Jazz Articles about Kim Portnoy

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Kim Portnoy Jazz Orchestra: Wash Away the Dust of Everyday Life

by Jack Bowers
February 1, 1999

St. Louis–based pianist Kim Portnoy’s picturesque big–band date is much more fun than its meditative title implies. It was drummer Art Blakey who said music should “wash away the dust of everyday life,” and Portnoy’s shuffling title selection, which swings merrily along in the finest Jazz Messengers tradition, is dedicated to Blakey. Other dedicatees include Jelly Roll Morton (the playful “King Portnoy Stomp”), comedian Henny Youngman (“Take My Waltz. . .Please”), composer Anton Webern (“Blues for Anton,” based on the ...