Home » Jazz News
Video / DVD News
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, concert series, special events, job postings, crowdfunding campaigns and more. You can find more news by searching our website, viewing our news stream, seeing what's trending or reading our blog posts. Subscribe to our news RSS feed and/or embed AAJ news content on your website or blog. Learn about our news service here. Submit news here.
StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Christian McBride's New Jawn
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week, let's take a look at some videos of bassist Christian McBride's New Jawn, who will be in St. Louis to perform starting this coming Wednesday, November 29 through Sunday, December 2 at Jazz St. Louis. A man of many musical projects, McBride has played at the Bistro several times in recent years with both his trio and his Inside Straight quintet, and also leads a big band, which hasn't toured extensively for the usual economic reasons, but won ...
Continue Reading
Thanksgiving, 2018
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
This is a national holiday in the United States, important ever since the newly arrived Pilgrims and the native Wampanoag gave thanks in 1621. To Americans observing it, the Rifftides staff sends wishes for a Happy holiday. To readers in the US and around the world: thank you for your interest, readership and comments, which are always welcome. To those who treasure memories of Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts holiday specials from your childhood—or maybe your adulthood—this may be familiar. Happy Thanksgiving, ...
Continue Reading
Audio Clips: By the Fireside
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
The same English songwriter and bandleader who gave us Cherokee, The Touch of Your Lips and The Very Thought of You, among others, wrote By the Fireside with Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly. Composed in London in 1931, the song was published in the U.S. that same year by Robbins Music. Noble was first to record the song in London with his New Mayfair Dance Orchestra on January 8, 1932, with Al Bowlly singing the vocal. American bands quickly followed, ...
Continue Reading
Hot Track: Venus De Milo
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In 1949, Gerry Mulligan arranged a song he wrote called Venus de Milo for the Miles Davis Nonet, better known now as the Birth of the Cool Band. The group recorded the song in April of that year. Eight years later, the song was recorded again in early December of 1957 by an octet. The album was The Gerry Mulligan Songbook Vol. 1 and featured a killer lineup of players: Lee Konitz (as); Allen Eager (ts); Zoot Sims (as,ts); Al ...
Continue Reading
Bill Holman: Octets, 1950s
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
One of my favorite West Coast jazz arrangers is Bill Holman. His pen is absolutely gorgeous for ensembles of all sizes, from quintets to big bands. While listening to Richie Kamuca albums in 1956 and '57 yesterday, I was thunderstruck by an octet session Bill played on and arranged. Which made me think about how superb all of Bill's many octet sessions are—whether he's playing in one or or arranging. So I dipped into Tom Lord's Jazz Discography to count ...
Continue Reading
StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Dee Dee Bridgewater goes back to Memphis
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week, StLJN's video spotlight shines on singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, who will be in St. Louis to perform next Saturday, November 17 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Long known as one of the top female jazz singers of her generation, Bridgewater went in a different musical direction for her most recent album, Memphis... Yes, I'm Ready, which came out last year and features her takes on famous soul and blues tunes associated with her hometown. On the album and ...
Continue Reading
Doc: The Nocturnal Julie London
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Recently over a weekend, I posted a few video clips of Julie London singing and appearing on the TV game show What's My Line? Many of you unfamiliar with London wrote to me fully understanding why I would write that she's my favorite female vocalist of the 1950s and '60s. As I noted, London's voice is the hippest, the coolest and the most detached and nocturnal. Forget her cinema looks. More important was her artistic integrity, her humility and her rejection ...
Continue Reading
