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Video / DVD

Doug Raney: Phantom Guitarist

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 26, 2015

When talk turns to the finest guitarists of the post-war years, Jimmy Raney often is overlooked. So is his son, Doug. Jimmy Raney was born in Louisville, Ky., in 1927, and watched his mother play guitar in the 1930s. Raney studied with guitarist Hayden Causey, eventually replacing him in Jerry Wald's band, where he made his first recordings in 1944. In Chicago he worked with pianist Lou Levy and then joined Woody Herman in 1948. After leaving Herman's orchestra in ...

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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The provocative piano of Matthew Shipp

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
March 22, 2015

This week, let's take a look at some videos featuring pianist Matthew Shipp, who's coming to St. Louis for a duo concert with bassist Michael Bisio that will be presented by New Music Circle next Saturday, March 28 at The Stage at KDHX. Shipp, who played here most recently in 2011 at 560 Music Center, emerged in the 1990s as one of the most provocative pianists of his generation, capable of both pointillist, jagged-sounding improvisations and lush, classically influenced romanticism. ...

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Video / DVD

Hall, Pass and Alexander

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 18, 2015

The late 1960s and early 1970s are often viewed as jazz's skid row—a depressed time when rock, pop and soul came to dominate the music scene and the present and future seemed hopelessly grim for aging improvisers. The truth is not all jazz albums then were pop hybrids or jazz-rock experiments. Three examples of jazz brilliance at work were recorded for Germany's MPS label and have just been re-issued by Edel AG, an independent German music and entertainment group that ...

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Video / DVD

Baseball Organists Play Ball

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 17, 2015

With Major League Baseball's opening day coming up on April 6, I figured a little history on the baseball stadium organ would be in order. The organ made its leap from silent-movie theaters to sporting arenas in 1929, during a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game. The idea for installing an organ to entertain and pep-up the crowd came from a guy named Paddy Harmon, a dance-hall promoter who helped finance the construction of Chicago Stadium, home of the Blackhawks. Not to ...

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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Six from Kneebody

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
March 15, 2015

This week, our video showcase features some clips from Kneebody, who will be making their St. Louis debut this coming Wednesday, March 18 through Saturday, March 21 at Jazz at the Bistro. Formed in 2001, Kneebody includes four former students at the Eastman School of Music—trumpeter Shane Endsley, saxophonist Ben Wendel, bassist Kaveh Rastegar and keyboard player Adam Benjamin - plus drummer Nate Wood, who met Benjamin when the keyboardist transferred to CalArts. After graduating from Eastman, the other members ...

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Video / DVD

Kenny Werner “Effortless Mastery: The 4 Steps” Instructional Video Released By JazzHeaven.com

Source: Falk Willis
March 9, 2015

Kenny Werner is a rare musician who is known as much for his teachings and wisdom as for his piano playing and composing. He has played with Joe Lovano, Betty Buckley, Mel Lewis, Bob Brookmeyer, Toots Thielemans, Randy Brecker, and many more. Kenny has been the leader of his own bands since the late 1970s and written for jazz orchestras and classical orchestras around the world. He is the author of the landmark book “Effortless Mastery” (over 90,000 copies sold)—now ...

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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spring 2015 jazz preview, bonus edition

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
March 8, 2015

With both New Music Circle and Jazz at the Bistro recently announcing some additions to their respective spring schedules, today let's check out some some video samples of those bands and musicians coming here in those just-announced performances. First up are pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist Michael Bisio, who will be playing a concert presented by NMC on Saturday, March 28 at The Stage at KDHX. The video at the top of this post shows them performing a full set ...

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Video / DVD

Corky Hale at Vitello's

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 5, 2015

In the '50s and '60s, Corky Hale recorded with Clark Terry, Kitty White and Herbie Harper. She's on Chet Baker Sings and Plays with Bud Shank, Russ Freeman and Strings, most of the Ella Fitzgerald songbook albums, and she accompanied Anita O'Day and June Christy on albums as well as Billie Holiday in Las Vegas and on Bobby Troup's Stars of Jazz TV show. In fact, Corky has accompanied every major singer, including Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, and she ...

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