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Chick Webb, the Savoy King
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
Before Chick Webb died in 1939 at the age of 30, he established himself as a model for jazz drumming and his band as a gold standard of swing that humbled even Count Basie and Benny Goodman. In addition, Webb discovered Ella Fitzgerald. He became her mentor, guardian and protector as she developed from a street kid into a great singer. “If it wasn’t for Chick, we wouldn’t have had Ella,” arranger and composer Van Alexander says in a new ...
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Jazz Vocalist Bob Rawleigh Covers The Beach Boys, Stephen Bishop, And Other Pop Icons On New CD
Source:
Lauren Rogers
Q: When did you decide to become a singer? A: I actually started singing at 12-years-old and have loved singing ever since. Q: Was jazz always your primary music of choice? A: R&B was my first love. Then I was encouraged by my vocal coaches in my 20s to listen to Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Jack Jones, and Andy Williams. These were some of the great vocal crooners who had great style and vocal excellence. I started ...
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Interview: Mike Stoller (Part 4)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Songwriters Mike Stoller and the late Jerry Leiber wrote Hound Dog and K.C. Lovin' (Kansas City) in Los Angeles in 1952 just as Gerry Mulligan was forming his pianoless quartet with Chet Baker a few miles away. My point is that Mike may be among the most significant living figures in the evolution of post-war R&B and early rock 'n' roll. Mike, along with Leiber, crafted musical ideas that didn't really exist yet, nor was there a large marketplace for ...
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Interview: Mike Stoller (Part 3)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Epic songs are always in the air. Unless you're keenly aware of those songs, you probably aren't even aware of how many times you hear them. For example, Stand by Me—written by Ben E. King, Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber—is the third most-played BMI song on the radio and TV since the organization's founding in 1940. After writing my profile of Mike for the Wall Street Journal (go here), I had my doubts but my ears were highly trained to ...
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Paul Desmond: 35 Years
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
Every May 30 of the nearly seven-year history of this web log I have posted an observance of the passing of Paul Desmond. As the staff and I were puzzling over a new approach on this 35th anniversary of his death, Rifftides reader Svetlana Ilicheva wrote from Moscow with her translation of part of a Russian jazz musician and columnist’s appreciation of Desmond. Paul Desmond is well-remembered and highly valued here in Russia by genuine jazz lovers. On the Russian ...
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Keyboardist Jacques Mignault Of Groove55: From Canada To The Billboard Jazz Charts
Source:
Lauren Rogers
Q: How and when did Groove55 form? A: Groove55 was founded in late 2009 when bassist Yves Nadeau and I committed to develop a group in the smooth jazz style of music. Actually we realized that this is what we had been doing all along. We immediately invited Yves Adam, one of the best saxophone players in Montreal, to join us. We changed drummers after a year and now Daniel Lemay is playing with us. Q: How would you describe ...
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Interview: Mike Stoller (Part 2)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
If you close your eyes, songwriter Mike Stoller sounds remarkably like comedian Larry David. The tone is distinctly New York—insistent and street smart. But unlike David, Mike's voice has tones that are more nasal and much gentler, the result of an upbringing in Queens, a borough of New York that's halfway to the suburbs of Long Island. Mike likes things simple, and leaves the angst and analysis to others. One senses that he likes to keep things light, relying on ...
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Profile: Violinist Marissa Licata - From Alicia Keys To Recording A New Album With Her Father
Source:
Lauren Rogers
Q: When would you say triggered your passion for music? How old were you at the time? A: My passion for music probably started before I began playing at three. There was always music in the house because of my father. The age that I recognized a serious passion was probably around age six. I had already been playing violin for three years, and I remember listening to Handel's “Messiah" one evening while playing cards with my father. This amazing ...
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