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Lester Young on Verve
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Lester Young was born on August 27, 1909 and died March 15, 1959. Known as Prez or Pres (short for President, a nickname Billie Holiday gave him), the tenor saxophonist was famous for his cool and airy relaxed style that modernized the tenor saxophone. Instead of improvising with an aggressive, vertical chopping approach, his sound was more horizontal, like a flat rock being skimmed along the top of a still lake. As a result, his notes lingered and seemed to ...
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Videos: Three Ellington Reeds
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Duke Ellington was a tonal impressionist. Each musician in his band had two functions—to be able to play and to have a special sound. Taken as a whole, his orchestral pieces were like canvases, with different hues layered on top of each other. Here are three of Ellington's top saxophonists on solo showcases, providing an opportunity to hear their distinct sounds isolated: Here's Ben Webster on Chelsea Bridge... Here's Harry Carney on Sophisticated Lady... And here's Johnny Hodges on I ...
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Charlie Parker at 100: Part 5
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
This week, I've been celebrating Charlie Parker's centenary on August 29 by posting on the alto saxophonist's five major contributions to jazz and the culture at large. In Part 1, I posted about Parker's invention, with Dizzy Gillespie, of bebop in 1945. In Part 2, I posted on Parker's popularization of high-speed improvisation. In Part 3, I posted on how Parker turned the blues into a seductive, lyrical form. And in Part 4, I posted on Parker's pioneering albums with ...
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Charlie Parker at 100: Part 4
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
This week, I'm celebrating Charlie Parker's upcoming centenary on August 29 by posting on what I believe are the alto saxophonist's five major contributions to jazz and the culture in general. In Part 1, I posted about Parker's invention of bebop with Dizzy Gillespie in 1945. In Part 2, I posted on Parker's popularization of high-speed improvisation. In Part 3, I posted on how Parker turned the blues into a seductive, lyrical form. Today, I'm posting on how Parker became ...
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Charlie Parker at 100: Part 3
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In celebration of Charlie Parker's centenary on August 29, I'm spending the week posting on five major accomplishments by the alto saxophonist. On Monday, I posted about Parker's invention with Dizzy Gillespie in 1945 of a transformative genre of improvised jazz that became known as bebop. On Tuesday, I posted about Parker's popularization of high-speed and complex improvisation. Today, I'm looking at Parker's unique ability to make the blues charismatic and seductive with his round tone and fluidity. In the ...
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Charlie Parker at 100: Part 1
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 29 will mark Charlie Parker's centenary—the 100th anniversary of his birth. The alto saxophonist was a critically important revolutionary and remains essential listening today for five historical reasons: First, he helped invent bebop in 1945, a jazz form that shifted the focus from bands and bandleaders to individuals. Second, he helped invent a new way of playing based on high-speed improvisation. Third, he lyricized the blues, creating dozens of new memorable melodies. Fourth, he united modern jazz and pop ...
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Charlie Parker at 100: Part 2
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Yesterday, in Part 1 of this series, I posted about the five reasons why Charlie Parker was such an important jazz figure. I also posted about his first accomplishment, the invention of bebop with Dizzy Gillespie in 1945. Today, let's look at the second reason—his ability to improvise fluidly at a high speed. Speed was essential to bebop for several reasons. First, jam sessions held at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem in the early 1940s was a laboratory for bebop's inventors, ...
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Thad, Hank and Elvin Jones
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
It's not surprising that Thad Jones, Hank Jones and Elvin Jones were jazz musicians. What is astonishing is that all three were exceptional, each with a distinctive and accomplished playing and recording career. By my count, the three brothers recorded together four times, on Keeping Up With the Joneses (1958), Herb Geller's Gypsy (1959) and Elvin Jones's And Then Again (1965) and Midnight Walk (1966). The first album was their best. Recorded for Metrojazz, an MGM subsidiary, in May 1958, ...
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