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.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 30 July 2015

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.)

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses Louis Armstrong's early recordings of "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy (from Dumas)" and "I'm in the Market for You."

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: Ben Donnelly reviews Duke Ellington's "The Conny Plank Session" at dusted in exile. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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.)

Sonny Rollins: The Notes You Don't Play shares a 2005 interview between Joshua Redman and Sonny Rollins.

Lester Young: David Brent Johnson talks about Mosaic's upcoming Lester Young box set at Night Lights.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 21 July 2015

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."

John Coltrane: Jazz.Izzin reviews John Coltrane's album, Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane, Miles Davis: Jazz.Izzin reviews the box set, The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis with John Coltrane. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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:

• Chris Barton at The Los Angeles Times.
• Peter Jones at London Jazz News.
• Will Layman at Pop Matters.
• No Treble: Nothing But Bass.

Miles Davis: Jazz.Izzin discusses Miles Davis's iconic album, Kind of Blue. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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.)

Robert
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Jazz on Reddit :: Best Albums Since 1970

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.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 2 July 2015

Ornette Coleman: Ornette Coleman's funeral was held on June 27 at the Riverside Church in New York City. BlouinArtInfo.com, JazzTimes, The New York Times, and The New Yorker covered the service.

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.)

Ornette Coleman, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Charles Mingus: Night Lights discusses the 1971 signing by Columbia Records of Ornette Coleman, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Charles Mingus and their departure from the label less than two years later.

Chick Corea: St. Louis Jazz Notes shares a video of a master class with Chick Corea.

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.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 18 May 2015

Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane: Nextbop shares animated shorts from Blank on Blank, featuring Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and John Coltrane.

Herbie Hancock: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Herbie Hancock Trio performing "Triangle." (The song is available on the album, Inventions and Dimensions, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter: According to The Jazz Line, the 2015 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Award Winners have been announced. They include:

• Keyboards Player of the Year: Chick Corea.
• Historical Record of the Year: Miles Davis, Miles At The Fillmore (Miles Davis Bootleg Series Vol 3). (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Midsize Ensemble: Wayne Shorter Quartet.

Miles Davis: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Miles Davis Quintet playing "Tadd’s Delight." (The song is available on the album, 'Round About Midnight, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Keith Jarrett: At The Guardian, John Fordham reviews Keith Jarrett's Creation. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Charles Mingus: New Jazz United shares a clip of Charles Mingus with the Wally Cirillo Quartet playing "Smog L.A." (The song is available on the album, Jazz Composers Workshop, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Wes Montgomery: At JazzWax, Marc Myers reviews Wes Montgomery's In the Beginning. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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

Robert
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Recent Links :: 28 April 2015

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses three events focusing on Louis Armstrong during Jazz Appreciation Month.

John Coltrane: At his blog, About Last Night, Terry Teachout shares a clip of the John Coltrane Quartet playing Coltrane’s “Alabama” on television in December 1963.

John Coltrane: Marc Davis reviews John Coltrane's album, Blue Train, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Duke Ellington: According to Factory 92, in June 2015, Grönland Records will release a previously unreleased recording of one of sound engineer Conny Plank's sessions with Duke Ellington.

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

Lionel Hampton: According to J Weekly, the score for Lionel Hampton's "King David Suite" has been donated to Ben-Gurion University.

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

Charles Mingus: At Rifftides, Doug Ramsey reviews the Charles Mingus album, The Jazz Experiments of Charles Mingus. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Wes Montgomery: According to Eric R. Danton at The Wall Street Journal, a 1958 Wes Montgomery version of "A Night in Tunisia" has been discovered.

Sonny Rollins: The New York Times has a short piece by Sonny Rollins about practicing his saxophone on New York City's Williamsburg Bridge in the 1950s.

Bessie Smith: HBO has a trailer for its May 16 show, "Bessie," about the blues singer, Bessie Smith, which stars Queen Latifah.

Cecil Taylor: At All About Jazz, Mark Corroto reviews Cecil Taylor's album, Garden 1st Set. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Happy Birthday, Charles Mingus

Jazz bassist Charles Mingus was born on April 22, 1922, in Nogales, Arizona. Jazz critic Richard S. Ginell says that Mingus was "irascible, demanding, bullying, and probably a genius" and that "As a bassist, he knew few peers, blessed with a powerful tone and pulsating sense of rhythm, capable of elevating the instrument into the front line of a band." 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 that 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 band play "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" here:

Robert
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Recent Links :: 13 April 2015

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi talks about Louis Armstrong's sense of humor and the jokes that he told.

Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Charles Mingus, Horace Silver: Arguing that 1959 was "the most creative year in jazz," Nathan Holoway lists a number of albums from that year at All About Jazz. The albums include:

• The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• John Coltrane, Giant Steps. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis, Kind of Blue. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Duke Ellington, Anatomy of a Murder. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bill Evans Trio, Portrait in Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Ella Fitzgerald, Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Horace Silver, Blowin' the Blues Away. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Coleman Hawkins: As part of the "Building a Jazz Library" series at All About Jazz, Henk De Boer lists the best Coleman Hawkins albums.

Carmen McRae: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares a video of Carmen McRae appearing on German TV in 1969.

Carmen McRae: NPR Music shares Carmen McRae's 1985 appearance on "Piano Jazz."

Horace Silver: At JazzTimes, trumpeter Randy Brecker reflects on the influence of his mentor, Horace Silver.

Robert
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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.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 9 March 2015

Louis Armstrong, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter: As part of its "Building a Jazz Library" series, All About Jazz lists the albums most frequently mentioned by its readers. These include, in order of popularity:

• Miles Davis, "Kind of Blue." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• John Coltrane, "A Love Supreme." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• John Coltrane, "Giant Steps." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Charles Mingus, "Mingus Ah Um." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Sonny Rollins, "Saxophone Colossus." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Louis Armstrong, "Complete Hot Fives and Sevens." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Eric Dolphy, "Out to Lunch." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Ornette Coleman, "The Shape of Jazz to Come." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Herbie Hancock, "Maiden Voyage." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bill Evans, "Sunday at the Village Vanguard." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• John Coltrane, "Blue Train." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Oliver Nelson, "Blues and the Abstract Truth." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Wayne Shorter, "Speak No Evil." (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: The Economist looks at John Coltrane's album, A Love Supreme. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Eric Dolphy: At All About Jazz, C. Andrew Hovan reviews the reissue by Blue Note of Eric Dolphy's album, Out to Lunch. (Purchase the album from Music Matters.)

Freddie Hubbard: Dangerous Minds recounts a 1966 episode where Freddie Hubbard lost his cool onstage in Austria.

Wes Montgomery: On his birthday, March 6, Wes Montgomery was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

McCoy Tyner: The All About Jazz "Building a Jazz Library" series features McCoy Tyner and 11 of his albums.

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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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.

Robert
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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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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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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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Happy Birthday, Charles Mingus

Jazz bassist Charles Mingus was born on April 22, 1922, in Nogales, Arizona. Jazz critic Richard S. Ginell says that Mingus was "irascible, demanding, bullying, and probably a genius" and that "As a bassist, he knew few peers, blessed with a powerful tone and pulsating sense of rhythm, capable of elevating the instrument into the front line of a band." 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 that 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 band play "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" here:

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.)

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.)

Robert
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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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