Home » Jazz Articles » Billy Bang
Jazz Articles about Billy Bang
Billy Bang: Da Bang!
by Dan McClenaghan
The list of prominent jazz violinists is not a long one. Start with Stéphane Grappelli and his legendary Hot Club de France swing recordings with gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. Then there's Stuff Smith and his innovative electrolyzing of the instrument; Joe Venuti; the late Polish firebrand Zbigniew Seifert; and the still-active, post-bop/fusion player Jean-Luc Ponty.It's a short list, but it's one that's not complete without the name Billy Bang, who passed away in 2011.Billy Bang--born William ...
read moreBilly Bang: Da Bang!
by Hrayr Attarian
On April 10, 2011, the music world lost one of the foremost innovators of the violin, Billy Bang. In addition to boldly pushing the instrument's boundaries, he is one of the rare jazz players who left an indelible mark on it. The Finnish TUM label posthumously released Bang's swan song, recorded a mere two months before his untimely death from lung cancer.Da Bang! is a sublime album of rich harmonies, multifaceted emotions, and tight, intellectually stimulating spontaneity. The ...
read moreFAB Trio: History of Jazz in Reverse
by AAJ Italy Staff
History of Jazz in Reverse si può considerare l'ultimo disco di Billy Bang, ucciso nell'aprile dell'anno scorso da un tumore al polmone. Dopo Leroy Jenkins, Billy Bang è stato il principale violinista del movimento free e negli anni Sessanta fu protagonista di una significativa vicenda umana: dopo la drammatica esperienza militare in Vietnam riuscì a rinascere con forza e con una nuova consapevolezza. Proprio l'"agente arancio," il diserbante usato dall'esercito americano per togliere ai Viet Cong la copertura delle foglie ...
read moreFAB Trio: History of Jazz in Reverse
by Nic Jones
A trio consisting of violin, bass and drums might seem a little thin, but violinist Billy Bang, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Barry Altschul know a thing or two about this music and their collective effort on this disc combines elements of the intellectual and the physical. The result is, perhaps unsurprisingly, music which appeals in differing measures to both the head and the heart, serving notice of just how infrequently this mix is successfully caught on record.
read moreBilly Bang's Survival Ensemble: Black Man’s Blues / New York Collage
by John Sharpe
Billy Bang's Survival EnsembleBlack Man's Blues / New York CollageNo Business Records2011 With Black Man's Blues / New York Collage, the Lithuanian based No Business label presents another thrilling installment in its invaluable documentation of the New York loft jazz of the 1970s, following on from 2010's acclaimed Muntu Recordings Box and Commitment: The Complete Recordings 1980-1983. Featured artist this time out is the late violinist Billy Bang, who died of ...
read moreFAB Trio: History of Jazz in Reverse
by Jerry D'Souza
It is a travesty of fate--and of the American jazz establishment--that violinist Billy Bang never received the recognition he merited. Hosannas have been sung to him, many of them after he died, but the fact remains that he was kept on the periphery despite an admirable body of work. His virtuosity can be witnessed on recordings like Valve No. 10 (Soul Note, 1991), and Vietnam: The Aftermath (Justin Time, 2001) and Vietnam: Reflections (Justin Time, 2004), which were extensions of ...
read moreBilly Bang's Survival Ensemble: Black Man's Blues/New York Collage
by AAJ Italy Staff
Uscito miracolosamente indenne dalla tremenda esperienza della guerra in Vietnam, il violinista e compositore Billy Bang riversò nel Survival Ensemble il fiume di ricordi, sentimenti e reazioni tracciati indelebilmente da quell'evento, partecipando attivamente al movimento di protesta sociale, politica e musicale ricordato come Loft Jazz Era. Proprio a quel periodo si riferiscono le registrazioni riportate nel prezioso doppio CD. New York Collage è il debutto discografico da leader (Columbia University WKCR Radio - 1978), mentre Black Man Blues (New York ...
read more
Giveaway
Days remaining: 6
