Talkin Jazz

February e-Book of the Month

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:28:00 +0000

A Companion to African-American Studies will be provided with free, unlimited access February 1-28.

In celebration of African-American History Month, NetLibrary has partnered with Blackwell Publishing to offer A Companion to African-American Studies as the February eBook of the Month. A groundbreaking re-appraisal of the history and future of African-American studies, the Companion includes original essays by expert scholars in the field and covers each topic with authority and clarity.

Edited by Lewis R. Gordon and Jane Anna Gordon, A Companion to African-American Studies is a definitive intervention at a critical time in the history of race relations and in the academic field of race and ethnic studies. Bringing together a dazzling array of established and emergent voices, the Companion opens with a series of reflections from those who waged pitched battles to establish African-American Studies as a bona fide academic discipline and captures the dynamic interaction of African-American Studies with other fields of inquiry.

Provided through the generous support of Blackwell Publishing, A Companion to African-American Studies will be available to Southwestern College Library patrons February 1-28. If you have already established a NetLibrary account through Southwestern College Library, visit www.netLibrary.org and log in. If you do not have a NetLibrary account, you can create an account from any Southwestern College library computer.

For more information about NetLibrary or other services available through Southwestern College Library, please contact our Reference Desk at 619-421-6700 x5381, TTY 619-482-6490, by email library@swccd.edu or visit our Netlibrary webpage http://www.swccd.edu/~library/Lvl3/index.asp?L3=10 .

Happy Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 Aug 2004 22:48:00 +0000

William Count Basie has had such a widespread influence, it can be heard in virtually every big jazz band to date. The Basie band used short phrases called riffs exchanged back and forth between sections. This Call and Response method of playing left plenty of room for soloists to be highlighted and many different disciplines of jazz and blues to find a place in the big band sound.

Count Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey on August 21, 1904. Today was celebrate the centennial anniversary of one of the most important bandleaders of the swing era.

Basie's group played backup to many legendary performers such as Tony Bennet, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Bing Crosby and Sammy Davis Jr. William Count Basie continued to play through the 60s and 70s in a more varied repertoire that included the pop music of the day. He played right up into his 70s, though hampered by illness, he was still irrepressible at the key board until his death in 1984.

An outstanding website about the life of Count Basie is the PBS Jazz site . It includes audio recordings and interviews.

Jazz at the Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Aug 2004 04:43:00 +0000

Jazz music and musicians are part of the sub-plot of the new hit motion picture The Terminal directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Jazz stars included in the film are saxophonist Benny Golson, bassist Buster Williams, pianist Mike Ledonne and drummer Carl Allen.

Benny Golson has a brand new release titled Terminal 1, which was inspired by the film.

The great photograph from 1958 A Great Day in Harlem is also used in the film.

For an overview and reviews of the The Terminal checkout Movies.com

Happy Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Aug 2004 04:21:00 +0000

Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans and he became the first important soloist to emerge in jazz.

Author Laurence Bergreen paints both a comprehensive and factual summary of the life of Louis Armstrong in his biography of the American icon; Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life . Louis was not only a great musician but also a writer. He kept copious notes. He bought his first typewriter in 1922 and wrote on it just about every night. Those personal recollections, coupled with those of musicians with whom Louis worked, make for a very substantial biography.

Armstrong’s personal life and his public career are traced from his earliest recollections. In his early years, he had a tenor voice and enjoyed singing. He tells of catching a cold and developing a throat condition that led to the gravel-laden voice that we know so well.

As the grandson of slaves, Louis Armstrong knew about social practices from his region.
This biography cites numerous instances of racial bigotry and other obstacles that he overcame. Pops lived to perform. He lived to make others happy. His true theme song should have been “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” because that’s the way he felt about things.

Additional information on Louis Armstrong can be located on the web at:

Satchmo.net • The Official Site of the Louis Armstrong House

Time magazine 100 the most important people in the century Louis Armstrong
PBS JAZZ Biographies Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy

The Jazz Book Shelf

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 04:35:00 +0000

Authors Wayne Enstice and Janis Stockhouse have published a much needed new book called Jazzwomen: Conversations with Twenty-one Musicians. Up close and personal--and very candid--Jazzwomen interviews women jazz artists, including Abbey Lincoln, Cassandra Wilson, Regina Carter, Marian McPartland, and Diana Krall.

Between 1995 and 2000, Wayne Enstice and Janis Stockhouse interviewed dozens of women jazz instrumentalists and vocalists. Jazzwomen collects 21 of the most fascinating interviews. Those interviewed run the gamut from soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom to pianist Marian McPartland, with particularly intriguing contributions from organist Shirley Scott and pianist Marilyn Crispell.

The interview format used in Jazzwomen provides the reader with each artist's own words. The musicians riff on their inspirations and aspirations, their personal lives, and sexism on the bandstand.

At the end of each interview is a recommended discography compiled by the authors.
The book also includes a sampler CD with complete works by several of the artists, including Jane Ira Bloom and Ingrid Jensen.

This book is a wonderfully expressive contribution to jazz literature.

New Release

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 23:34:00 +0000

McCoy Tyner, one of the most revered jazz pianists of the past half-century, is joined by a group of equally formidable players on Illuminations,.

Saxophonist Gary Bartz, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash join Tyner in a diverse collection of ten tracks that mix some of Tyner’s original compositions with contributions from three of his four bandmates.

New Release

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 02:36:00 +0000

Bobby Watson’s group, Horizon, is back—actually, reassembled from various parts of the country—for an invigorating reminder of its work in the 1990’s when Horizon was recording on several record labels. This time, it’s on Palmetto, fulfilling the promise of Bobby’s potential when the label signed him after he had moved among various other labels in the last decade. The new release is called Horizon Reassembled

Bobby Watson has developed one of the most recognizable alto saxophone sounds among today’s jazz artists, along with the likes of Phil Woods, Jackie McLean or Lee Konitz. The new version of Bobby Watson's Horizon includes trumpeter Terell Stafford, who plays with smoldering intensity and includes the outstanding pianist Edward Simon with bassist Essiet Essiet producing throbbing bass lines and the percussive fire of drummer Victor Lewis.

Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 01:53:00 +0000

Dr. Billy Taylor was born on July 24, 1921 in North Carolina to a musical family, where everybody played piano and sang. Unimpressed with the sound of his own voice, Billy decided at a young age that he would fuse both family pursuits into one and try to "sing through the piano." It was a fortuitous decision. Classical piano lessons with Henry Grant and experimentation with saxophone, drums, and guitar prepared the aspiring musician for his first professional appearance at the keyboard at the age of 13 (his take for the performance was exactly $1.00.) At Virginia State University, where Taylor was enrolled as a sociology major, Billy stepped up his music studies while in college. Then, shortly after graduation in 1942, Taylor set out for New York City, jazz capital of the world, to see where his talent would take him.

Billy had been in the Big Apple for less than a day when he found himself sitting in at Minton's, jamming with Ben Webster. Two days later he was invited to join Webster's group. That same night he met Art Tatum, who was soon to become his mentor. Playing with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Don Byas, and Oscar Pettiford, the newcomer quickly immersed himself in the local music scene. His light touch and musical intelligence took him to Broadway where he played with Cozy Colt's Quintet for Billy Rose's show The Seven Lively Arts, to Machito's mambo band, to gigs as an accompanist for Kevin Spencer at the Cafe Society Uptown, and to the piano chair of the Slam Stewart Trio.

In 1948 he form a duo with organist Bob Wyatt and played with Billie Holiday in a Broadway revue called Holiday on Broadway. A year later, he was hired as the house pianist at Birdland, where he played with the all the greats, remaining there longer than anyone else in that legendary club's history.

Billy Taylor launched a recording career that has spanned five decades and has produced more than two dozen albums on which he has been the leader. .

In addition to playing and recording, Billy is a gifted writer about music. In 1949, he published his first book, an instructional manual for be-bop piano. By that time, he had also begun to publish the first of what was to become a body of nearly 300 songs, including "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free," which was selected by the New York Times as "One of the Great Songs of the Sixties," and is presently featured as the anthem of Rob Reiner's film, Ghosts of the Mississippi, playing during the opening and closing credits.

Impressed by the range and depth of his work, classical musicians have asked Billy to compose symphonic works for jazz piano. Commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony, Dr Taylor's "Peaceful Warrior", a work dedicated to the memory Dr. Martin Luther King, was premiered under the direction of Robert Shaw. "Make a Joyful Noise," a six-part suite inspired by the 97th Psalm, follows the tradition of the Ellington Sacred Concerts.

Other notable composition credits include "For Rachel" a dance suite which resulted from collaboration with choreographer Rachel Lamport, the score for Wole Soyinka's off-Broadway hit, The Lion and the Jewel, and "Suite for Jazz Piano and Orchestra," commissioned by Maurice Abravenal and the Utah Symphony. His most recent composition, "Homage," was written for the Julliard String Quartet and was nominated for a Grammy.

Accomplished as he is on the piano, as a recording artist, and as a composer, Billy Taylor is perhaps best known as the public face of jazz, a man who has spent much of his life bringing jazz to the airwaves. In the 1960s, alarmed by the reorientation of his record company, Capitol Records, toward upstart rock & rollers, (the Beatles had just signed on), Billy decided to forget recording for a while and devote himself instead to radio and television.

In the 1970s Billy began an extended engagement as the musical director of the David Frost Show, a variety show whose guests included the likes of Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Buddy Rich, who came to play and be interviewed on the show. Later on he served as musical director for Tony Brown's Black Journal Tonight and became host of National Public Radio's Jazz Alive and the 13-week series, Taylor Made Piano, both of which won Peabody Awards.

Billy's career in broadcasting reached its summit in the early 1980s when he was hired as the arts reporter for the CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt. To date, he has profiled more than two hundred and fifty artists for the program.

Sparked by his experience in the late 1950s at a Yale University conference which explored ways to improve musical instruction in public schools, Billy has never stopped informing the public about the idiom he loves. His first endeavor in broadcasting was essentially an educational one. Aired in 1958, the 13-part series was called The Subject is Jazz, and was the first history of jazz produced by the new National Educational Television Network (NET).

After serving as a visiting professor at Howard University, the Manhattan School of Music, U.C. Irvine, North Carolina Central College, Shaw University, and many other colleges and universities, and as an adjunct professor at C.W. Post, Billy earned his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, in the mid 1970s. He is now the Wilber O. Barret Professor of Music there. He lectures widely and gives master-classes and seminars.

In addition, he was the founder of Jazzmobile, a unique outreach organization which brings free concerts and music clinics to thousands in the inner-city.

Beyond the realm of the media, Billy's passion for jazz and his talents as a communicator brought him into prominence in public service circles. Dr. Taylor was appointed by the president to the National Council for the Arts, the first jazz musician since Duke Ellington to be so honored. He was only the third jazz musician to receive the National Medal of the Arts. The others were Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald. He has led State Department-sponsored tours to Hungary, the Middle East, and Latin America. Currently, he is adviser for jazz at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, and the presenter of an on-going series, "Mentors and Masters," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Multi-dimensional and very accomplished, Billy Taylor seems to draw energy from his own activity and he shows no signs of slowing down. His passion is still alive, and his piano still sings. Happy Birthday Dr Billy Taylor!

Jazz Giant - James Williams

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 01:41:00 +0000

James Williams, a pianist and onetime member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, died Tuesday, July 20 of complications from liver cancer. He was 53.

Born in Memphis in 1951, Williams began playing piano at 13 and concentrated on gospel music and R&B, early influences that would remain a part of style throughout his career. While studying music education at Memphis State University he became interested in jazz. After graduating he landed a job teaching at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he took area gigs with Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Milt Jackson, Clark Terry and others. He eventually left Berklee to join drummer Art Blakey’s jazz Messengers, a group he stayed with for four years, honing his chops both as a player and a composer.

James Williams recorded for Concord, EmArcy and DIW record labels. In 1987 he formed the Magical Trio, a recording group originally comprised of the pianist, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Blakey. That band put out one album titled Magical Trio 1. Two later incarnations of the group—one featuring Brown and Elvin Jones, the other with Charnett Moffett and Jeff “Tain” Watts—followed up on the first album’s success.

In the ’90s Williams co-founded the Contemporary Piano Ensemble, which included fellow pianists Harold Mabern, Mulgrew Miller, Donald Brown and Geoff Keezer, as well as ICU (Intensive Care Unit) a group that saw him revisit his gospel and R&B roots.

Jazz Giant - Illinois Jacquet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 01:27:00 +0000

The great tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet passed away in New York of heart failure Thursday morning , July 22.

Illinois Jacquet wrote his signature on jazz immortality in 1942 when, as a 19-year-old member of Lionel Hampton's big band, he a took an incredible solo on Hampton's "Flying Home." He has virtually built a career on that solo, which he claims came from divine inspiration, which ranks as one of the best improvisational performances in the 20th century.

Born in Boussard, La., on Oct. 31, 1922, Jacquet grow up in Houston, where he played in a band with his older brother, Russell, and worked in several bands around town before moving to Los Angeles in 1941. In L.A., he joined Hampton's big band. His raw-boned tenor sound combined r&b bravado and jazz sophistication. He performed in the Jazz At The Philahramoic series, appeared in the jazz documentary, Jammin' The Blues and in 1945 formed his own band. From the '50s to the present, Jacquet has recorded for many labels including Savoy, RCA, Mercury, Epic and Atlantic.

Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 16 Jul 2004 17:15:00 +0000

Born July 16, 1925, in St. Louis, Missouri, Cal Tjader was originally a drummer and played with George Shearing. He came to prominence, however, as a vibraphonist. Cal Tjader had studied music in San Francisco and had come up through the ranks with Dave Brubeck, Alvino Rey, Willie Bobo, Vince Guaraldi, and Mongo Santamaria.

In 1949, Dave Brubeck hired him for his trio and Tjader recorded several 10" albums with Brubeck. He left Brubeck and worked briefly with guitarist Alvino Rey before joining George Shearing's combo in 1953, where he began performing on the vibes.

In 1954, Fantasy, Brubeck's label, approached Tjader about a recording contract, and the result was a string of over 30 albums, virtually all featuring Latin music, over the next 10 years. Tjader's mid-1950s quintet rode the wave of the popularity of West Coast jazz, giving pianist Vince Guaraldi, among others, major career boosts. In 1963, Creed Taylor signed him for Verve and he worked with Claus Ogermann and other producers of the 1960s. His single of "Soul Sauce (Guachi Guara)" briefly reached the Top 40 charts.

His discography is enormous and includes close to one hundred albums as leader and many as "sideman"--with the likes of Duke Ellington, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Rosemary Clooney, Tania Maria, Anita O'Day, and Carmen McRae. As a songwriter, his work appears on albums by Poncho Sanchez, Bobby Shew, Clare Fischer, Jerry Gonzales, and Stan Getz.

In 1979 he began recording on the new Concord Picante label where his album "La Onda Va Bien" won a Grammy award. Cal Tjder passed away on (May 5, 1982).

New Release

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Jul 2004 04:59:00 +0000

Fly is a new group made up of young players that have each established themselves individually. Bassist Larry Grenadier is well known for his associations with pianist Brad Mehldau and most recently the legendary Charles Lloyd, anchoring the saxophonist's exceptional last three releases. Jeff Ballard has come into prominence through his innovative drumming alongside Chick Corea in the New Trio and Origin. Saxophonist Mark Turner is the one member of the trio best known as a bandleader, but in Fly all three musicians seem to contribute on an equal basis. As evidenced on their self-titled debut album, Fly smolders with intensity.

New Release

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Jul 2004 04:27:00 +0000

Saxophonist Joe Lovano has assembled an incredible line up comprising veteran pianist Hank Jones (elder brother of Elvin and Thad) and the superb bassist and drummer George Mraz and Paul Motian on a project that has produced an album of beautiful standards and ballads titled I'm All For You-Ballad Songbook on Blue Note Records. Hank Jones' playing is, as always, elegant, refined and his perfectly tailored accompaniment on his duet "Like Someone in Love" exemplify his contribution.

The Jazz Book Shelf

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Jul 2004 22:49:00 +0000

Richard Palmer's biography of Sonny Rollins titled The Cutting Edge is a well-written, indepth look at one of jazz greats. This fine book gives the reader a fascinating and accurate look at the saxophone master. It reveals the life of Rollins, and his music.
There are also transcriptions of three Rollins solos included in the book.

Starting with the year 1949, the story of Rollins unfolds. Sonny Rollins' contributions to saxophone culture is without doubt enduring, and enormous. This is one entertaining and educational reading experience about a giant among jazz saxophonists!

New Release

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 11 Jul 2004 21:48:00 +0000

Guitarist Russell Malone blends melodic and swinging originals along with some well-chosen standards on his self-produced new recording titled Playground on the MaxJazz record label.

Playground a quartet date showcases Russell’s working group with brief guest appearances by two highly accomplished and underrated artists, vibraphonist Joe Locke (“Sugar Buzz”) and alto saxophonist Gary Bartz (“Mandela”). Russell composed six of the ten selections on Playground which launches the MaxJazz String Series.

Jazz Programming over the Air Waves and in Cyberspace

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 06 Jun 2004 22:10:00 +0000

NPR's award-winning Piano Jazz program showcases both acclaimed artists and up-and-coming performers as they share music and memories with their legendary host, Marian McPartland.

You can locate a radio station that broadcasts Piano Jazz in your state, or city or quite possibly streaming over the web.

Jazz Giant - Steve Lacy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Jun 2004 06:13:00 +0000

Steve Lacy, a highly accomplished saxophonist and early member of the free-jazz school that also included pianist Cecil Taylor, has died. He was 69.

Steve Lacy is considered to be one of the great soprano saxophonists of all time. Originally a clarinet player, Lacy switched to the saxophone after hearing soprano player Sidney Bechet.

New Release

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Jun 2004 06:13:00 +0000

A major force in European jazz since the 1960s Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has a new release on the ECM label called Suspended Nights. This is Tomasz's first recording with pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz, his Polish quartet of the past seven years. They provide a canvas of sensitive support for the 60-year-old Stanko.

Artist Profile

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 00:47:00 +0000

One of the first trombonists to explore free jazz, Grachan Moncur III was born today June 3, 1937 in New York. Mosaic Records has issued a limited edition of his early recording.

Live Jazz Music

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 15:51:00 +0000

There is nothing like hearing jazz performed live.
This regional jazz calendar lists where jazz artists are performing across the United States.

Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 May 2004 20:01:00 +0000

Thomas Fats Waller was born on this day back in 1904 in New York City. Fats one of the greatest pianists jazz has ever known, and one of its most exuberantly funny entertainers.
Fats was a natural songwriter, as seen in such hits as ‘Ain't Misbehavin'’ (1929) and ‘Keeping Out of Mischief Now’ (1932). He is rumoured to have written many more standards, among them ‘On the Sunny Side of the Street’, and then sold the rights for quick cash. Only thirty nine years old he died of pneumonia on his way to Kansas City from Los Angeles, while entertaining soldiers at training camps in 1943.

Over the course of his career, in the mere 39 years he lived, Waller recorded over 500 sides and composed more than 450 songs. Despite the racial discrimination during Waller's lifetime, America loved his music, and he remains a major influence and emblem of America's jazz era.

The music and personality of the great jazz pioneer was transformed into the musical, Ain't Misbehavin'. In 1978 Ain't Misbehavin' won numerous awards, including the Tony award for Best Musical. ("One never knows, do one?") :-)

Jazz Giant - Elvin Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 May 2004 05:29:00 +0000

It's with a heavy heart and deep sadness that I inform you all that Elvin Jones passed away Tuesday, May 18th at 2:46 p.m. eastern time in New York. He was 76 years young. Please take a moment to pause and remember this very special person.

One of the all-time great drummers, Elvin was the younger brother of a remarkable musical family that also includes Hank and Thad Jones.

New Release

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 May 2004 03:15:00 +0000

New Release
A highly demanded sideman, Russell Malone has recorded and/or worked with the likes of Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr., Benny Green, and Jimmy Smith. A top-notch straight-ahead guitarist, Malone is one of the fastest rising stars on the contemporary jazz horizon, a superb technician who plays with exceptional warmth. His latest recording "Playground" is on the MaxJazz record label.

The Jazz Book Shelf

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 May 2004 03:14:00 +0000

The "First Lady of Jazz," Mary Lou Williams was an extraordinary pianist, composer, arranger, and master of blues, boogie woogie, stride, swing, and be-bop. Williams’ complex harmonies and brilliant phrasing, rooted in spirituals and blues, border on the avant-garde. Duke Ellington said, "[She was] beyond category - a pianist who sums up in herself the full essence of jazz and expresses it with skill and perception that few other jazz musicians have even approached."

If you would like to read more about Mary Lou Williams an outstanding biography titled Morning Glory has been published on her life and was written by Linda Dahl.

Jazz Giant - Barney Kessel

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 May 2004 01:51:00 +0000

Jazz guitarist Barney Kessel, who performed with Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum and other music greats, died of brain cancer earlier this month. He was 80.

Mr. Kessel's early style was heavily influenced by electric guitarist Charlie Christian, but he branched out in his early 20s, working with the big bands of Artie Shaw, Charlie Barnet and Benny Goodman.

In the 1950s, Mr. Kessel developed a reputation as a studio musician, writing and directing music for movies and backing performers from the Beach Boys to Fred Astaire.

He formed the group Great Guitars in 1972 with Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd.

Mr. Kessel served as a music ambassador during the Carter administration, only the third person to be named to that office, after Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie.