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Jazz Articles about Ralph Burns
Summer Sequence: Ralph Burns + Lucian Ban, Marta Sanchez and more
by David Brown
In the first set we have a birthday tribute to pianist and arranger Ralph Burns, born June 29, 1922. In jazz, Burns is best known for his work with Woody Herman's “Second Herd" as the band's pianist and chief arranger. Let's also explore his ensemble work and then his string arrangements for Ben Webster, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. Monk works from Braxton, Joel Ross and Jason Moran will follow. Shopping music from Teddy Wilson, Patti Brown and Gene Ammons ...
Continue ReadingRalph Burns's "Summer Sequence": An Appreciation
by Reuben Jackson
It's no secret that the much heralded (and sometimes over romanticized) Big Band Era produced more than a few notable players and ensemble leaders. But it is also clear that for every, say, Duke Ellington and Claude Thornhill, these bands were also driven by the hard (and often undersung) work of arrangers, the best of whom understood the possibilities inherent in their respective ensembles as well as the leaders who hired them.This written celebration of arranger-composer Ralph Burns's ...
Continue ReadingTony Bennett: Sings Ellington Hot And Cool
by C. Michael Bailey
All Class. In the end, there was Tony Bennett. Oft quoted and making a rock-hard point, Frank Sinatra once mused that Bennett was the finest male vocalist performing. And here in arguably the Autumn of his years is Bennett, performing at a new career height. Sings Ellington Hot and Cool is the fourth in a successful series of discs focusing exclusively on contemporaries of Bennett. These releases include 1992’s Perfectly Frank Frank Sinatra, Columbia 52965); 1993’s Steppin’ Out (Fred Astaire, ...
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