RIP, George Russell (1923-2009)

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:

Robert
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Happy Birthday, George Russell

Jazz pianist and composer George Russell was born on June 23, 1923, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As critic Richard S. Ginell notes, Russell's "biggest effect upon jazz was in the quieter role of theorist." 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.

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 "Lydiot" (from the 1961 album Ezz-thetics) here:

Robert
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Recent Links :: 20 November 2014

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi writes about Armstrong's performance of "Will You, Won't You Be My Baby" from the 1934 Paris session.

Chick Corea: Bill Meredith reviews the Chick Corea Trio's album, Trilogy, at JazzTimes. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Ella Fitzgerald, George Russell, Wayne Shorter: At Brilliant Corners, Steve Provizer provides a list of "songs that deeply move." They include:

• "Good Morning Heartache" by Ella Fitzgerald. (The song is available on the album, Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
• "You Are My Sunshine" by the George Russell Sextet. (The song is available on the album, Outer View, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)
• "Dindi" by Wayne Shorter. (The song is available on the album, Super Nova, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Jon Hendricks: Roseanna Vitro shares an interview with Jon Hendricks at JazzTimes.

Keith Jarrett: James Hale lists his favorite CDs of 2014 at Jazz Chronicles. They include Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden's Last Dance. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Thelonious Monk: New Jazz United shares a video of Thelonious Monk's "I Love You (Sweetheart Of All My Dreams)." (The song is available on the album, Monk, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Robert
Facebook page

RIP, George Russell (1923-2009)

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:

Robert
Facebook page

Happy Birthday, George Russell

Jazz pianist and composer George Russell was born on June 23, 1923, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As critic Richard S. Ginell notes, Russell's "biggest effect upon jazz was in the quieter role of theorist." 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.

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 "Lydiot" (from the 1961 album Ezz-thetics) here:

Robert
Facebook page

Recent Links :: 31 March 2014

Louis Armstrong: At All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey reviews Terry Teachout's book, Pops: The Wonderful World Of Louis Armstrong. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: At NPR's A Blog Supreme, Patrick Jarenwattananon discusses Chuck Stewart's recently discovered photographs of John Coltrane's recording session for A Love Supreme. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, Karl Ackerman reviews the Miles Davis album, We Want Miles. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Jaco Pastorius: According to All About Jazz, Jaco Pastorius's album, Modern American Music ... Period! The Criteria Sessions, will be released in April.

George Russell: At The Guardian, John Fordham discusses the career of George Russell, "the composer who thought outside the box."

Sarah Vaughan: On March 27, her birthday, Sarah Vaughan was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Lester Young: At Lester Lives, Henry Ferrini shares a trailer for his new film, "President of Beauty: The Life and Times of Lester Young."

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 :: 15 September 2013

• Cannonball Adderley: On his birthday, September 15, Cannonball Adderley was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.
• Louis Armstrong: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong discusses ten live recordings by Louis Armstrong's 1935-1939 big band.
• George Benson: Don Heckman reviews George Benson's concert saluting Nat "King" Cole at The International Review of Music.
• Dave Brubeck: Indiana Public Media's Night Lights features a piece entitled "Jazz Goes to College," which includes Dave Brubeck's album, Jazz at Oberlin. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis: Miles Davis Online announces that nine of Miles Davis’s earliest albums on Columbia Records will be issued together on CD for the first time as Miles Davis: The Original Mono Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.).
• Miles Davis, George Russell: Open Culture shares videos of Miles Davis playing in April 1959 on CBS’s "Studio 61" program and George Russell explaining his theory of the Lydian chromatic scale.
• Herbie Hancock: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Herbie Hancock will receive a 2013 Kennedy Center Honor.
• Sarah Vaughan: C. Michael Bailey reviews the album Sarah Vaughan: Sophisticated Lady - The Duke Ellington Songbook Collection, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 9 August 2013

• Louis Armstrong: On August 4, his birthday, Louis Armstrong was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.
• Louis Armstrong: At his blog, The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses the 13th annual Satchmo Summerfest.
• Count Basie: At JazzWax, Marc Myers lists ten more great big band albums from 1958, including:
  • Count Basie: Basie Playes Hefti. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
  • George Russell: New York, N.Y.. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Chick Corea: At The Guardian, John Fordham reviews the Chick Corea album, The Vigil. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Thelonious Monk: At All About Jazz, Mark Carroto reviews the Thelonious Monk limited edition release, Newport '59.
• Airto Moreira: On August 5, his birthday, Airto Moreira was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Robert
Facebook page

RIP, George Russell (1923-2009)

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:

Robert
http://www.facebook.com/corejazz?sk=wall

Happy Birthday, George Russell

Jazz pianist and composer George Russell was born on June 23, 1923, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As critic Richard S. Ginell notes, Russell's "biggest effect upon jazz was in the quieter role of theorist." 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.

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 "Lydiot" (from the 1961 album Ezz-thetics) here:

Robert http://www.facebook.com/corejazz?sk=wall

Recent Links :: 5 September 2012

• Dave Brubeck: Peter Hum discusses the Dave Brubeck Quartet's tune, "Take Five," at the Ottawa Citizen. ("Take Five" is available on the album, Time Out, which is available from Amazon.com.)
• John Coltrane: In Yes Weekly, Karen Phillips reviews the show, "John Coltrane vs. the Jazz Critics: 1961-1966," which is on display at Yalik’s Modern Art Gallery in High Point, NC.
• Lionel Hampton: On August 31, the anniversary of Lionel Hampton's death, the Spanish language site Vintage Music, had a nice tribute to the great vibraphonist.
• Herbie Hancock: Don Heckman reviews the Herbie Hancock "Celebrating Piece" concert at the Hollywood Bowl at The International Review of Music.
• Herbie Hancock: Matthias Rascher shares a documentary on Herbie Hancock at Open Culture.
• George Russell: John Kelman reviews Duncan Heining's book, George Russell: The Story of an American Composer at All About Jazz. (Purchase George Russell: The Story of an American Composer from Amazon.com.)

Robert
http://www.facebook.com/corejazz?sk=wall

RIP, George Russell (1923-2009)

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:

Robert
http://www.facebook.com/corejazz?sk=wall

Happy Birthday, George Russell

Jazz pianist and composer George Russell was born on June 23, 1923, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As critic Richard S. Ginell notes, Russell's "biggest effect upon jazz was in the quieter role of theorist." 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.

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:

Robert
http://www.facebook.com/corejazz?sk=wall

Recent Links :: October 28, 2011

• Art Ensemble of Chicago: All Apologies discusses the 1969 Art Ensemble of Chicago album, People in Sorrow. (Purchase the MP3 version of the album, People in Sorrow, at Amazon.com.)
  
• Anthony Braxton: All Apologies discusses the 1975 Anthony Braxton album, Donna Lee. (Purchase the CD, Donna Lee, at Amazon.com.)
  
• Ornette Coleman: All Apologies discusses the 1968 Ornette Coleman album, Ornette at 12. (Purchase the vinyl, Ornette at 12, at Amazon.com.)
  
• Miles Davis: Skrillex and the remaining members of the Doors will record a "variation" on Miles Davis's album Milestones, according to Davis Online. (Purchase the CD, Milestones, at Barnes & Noble.)
  
• Dizzy Gillespie: Joseph Stromberg explains how Dizzy Gillespie's bent trumpet found its way into the American History Museum at Around the Mall.
  
• Keith Jarrett: Don Heckman reviews the concert by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette at Royce Hall at The International Review of Music.
  
• George Russell: Parts of a chapter from Duncan Heining's biography of George Russell appear at All About Jazz. (Purchase the book, George Russell: The Story of an American Composer, at Barnes & Noble.)
  

Robert
http://www.facebook.com/corejazz?sk=wall

Kind of Blue

On August 17, 1959, Kind of Blue, arguably the greatest jazz album of all time, was released. The sessions featured a Miles Davis sextet that consisted of pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Paul Chambers, and saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley.

The album was based on George Russell's modal approach to jazz, which used scales instead of chords as the basis for improvisations. The album was also recorded without rehearsal, and the musicians had little preparation. When they arrived for taping, Davis gave the band members only brief instructions and sketches of the scales and melody lines on which they were to improvise.

The results were nothing short of amazing. As Davis noted in an interview, "No chords ... gives you a lot more freedom and space to hear things. When you go this way, you can go on forever. You don't have to worry about changes and you can do more with the [melody] line. It becomes a challenge to see how melodically innovative you can be."

Here is the opening cut from the album, "So What."

(Purchase the CD, Kind of Blue, at Barnes & Noble.)