Richard S. Ginell said that Waller was "one of the greatest pianists jazz has ever known" and "also one of its most exuberantly funny entertainers" with an "extraordinarily light and flexible touch."

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."

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 at Amazon.com, 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.

Waller plays his composition, "Honeysuckle Rose," here:


Robert
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Recent Links :: 20 May 2014

Count Basie: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares a video of Count Basie's band performing at Nice, France, in 1977.

Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, Doug Collette reviews the Miles Davis album, Miles At The Fillmore - Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Herbie Hancock: Dave Pehling reviews the May 17 Herbie Hancock concert in San Francisco at SF Weekly Blogs.

Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter: At the San Jose Mercury News, Richard Scheinin speculates on the 12 most important musicians in jazz. He includes Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, and Wayne Shorter on the list.

Sun Ra: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, the Sun Ra Music Archive has reissued 21 classic Sun Ra albums digitally for iTunes.

Sonny Rollins: Marc Myers discusses four "CD discoveries of the week" at JazzWax, inlcuding Sonny Rollins's Road Shows Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

McCoy Tyner: At Do the Math, Ethan Iverson shares sheet music and audio clips for two McCoy Tyner pieces.

Robert
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Sunday, May 18, 2014

Recent Links :: 18 May 2014

Cannonball Adderley: At MacSparky, David Sparks discusses the Cannonball Adderley tune, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy." (The song is available on the album, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At JazzTimes, Colin Fleming reviews the Miles Davis album, Miles at the Fillmore--Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: According to Cincinnati.com, Don Cheadle will film the Miles Davis biography in Cincinnati.

Miles Davis: Miles Davis Online says that the upcoming Miles Davis movie will be called "Miles Ahead."

Miles Davis: According to Jaff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, a New York City block party will celebrate the unveiling of Miles Davis Way on May 26.

Duke Ellington: Open Culture shares an audio of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra playing a piece, "Such Sweet Thunder," which found its impetus in Shakespeare’s play, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream."

Jaco Pastorius, Weather Report: At JazzTimes, Jeff Tamarkin shares an excerpt from Peter Erskine's memoir, No Beethoven, where the Weather Report drummer discusses Jaco Pastorius. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: At All About Jazz, Victor L. Schermer reviews the Sonny Rollins album, Road Shows, Vol. 3. Tim Niland also reviews the album at Music and More. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: Marc Myers interviews Sonny Rollins at The Wall Street Journal, and Rollins discusses the influence that Coleman Hawkins's "Body and Soul" had on him.

Woody Herman: On his birthday, May 16, Woody Herman was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Robert
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Friday, May 16, 2014

Happy Birthday, Woody Herman

Jazz clarinetist and big band leader Woody Herman (1913-1987) was born on May 16, 1913, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Critic Scott Janow describes Herman as "A fine swing clarinetist, an altoist whose sound was influenced by Johnny Hodges, a good soprano saxophonist, and a spirited blues vocalist" but adds that his "greatest significance to jazz was as the leader of a long line of big bands."

Herman was particularly good at finding talented individuals — like Stan Getz, Bill Harris, and Zoot Sims — and allowing them to "find themselves." Herman was also interested in playing and creating new music, and his band was the first to absorb the innovations of bebop.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album, The Three Herds (Columbia). The album is available as an import from Amazon.com.  Jim Determan also recommends as an alternative The Thundering Herds 1945-1947 (Columbia), and this album can be purchased at Amazon.com.

His first band — sometimes known as "The Band That Plays the Blues" — plays its first hit, "Woodchopper's Ball," here:


Robert
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Happy Birthday, Betty Carter

Jazz singer Betty Carter (1929-1998) was born in Flint, Michigan, on May 16, 1929. Carter was especially known for her ability to capture the instrumental timbres in her voice. In fact, she insisted that the voice was as legitimate an instrument in jazz as any other. She was also fiercely independent and had her own Bet-Car label in the 1970s.

Jazz critic Steve Huey said that Carter was "Arguably the most adventurous female jazz singer of all time," and fellow vocalist Carmen McRae once claimed that "there's really only one jazz singer - only one: Betty Carter."

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the album Betty Carter (Bet-Car MK 1002). Jim Determan, who updated the Lyons list, also recommends The Audience with Betty Carter, which was not available when Lyons wrote his book.
  • Purchase Betty Carter from Amazon.com.
  • Purchase The Audience with Better Carter from Amazon.com.
Carter sings "How High the Moon" here:


Robert
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Sunday, May 11, 2014

Happy Birthday, King Oliver

Joe "King" Oliver (1885-1938) was born on May 11, 1885, in Aben, Louisiana. Oliver played cornet in New Orleans brass bands and dance bands before forming his own group, which included talents like Kid Ory, Baby Dodds, Johnny Dodds, Lil Hardin, and Louis Armstrong, who once said that "if it had not been for Joe Oliver, jazz would not be what it is today."

Oliver was also a well-known composer, and his tunes include "Dipper Mouth Blues", "Sweet Like This", "Canal Street Blues", and "Doctor Jazz."

In his 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends the album, King Oliver's Jazz Band, 1923 (Smithsonian). That album is not available in CD or MP3 format but is occasionally available in vinyl at Amazon.com.

Jim Determan recommends the following alternatives on CD. He calls the Retrieval CD "the definitive reissue." He also lists the Milestone CD below, although he adds that the "only reason to pick up this set is for the seven interesting tracks by The Red Onion Jazz Babies, featuring Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, and Alberta Hunter; or if you can't find the Retrieval set."
  • King Oliver: King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band: The Complete Set (Retrieval), available from Amazon.com.
  • King Oliver: Louis Armstrong with King Oliver (Milestone), available from Amazon.com.
Oliver's band plays one of his compositions, "Dipper Mouth Blues," here:



Robert
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Saturday, May 10, 2014

Recent Links :: 10 May 2014

Louis Armstrong: At JazzTimes, Jeff Tamarkin discusses the soon-to-be-released 9-CD Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings of Louis Armstrong and His All Stars, which is now available for pre-order from Mosaic Records. (Pre-order the album from Mosaic Records

Louis Armstrong: According to All About Jazz, Gary Giddings will appear on "Riverwalk Jazz" to discuss the friendship between Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby.

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses Louis Armstrong's hit, "Hello Dolly," which was number 1 on the Billboard charts 50 years ago.

Herbie Hancock: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Herbie Hancock's memoir, Herbie Hancock: Possibilities, will be published by Viking Books in October. (Pre-order the book from Amazon.com.)

Keith Jarrett: On May 8, his birthday, Keith Jarrett was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Keith Jarrett: In honor of Keith Jarrett's birthday, Ted Panken shares several interviews with the pianist at Today Is the Question.

Jaco Pastorius: At Blinded by Sound, Greg Barbrick discusses the Jaco Pastorius album, Modern American Music ...Period! The Criteria Sessions. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: At JazzWax, Marc Myers discusses Sonny Rollins and includes links to two interviews with the great musician.

Robert
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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Happy Birthday, Keith Jarrett

Jazz pianist Keith Jarrett turns 69 today. Jarrett, whom critic Scott Janow calls "one of the most significant pianists to emerge since the 1960s," was born on May 8, 1945, in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons notes that "During the 1970s [Jarrett] revived and reshaped the virtually dormant solo piano medium, and inspired pianists to continue the tradition ..." In 2008, Jarrett was inducted into the Downbeat Hall of Fame.

In Lyons's book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends Jarrett's album, The Koln Concert, which is available on CD from Amazon.com.

Part 1 of that concert can be heard here:


Robert
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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Recent Links :: 6 May 2014

Louis Armstrong: According to Ricky Riccardi at The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, the 9-CD Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings of Louis Armstrong and His All Stars is now available for pre-order from Mosaic Records. (Pre-order the album from Mosaic Records.)

Louis Armstrong: All About Jazz reviews the limited edition album, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars: Newport 1956 & 1958. (Purchase the album from Mosaic Records.)

Chick Corea: At The Notes You Don't Play, Peter Blasevick shares a 2011 Marc Myers interview with Chick Corea.

Keith Jarrett: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden will release a new album, Last Dance, on ECM in June. (Pre-order the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: John Fordham has a short review of John McLaughlin's The Boston Record at The Guardian. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: At The New York Times, Nate Chinen reviews the Sonny Rollins album, Road Shows, Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: NPR's All Things Considered features an interview with Sonny Rollins.

Robert
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Saturday, May 3, 2014

Happy Birthday, John Lewis

Jazz pianist John Lewis was born on May 3, 1920, in La Grange, Illinois.

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:


Robert
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Thursday, May 1, 2014

Recent Links :: 1 May 2014

Clifford Brown: At MacSparky, David Sparks discusses the album, Clifford Brown and Max Roach and, in particular, Brown's composition, "Joy Spring." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At The Notes You Don't Play, Peter Blasevick shares an interview with Miles Davis from 1985.

Miles Davis: fathom.info features an interactive infographic showing Miles Davis's recording sessions and the artists with whom he played.

Duke Ellington: On his birthday, April 29, Duke Ellington was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Ella Fitzgerald: On April 25, her birthday, Ella Fitzgerald was the Jazz Musician Of The Day at All About Jazz.

Charles Mingus: At The New York Review of Books, Christopher Carroll has a long piece on Charles Mingus.

Charles Mingus: On April 22, his birthday, Charles Mingus was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Wes Montgomery: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares four videos of Wes Montgomery.

Robert
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