Jazz Articles about Victor Feldman

Victor Feldman: Good Vibes (and Great Piano) from Britain

by Samuel Chell
April 11, 2009

In the mid-1950s, Victor Feldman was among the first British musicians successfully to relocate to the US, when he settled in Los Angeles. Becoming an outstanding “West Coast" pianist, Feldman was also a memorable vibraphonist. Reissues of three albums recorded in the US from 1957-61 showcase his abundant talent.

Victor Feldman The Arrival of Victor FeldmanOriginal Jazz Classics 1998 (1958)

Although it might have been even better with fewer tunes and longer ...

Victor Feldman - Part 5: The Final Years, 1978-87

by Steven Cerra
February 20, 2009

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5Looking back to 1978, it's hard to believe that in less than 10 years, Victor would no longer be with us.Woody Herman was never out of Victor's musical life. His career in the States had begun when he joined Woody's band and he often expressed his gratitude to the Old Man for making it all happen for him. Victor once shared with me:

Victor Feldman - Part 4: The Artful Dodger, 1967-1977

by Steven Cerra
February 19, 2009

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 During the decade in question, due to the responsibilities of establishing myself in a career outside of music and because of the obligations of a growing family, I did not see Victor as often. Fortunately for me, he did appear regularly with his quartet at Donte's, a nightclub in North Hollywood that was a short drive from my home in nearby Burbank, ...

Victor Feldman - Part 3: Miles & Beyond

by Steven Cerra
February 18, 2009

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 “His keyboard technique is above reproach and is matched by his brilliance on vibes and drums; his knowledge of rhythms and meters, and the possibilities inherent in combining melodic lines with percussion expressions, greatly expounds the sounds of any group within which he works." (Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner) These eloquently phrased words of high praise for Victor Feldman were ...

Victor Feldman - Part 2: From Cannonball to Russia

by Steven Cerra
February 17, 2009

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5As to the title of this piece, I thought about calling it “Part 2: The Cannonball Years," but since Victor was with Cannonball for only less than a full year, I thought that might be overstating things a bit. I lived in San Francisco for most of the decade of the 1990s. And it was there on March 4, 1999, a typical, foggy San Francisco ...

Victor Feldman - Part 1: The Arrival

by Steven Cerra
February 16, 2009

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Mentioning my name in the same context as that of Gene Lees, the esteemed jazz writer, might be the height of presumption on my part, but in doing so in this instance, I intend to use it only as the basis for a speculative empathy that he and I might have in common. Because of his close and enduring friendship with Bill ...

Victor Feldman: Latinsville!

by Chris M. Slawecki
February 25, 2004

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, ...