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StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Catherine Russell & John Pizzarelli pay tribute to "Billie & Blue Eyes"
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Today, StLJN's video spotlight shines on singer Catherine Russell and singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli, who are coming to St. Louis to present their show “Billie & Blue Eyes" starting Wednesday, May 22 through Sunday, May 26 at Jazz St. Louis. Both Russell and Pizzarelli are well-known as headliners in their own right, with Pizzarelli being a particular local favorite thanks to multiple St. Louis appearances over the last couple of decades. They first joined forces last year to create ...
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Playing Like Jim Hall
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Guitarist Jim Hall had a way with notes. His improvisational style often involved taking a song apart and reassembling it in jagged pieces. He enjoyed the dissonances as much as the resolutions, and below it all was the most swinging, seductive rhythm. Jim was a huge inspiration for many guitarists and still is. Here are seven guitarists playing Jim Hall transcriptions: Here's Michael Shepherd playing Jim's intro to I've Got You Under My Skin on his Intermodulation album with with ...
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Sing Along With Armstrong And Parker
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Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
Permit me to tell you how my yesterday went. It went badly. Here’s why. I prepared a Rifftides post that included a video. After the preliminary work and I was ready to post, I got a “video unavailable” notification. I settled on another post, put it together and got a second “video unavailable” message. So, I decided to bring you a couple of videos that I was reasonably certain would be available. They were. They contain recordings that are part ...
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Pedro Biker: Danish Evergreens
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Taking a deep dive into Sahib Shihab's discography a couple of weeks ago, I came across an odd name. While Shihab lived in Denmark in the 1960s, he recorded two albums in Copenhagen backing a singer named Pedro Biker. Pedro Biker? At first, I thought the name might be a pseudonym for a famous American singer who was in Denmark on tour and wanted to sit in with expatriate jazz musicians. I also assumed the pseudonym was a brand of ...
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Lem Winchester: Lem's Beat
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Vibraphonist Lem Winchester emerged at the tail end of the 1950s, recording his first leadership album in 1958. He would record only six albums under his name and about eight as a sideman. Music was a second career for Winchester. For 10 years prior to becoming a professional musician, he was a police officer in Wilmington, Del., and carried a Colt service revolver. Winchester's best album is Lem's Beat. Recorded for Prestige's New Jazz label in April 1960, the album ...
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Lorez Alexandria: Sings Pres
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Lorez Alexandria was a superb singer in the Sarah Vaughan mold. Alexandria recorded more than 20 albums over a 36-year period starting in 1957. Why she isn't a household name today is beyond me. Perhaps it was the smaller labels she was on or her decision to cling to Chicago, a lesser media market, for much of her career. Or maybe one Sarah Vaughan was sufficient. There are no bad Alexandria albums. All have a hip, confident charm. One of ...
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StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Snarky Puppy's eclectic collective
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week, it's time to check out some videos of jazz/funk/world/fusion band Snarky Puppy, who will be returning to St. Louis to perform Sunday, May 19 at Atomic Cowboy's outdoor pavilion. Sometimes described as “a loose collective" under the leadership of bassist and founder Michael League, with a lineup that can range in size from seven or eight musicians up to 25, Snarky Puppy draws on an eclectic mix of influences- most notably jazz and funk, but also a variety ...
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When Bop Meant Business
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Bebop officially emerged in 1945 when Dizzy Gillsepie recorded Be-Bop (also known as Dizzy's Fingers). The jazz press didn't start using the term until 1946 to define an entire genre of emerging music. While bop continued to develop in New York and Los Angeles, it wasn't until late 1948 and '49 that the jazz style hit its popularity peak. Why 1949? For one, the American Federation of musicians and the record labels had finally come to an agreement on contributions ...
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