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Bud Shank and Valve Trombones
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In 1954 and 1955, Bud Shank recorded two 10-inch albums for the Pacific Jazz label that teamed him with valve trombones. The LPs were Bud Shank and Three Trombones and Bud Shank and Bob Brookmeyer. These recordings remain potent early examples of West Coast optimism, technical prowess and a sound that still raises hairs. What you hear in these artists is a hunger and excitement for the new music as well as swinging personal ambition. After all, the West Coast ...
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Q&A with Cuong Vu of Speak
Source:
Michael Ricci
Forward-thinking trumpeter Cuong Vu has performed with the likes of Pat Metheny, Laurie Anderson and David Bowie. He's toured the world and released four albums under his own name. After a stint in New York, Vu moved back to the Northwest, where he is now assistant professor of jazz studies at the University of Washington.
It's there at UW that he coached an ensemble that included members of Speak. After mentoring the students -- saxophonist Andrew Swanson, keyboardist ...
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Pat Metheny Talks "Orchestrion": Extended Q&A
Source:
Between the Grooves with Philip Booth
I recently connected with guitarist Pat Metheny about his new Orchestrion album and tour. My story, as published in the St. Petersburg Times, is available here. The lengthy extended version is below:
Pat Metheny is nothing if not an inveterate musical explorer. The accomplished guitarist and composer, best known for his commercially successful work with The Pat Metheny Group, has also played straight-ahead jazz with the likes of late saxophonist Michael ...
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Shirley Scott - "Queen of the Organ"
Source:
Riffs on Jazz by John Anderson
Jazz history is riddled with stories about the tragic consequences of drug use. But organist Shirley Scott was certainly the only jazz musician to succumb to the effects of a diet drug. Scott was born in Philadelphia in 1934. She played piano and trumpet before settling in at the Hammond B-3 organ. She was an admirer of fellow Philadelphian Jimmy Smith, as were so many other jazz artists. Scott first came to prominence working with sax great Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis ...
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Ger Van Leeuwen: A Forgotten Jazz Piano Player
Source:
Keep Swinging
A few weeks ago I found in a shop specialized in recycled goods in Middelburg, in the south west part of The Netherlands, a bunch of old 78rpm records - Parlophones, Deccas, Columbias, His Master's Voice, Polydors, Tempos and Omegas - most 1940s and 1950s stuff with US big bands and German Tanzorchester. I selected a couple of records and suggested to pay a few Euros for it. Neem heel de stapel maar ( = Please take them all), the ...
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Louis Vola: Bass Player and Bandleader
Source:
Keep Swinging
If you are an admirer of the music of the Hot Club de France, Louis Vola (1902-1990) will be remembered as one of the bass player of the quintet, like Emmanuel Soudieux (he passed away) and Coleridge Goode, who played after the war in London with Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. Louis Vola played an important part in the first years of the quintet, and not only as a bass player ........ he was also a tireless impresario!Today more ...
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Drummer Stanton Moore Goes to the Heart of Funk
Source:
All About Jazz @ Spinner
By Tad Hendrickson
Swing, clave, or groove is inherent in different kinds of music. While the nuance of each term's meaning is specific to its genre, there's a general overlying idea of a rhythmic sweet spot that makes the music come alive. This is something drummer Stanton Moore has grappled with since he started playing and has continued with as he explored rock, the second-line music of New Orleans and hardcore funk. It carries on to this day as the ...
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Interview: John Bunch (Part 2)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
The late John Bunch is best remembered as an elegant trio pianist. But back in the late 1950s and into the 1960s and 1970s, John played fearlessly in some of the best big bands still touring and recording. The list includes one of the most revered band recordings of the late 1950s, Maynard Ferguson's A Message From Newport. That's his piano on there swinging away on intros and breaks. [Photo of John Bunch in 2003 by Hank O'Neal]
Last year ...
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