Jazz Articles

Acker Bilk: The Frankfurt Concert

by Dave Nathan
March 1, 2001

England's Acker Bilk's big hit of 1961, the sugary, vibrato packed “Stranger on the Shore" masked the fact that Bilk had been (and continues to be ) a fine New Orleans jazz performer. Bilk was a leading member of the traditional jazz revival in Great Britain during the late 1950's and early 60's sharing that spot with Humphrey Lyttelton. With “Stranger", the clarinetist became the first British artist to top the US pop music charts paving the way for that ...

The Led DeMerle Transfusion: Transfusion One

by Dave Nathan
February 1, 2001

In July of 1969 Miles Davis recorded Bitches Brew which became the clarion call for a new type of music called fusion. In an attempt to mix the improvisation of Jazz with the raucous (and loud) rhythms of Rock, Davis, the Weather Report and other groups flung this musical marriage upon the public and other jazz musicians alike. Drummer Les DeMerle formed a group Transfusion and recorded this fusion album in 1976. Their excursion down the fusion road is done ...

Stan Kenton Orchestra: Live

by Dave Nathan
February 1, 2001

Big bands may have started to disappear from the entertainment scene after War World II; but not Stan Kenton's. Unlike those other groups which hung in there like Ellington and Basie, Kenton virtually discarded playing for dance dates concentrating more and more on concerts. This allowed him to develop and play arrangements which became more complex and some claimed, pretentious, culminating in the controversial 23-piece Los Angeles Neophonic Orch. of 1965. The group at this hitherto unreleased 1971 Clearwater concert ...

The Four Freshmen: Celebrating 50 Years

by Dave Nathan
February 1, 2001

The Four Freshmen were extraordinarily popular during the 1950's and 60's when they worked with Woody Herman and were part of those elaborate Stan Kenton road shows. Not only did they feature extra close harmony, but they were unique in that they were also pretty good instrumentalists as well.

The occasion for this performance was a massive jazz concert in Clearwater, FL in 1971 which had Stan Kenton and Woody Herman, as well as other jazz artists on the bill. ...

Woody Herman and His Thundering Herd: Blues in the Night

by Dave Nathan
February 1, 2001

This 1971 performance was part of a huge jazz concert in Clearwater, FL sponsored by station WAZE . In addition to Woody Herman's aggregation, the Four Freshmen and Stan Kenton's band were there. These sessions have also been issued by Hitchcock. Herman's music and arrangements are fresh and exciting, not repeats of the same stuff he was playing with earlier outfits. This regrettably was not the case with Stan Kenton, who was regurgitating material played many times before.

There were ...