evil shananigans (Free subscription) | 02/04/2010
Continuing down the N'awlins path, we stumble across a man who was sadly lost to us just this year at the age of 78. Mr. Eddie Bo was a singer and pianist who took the funk/jazz world by storm through a number of different names. Like Dorsey, he too went into service after high school, joining the army. Unlike Dorsey, however, Bo studied music after his spell in the army and actually studied classical...
Net News Publisher (Free subscription) | 02/04/2010
Yesterday I explored the hypothesis that those whose music education began with learning how to read the notation could not grasp the idea that one could learn to play anything of any “respectable” complexity any other way. The example that served as my point of departure had to do with [...]
Net News Publisher (Free subscription) | 02/03/2010
Tucked away in a footnote in Robin D. G. Kelley’s Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original is a telling anecdote that deserves serious consideration: Although it appears to be apocryphal, a story has been circulating for many years among jazz musicians whereby Horowitz played his variation of [...]
The Rehearsal Studio (Free subscription) | 02/02/2010
Tucked away in a footnote in Robin D. G. Kelley's Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original is a telling anecdote that deserves serious consideration: Although it appears to be apocryphal, a story has been circulating for many years among jazz musicians whereby Horowitz played his variation of "Tea for Two" for Art Tatum, whom he admired very much, and then when Tatum responded...
Infidel Bloggers Alliance (Free subscription) | 01/31/2010
This one goes to the commenter who shall no longer be known as Anonymous Art Tatum Mighty Like A Rose
Musical Perceptions (Free subscription) | 01/29/2010
A little early for Valentine's Day, but any day is a good day to listen to music about love. 1. "Love" performed by Chet Baker on Chet Baker With Strings . 2. "Love Came to Town" by U2 on Rattle and Hum . 3. "Love For Sale" by Cole Porter, performed by Dexter Gordon on Go . 4. "Love Is Here To Stay" by George Gershwin, performed by Stanley Irwin on Irwin Sings...
The Daily Swarm - Headlines (Free subscription) | 01/29/2010
Amazon : 1. The Shape Of Jazz To Come by Ornette Coleman 2. A Love Supreme by John Coltrane 3. Bird And Diz by Dizzy Gillespie 4. Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis 5. Ella and Louis by Ella Fitzgerald 6. Getz/Gilberto by João Gilberto 7. Concert By The Sea by Erroll Garner 8. The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus 9. Speak No Evil by Wayne Shorter 10. Straight, No Chaser by Thelonious...
All About Jazz (Free subscription) | 01/20/2010
In this fascinating biography, Karen Chilton traces the brilliant arc of the gifted and audacious pianist Hazel Scott, from international stardom to ultimate obscurity. A child prodigy, born in Trinidad and raised in Harlem in the 1920s, Scott's musical talent was cultivated by her musician mother, Alma Long Scott as well as several great jazz luminaries of the period, namely, Art Tatum, Fats Waller,...
University of Michigan Press Blog (Free subscription) | 01/19/2010
In this video, Reinhardt plays with Stéphane Grappelli: Benjamin Givan, author of the new book The Music of Django Reinhardt, reminds us why we should remember the genius jazz guitarist on the 100th anniversary of his birth: "January 23, 2010,...
Jazz & Blues Music Reviews (Free subscription) | 01/19/2010
Blues, bop and ballads are the order of the day on this swinging archival release with pianist Gene Harris joined by his "British Group," consisting of Jim Mullen on guitar, Adam Cleyndert on bass and Martin Drew on drums. Mullen in particular is a wonder, comping behind the piano and stepping out for stinging and soulful solos of his own. Recorded live at the Pizza Express, the music has...
All About Jazz (Free subscription) | 01/13/2010
Such is the nature of jazz tuba that few prominent players are household names outside their genre. Can you name "the Art Tatum of the tuba" or a "the Clifford Brown of the tuba"? Many of these instrumental performers are part-timers. Only, don't tell Eli Newberger that jazz is his secondary field: it ranks solidly in a two-way tie with his role as physician, lecturer and consultant...
Rene's Apple (Free subscription) | 01/12/2010
52nd St. in New York was the center of the jazz universe in the 40's and 50's. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Billy, partially because he's used some serious jazz men, like Freddie Hubbard and Phil Woods, on various albums. Plus for a pop guy his songs are pretty well-crafted, sometimes even witty, and he can play a little piano (no, not "My Baby Grand.") Not to mention that, like...
Cartoons, Baboons, Lullaboons (Free subscription) | 01/02/2010
Well, it's officially 2010. This past year has been pretty fantastic musically. I grew a lot personally in my own musicality while some really awesome were albums released. I also ate a lot of egg drop soup, discovered thai food, spent a summer in LA, found love, embraced twitter, and was up 33% on my investments. I saw some unbelievable live shows - White Rabbits, Monsters of Folk, The Avett Brothers,...
Sequenza21/ (Free subscription) | 01/02/2010
My long-time favorite MP3 download site eMusic has its own little online magazine. One of its features is “Jukebox Jury”, where a musician sits down with the interviewer to chat while listening to and commenting on various tracks played. The latest guest is none other than the N.Y. Philharmonic’s new Music Director, Alan Gilbert. The [...]
Mantex ... (Free subscription) | 12/21/2009
I've been struggling to get Art Tatum - the Pablo Solo Masterpieces onto my iPod in time for our annual Xmas cocktail party. I won't embarrass myself by recording how difficult it's been to master the control panel of iTunes. But I'll admit that because I didn't refuse duplicates, some of the 140+ tracks were recorded more than once. So I had to listen to repeat tracks on test playback via my new Bose...
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