Yesterday was a rough day. Every year Jazz Times has a “goodbye” issue where it celebrates the lives of the jazz musicians who have passed in the previous year. It’s always sobering reading, as the number of true greats still with us slowly diminishes. A couple of weeks ago we lost George Russell,little-known outside the music world, but an incredibly …
"We Always Swing" Jazz Series – 15th Season
Here it is, as promised – the schedule for the upcoming season of world-class live jazz in Columbia, Missouri, complete with links to various artist sites, etc. Don’t say I never do anything for ya. October 16, 2009 – Jim Widner Big Band with Bobby Watson November 3 – Pat Martino Quartet (with Eric Alexander) November 22 – Christian McBride …
Jazz Dispute
This excellent bit of business has been around for a while, but Doug Ramsay’s excellent jazz blog Rifftides turned me on to this a while ago. It’s very good. The music, as we all know, is “Leap Frog”, with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
We Always Swing
I’ve just received an advanced preview of the We Always Swing Jazz Series line-up for the upcoming season, its fifteenth. It’s an astonishing list, with world-class talent and a whole bunch of shows that I can’t wait to see. Once it’s been formally announced, I’ll write about it some more here. I’ve heard more live jazz in Columbia, Missouri than …
Distractions and Prevarications, Part 4
One of my greatest regrets is that I cannot write while I listen to music. I need my quiet. There is no such thing as background noise for me. The music rushes to the forefront of my consciousness, demanding attention, and I can no longer hear the words I’m forever trying to grasp. Sentences swim in front of me but …
Suddenly Homesick…
… I have just seen that on October 15 Brad Mehldau will be playing a duo gig with Josh Redman at the Wigmore Hall in London. The Wigmore Hall is principally a classical music venue, but it will suit these two nicely, I would think. I remember going there on a school trip in about 1985 to listen to my …
Kind of Blue at 50
After talking about Christian McBride’s Kind of Brown a little while ago (which, by the way, was just as good as I thought it would be), I came across this on You Tube recently. The footage of So What on this film was recorded for TV (“The Sound of Miles Davis”) about 4 weeks after Kind of Blue itself was recorded. …
Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye
Unabashedly wonderful stuff. I’ve posted this on FB before, but I love it so much, it’s worth a revisit. Enjoy.
Technology is a Wonderful Thing
No, really. I was listening to my new favorite podcast, the Checkout, a jazz show from WBGO in New Jersey, and they had an interview with Spike Wilner, who is manager of Small’s Jazz Club in Greenwich Village (as well as being a great pianist – check out this.) I’ve been itching to go to Small’s for the longest time …
Download Day
It’s the end of the month, which means it’s time for my regular downloading extravaganza, courtesy of emusic. This month I have acquired the following gems: Seamus Blake – Live in Italy I’m not that familiar with tenor player Seamus Blake, but will be soon. This got a great review in this month’s Down Beat, and that’s usually good enough …