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Charles Mingus: Montreux '75
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
On July 20, 1975, Charles Mingus was in Montreux, Switzerland, to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival. He was on tour to promote Changes One and Changes Two, a pair of albums recorded for Atlantic in December 1974. They are among the bassist's finest albums of the decade and were his first studio recordings in the States up until that point in the 1970s. For better or worse, a bulk of Mingus's 1970s albums were concert recordings. Now, Eagle Rock ...
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Barbara Moore: Swinging Pop
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
The British rock invasion of the mid-1960s had a profound effect on American music and the culture at large. For the first time in history, adolescents held sway over the record industry. By decade's end, the generation's influence extended to virtually all corners of the marketplace, and everything became more youthful. Kids no longer wanted to look grown up, and neither did adults. Fashion, car design, home furnishings, dancing, TV, hairstyles became much more sporty. Men who reached their mid-life ...
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Four Videos: Happy Prez Day
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Today is President's Day in the U.S. On this day at JazzWax, we celebrate Lester Young. Billie Holiday called him the President, which was shortened to Pres or Prez. She meant president of the tenor saxophone. If you know nothing about Young but would love to know why he's such a big deal, here it is in a nutshell: Up until Young's solos in the Basie band in 1939 and '40 and more specifically his Aladdin small group leadership sides ...
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Videos: Bossa Nova Legends
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Well, it's Friday once again. So let's tilt our seats back, put up our feet and jet down to Rio. Here are four fab videos of bossa nova founders that I found surfing around on YouTube yesterday: Here's Luiz Bonfa playing his Batucada, Tenderly, Manhã de Carnaval and Menina Flor... Here's João Gilberto playing his Desafinado... Here's Roberto Menescal and Nara Leão playing O Barquinho, O Pato and Manhã de Carnaval... And here's Carlos Lyra with his daughter Kay some ...
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Eddie Bert: Kaleidoscope
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
In the early 1950s, with the 10-inch LP format on the rise, New York had a crew of jazz musicians who were superb studio swingers. They were dependable, driven and could really get feet tapping. Their watering hole was Charlie's Tavern on the west side of Seventh Avenue between 51st and 52nd St., in the Roseland Building. Since Charlie's banned known junkies to limit the theft of horns and fights that often followed, producers used the tavern as a place ...
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"Bill Frisell, A Portrait" Now Available on BluRay, DVD and VOD
Source:
All About Jazz
"Winning Portrait About A Very Nice Guitarist” —New York Times Critics Choice Following a successful year on the festival circuit and cinema runs in New York City and Los Angeles, Australian filmmaker Emma Franz’s intimate and insightful film portrait of renowned virtuoso guitarist and composer Bill Frisell is now avail able on BluRay, DVD and VOD , exclusively from: BillFrisellFilm.com Grammy Award-winner and ten-time Downbeat Guitarist of the Year, Frisell has garnered countless accolades from critics, audiences and peers worldwide. ...
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Harold Mabern: Pisces Calling
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Pianist Harold Mabern has been known for his sideman work. In the 1960s and '70s, he was on Hank Mobley's Dippin', Lee Morgan's The Gigolo, Jackie McLean's Consequence, Blue Mitchell's Bring It Home to Me, Gene Ammons's The Black Cat and Stanley Turrentine's Don't Mess With Mr. T to name a few. Starting in 1968, Mabern also began recording leadership albums with horn players such as George Coleman, Blue Mitchell, Virgil Jones, Lee Morgan, Hubert Laws, among others. Then in ...
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Gene Ammons: Brother Jug!
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
The jazz-rock fusion movement of the late 1960s and '70s elevated electronic instruments, particularly the guitar and keyboards. But while the rock guitar, Fender Rhodes electric piano and synthesizers were front and center in many fusion bands, the saxophone experienced a rebirth in the parallel soul-jazz movement. Sidelined as a solo rock instrument since the rise of the electric guitar in the mid-'50s, the saxophone was once again featured prominently raised its visibility by covering hit songs of soul vocalists. ...
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