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Al Kay
Count Basie and Kay Starr
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Count Basie fans tend to focus on his hard-driving “Super Chief" bands of the 1940s and his stylistic “New Testament" bands of the 1950s. And rightly so. But often overlooked is Basie's output during the 1960s, when he recorded more than 30 albums, many of them slam-bang swingers. Coming off his Roulette Records contract in the summer of 1962, Basie began to record for Reprise, starting with his first album with Frank Sinatra in October '62. Then he alternated between ...
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Bob Cranshaw + Kay Starr
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Bob Cranshaw (1932-2016), a Chicago-born jazz bassist who began recording in 1957 and became a significant force in the 1960s starting with Sonny Rollins' seminal album, The Bridge, in 1962, died on Nov. 2. He was 83. At a time when even the best jazz bassists seemed interchangeable to the average listener, Bob's playing stood out with sensitivity and grace. It has been said that while jazz groups play for audiences, bassists play for the soloist, serving largely as inventive ...
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Kay Starr: 'I Cry by Night'
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Like many gifted singers of her generation, Kay Starr wound up a hard-boiled pop vocalist. When the LP era took hold in the early 1950s and the 12-inch LP appeared mid-decade with the ability to support a color photo on the jacket cover, many female singers with jazz and big-band chops chomped down on the commercial bit and hauled in wagon-loads of popular music recordings. The list is too long to cite in full here, but we certainly can includes ...
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Interview: Stanley Kay (Part 2)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
The late Stanley Kay told me he was most proud of two career highlights: being hired by Buddy Rich and founding the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. Let's cover the second one first: In 1990, Stanley was conducting a band in which Sherrie Maricle was playing drums. Taken with Sherrie's playing, Stanley asked her if other female jazz players could be assembled for a big band. Sherrie said, “No problem." In 1992, Stanley founded and then managed the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, which ...
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Interview: Stanley Kay (Part 1)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Stanley Kay, Buddy Rich's drummer in the late 1940s, died on Monday (June 21st) in New York after a long illness. He was 86. To the uninitiated, my description of Stanley's occupation in the first sentence may sound odd. Buddy Rich's drummer? Buddy Rich was a drummer. Except that Stanley played drums when Buddy Rich sang and danced, which was often in the late 1940s. Stanley was one of Rich's most trusted associates during this period. Rich had grown up ...
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Kay Davis, Voice of Ellington Orchestra, 1944-50
Source:
All About Jazz
We have just posted the first EVER video story on Kay Davis, who was the voice of the Duke Ellington Orchestra from 1944 to 1950.
This story is a bit of a look back from a fascinating perspective. Please help get the word out about a woman who was a huge part of the Golden Era of Ellington!
You'll find a free embed code next to the video so you can place it on your site if you like.
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