Articles by Bruce Klauber
Buddy Rich Trio: Buddy Rich Trios
by Bruce Klauber
In 2023, some 36 years after his death, the name of Buddy Rich is still synonymous with the word “drums" in many quarters, as is his reputation as a swinging, driving, fiery, and charismatic drummer/leader of a series of superb big bands, roughly in existence from 1966 until his passing in 1987. What is not generally known is that Rich was also a sensitive, passionate and inspiring small group drummer, who backed, through the years, everyone from Lester Young and ...
read moreFather John D'Amico Remembered
by Bruce Klauber
The job of “house pianist" at the long-running 23rd Street Cafe Tuesday night jam session in jny: Philadelphia requires equal amounts of the following: Versatility, creativity, generosity, understanding, good humor, patience, even temperament, positive disposition, and overall, the ability to not take things too seriously. Pianist Father John D'Amico, who held that piano chair for years and recently passed away at the age of 74, possessed all those qualities. Those who deemed him “a saint" were pretty accurate, ...
read moreMore Fresh Sounds From Fresh Sound
by Bruce Klauber
The Fresh Sound record label has released another superb batch of late 1950s and early 1960s recordings by jazz legends, greats, near-greats and now obscure artists who, then and now, deserve wider recognition. As detailed in previous pieces, Fresh Sound is the only organization out there issuing these essential works, which otherwise would remain lost. Without doubt, in the legendary category are the 1956 and 1957 quintet and sextet sessions led by vibraphonist Milt Jackson and featuring the ...
read moreFresh Sound Records and the Legacy of Recorded Jazz
by Bruce Klauber
If the importance and the contributions of jazz are measured by its recorded legacy, then Fresh Sound Records--and its founder, Jordi Pujol--must be duly recognized for rescuing a legacy that might otherwise be lost or nearly impossible to find, and for making it available to the public. Specifically, this legacy includes recorded works by saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Louis Armstrong, bandleader and composer Duke Ellington, and literally hundreds of other major, semi-major and lesser known jazz artists who ...
read moreBruce Kamsinky: Entrepreneur, Businessman, Musical Diplomat
by Bruce Klauber
Saying that Bruce Kaminsky is, after almost 40 years, among the most sought-after bassists on the eastern US coast doesn't even begin to tell the whole story. Or saga, if you will. He maintains that being a musician is synonymous with being an entrepreneur. In line with that, his entrepreneurial activities have focused on the invention and marketing of the electronic upright KYDD bass, the portable electric instrument classroom lab called the KYDD Lab, and the KYDD sound ...
read moreJamming For Dollars
by Bruce Klauber
The History, Care, Feeding and Booking of the Jazz Jam Session“Fusion and the new stuff? It doesn't offend me, but a lot of the soloists sort of sound alike, like they all learned the same licks from the same school. When I was coming up in the 1940s, it seemed that every corner bar had a piano, a set of drums and some kind of jam session happening. That's how I learned to play, and that's what I think is ...
read moreBooking Jazz: A Subjective Guide
by Bruce Klauber
There is no rule book, reference work or formal set of regulations that club and restaurant owners can consult about how to book and present jazz.There was a quasi-model of sorts in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, given the proliferation of cafés, boites, bistros, bars, ballrooms, and all types of nightspots that used live jazz, whether local or national. Whatever the template was back then, if there even was one, it no longer applies.However, a rather ...
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