Recent Links :: 6 August 2015

Louis Armstrong: On August 4, his birthday, Louis Armstrong was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Bix Beiderbecke: Bill Wundram writes about cornet player Scott Black's collection of Bix Beiderbecke memorabilia at The Quad-City Times.

George Benson: According to an interview in The Scotsman, George Benson "has no plans to hang up his guitar."

Ornette Coleman: At All About Jazz, Marc Davis reviews the Ornette Coleman CD, Ornette Coleman At The Golden Circle, Volume 1. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: According to JazzTimes, Bob Gluck's new book, The Miles Davis Lost Quintet and Other Revolutionary Ensembles, will be published in 2016 by the University of Chicago Press.

John McLaughlin: According to JazzTimes and Downbeat Magazine, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release a two-CD version of John McLaughlin and Santana's "Invitation to Illumination — Live At Montreux 2011" in September.

Charles Mingus: New Jazz United shares a clip of Charles Mingus playing piano and performing "She’s Just Miss Popular Hybrid." (The song is available on the album, Mingus Plays Piano, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Airto Moreira: On August 5, his birthday, Airto Moreira was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Bud Powell: At Take the "A" Train, Ehsan Khoshbakht provides transcriptions from two interviews with Bud Powell from 1963.

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RIP, Bud Powell (1924-1966)

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:

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Recent Links :: 29 June 2015

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi talks about Louis Armstrong's 1950 recording of "La Vie En Rose." (The song is available on the album, Satchmo Serenades, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Count Basie: At JazzWax, Marc Myers discusses Count Basie's September 18, 1965, appearance on the BBC's "Show of the Week."

Anthony Braxton: At All About Jazz, Francesco Martinelli reviews Anthony Braxton's performance at the 2015 Turin Jazz Festival.

Ornette Coleman: A large number of articles about Ornette Coleman have appeared since the artist's death. The most recent include the following:

• At All About Jazz, Matt Lavelle remembers his interactions with Coleman.
• Blouinartinfo Blogs discusses "the puzzle Ornette Coleman left us."
• Do the Math discusses the connection between Ornette Coleman, who died on June 11, and Gunther Schuller, who died on June 21.
• The Free Jazz Collective provides a list of over 170 versions of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman."
• The Free Jazz Collective reflects on Ornette Coleman's work.
• At Jazz Beyond Jazz, Howard Mandel lists 10 albums that show Ornette Coleman's musical evolution.
• At Rifftides, Doug Ramsey reflects on the "traditionalism" of Ornette Coleman.

John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy: Tim Niland reviews the album, The John Coltrane Quartet Featuring Eric Dolphy — So Many Things: The European Tour 1961, at Music and More. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: The Daily Beast shares a track from the soon-to-be-released Miles Davis album, Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Eric Dolphy: On June 20, his birthday, Eric Dolphy was Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Bud Powell: At The International Review of Music, Devon Wendell reviews the album, Sonny Stitt, BudPowell, J.J. Johnson. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Fats Waller: At About Last Night, Terry Teachout shares a 1943 clip of Fats Waller performing "Ain't Misbehavin'."

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Recent Links :: 12 June 2015

Ornette Coleman: The great saxophonist and jazz innovator Ornette Coleman passed away on June 11. Among those covering his death are:

• All About Jazz
• Capital Public Radio
• The Daily Beast
• Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches
• Do the Math
• The Free Jazz Collective
• The Guardian
• Jazz Beyond Jazz
• The Jazzcat
• JazzTimes
• JazzWax
• The New York Times
• The Ottawa Citizen
• Perfect Sounds
• Rolling Stone
• Steve Wallace
• uDiscover Music
• The Wall Street Journal
• The Washington Post

Ornette Coleman: The Wall Street Journal shares five clips that show Ornette Coleman's "musical versatility."

Ornette Coleman: New Jazz United shares a clip of Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden performing "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." (The song is available on the album, Soapsuds Soapsuds, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Ornette Coleman: Open Culture shares a clip of Lou Reed collaborating with Ornette Coleman.

Bud Powell: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Bud Powell Quintet playing "Frantic Fancies (Take 6)." (The song is available on the box set, The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: New Jazz United shares a clip of Sun Ra and His Arkestra playing "The Sun Man Speaks."

Sonny Rollins: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Sonny Rollins Quartet playing "You Do Something to Me." (The song is available on the album, The Bridge, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 13 May 2015

Art Blakey: At All About Jazz, Marc Davis reviews the Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers album, Moanin’. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Anthony Braxton: Mark Corroto reviews the Anthony Braxton Quartet's album, (Santa Cruz) 1991 1st Set, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: As part of the "Building a Jazz Library" series at All About Jazz, John Eyles lists the best John Coltrane albums.

John Coltrane: Open Culture shares an animated version of an interview between Frank Kofsky and John Coltrane.

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

Keith Jarrett: At The Ottawa Citizen, Peter Hum reviews Keith Jarrett's album, Creation. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Keith Jarrett: All About Jazz celebrates Keith Jarrett's 70th birthday by republishing an October 2003 article from its "Genius Guide to Jazz" series.

Keith Jarrett: At Do the Math, Ethan Iverson discusses Keith Jarrett's legacy, including his classical recordings.

Keith Jarrett: Rachel Martin interviews Keith Jarrett at NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.

Wes Montgomery: Peter Hum reviews Wes Montgomery's album, In the Beginning, at The Guardian. Charles L. Latimer has a brief review of the album at I Dig Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Bud Powell: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Bud Powell Trio playing "Little Willie Leaps."

Bessie Smith: The Telegraph discusses HBO's biopic about Bessie Smith.

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Recent Links :: 30 March 2015

Bill Evans: At All About Jazz, Nathan Holaway lists the best jazz albums featuring Bill Evans as a sideman.

Bill Evans, Bud Powell, Horace Silver, Art Tatum: Marc Myers lists his favorite jazz piano albums for newcomers to the genre at JazzWax. These include:

• Bill Evans, At Town Hall. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bud Powell, Strictly Bud Powell. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Horace Silver, Horace Silver Trio. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Art Tatum, Solo Masterpieces Vol. 1. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae: Marc Myers lists his favorite jazz vocal albums for newcomers to the genre at JazzWax. These include:

• Ella Fitzgerald, The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Billie Holiday, Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia - 1933-1944. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Carmen McRae, Eight Classic Albums. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Thelonious Monk: New Jazz United shares a video of Thelonious Monk and Gerry Mulligan playing "Straight No Chaser." (The song is available on the album, Mulligan Meets Monk, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 26 March 2015

John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins: At All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey lists his ten best live jazz recordings from 1953 to 1965, including:

• John Coltrane, Live at Birdland.
• John Coltrane, At the Village Vanguard.
• Miles Davis, At The Plugged Nickel.
• Duke Ellington, At Newport 1956.
• Bill Evans, At the Village Vanguard.
• Erroll Garner, Concert by the Sea.
• Charles Mingus, At Antibes.
• Wes Montgomery, At The Half Note.
• The Quintet, At Massey Hall.
• Sonny Rollins, At the Village Vanguard.

Miles Davis: All About Jazz reviews Listen to This, Victor Svorinich's book about Miles Davis's 1969 album, Bitches Brew. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: St. Louis Jazz Notes has several short news items about Miles Davis.

Duke Ellington: Peter Blasevick shares links to two interviews with Duke Ellington at The Notes You Don't Play.

Duke Ellington: At Take the "A" Train, Ehsan Khoshbakht discusses the restoration of three Duke Ellington films: "Black and Tan Fantasy," "Symphony in Black," and "Bundle of Blues."

Billie Holiday: At About Last Night, Terry Teachout shares a video of John Hammond's 1978 CBC interview, talking about “discovering” Billie Holiday.

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Recent Links :: 5 March 2015

Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Jon Hendricks, Milt Jackson, Dave Lambert, Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Annie Ross: At All About Jazz, Chris M. Slawecki provides a list of bebop albums, including:

• Art Blakey Quintet: A Night at Birdland Vol. 1. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis: Bags' Groove. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Dizzy Gillespie: Shaw Nuff. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Milt Jackson / Wes Montgomery: Bags Meets Wes! (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Lambert, Hendricks & Ross: The Hottest New Group In Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Thelonious Monk: The Complete Blue Note Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Charlie Parker: Bird: The Savoy Recordings: Master Takes. (Purchase the album — vinyl only — from Amazon.com.)
• Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy Live Performances. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie: Diz 'N' Bird at Carnegie Hall. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bud Powell: The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• The Quintet, Vol. 1: The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever (Jazz at Massey Hall). (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: St. Louis Jazz Notes celebrates the 56th anniversary of Miles Davis's first Kind of Blue recording session. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Dizzy Gillespie: At Rifftides, Doug Ramsey discusses Dizzy Gillespie's 1987 concert in Stuttgart, Germany. (The complete 1987 session is available on YouTube.)

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Recent Links :: 11 January 2015

Cannonball Adderley, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Bud Powell: At Night Lights, David Brent Johnson lists the best historical jazz releases of 2014, including:

• Cannonball Adderley, Black Messiah. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Louis Armstrong, Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings. (Purchase the box set from Mosaic Records.)
• John Coltrane, Offering: Live At Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis, Live At The Fillmore: Bootleg Series Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Wes Montgomery, Live At The Turf Club. (Purchase the album in vinyl from Amazon.com.)
• Bud Powell, Birdland 1953. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bud Powell, Live at the Blue Note Café, Paris 1961. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

George Benson: W. Royal Stokes provides a list of books on jazz and blues published "in the past year or so." These include Benson: The Autobiography (Da Capo Press) by George Benson and Alan Goldsher. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Bix Beiderbecke: Marc Myers shares a 2-hour 1981 documentary on Bix Beiderbecke at JazzWax.

Billie Holiday: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares a video of Helen Merrill and Billie Holiday singing "You Go to My Head" in 1956. He follows it up at JazzWax with an interview with Helen Merrill in which she discusses Billie Holiday.

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Recent Links :: 7 January 2015

Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares videos of Duke Ellington playing baseball as well as Louis Armstrong singing with Bing Crosby.

Ornette Coleman: ClassicaLite reviews Ornette Coleman's new album, New Vocabulary. (Purchase the album from System Dialing Records.)

John Coltrane: New Jazz United shares a video of the John Coltrane Quartet performing "What's New?" (The song is available on the album, Ballads, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: St. Louis Jazz Notes looks at E.S.P., the first Miles Davis album to feature his "second great quintet." (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.

Bud Powell: Marc Myers discusses the development of Bud Powell's bop style at JazzWax.

Joe Sample, Horace Silver: At JJA News, Ken Franckling lists the jazz artists who passed away in 2014, including Joe Sample and Horace Silver.

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Recent Links :: 2 January 2015

Anthony Braxton: Craig Premo lists his favorite jazz releases of 2014 at Improvised. These include:

• Anthony Braxton, Trio (New Haven) 2013, among his top 10. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Anthony Braxton, 12 Duets (DCWM) 2012, among his second 10. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis, Miles at the Fillmore: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3, among reissues. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: At Dusted in Exile, Derek Taylor recaps 2014 by listing some of his favorite releases, including John Coltrane, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Oscar Peterson: At the KCRW Music Blog, Bo Leibowitz lists his top albums of 2014, including:

• John Coltrane, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Chick Corea, Trilogy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Oscar Peterson and Ben Webster, During This Time. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Chick Corea: Mike Stratton lists his top 12 jazz releases of 2014, including Chick Corea's Trilogy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Chick Corea, Miles Davis: Larry Reni Thomas lists his top 10 jazz releases of 2014 at Jazz Corner, including:

• Chick Corea, Trilogy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis, The Original Mono Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey reviews the latest album to document Miles Davis's 1960 European tour, All of You: The Last Tour. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At ChicagoReader.com, Peter Margasak lists his favorite jazz albums of 2014. Among the best archival albums, he includes Miles at the Fillmore — Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Herbie Hancock: At All About Jazz, Chuck Schultz reviews Herbie Hancock's memoir, Possibilities and interviews the artist. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: Will Layman and John Garratt list the best jazz releases of 2014 at PopMatters and include John McLaughlin's The Boston Record. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Bud Powell: Chris Mosey reviews the Bud Powell album, Bouncing with Bud, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: Hubert on the Air lists the best jazz albums of 2014 and includes Sun Ra's In the Orbit of Ra. Chris Monsen includes the album among his favorite jazz reissues at Perfect Sounds. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: Tom Hull lists his favorite jazz albums of 2014, including Sonny Rollins, Road Shows: Volume 3. I Dig Jazz also listed the album among its top 10 jazz albums of the year. Curt's Jazz Cafe also reviews the album as part of its list of the best jazz albums of 2014. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 24 December 2014

Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins: NPR's A Blog Supreme announces the results of its 2014 jazz critics poll. Among the top releases are:

• Louis Armstrong, The Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings. (Purchase the box set from Mosaic Records.)
• John Coltrane, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Chick Corea Trio, Trilogy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden, Last Dance. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian, Hamburg '72. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bud Powell, Birdland 1953. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Fats Waller: According to All About Jazz, the Grammy Hall of Fame has added 27 recordings, including:

• The Shape of Jazz to Come by Ornette Coleman. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• The Bridge by Sonny Rollins. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• "Jitterbug Waltz" by Fats Waller. (The song is available on the album, The Very Best of Fats Waller, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett: At Let's Cool One, Larry Appelbaum lists his favorite releases of 2014, including:

• Offering by John Coltrane. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Last Dance by Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Ella Fitzgerald: At Prison Public Memory, Russ Immarigeon discusses Ella Fitzgerald's incarceration as a 15-year-old girl at the New York State Training School for Girls in Hudson, New York.

Bill Evans: At All About Jazz, C. Andrew Hovan reviews the Bill Evans album, The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 11 December 2014

Dave Brubeck: On December 6, his birthday, Dave Brubeck was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

John Coltrane: According to JazzTimes, a documentary of John Coltrane, written and directed by filmmaker John Scheinfeld, is being targeted for release in late 2015 or early 2016.

John Coltrane: The Free Jazz Collective list of the most innovative listening experiences of the year includes John Coltrane's album, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At Music and More, Tim Niland reviews the Miles Davis album, Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 . (Purchase the album from Amazon.com in vinyl or MP3.)

Miles Davis: At Music and More, Tim Niland shares a video of Miles Davis playing at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.

Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell:At The New Yorker, Richard Brody shares his best jazz reissues of 2014, including:

• Miles Davis, Miles at the Fillmore–Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Thelonious Monk, The Complete 1966 Geneva Concert. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bud Powell, Bud Powell: Birdland 1953. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Herbie Hancock: At The Ottawa Citizen, Peter Hum shares a link to an iTunes compilation of over 20 Herbie Hancock recordings and discusses Hancock's memoir, Possibilities. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Bud Powell: Marc Myers shares three videos of Bud Powell at JazzWax.

Lester Young: Jazz Lives reviews Dave Gelly's book, Being Prez: The Life & Music of Lester Young and calls it "one of the best books on a jazz artist I have ever read." (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 7 November 2014

Louis Armstrong: For Halloween, Open Culture shares a video of Louis Armstrong performing "Skeleton in the Closet."

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi writes about Armstrong's Paris recordings for the Brunswick label.

Miles Davis: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Stephen Davis has published a new book, Miles Davis/1973: “My Ego Only Needs a Good Rhythm Section”, which is based on the author’s two-day interview with Miles Davis in March 1973. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At StereoGum, Phil Freeman ranks the 29 Miles Davis albums from worst ("Blue Moods") to best ("On the Corner").

Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk: At The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy, Thelonious Monk III discusses the relationship between his father and Miles Davis.

Herbie Hancock: At the Los Angeles Times, Chris Barton discusses Herbie Hancock's memoir, Possibilities. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Bud Powell: New Jazz United shares a video of Bud Powell's "Un Poco Loco." (The song is available on the album, The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 1, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: New Jazz United shares a video of Sun Ra's "Friendly Galaxy." (The song is available on the album, Secrets of the Sun, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 3 November 2014

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses Armstrong's recording of "We Have All the Time in the World."

Clifford Brown: On October 30, his birthday, Clifford Brown was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Miles Davis: New Jazz United shares a video of the Miles Davis tune, "Nature Boy." (The song is available on the album, Blue Moods, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Duke Ellington: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares a short 1937 film, "Ellington Makes a Record."

Bill Evans: At Brain Pickings, Maria Popova discusses Bill Evans's ideas about the creative process.

Herbie Hancock: Larry Blumenfeld discusses Herbie Hancock's new book, Possibilities, at Blu Notes. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Bud Powell: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, ESP-Disk is re-issuing Bud Powell’s Live at the Blue Note Café, Paris 1961. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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Recent Links :: 14 October 2014

Art Blakey: On October 11, his birthday, Art Blakey was Jazz Musician Of The Day at All About Jazz.

John Coltrane: At All About Jazz, Chris M. Slawecki reviews John Coltrane's album, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis, Bud Powell: At NextBop.com, Ben Gray discusses covers of the Bud Powell/Miles Davis composition "Hallucinations" (also known as "Budo"). ("Hallucinations" is available on the album, The Genius of Bud Powell, which can be purchased from Amazon.com. "Budo" is available on the album, Birth of the Cool, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Bill Evans: At JazzTimes, Jeff Tamarkin reports that Concord Music Group is reissuing Bill Evans’s The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961, as a vinyl box set. (Pre-order the album from Amazon.com.)

Coleman Hawkins: Open Culture looks at the 75th anniversary of Coleman Hawkins's recording of "Body and Soul."

Thelonious Monk: On October 10, his birthday, Thelonious Monk was Jazz Musician Of The Day at All About Jazz.

Thelonious Monk: At The Notes You Don't Play, Peter Blasevick shares an interview with Thelonious Monk's son, T.S. Monk, about his father.

Bud Powell: David Brent Johnson has an excellent two-part piece on Bud Powell's life: Part 1 and Part 2.

Sun Ra: At Music and More, Tim Niland reviews two new releases of Sun Ra's music: Secrets of the Sun and Atlantis. (Purchase the albums from Amazon.com: Secrets of the Sun and Atlantis.)

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Recent Links :: 28 September 2014

Ornette Coleman: Open Culture discusses a 1997 interview of Ornette Coleman by philosopher Jacques Derrida.

John Coltrane: In the Groove looks at the September 23 birthday shared by John Coltrane and Ray Charles.

Chick Corea: USA Today has an article about Chick Corea's use of electronic gadgets while on the road.

Coleman Hawkins, Willie Smith: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares an amazing video of Coleman Hawkins and Willie "The Lion" Smith from a 1958 television show.

Bud Powell: On September 27, his birthday, Bud Powell was the Jazz Musician Of The Day at All About Jazz.

Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, Keith Jarrett, Art Tatum: Sinfini Music has an interesting piece on the intersection of classical music and jazz, including short discussions of:

• The Dave Brubeck Quartet's album, Bernstein Plays Brubeck Plays Bernstein. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett's 1985 performance of Mozart’s Concerto in E flat for Two Pianos and Orchestra.
• Miles Davis's collaboration with Gil Evans and particularly their version of Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez
• Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto, written for Benny Goodman.
• Art Tatum's version of Dvořák’s Humoresque.

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Happy Birthday, Bud Powell

Jazz pianist Bud Powell (1924-1966) was born on September 27 in New York City. 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."

Powell's technique — the sharp, jabbing chords of the left hand and the rapid improvisations of the right hand — can be heard in "Tempus Fugit":

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.

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Recent Links :: 16 September 2014

John Coltrane: At The Daily Beast, Ted Gioia speculates on what John Coltrane might have achieved had he not died at age 40.

Duke Ellington: According to BillboardBiz, New York's highest court will hear arguments by Duke Ellington's heirs, who are attempting to reinstate their lawsuit against publisher EMI and are seeking half the royalties from the foreign sales of Ellington's music.

Bill Evans, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Art Tatum: At Amazon.com, Charlie Haden provides his "list of music you should hear." Included are several jazz albums and pieces:

• Bill Evans: Sunday at the Village Vanguard. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Charlie Parker: The track "Kim" from the 10-CD box set Bird: Complete Charlie Parker on Verve. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bud Powell: Jazz Giant. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here: Live at the Shrine. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Billie Holiday, Annie Ross: Downbeat provides an interview with Annie Ross, who discusses her album in memory of Billie Holiday, To Lady With Love.

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Recent Links :: 11 August 2014

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi recaps the 14th annual Satchmo Summerfest. Mick Carlton also reviews the event at JazzTimes.

Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Max Roach: At MacSparky, David Sparks discusses the May 1953 Massey Hall concert with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach. (Purchase the album, The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall, from Amazon.com.)

Clifford Brown: "Brownie Speaks," a documentary about Clifford Brown, has a Facebook page.

Herbie Hancock: At The International Review of Music, Don Heckman reviews the Hollywood Bowl concert featuring Herbie Hancock, Gregory Porter, and the Robert Glasper Experiment.

Sonny Rollins: At JazzWax, Marc Myers recaps the Sonny Rollins / New Yorker controversy and shares links to reactions by Larry Blumenfeld, Tom Raney, and Howard Mandel.

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