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Interview

Rita Reys and the Jazz Messengers

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
October 7, 2010

As far as I can tell, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded behind a singer only once. That session took place in May and June 1956 in New York and was released on Columbia and the Netherlands' Philips label, which makes perfect sense since the vocalist was Rita Reys, a Dutch jazz singer. Interestingly, the result was quite good, making one wish the Jazz Messengers had departed every so often from instrumentals to back hip vocalists like Johnny Hartman. ...

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Interview

Local Space and a Firm Cloud: Bill Dixon, Oct. 5, 2010

Source: Ni Kantu by Clifford Allen
October 6, 2010

Right now I'm listening to Berlin Abbozzi, a disc recorded in 1999 for FMP by Bill Dixon, who would have turned 85 today (or yesterday, depending on what time zone you're in). Here he plays trumpet and flugelhorn along with utilizing electronic delay, and he's joined by then-regular collaborator, English percussionist Tony Oxley, and the German bassists Klaus Koch and Matthias Bauer. In the pantheon of Dixon recordings, it's not one I listen to often, and I'm not exactly sure ...

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Interview

Happy Birthday Bill Dixon, Wherever You Are.

Source: Brilliant Corners, a Boston Jazz Blog
October 6, 2010

Image courtesy of Stephen Haynes. “If you are you, 24 hours a day, then you do not have to remember who you are supposed to be in different situations—something that I imagine could be troublesome.“ —Bill Dixon. The Grand Old Man didn't make it to today and in the period that has followed his passing in June, there have been all manner of musical chairs shuffled in a back story spectacle of mixed appeal. On one hand I've seen a ...

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Interview

Happy Birthday, Jimmy Blanton!

Source: Riffs on Jazz by John Anderson
October 6, 2010

Bassist Jimmy Blanton was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on this date in 1918. He was the first great innovative jazz double bassist, known mainly for his recordings with Duke Ellington from 1939 to 1941. Before Blanton, the bass was used primarily to lay down the beat and provide the harmonic underpinnings for a tune. Blanton played his bass as a harmonic instrument, using both plucking and bowing techniques to create what have been described as “horn-like" solos. Ellington provided plenty ...

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Interview

Interview: Clark Terry (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
October 6, 2010

What makes Clark Terry more special than dozens of other trumpet and flugelhorn players? Many newcomers to jazz ask that question when listening to Clark's recordings. Rather than provide the answer, I decided to call saxophone legend Hal McKusick last evening for an insider's perspective. Hal first recorded with Clark in 1956 in a big band Quincy Jones assembled for a series of Dinah Washington sessions for Mercury and EmArcy. Hal and Clark have played together in bands and groups ...

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Interview

YolanDa Brown: A Jazz Saxophonist with Affiliation in Academia

Source: JamaicaMusic Offbeat
October 6, 2010

Jazz has a preponderance of musicians of high academic achievements who have PhDs, Masters, Bachelors degree behind their names. Maybe the converse holds that high academic achievers, who are musicians, are invariably attracted to this great and wonderful music. A recent addition to the list of A-Graders is YolanDa Brown, British born jazz saxophonist, 2008 MOBO Award Winner “Best Jazz," 2008 Urban Music Award Nominee “Best Jazz," Women in Entertainment and Arts Award 2009 “Best Musician," who recently been awarded ...

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Interview

"It Isn't a Great Reset, Just an Evolution," Says Lee Parsons, Ceo of Ditto Music; Interview Part 2

Source: HypeBot
October 5, 2010

Last week I posted part one of my interview with Lee Parsons, the CEO of Ditto Music. In the second half of this segment Parsons talks about the different types of artists, the economic reset in the record industry, and how the laptop generation is changing digital music. Why must artists embrace 'as much chaos as they can stand' with new technology and let it transform their role as cultural creators? Lee Parsons : There are three types of artists. ...

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Interview

Interview: Clark Terry (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
October 5, 2010

Clark Terry is one of the most prolific living jazz musicians, having appeared on a staggering 905 known recording sessions. On trumpet, he probably is the most recorded in history. To give you a sense of how many sessions 905 is, Ernie Royal appeared on 661, Louis Armstrong on 629 sessions, Harry “Sweets" Edison on 563, Conrad Gozzo on 547 and Dizzy Gillespie on 501. In some cases, Clark was recording weekly, month after month. Clark spent the 1950s in ...

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