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Video / DVD

Dexter Gordon's Ballads (1946-'52)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 4, 2021

Dexter Gordon in the late 1940s and early '50s was best known for jumpers such as The Chase, The Hunt and Dexter's Deck. But among his many high-energy 78s are a handful of ballads that show off his yearning, romantic tone. Here are five Dexter Gordon ballads and a bonus track: Here's Gordon in New York playing I Can't Escape From You in January 1946, with Bud Powell (p), Curly Russell (b) and Max Roach (d)... Here's Gordon in Hollywood ...

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Video / DVD

Gene Ammons' Ballads (1950-'53)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 3, 2021

Jazz has a long history of tenor saxophone pairings. The list includes Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin, and Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray. Such duos initially began as improvisational battles, which were popular in clubs and then on recordings. My favorite tenor duelists were Gene “Jug" Ammons and Sonny Stitt. Both started out recording in Billy Eckstine's orchestra in 1945 and reunited in smaller groups each of them led in 1950 when they recorded ...

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Video / DVD

Sonny Stitt's Ballads (1950-'51)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
February 2, 2021

Between 1949 and 1952, Sonny Stitt recorded for Prestige Records. His playing was sensational—on tenor, alto and baritone saxophones. Of particular note during this period were his ballads. Here are nine of them: Here's Ain't Misbehavin', with Kenny Drew (p), Tommy Potter (b) and Art Blakey (d), in February 1950... Here's Mean to Me, from the same session... Here's Stairway to the Stars, from the same session... Here's Count Every Star, with Duke Jordan (p) Eugene Wright (b) Wesley Landers ...

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Video / DVD

3 Don Patterson Ballads

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 29, 2021

When I started collecting Don Patterson albums in the early 1970s, I'd buy them without hearing the music first on the radio. Always a daring move back then, since you couldn't return what you didn't like. If you sliced open the plastic, you owned it. The reason I made these purchases with such confidence is that Patterson nearly always included at least one ballad on his albums. That, for me, was where the action was. Patterson's intros on ballads raised ...

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Video / DVD

Teddy Charles and Two Bookers

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 28, 2021

Teddy Charles was a heavy hitter. A vibraphonist, composer, arranger and a producer, Teddy could swing as easily as he could explore modal territory with his groups. When I started this blog back in 2007, there were a number of musicians I wanted to interview first. Among them were Danny Bank, Hal McKusick, Sol Schlinger and Teddy Charles—cats who were largely unrecognized by the jazz media but were on the coolest records. All gave me great interviews that you'll find ...

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Video / DVD

A Day for 10 Jazz-Folk Clips

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 21, 2021

For some reason, today feels like we need some jazz-folk to remind us all what's most important—country, freedom, truth and respecting our differences. Here are 10 jazz-folk clips: Here's Brother John Sellers' Down By the Riverside in 1954, with Sir Charles Thompson (p), Freddie Green (g), Walter Page (b) and Jo Jones (d)... Here's Kitty White singing Ten Thousand Miles in 1956... Here's Fred Katz's Old Paint from Folk Songs for Far Out Folk in 1958, with Fred Katz (cello), ...

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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A Dave Weckl Sampler

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
January 17, 2021

This week, StLJN salutes drummer and St. Charles native Dave Weckl, who celebrated his 61st birthday earlier this month on Friday, January 8. First gaining wide recognition in the mid-1980s as a sideman with Chick Corea, Weckl over the course of his career has become a very popular and oft-imitated drummer and bandleader, with fans all over the world. So today—slightly delayed, as this post was bumped last week to make room for a tribute to the late David “Red" ...

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Video / DVD

Duke Jordan: First Trio Session

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 14, 2021

Pianist Duke Jordan has always been exceptional. At age 25, in 1947, he began playing and recording with the Charlie Parker Quintet, which included Miles Davis (tp), Tommy Potter (b) and Max Roach (d). As a bebop pianist, Jordan's genius was his ability to operate on three levels at once. He kept superb time on the keyboard, on ballads or hell-raisers; he had a terrific sense of space, pausing momentarily in places to let the sound settle in the ear; ...

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