Articles by J. Robert Bragonier

Jacques Voyemant Septet: Arrival

by J. Robert Bragonier
July 21, 2009

Just when it seems everything the trombone has to offer in a jazz setting has been heard, along comes a talent that demands a fresh hearing on its own merit. Jacques Voyemant is that kind of talent, and the group he has assembled provides a finely-honed voice, not only for his distinctive trombone sound, but for his writing skills as well. His name may be unfamiliar, but Jacques is no newcomer to the Los Angeles scene: he has been around ...

Conjunto Jardin: Yerba Buena

by J. Robert Bragonier
August 7, 2008

Conjunto Jardin Yerba BuenaTrova 2008Son jarocho is the captivating sound of Veracruz, a Mexican state that sits prominently on the Gulf of Mexico. The city of Veracruz has been an important port for nearly five centuries, serving as a point of entry for cultural influences from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Old World. The music of the region embodies those influences, tracing its roots to at least three cultures: Spanish, African (particularly ...

Being Prez: The Life & Music of Lester Young

by J. Robert Bragonier
March 25, 2008

Being Prez: The Life & Music of Lester Young Dave Gelly Hardcover; 170 pages. ISBN: 978 0195334777 Oxford University Press 2008 A New History of Jazz, arguably the seminal jazz history text, was written in 2001 by Alyn Shipton, a Brit. Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia, from 2006, previously reviewed by this writer here, and in my view the most interesting and current of available jazz ...

Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker

by J. Robert Bragonier
October 16, 2007

Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker Brian Priestley Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19--532709-0 2007 Brian Priestley is a recorded jazz pianist and arranger with extensive British jazz-radio experience to boot, and discovering that a biographer is himself a musician tends to impress me. Priestley is also co-author of The Rough Guide To Jazz (now in its fourth edition) and biographer of both bassist Charles Mingus and saxophonist John ...

The Biographical Encyclopedia Of Jazz

by J. Robert Bragonier
September 26, 2007

The Biographical Encyclopedia Of Jazz Leonard Feathter & Ira Gitler ISBN 978-19-532000-8 Oxford University Press 2007 When I was asked to review Leonard Feather & Ira Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia Of Jazz, I jumped at the chance. My copy of Feather's original 1984 tome is dog-eared and yellowing, and both it and my hard-bound 1999 edition of Feather & Gitler are well-used, highlighted and underlined; were I to drop either of ...

The Ragtime Kid

by J. Robert Bragonier
May 11, 2007

The Ragtime Kid Larry Karp Poisoned Pen Press ISBN: 10: 1-59058-326-4 ISBN: 13: 978-1-59058-326-5 2007

“Brun Campbell heard a piano, and that was all she wrote. Any time Brun heard a piano, that was all she ever wrote. The piano was Brun's one true love, and when it called him, the boy dropped whatever he was doing and attended. With these words, Larry Karp introduces The Ragtime ...

Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia

by J. Robert Bragonier
May 9, 2007

Richard Cook Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia Penguin ISBN-10: 0141026464 ISBN-13: 978-0141026466 2007

Why, you may be asking, do we need another jazz encyclopedia? Leonard Feather's original 1955 tome, published in eleven editions between then and 1984, is still kicking around, and besides, Ira Gitler updated it in 1999. When it comes to sheer factual material, no one can beat the three-volume New Grove Dictionary Of Jazz, most recently ...

Django Reinhardt And The Illustrated History Of Gypsy Jazz

by J. Robert Bragonier
May 7, 2007

Django Reinhardt And The Illustrated History Of Gypsy Jazz Michael Dregni, with Alain Antonietto and Anne Legrand Speck Press ISBN: 10: 1-933108-10-x ISBN: 13: 978-1-933108-10-0 2007 My middle-aged son is an orthopaedic surgeon, after-hours jazz musician and lover of Gypsy swing in general (and Django Reinhardt in particular), and, a few months before I got the opportunity to review this book, I discovered it while searching for a ...

Nicky's Jazz Christmas

by J. Robert Bragonier
December 19, 2006

Nicky's Jazz Christmas Carol Friedman Hardcover; 24 pages ISBN: 1576873412 PowerHouse Books 2006 The question “Where will the next generation of jazz fans come from? is never far beneath the surface at Jazz Forums and lists I frequent. To address this issue, many musicians, such as trumpeter Mike Vax, spend a lot of time presenting concerts and workshops in schools, encouraging an interest in jazz among young folks. ...

Roger Kellaway: I Was There: Roger Kellaway Plays from the Bobby Darin Songbook

by J. Robert Bragonier
January 18, 2005

I must confess that I have never cultivated much knowledge about or particular interest in the singing of Bobby Darin. On the other hand, I am most interested in Roger Kellaway, the mention of whose name instantly pricks up my ears. Kellaway is a pianist and composer as phenomenally talented as he is under-recognized.

After playing piano and bass at the New England Conservatory in the late '50s, he worked with Kay Winding, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Clark Terry and ...