Jazz Articles
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Ornette Coleman: Genesis of Genius: The Contemporary Albums
by Jeff Kaliss
For many an Ornette Coleman devotee, devotion was pledged with the singular saxophonist's The Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic). It was recorded in May and released in November of 1959, and it's a matter of when in our life we caught up with it. For some of us, that's when we first felt liberated by jazz. That album, produced by Nesuhi Ertegun, remains a hard act to follow, even for Coleman himself. Or to precede. But Hollywood ...
read moreHampton Hawes: Everybody Likes Hampton Hawes
by David Rickert
If everybody likes Hampton Hawes, why is he such a neglected figure today? Maybe it's because he is neither an innovator like Bud Powell nor an expressionist like Bill Evans. Maybe it was because he spent his time on the West Coast instead of the East Coast. Or maybe with covers like these, his albums get put in the children's section by mistake.
Whatever the reason, Hawes was a sturdy accompanist and a pianist who was capable of turning out ...
read moreVictor Feldman: Latinsville!
by Chris M. Slawecki
In December 1958, Victor Feldman—pianist, percussionist, and vibes player—began work on a project as a leader for Contemporary Records. He continued work on this project for nearly a year, ultimately recording two different quintets plus a ten-piece unit with contributions from bassists Al McKibbon and Scott LaFaro, soloists Walter Benton (tenor sax), Conte Candoli (trumpet), and Frank Rosolino (trombone), pre- Peanuts pianist Vince Guaraldi, and the best percussion ensemble in the history of jazz: the triple threat of Willie Bobo, ...
read moreTom Harrell: Sail Away
by Russell Moon
Recorded over two days in March of 1989, Sail Away is surely one of the youngest albums ever to be re-released as an OJC, and presumably the first from the CD era. Two songs from the sessions not on the original CD are included here, bringing the total time to a very generous 79 minutes. Although Tom Harrell composed every tune, the two days' sessions were not alike, and thus this disc has a two LPs on one CD" quality. ...
read moreBarney Kessel: Plays For Lovers
by Russell Moon
Guitarist Barney Kessel was the backbone of what I consider to be the most romantic album ever made, Julie London's Julie Is Her Name. It was only a natural choice for Fantasy to add Kessel's name to its list of Plays For Lovers compilations.
Barney Kessel Plays For Lovers is 67 minutes of generally gorgeous music recorded for Contemporary Records over the period from 1953 to 1988. The album consists of 16 standards, two of which are up-tempo: Satin Doll" ...
read moreSonny Simmons: Burning Spirits
by Jeff Stockton
The name Sonny Simmons is variously preceded by the words underrated," underappreciated," or even unknown." Based on the evidence presented on Burning Spirits, a session from late 1970 – released the following year as a double LP and just been reissued by Fantasy Records – the neglect and indifference of jazz listeners has been criminal.
Simmons had released a few recordings in the ‘60s as a leader on ESP and Arhoolie (all currently back in print), but it would be ...
read moreArt Pepper: Art Pepper + Eleven: Modern Jazz Classics
by C. Michael Bailey
Only a handful of jazz recordings can be described as truly classic. Art Pepper + Eleven: Modern Jazz Classics is a member of that handful. Recorded between March and May 1959, + Eleven has the distinction of being excellent on multiple planes. One is Pepper himself. A journeyman multi-reedist who was already a veteran of big bands lead by Gus Arnheim, Benny Carter, and Stan Kenton, Pepper was reaching his first pinnacle as an artist when + Eleven was recorded. ...
read moreShelly Manne & His Men: Checkmate
by Derek Taylor
Jazz and television were an easy match in the Sixties, especially in the context of the cop, spy and detective shows that were Hollywood’s bread and butter of the era. Noirish blues and angular tempoed chase themes fit the action on these shows perfectly, as did the Cool connotations of West Coast Jazz. Among the more successful composers for the studios was John Williams, a jazz pianist who would later become one of the industry’s big names scoring soundtracks to ...
read moreThe Terry Gibbs Dream Band: One More Time
by Jack Bowers
To paraphrase Maurice Chevalier's earnest anthem in the film Gigi, Thank heaven for little pack rats!" Just when we'd almost given up hope of ever hearing anything new from the fabulous Terry Gibbs Dream Band of the late '50s-early '60s, TG came across eleven boxes of tapes on the top shelf of a closet marked Big Band Sundown, Seville 1959." They'd been sitting there since Terry and his family moved back into the house eight months after the Northridge, CA, ...
read moreTom Harrell: Sail Away
by William Grim
Sail Away is one of trumpeter/composer Tom Harrell’s best efforts and features a wide range of his original material. The album starts off with “Eons,” a fast tempo bop tune that features tenor sax and trumpet solos. Harrell is at his most Chet Baker-like in “Glass Mystery,” a slow ballad with inspired solos from Baker and tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano.
The album’s title track “Sail Away” is a lovely bossa nova with a haunting melody and interesting modulations. ...
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