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Perfection: Quincy Jones - Funk Junction
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
On December 7, 1954, Quincy Jones was conducting a band playing his arrangements backing vocalese artist King Pleasure. During the session for Prestige, two Jones instrumentals were slipped in—"You're Crying" and “Funk Junction." The additions were either needed to complete the album because there weren't enough King Pleasure tracks—or there was time remaining on the session and Jones figured he'd use the spare minutes to squeeze out B-sides for King Pleasure's A-sidees for jukeboxes. Or both assumptions may have be ...
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Stan Getz: Six New Videos
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Fortunately for us, Stan Getz was one of the most documented jazz saxophonists on videotape during concerts both here and abroad. Six clips of Getz that recently went up at YouTube: Here's Stan Getz and trumpeter Chet Baker with Jim McNeely (p), George Mraz (b) and Victor Lewis (d) in Stockholm in 1983... Here's Getz playing Wayne Shorter's Infant Eyes, with Getz (ts), Andy LaVerne (p), Mike Richmond (b), Billy Hart (d) and Efrain Toro (perc) in Oslo, Norway, on ...
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Duke Ellington at 125 Years Young
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
April 29 marked the 125th anniversary of Duke Ellington's birth in 1899. Catching the Ellington bug over the weekend, I figured what better way to kick off the week than with seven celebratory video clips and a bonus album: Here's Ellington conducting the Dick Cavett band on August 8, 1969. Bill Kirchner sent this one along. The band included Duke Ellington (p); George Duvivier (b); Bobby Rosengarden (d,leader); Joe Wilder and Ernie Royal (tp); Boomie Richman (b-cl,ts); Harvey Estrin (lead ...
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Backgrounder: Frank Rosolino - Frankly Speaking
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
In 1954, as the recording industry expanded to meet increased demand, Stan Kenton was keen on retaining key members of his orchestra. Many of these top artists were restless to make names for themselves and lead recording sessions. To keep them in the fold, Kenton launched an album series for Capitol under the banner “Stan Kenton Presents." The series gave exceptional members of his musical family exactly what they wanted while still branding the recordings with his name and helping ...
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10 Clips: João Bosco at Birdland Next Week
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
João Bosco, Brazil's legendary master of bossa nova and post-bossa nova pop known as música popular Brasileira will be making a rare appearance at New York's Birdland club next week, June 4-8. He'll be joined by Ricardo Silveira (guitar), Guto Wirtti (bass) and Kiko Freitas (drums). I don't know how producer Pat Philips does it, but she always manages to bring the finest Brazilian masters to New York each year, and this run won't disappoint. Bosco's voice and guitar will ...
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Stan Getz: Copenhagen Unissued Session 1977
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
On January 29, 1977, tenor saxophonist Stan Getz was in Copenhagen, Denmark, performing at the city's famed Jazzhus Montmartre club. He was joined by Joanne Brackeen (p,el-p), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (b) and Billy Hart (d). The next day, the quartet went into a studio in Copenhagen and recorded an album for SteepleChase Records. The club material from the 29th was released as Live At Montmartre, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2: Stan Getz Quartet. The studio session tapes from the 30th ...
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Backgrounder: Jazz Sounds From Peter Gunn
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
One could argue that Henry Mancini picked up where Bill Holman left off. As noted earlier this week, Bill's arrangements for recordings captured the sound of 1950s Los Angeles' jazzy cool, with his charts clutch-shifting like brand-new cars cruising the region's many freeways. Mancini's music, by contrast, was for TV and the movies, and captured the city's jazzy, sleek elegance as well as the cool of stardom and wealth. In effect, Mancini widened out Holman's sound of catchy melodies using ...
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17 Favorite 1950s Clips by Bill Holman
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
As an arranger, the late Bill Holman} knew how to set 'em up and knock 'em down. His arrangements always began with a relatively simple melodic idea, which he then whipped up into a flaming meringue, holding dear to the original concept. He loved to put the reeds in play, setting them off with call-and-response harmony motifs from the horns. What mattered most was the build, the steady march toward a crescendo. To pay tribute to Bill, I've chosen 17 ...
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