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 :: 3 August 2015

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses the the 15th annual Satchmo Summerfest in New Orleans, which takes place between July 31 and August 2.

Charlie Christian: On July 29, his birthday, Charlie Christian was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Miles Davis: St. Louis Jazz Notes has several links to stories about Miles Davis, including news of Don Cheadle's new biopic, "Miles Ahead."

Miles Davis: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Miles Davis Sextet performing "Flamenco Sketches." (The song is available on the album, The Complete Columbia Recordings, 1955 - 1961, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis, Bill Evans: At JazzWax, Marc Myers reviews four jazz and R&B box sets, including:

• Miles Davis: Miles Davis at Newport, 1955-1975. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bill Evans: The Complete Fantasy Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: At Take the "A" Train, Ehsan Khoshbakht shares a video of the John McLaughlin Trio performing in Hamburg, Germany in 1990.

Thelonious Monk: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Thelonious Monk Quintet playing "Brilliant Corners." (The song is available on the album, Brilliant Corners, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Oscar Peterson: At JazzWax, Marc Myers shares a clip of Oscar Peterson on British television in October 1964.

Lester Young: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Lester Young Quartet playing "Slow Motion Blues."

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 :: 22 May 2015

John Coltrane, Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, K. Shackelford reviews the play, "Miles & Coltrane: Blue."

Keith Jarrett: At All About Jazz, Karl Ackermann reviews the Keith Jarrett album, Creation. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: According to JazzTimes and All About Jazz, John Mclaughlin will release a new album, entitled "Black Light," this fall.

Thelonious Monk: At The New Yorker, Richard Brody reviews the new Thelonious Monk box set, The Complete Riverside Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: According to Billboard, Minimal Group will release a new series of remastered, reissued, and unreleased recordings by Sun Ra this fall.

Sun Ra: At Pitchfork, Andy Beta discusses Sun Ra and his 1974 science-fiction film, "Space Is the Place." (Purchase the CD/DVD/book from Birdman Records.)

Wayne Shorter: Ben Ratliff reviews Wayne Shorter's May concert at Lincoln Center at The New York Times.

Wayne Shorter: Natalie Weiner interviews Wayne Shorter for Billboard.

Bessie Smith: NPR's All Things Considered interviews Queen Latifah about her role as Bessie Smith in the HBO movie, "Bessie."

Bessie Smith: At The Daily Beast, Ted Gioia discusses the career of Bessie Smith.

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

Robert
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Recent Links :: 23 April 2015

Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith: As part of its "Building a Jazz Library" series, All About Jazz lists the best jazz vocal albums from 1917 through 1950. These include:

• Louis Armstrong, This Is Jazz, Vol. 23: Louis Armstrong Sings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Ella Fitzgerald, The Legendary Decca Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Billie Holiday, Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Billie Holiday, The Complete Decca Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bessie Smith, The Essential Bessie Smith. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Ornette Coleman, John McLaughlin: As part of its "Building a Jazz Library" series, All About Jazz lists the best jazz guitar albums. These include:

• John McLaughlin, Extrapolation. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman, Song X. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Ella Fitzgerald, Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert, Carmen McRae, Annie Ross, Sarah Vaughan: As part of its "Building a Jazz Library" series, All About Jazz lists the best jazz vocal albums from 1951 through 1968. These include:

• Ella Fitzgerald, The Complete Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, The Hottest New Group in Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Carmen McRae, Sings Lover Man and Other Billie Holiday Classics. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Sarah Vaughan, Sarah Vaughan. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Billie Holiday: John Fordham shares a clip of Billie Holiday singing "Lover Man" at The Guardian.

Robert
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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.

Robert
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Happy Birthday, John McLaughlin

British jazz guitarist John McLaughlin was born on January 4, 1942, in Doncaster, England.

McLaughlin is a highly regarded guitarist — no less than Jeff Beck called him "the best guitarist alive." McLaughlin worked with Miles Davis on his landmark electric jazz-fusion albums In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew before forming his own Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s.  In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons notes that "The Mahavishnu Orchestra, led by the British guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin, proved that challenging improvisation and precise interplay among group members was entirely compatible with the high-energy, high-decibel sound of hard rock."

Lyons recommends McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra's album, The Inner Mounting Flame (Columbia), which he describes as an album of "compelling urgency and enthusiasm." The CD is available from Amazon.com.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra plays "One Word" here:

Robert
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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.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 29 November 2014

Anthony Braxton: New Jazz United shares a video of Anthony Braxton's 1970 piece, "To Pianist Cecil Taylor." (The song is available on the album, For Alto, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: At Blu Notes, Larry Blumenfeld lists his 10 favorite jazz albums of the year. Among them is John Coltrane's Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: New Jazz United shares a video of Miles Davis's "Seven Steps to Heaven." (The song is available on the album, Seven Steps to Heaven, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Keith Jarrett: At All About Jazz, John Kelman reviews the album, Hamburg '72, by Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: At All About Jazz, Ian Patterson reviews the November 2014 concert by John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension at London's Royal Festival Hall.

Sun Ra: New Jazz United shares a video of Sun Ra's version of "My Favorite Things" from 1978. (The song is available on the album, New Steps, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Art Tatum: New Jazz United shares a video of Art Tatum's "The Man I Love." (The song is available on the album, Piano Starts Here, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Cecil Taylor: New Jazz United shares a video of Ceil Taylor's "Just Friends" from 1958. (The song is available on the album, Hard Driving Jazz, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 20 August 2014

John Coltrane: At All About Jazz, Robert Bush reviews the John Coltrane album, Offering: Live At Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Chick Corea: At The International Review of Music, Don Heckman previews a series of performances at the Catalina Bar & Grill by Chick Corea and his new band, The Vigil.

Bill Evans: On April 16, his birthday, Bill Evans was the Jazz Musician Of The Day at All About Jazz.

John McLaughlin: At All About Jazz, Ian Patterson reviews the album, The Boston Record, by John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Thelonious Monk: Longform reprinted a 1964 Saturday Evening Post article by Lewis Lapham on Thelonious Monk.

Oscar Peterson: On August 15, his birthday, Oscar Peterson was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Annie Ross: At All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey previews the new Annie Ross album, To Lady with Love. Jeff Tamarkin does the same at JazzTimes.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 14 June 2014

Chick Corea: On his birthday, June 12, Chick Corea was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter: The 2014 JJA Jazz Award winners have been announced. Among those honored are:

• Miles Davis for Historical Record of the Year (Miles Live in Europe 1969) (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Herbie Hancock for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz
• Wayne Shorter for Musician of the Year, Midsize Ensemble of the Year (Wayne Shorter Quartet), and Record of the Year (Without a Net) (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Keith Jarrett: At Jazz Chronicles, James Hale reminisces about a Keith Jarrett Trio performance that he and his wife attended at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

Keith Jarrett: At The Guardian, John Fordham reviews the Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden album, Last Dance. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: At All About Jazz, John Kelman reviews Colin Harper's book, Bathed in Lightning: John McLaughlin, the 60s and the Emerald Beyond. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: At The Guardian, John Fordham reviews the Sonny Rollins album, Road Shows Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Bessie Smith: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, five artists — including Bessie Smith — have been inducted into the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 6 May 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Robert
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Recent Links :: 25 March 2014

Louis Armstrong: According to Jeff Tamarkin at Jazz Times, the Louis Armstrong House Museum will make all of Armstrong’s Ambassador Series discs, all 16, available for sale online for the first time. (The collection can be purchased at LouisArmstrongHouse.org as the museum launches its online museum shop.)

Louis Armstrong: At About Last Night, Terry Teachout shares excerpts from Lyn Murray's book, Musician: A Hollywood Journal ..., in which she reminisces about Louis Armstrong. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

George Benson: On March 22, his birthday, George Benson was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

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

Herbie Hancock: Open Culture shares videos of Herbie Hancock delivering the Norton Lectures at Harvard University.

John McLaughlin: John Kelman reviews John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension's new album, The Boston Record, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Charlie Parker: At JJA News, Peter Gerler discusses Stanley Crouch's biography of Charlie Parker, Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Oscar Peterson: Ehsan Khoshbakht shares a taped interview with Oscar Peterson at Take the "A" Train.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 13 March 2014

Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis: At Do the Math, Ethan Iverson discusses his reaction to the portrayal of Miles Davis in Terry Teachout's play, "Satchmo at the Waldorf."

Dave Brubeck: JazzTimes reports that Dave Brubeck's widow, Iola, has died at 90 after a battle with cancer.

Chick Corea: JazzTimes features a John Medeski interview with Chick Corea.

Miles Davis: At Speakeasy, Eric R. Danton shares a clip of Miles Davis playing "Footprint," from the new album Miles at the Fillmore—Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: At Today Online, Kevin Matthews reviews the John McLuaghlin concert in Singapore.

Thelonious Monk: At JazzTimes, Thomas Conrad reviews the album, Thelonious Monk, Paris 1969. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Charlie Parker: At The International Review of Music, Devon Wendell discusses the 1955 death of Charlie Parker.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 10 March 2014

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses Louis Armstrong's 1929 recording of "Knockin' a Jug." (The song is available on the album, The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Louis Armstrong: At About Last Night, Terry Teachout discusses his play about Louis Armstrong, "Satchmo at the Waldorf," which is playing off Broadway.

Bix Beiderbecke: On March 10, his birthday, Bix Beiderbecke was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Ornette Coleman: Night After Night shares a video of the Ornette Coleman Trio in Paris in 1966.

Ornette Coleman: On March 9, his birthday, Ornette Coleman was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

John McLaughlin: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimeson will release a new album, entitled The Boston Record, in March. (Pre-order the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: According to All About Jazz, John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimeson will begin an Asian tour in March.

Wes Montgomery: At About Last Night, Terry Teachout shares a video of Wes Montgomery playing Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream" in 1965.

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

Sun Ra: Music and More reviews the Sun Ra album, The Soul Vibrations of Man. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

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 :: 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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Happy Birthday, John McLaughlin

British jazz guitarist John McLaughlin was born on January 4, 1942, in Doncaster, England.

McLaughlin is a highly regarded guitarist — no less than Jeff Beck called him "the best guitarist alive." McLaughlin worked with Miles Davis on his landmark electric jazz-fusion albums In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew before forming his own Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s.  In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons notes that "The Mahavishnu Orchestra, led by the British guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin, proved that challenging improvisation and precise interplay among group members was entirely compatible with the high-energy, high-decibel sound of hard rock."

Lyons recommends McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra's album, The Inner Mounting Flame (Columbia), which he describes as an album of "compelling urgency and enthusiasm." The CD is available from Amazon.com.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra plays "One Word" here:

Robert
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Christmas Jazz :: John McLaughlin, "O Come O Come Emmanuel"

From the album "Jazz To The World," available on CD from Amazon.com.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 8 September 2013

• Miles Davis: According to All About Jazz, 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, John McLaughlin: At JazzTimes, Jim Campilongo discusses John McLaughlin's contributions to the music of Miles Davis.
• Thelonious Monk: At Nextbop.com, Ben Gray has an in-depth analysis of the Thelonious Monk tune, "Green Chimneys.""
• Sun Ra: Tim Niland reviews the Sun Ra album, Continuation, at Music and More. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Sonny Rollins: On September 7, his birthday, Sonny Rollins was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.
• Wayne Shorter: At JazzTimes, Josef Woodard reviews the August 28, 2013, concert by the Wayne Shorter Quartet at the Hollywood Bowl.

Robert
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