Videos Recommended by Scott Lichtman

Bill Anschell | KNKX Studio Session

Bill Anschell
Duration: 19:01
405 views

Bill Anschell is steadily gaining a following for his book Benched. It's filled with clever jazz jokes and satirical commentary. Regardless of his joyful sense of humor, listeners should take his live performances on piano quite seriously. They feature striking chord voicings, a sensitive touch across the keys, subtle interplay with his collaborators, and a pristine recorded sound. Traditional jazz fans may find Anschell and his trio’s interpretations of ballad standards to be especially engaging. Once you’ve enjoyed that sound,explore his more adventurous work, which incorporates funky solos and electronic/guitar swells, for a futuristic sound that still swings. Three samples are: the jagged "Ambulator," the yearning "Gentle Persuasion" (starting at 5:53) and the gritty "Faster Than the Speed of Mildew" (12:42). For more conversation with Anschell, stream the interview {{a: Bill Anschell: Unearthing Jazz's Improbable Solutions = 581791}}

The Nearness of You

Highline Vocal Jazz
Duration: 04:55
880 views

There's nothing like an a capella group performing in scarves and flannel shirts to make you feel warm about forthcoming Valentine’s Day. Here, {{m: Highline Vocal Jazz = 168747}} creates a special glow with a rendition of "The Nearness of You." Highline is a quintet formed in 2017 by friends living in NYC. In 2022, they were selected as national champions of the prestigious Harmony Sweepstakes a capella festival. In "Nearness," their lush vocal blend gives the impression of one unified instrument, with a preference for sweet harmonizations using 2nds, 6ths and major 7ths. They further display their musicality with the dramatic "wildest dreams" climax at 2:18 and pitch-perfect close arrangement at 2:40. If you’re looking for more up-tempo pieces, search YouTube for Highline’s renditions of "How High the Moon" and "Mas Que Nada." Enjoy, and remember to buy some chocolates for your loved one(s).

Cherokee

Wynton Marsalis
Duration: 11:10
244 views

Up-tempo "Cherokee" has long served as a proving ground for jazzers who claim to have serious chops. In this rendition, soloists Wynton Marsalis, Walter Blanding Jr. and Véronica Swift show definitively how it’s done, each taking several choruses. Long lines of 16th notes, then sixteenth triplets, then squeals spew forth from Marsalis’s trumpet. Blanding (starting at 3:47) keeps up the pace while introducing fresh motifs, yet maintaining his gritty sound. Finally, Swift (at 5:37) resurrects the sound of classic vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O'Day, displaying robust air support, bell-tone vibrato, elastic time and blues-bending notes and some of the best scat vocalization in jazz today.

Lady Bird

Dexter Gordon
Duration: 05:41
6,627 views

It’s rare for the New York Times to give space to a jazz icon, so when they printed "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Dexter Gordon" in January 2026 (with song links), it felt time to revisit this tenor sax legend. Dexter Gordon’s sound beautifully bridged the swing feel of straight-ahead jazz with dexterity of bop. As can be heard on "Lady Bird," the sax player uniquely balanced the elements of his sound. Often, he would play a hair behind the beat, with a syncopation that was closer to straight 8ths than a swung triplet feel and using a full breath supporting each note’s tone but never over-blowing. One of the finest moments in jazz film is Round Midnight (1986, Warner Bros.), in which Gordon acted and played songs live, while portraying a poor, drug-addicted musician who gave his soul to play jazz.

Hit the Ground Running

Gordon Goodwin
Duration: 06:32
2,368 views

Listening to Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band is like opening a cool birthday gift – it’s wrapped shiny on the outside, with just enough rattle when you shake it, and you want to play with it for hours. In terms of "shiny," Goodwin’s 18-piece big band tends to explode from beat one. They combine traditional, up-tempo swing feels with funk, R&B and rock beats. The "rattling" inside comprises the technically demanding runs and sweet solos highlighted in his pieces. Finally, the band’s four Grammy awards and 20 nominations testify to the lasting power of the big phat sound. Goodwin was also known for collaboration with many giants in jazz, his efforts in jazz education, scores for film and daytime animation TV, and his funky sound on keyboards and sax. He passed away on December 8, 2025.

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Harry Connick, Jr.
Duration: 04:23
2,872 views

The classic romantic comedy film When Harry Met Sally was arranged by singer, pianist, and composer {{m: Harry Connick, Jr. = 5876}} when he was just 22. Even for his young age, Connick already was combining recognizable styles to unique effect. His approach to piano combined Monk’s dissonant punctuations, Ellington’s playful interaction with the rest of the band, and Waller’s stride left hand. Connick’s vocals display an elastic sense of time, like Sinatra, but with even more confident delivery for this age. And, he refreshed big band’s sound with an array of runs and pops on many arrangements, such as the slow-build "Don’t Get Around Much Anymore."

Lennie Tristano - Solo Piano

Lennie Tristano
Duration: 40:53
2,844 views

Lennie Tristano was blind yet a piano visionary. His pioneering approach to improvisation, characterized by long, unbroken melodic lines and intricate polyphony, remains a cornerstone of the cool jazz movement. This 1965 solo performance from Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens captures the pianist at his most daring and introspective. Listen for the independence of his hands as he reconstructs familiar standards, often ballads, into dense, contrapuntal tapestries. On more swinging tunes, Tristano’s left hand provides a steady pulse while the right unfurls endless jagged improvisations. The nine-song set begins with "Darn that Dream."