Jazz pianist Bud Powell died on July 31, 1966, in New York City of tuberculosis, malnutrition, and alcoholism. He was just 41 years old.
Powell was one of the great bebop musicians and is often known as "the Charlie Parker of the piano." The great jazz pianist Bill Evans said of Powell, "If I had to choose one single musician for his artistic integrity, for the incomparable originality of his creation and the grandeur of his work, it would be Bud Powell. He was in a class by himself."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 1, which is available on CD from Amazon.com.
Bud and his colleagues play "Bouncing with Bud" here:
Cannonball Adderley: New Jazz United shares a video of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet playing "Jubilation." (The song is available on the album, Sharpshooters, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: According to The Carlsbad Current-Argus, Don Cheadle's Miles Davis biopic, "Miles Ahead," will make its world premiere in October at the New York Film Festival.
Miles Davis: Tim Niland reviews the album, Miles Davis - At Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, at Music and More. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: Open Culture discusses Miles Davis's 2005 recording of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature." (The song is available on the album, You're Under Arrest, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Duke Ellington: David Brent Johnson talks about Duke Ellington's "early Black-pride music" at Night Lights.
Duke Ellington: According to The Plymouth University Website, Lecturer in Music Dr. Katherine Williams has been awarded the first ever Jazz Research Fellowship by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation and the Jazz Education Network to examine the differences between the live performances of Duke Ellington and his recorded work.
Erroll Garner: At JazzWax, Marc Myers talks about the Erroll Garner Quartet's tour of Paris in 1972 and shares a video of their appearance on the French television show, "Jazz Land."
Scott Joplin: According to KSLA News, Texarkana, the city has begun the restoration of a mural of Texarkana native Scott Joplin.
Charles Mingus: At All About Jazz, John Goodman provides an excerpt from his book, "Mingus Speak," where Mingus talks about avant-garde musicians and the importance of tradition in jazz. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)
Don Redman, the first great arranger in jazz history, was born on July 29, 1900, in Piedmont, West Virginia.
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.
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.
The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra plays one of Redman's arrangements, "Rocky Mountain Blues," here:
Jazz guitarist Charlie Christian was born on July 29, 1916, 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. As Jazz critic Scott Yanow put it, "It can be said without exaggeration that virtually every jazz guitarist that emerged during 1940-65 sounded like a relative of Charlie Christian."
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) (Available at Amazon.com.)
Christian plays "Airmail Special" with the Benny Goodman Sextet here:
Jazz pianist and composer George Russell died from complications from Alzheimer's disease in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 27, 2009. He was 86 years old.
Russell was a MacArthur Foundation Award winner, a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, and a Distinguished Artist-in-Residence Emeritus at the New England Conservatory, where he taught for 35 years. Russell is best known as a jazz theorist, and 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.
Hankus Netsky, Chair of the New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Improvisation Department, said that "In George's mind, the Lydian Chromatic Concept was not so much a theoretical system as it was an approach to life. ‘It comes from Pythagoras,’ he liked to say. ‘It's a reflection of nature.’ It wasn't in any way a ‘jazz’ thing, but a way to appreciate the laws of tension and release, a way of understanding Bach, Ravel, and Stravinsky - and seeing Coltrane, Monk, and Miles Davis as musicians who were part of the same continuum."
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:
Jazz singer Annie Ross was born on July 25, 1930, in London, England. Jazz critic John Bush referred to her as a "canary female" with "dexterous vocals."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross album, The Best of Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross (Columbia C-32911 or JCS-8198).
Unfortunately, the album is only available in vinyl from Amazon.com. Jim Determan, who has updated Lyons's list of albums for CD, recommends instead the following title:
Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross: Everybody's Boppin' (Columbia Jazz Masterpieces) (Buy at Amazon.com)
Bix Beiderbecke: According to The Davenport Dispatch-Argus, the German American Heritage Center in Davenport (Iowa) is presenting a major exhibit on jazz legend and Davenport native Bix Beiderbecke in July and August.
John Coltrane: At By Common Consent, Jason K. discusses John Coltrane's "spiritual awakening," which led to "A Love Supreme" and "Ascension."
Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock: At The Guardian, John Fordham has a brief review of the recent London concert by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock and shares a clip of their joint concert in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1978.
Miles Davis: Several reviews of the new box set, Miles Davis at Newport: 1955-1975, The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, have appeared. These include:
Miles Davis: Jazz.Izzin discusses the tune, "Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio)," from the Miles Davis album, Sketches of Spain. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker: According to JazzTimes, Savoy Jazz will reissue five titles from its catalog on July 31, including Miles Davis’s First Miles, Erroll Garner’s Penthouse Serenade, and Charlie Parker Memorial Vol. 1.
Charles Mingus: Jazz.Izzin discusses the Charles Mingus tune, "Fables of Faubus." (The song is available on the album, Mingus Ah Um, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Sonny Rollins: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Sonny Rollins Quintet playing "Tennessee Waltz." (The song is available on the album, Falling in Love with Jazz, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Louis Armstrong: At Brilliant Corners, Steve Provizer talks about Louis Armstrong's gigs on Mississippi river boats in the early part of the 20th century.
Dave Brubeck: At his blog, About Last Night, Terry Teachout shares a short film made in 1954 at a recording session by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Miles Davis: At MacSparky, David Sparks discusses Miles Davis's album, Kind of Blue. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Oliver Nelson: Marc Myers discusses the career of Oliver Nelson and particularly his album, Fantabulous, at JazzWax. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Jazz singer Billie Holiday died from pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis of the liver on July 17, 1959, in New York City. Her funeral mass was held at Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City, and she was buried in Saint Raymonds Cemetery in the Bronx.
According to critic John Bush, Holiday was the "first popular jazz singer to move audiences with the intense, personal feeling of classic blues, [and she] changed the art of American pop vocals forever." Len Lyons said that Holiday "could transform the most banal pop ballad into a painfully intense, subtle work of art." In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends the album, The Billie Holiday Story, Vol. 2 (Columbia). Unfortunately, this album is not available in CD or MP3 format.
Instead, Jim Determan recommends several alternatives, including the 10-CD set and the 2-CD set listed below:
Billie Holiday: Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia, 1933-1944 (Sony, 10 CDs)
Billie Holiday: Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday (Sony, 2 CDs)
Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane died from liver cancer on July 17, 1967, in Huntington, New York. He was just 40 years old. His funeral was held at St. Peters Lutheran Church in New York City, and he was buried at Pinelawn Cemetery in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Len Lyons says that Coltrane "challenged himself artistically to a greater extent than any saxophonist in jazz's history," and critic William Ruhlmann calls him "among the most important, and most controversial, figures in jazz." Coltrane played bebop and hard bop early in his career, then helped pioneer modal jazz and later free jazz.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends four albums by Coltrane, all of which are available in CD:
Art Blakey: Night Lights features a podcast about Art Blakey's 1957 band, which included saxophonists Jackie McLean and Johnny Griffin, as well as trumpeter Bill Hardman.
Clifford Brown: All About Jazz announces "Brownie Speaks at Newport," an event planned for July 30, on the eve of the Newport Jazz Festival to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Brown's performance at that festival.
John Coltrane: Night Lights features a podcast about John Coltrane's 1957, the year that he kicked his drug and alcohol addictions and made his first recordings as a leader.
Thelonious Monk: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Thelonious Monk Quintet playing "Think of One." (The song is available on the album, The Complete Prestige Recordings, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Jaco Pastorius: New Jazz United shares a video of Jaco Pastorius and Toots Thielemans playing "Sophisticated Lady" at a 1982 New York City concert.
Sonny Rollins: According to JazzTimes, Sonny Rollins will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America.
Sonny Rollins: Night Lights shares a podcast about Sonny Rollins and 2957, the year he recorded the iconic album, A Night at the Village Vanguard. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Wayne Shorter: At MacSparky, David Sparks discusses Wayne Shorter's song, "Witchcraft," from the 1966 album, Speak No Evil. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Jelly Roll Morton, the first major arranger of jazz, died of heart failure and asthma on July 10, 1941, in Los Angeles, California. He is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Morton claimed that he invented jazz, and while that claim is a stretch, he was certainly an important transitional figure between the stiff approach of ragtime and the flexibility and freedom of jazz. Critic Scott Janow points out that "Morton's accomplishments as an early innovator are so vast that he did not really need to stretch the truth."
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends two albums by Jelly Roll Morton: Jelly Roll Morton and His Red Hot Peppers, 1926-1927, Volume 3 (RCA France 731 059); and Jelly Roll Morton, 1923-1924 (Milestone M-47018, 2 LPs). These are available in vinyl only. There is a CD version of the latter album, but it omits the cuts from side 4 of the vinyl LP.
Jim Determan, who has updated Lyons's list of albums for CD, recommends instead the following titles:
Jelly Roll Morton: The Jelly Roll Morton Centennial (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Jelly Roll Morton: 1926-1930 (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Jelly Roll Morton: Birth of the Hot (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Jelly Roll Morton: Rare Recordings of Piano Solos, 1923-1926 (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
Louis Armstrong: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares a clip of Louis Armstrong and His All Stars with conductor performing "St. Louis Blues" with Leonard Bernstein on July 14, 1956.
Louis Armstrong: At The Daily Beast, Nat Hentoff recalls the life of Louis Armstrong, arguing that Armstrong "did not invent jazz ... but when he got through with it, America’s homegrown art form was changed almost beyond recognition."
Woody Herman: At JazzWax, Marc Myers discusses composer Ralph Burns and, in particular, his work on Woody Herman's album, New Swingin' Herman Herd. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Sonny Rollins: At Music and More, Tim Niland reviews Sonny Rollins's album, Complete Live at the Village Gate 1962. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Joe Zawinul: On July 7, his birthday, Joe Zawinul was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.
Jazz keyboardist and composer Joe Zawinul was born on July 7, 1932, in Vienna, Austria. As critic Richard S. Ginell notes, Zawinul's "curiosity and openness to all kinds of sounds made him one of the driving forces behind the electronic jazz-rock revolution of the late '60s and '70s — and later, he would be almost alone in exploring fusions between jazz-rock and ethnic music from all over the globe."
Zawinul first played with Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis before co-founding the groups Weather Report and the world fusion group Zawinul Syndicate. He was also a pioneer in the use of the electric piano and synthesizers in jazz and was named "Best Electric Keyboardist" 28 times by the readers of Down Beat magazine.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends the Weather Report album, 8:30 (Columbia), which is available from Amazon.com.
Weather Report plays "In a Silent Way," one of the more lyrical pieces from the 8:30 album, here:
The great jazz trumpeter and singer, Louis Armstrong, died in his sleep of a heart attack on July 6, 1971, in Queens, New York. He was 69 years old.
Armstrong's funeral attracted 25,000 individuals, including honorary pallbearers Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Harry James, Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Earl Wilson, Alan King, Johnny Carson, and David Frost. Armstrong is buried in the Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, New York.
As critic William Ruhlman has said, "Louis Armstrong was the first important soloist to emerge in jazz, and he became the most influential musician in the music's history." Armstrong shifted the focus of jazz from the collective music of the traditional New Orleans ensemble to a music that valued solo performance and virtuosity.
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends two records of Louis Armstrong:
Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines: The Genius of Louis Armstrong, Vol. 1 1923-1933 (Columbia CG 30416, 2 LPs)
Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines: Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines, 1928 (Smithsonian Collection R-002, 2 LPs)
Unfortunately, these are only available in vinyl. Jim Determan, who has updated Lyons's list of albums for CD, recommends instead the following Columbia titles:
Louis Armstrong: The Complete Hot Fives and Hot Sevens (Buy at Amazon.com)
Louis Armstrong: You're Drivin' Me Crazy, Volume VII (Buy at Amazon.com)
Louis Armstrong: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 1923-1934 (Buy at Amazon.com)
A good example of Armstrong's improvisational genius is "Weather Bird," in which he and pianist Earl Hines turn a traditional ragtime piece into a brilliant interchange of call and response and broken rhythms.
Over the years, I have dipped my toe into the Website Reddit, but recently I found some great jazz resources there and recommend that other fans of jazz take a look at the site.
Reddit is much like an online bulletin board, and often people ask questions that others on Reddit attempt to answer. One example is the following question from a year ago:
Imagine I love jazz and I went into a coma in 1970. I came out this morning. What are the most important albums of the last forty years that I need to listen to right away?
The answers to this question, provided by Reddit users, include albums by several of the artists featured on this blog, like the following:
Berlin '88 by Cecil Taylor. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Changes One by Charles Mingus. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Disco 3000 by Sun Ra. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Headhunters by Herbie Hancock. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
The Inner Mounting Flame by John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
On The Corner by Miles Davis. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Performance (Quartet) 1979 by Anthony Braxton. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Red Clay by Freddie Hubbard. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Science Fiction by Ornette Coleman. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Sweetnighter by Weather Report. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Several of the lists include perceptive comments about the albums being recommended, such as this annotation to John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra's The Inner Mounting Flame:
It's kind of cliched now, but this is the best shred-jazz record ever. McLaughlin is at his best on this, Tony Williams' "Emergency" (which doesn't count because it was released in the late 60s), and on Miles' stuff from this period. Essential listening.
Speaking of The Inner Mounting Flame, here's one of the cuts from that album, "Awakening":
Reddit has some great resources for jazz fans. Just go to the site and search for "jazz." Good things will happen.
Ornette Coleman: New Jazz United shared a clip of Ornette Coleman performing "Love Words." (The song is available on the album, Of Human Feelings, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Miles Davis: According to Jazz Times, the 2015 Newport Jazz Festival will honor Miles Davis with several events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Davis’s first appearance at the festival.
Miles Davis: New Jazz United shared a clip of Miles Davis performing "Freedom Jazz Dance." (The song is available on the album, Miles Smiles, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Duke Ellington: According to The Jazz Line, BMG has acquired New York-based independent Verse Music Group and will take ownership of its repertoire of songs and recordings, including those by Duke Ellington.
Benny Goodman: According to The Jazz Line, Yale University has digitized and preserved the personal film reels of bandleader Benny Goodman.
Keith Jarrett: At The Ottawa Citizen, Peter Hum lists his favorite CDs of the year so far, including Keith Jarrett's Creation. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
Charles Mingus: New Jazz United shared a clip of Charles Mingus performing "Love Chant." (The song is available on the album, Pithecanthropus Erectus, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
Charlie Parker: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Charlie Parker Quartet playing "I'll Walk Alone." (The song is available on the album, Charlie Parker at Storyville, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
