So, let’s get the first question out of the way-Why is John Denver of all people being reviewed on this jazz web site? Bluegrass, fine. Elvis, OK. Rockers, whatever, but this is TOO MUCH! There’s a simple lesson to be…
Month: November 2014
Harry Allen’s All-Star Brazilian Band: Flying Over Rio
Tenor saxist Harry Allen continues to lineage of warm and breathy tenor stars that started with Lester Young, became most popular with Stan Getz, was resurged by Scott Hamilton and is now passed on to the leader of this Brazilian…
BYRD OF PARADISE! Donald Byrd: The Donald Byrd Sextet, Transition Sessions
Trumpeter Don Byrd died last year, and it was hardly even noticed. At one time, he was THE hard bop trumpeter, bridging the gap between Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. He is heard on a gazillion Blue Note…
TEXAS TENOR TIME! Buddy Tate: Swingville Sessions
If jazz were a meal, the Texas Tenor would be comfort food. Full of caloric fat and flavor, rich like chocolate, creamy like Mac ‘n Cheese, it satisfies every mood and craving. Buddy Tate, who started his career with Count…
IMMORTALITY…Robin Gibb: 50 St. Catherine’s Drive
Though he left us a couple years ago, the famed Bee Gee Robin Gibb had one last album in him, and we’ve got it right here. It’s surprising how impressive and intimate it was-this is the guy who gave us…
OTIS BROWN III: THE THOUGHT OF OTIS BROWN III
ONE OF THE FIRST RULES AN ARTIST LEARNS IS TO CREATE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT. A WRITER CAN DO A BOOK ABOUT HIS ENVIRONMENT, BUT WHAT ABOUT A MUSICIAN? SOME, LIKE SINATRA SING MATERIAL FROM THEIR YOUTH, WHILE OTHERS CREATE…
OLD MAN SONNY KEEPS ON ROLLINS ALONG
YOU HAVE A NEW CD: DO YOU EVER LISTEN TO YOUR OLD RECORDINGS? No! No! I don’t like listening to myself, so I do as little of it as possible. There were (concert) cuts that a private collector had,…