Home » Jazz Musicians » Bill
Bill
17 Favorite 1950s Clips by Bill Holman
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
As an arranger, the late Bill Holman} knew how to set 'em up and knock 'em down. His arrangements always began with a relatively simple melodic idea, which he then whipped up into a flaming meringue, holding dear to the original concept. He loved to put the reeds in play, setting them off with call-and-response harmony motifs from the horns. What mattered most was the build, the steady march toward a crescendo. To pay tribute to Bill, I've chosen 17 ...
read more
Bill Holman: (1927-2024)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Willis “Bill" Holman, a three-time Grammy-winning arranger, composer and saxophonist and one of the last-surviving orchestrators who shaped West Coast jazz in the early 1950s, died May 6 in his sleep of natural causes. He was 96. Influenced most by Gerry Mulligan's arranging and the sound of Count Basie's band, Bill began writing for Kenton just as the popular brassy orchestra was facing musician defections over Kenton's drift into a neo-classical realm. Bill's composition and arrangement of Invention for Guitar ...
read more
Flutist Bill McBirnie Releases 'Reflections (for Paul Horn)'
Source:
Bill McBirnie - Extreme Flute
In his most recent digital release, Reflections, flutist Bill McBirnie performs a series of entirely improvised solo vignettes on both flute and alto flute in what is a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to the strongest of his influences on the instrument, Paul Horn. Bill is arguably the ideal candidate for such a tribute, not only because of his longstanding allegiance to Paul Horn, but also because of Bill's unique musical sensibility and impeccable technique, both of which have enabled him ...
read more
Documentary: Billie
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In the late 1960s, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl planned to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday. Beginning in 1970, she spent eight years tracking down and recording interviews with key artists and personalities who knew the singer, who died in 1959. These interviews included conversations with Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett, Sylvia Syms, and Count Basie as well as Holiday's cousin, school friends, lovers, lawyers, pimps and even the FBI agents who arrested her. Kuehl's Holiday archives included interviews on ...
read more
Pianist Michael Wolff Guests with Bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and Drummer Mike Clark on Evocative Tribute Album, 'Letter to Bill Evans'
Source:
Lydia Liebman Promotions
For their seventh outing together as a close-knit, collaborative rhythm tandem, bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and drummer Mike Clark tapped pianist Michael Wolff as third man in their ongoing trio adventures. Wolff, who had previously appeared with Dorsey and Clark on 2020’s Play Sgt. Pepper, was indeed the perfect choice to complete the triumvirate on this heartfelt tribute to the late, great pianist-composer known for his contributions to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue as well as his hugely influential trio ...
read more
Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Bill Evans performed his composition Waltz for Debby at dozens of clubs and concert halls and recorded it several times in the studio between 1955 and 1980. In my opinion, he aced it only once. Waltz for Debby sounds deceptively easy to play but it isn't. Having played Bill Evans transcriptions in my teens, I can tell you that it's loaded with complex passages that are easy to rush, trip over or simply miss the right feel. Which was true ...
read more
Bill Evans: Here's That Rainy Day
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
I've always loved Bill Evans's solo interpretation of Here's That Rainy Day from Alone in 1968. He opens with enormous sensitivity and delivers a measured ballad reading, followed by rising intensity and swing as the tempo quickens. The master take that appears on the album never fails to thrill me. Yet despite his beauty, Evans didn't bother to hold onto it like some other songs. Perhaps he felt that the Alone version was as good as he was ever going ...
read more
Bill Evans: On Green Dolphin Street
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
To the best of my knowledge, there are only 10 known recordings of Bill Evans playing On Green Dolphin Street. Composed in 1947 by Bronisław Kaper (with lyrics by Ned Washington), the song was written for the film Green Dolphin Street, which was based on the 1944 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Goudge. The song suited Evans perfectly. Here are all 10 renditions: Evans first recorded the jazz standard in 1958 with the Miles Davis Sextet, a spectacular ...
read more
World-Renowned Smoke Jazz Club Kickstarts The New Year Celebrating Two Jazz Giants’ Birthdays: Billy Harper And Al Foster
Source:
AMT Public Relations
Rated the #1 jazz club in New York City (Secret NYC), SMOKE Jazz Club begins 2024 with an exciting line-up in January. The month begins with two piano greats: Bill Charlap leading his longtime Trio (Jan 3-7) followed by renowned pianist/composer Billy Childs and his Quartet (Jan 11-14). SMOKE is honored to host two octogenarians celebrating their 81st birthdays in back-to-back concert celebrations: tenor saxophone giant Billy Harper leads his Quintet (Jan 18-21) then drumming master Al Foster is at ...
read more
Bill Bruford 'One Of A Kind' 12” Vinyl Edition Available on November 24, 2023
Source:
Glass Onyon PR - William James
This definitive vinyl re-release is re-issued on Bruford’s own Winterfold Records, was overseen personally by Bill Bruford and ,astered from the original tapes recorded and mixed by Stephen W Tayler in 1979. Bill Bruford is the original drummer in YES and was a long-term member of King Crimson. The band Bruford recorded this album in 1979 and it went on to achieve critical acclaim and commercial success. Bruford's One Of A Kind 12” vinyl reissue will be available November 24, ...
read more
