Articles by Chuck Lenatti
Duke Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music
by Chuck Lenatti
In 1964, Dean D.J. Bartlett and the Reverend John S. Yaryan invited Duke Ellington and his orchestra to present a concert to consecrate the renovated Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill in San Francisco during a year-long festival of Grace. At first, Duke demurred. In his autobiography, Music Is My Mistress (Da Capo, 1976), Ellington explained why he changed his mind: It has been said once that a man who could not play the organ or any ...
Continue ReadingThe Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943
by Chuck Lenatti
Duke Ellington was one of the most popular and successful jazz musicians of the first half of the 20th century and according to composer Gunther Schuller and musicologist and historian Barry Kernfeld, “the most significant composer of the genre." Radio broadcasts from his residency at New York's Cotton Club beginning in 1927 extended Ellington's orchestra's national exposure and a parade of hit records, from “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" in 1926 to “C Jam Blues" in 1942, among many ...
Continue ReadingHow Ahmad Jamal Got His Groove Back
by Chuck Lenatti
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Though he was well-versed in the musical vernacular of blues, big bands, bebop and hard bop, piano trios and singers, as well as European classical music, pianist Ahmad Jamal seemed out of step as jazz fused with rock and R&B in the 1970s. Doubling on the Fender Rhodes and frequently backed by singers and strings, Jamal's covers of contemporary hits like Stevie Wonder's “Superstition," Marvin ...
Continue ReadingAhmad Jamal Plugs In: Funk, Fusion and the Fender Rhodes
by Chuck Lenatti
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 During the politically and culturally turbulent late 1960s and '70s, many jazz musicians attempted to appeal to a younger and more diverse audience that grew up listening to artists such as James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone rather than Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington or Charlie Parker. Miles Davis was the catalyst. Released in 1969, Miles Davis' seminal album Bitches Brew (Columbia GP ...
Continue ReadingAhmad Jamal: After Poinciana
by Chuck Lenatti
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 On Location and at the Penthouse In an apparent effort to capitalize on the new-found popularity from his 1958 record, At the Pershing, But Not for Me (Argo LP628), Ahmad Jamal released a flurry of albums between 1958 and 1970, many of them recorded on location. Musically, it was a very productive period for Jamal, and these 20-plus albums do nothing to tarnish Jamal and his ensembles' ...
Continue ReadingAhmad Jamal: An American Classic
by Chuck Lenatti
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 1930-1958: From Pittsburgh to The Pershing Frederick Russell Jones was born on July 2, 1930, to a working-class family in Pittsburgh. His friends called him Fritz. As a boy, he delivered newspapers to Billy Strayhorn's family. He converted to Islam around 1950 and took the name Ahmad Jamal. His family identified him as a child prodigy at the tender age of three after his uncle ...
Continue ReadingHiromi's Sonicwonder At SFJAZZ
by Chuck Lenatti
Hiromi's SonicwonderSFJAZZ, Miner AuditoriumSan Francisco, CAApril 14, 2024 Hiromi and her merry band of simpatico sonic warriors concluded their San Francisco run at SFJAZZ's Miner Auditorium with an exhilarating jolt of electricity as they dove into their latest release, Sonicwonderland (Concord Records, 2023). The uniquely coiffed pianist wore a bright yellow dress over black tights and cute sneakers and was in perpetual motion throughout the show. “Sonic" is code for plugged in. “When ...
Continue Reading
