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Weekend Extra: Meet The Mrudangam
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
There may be a longshot chance that you are unfamiliar with the mrudangam. It is a South Indian percussion instrument that Rajna Swaminathan has introduced into American music since she became a part of the New York City jazz community in 2011. She is a protégé of the renowned mrudangam maestro, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman and tours with him and other Indian musicians. She also collaborates with prominent jazz artists based in New York, including the influential pianist Vijay Iyer, himself ...
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Gigi Gryce + Richard Williams
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Last week, I posted on composer-arranger and alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce and his Jazz Lab partnership with trumpeter Donald Byrd in 1957. I also mentioned that that their union came to an end when Byrd went off to Paris for six months starting in July 1958. Upon his return in December, Byrd began recording as a leader for Blue Note, starting with Off to the Races. Today I want to pick up with the Gryce storyline. In the year that ...
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Pianist Romain Collin Releases Sixth Video In #taurussesh Series
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Romain Collin releases another new video in #TaurusSesh, a series of intimate videos in which he explores the vast musical possibilities offered by his unique combination of acoustic piano, vocal loops and textures, and the bass synthesizer Moog Taurus. “Blackbird“ features Collin and Gregoire Maret on harmonica in The Beatles classic tune. Videos showcase spontaneous collaborations with special guests including Sachal Vasandani, Grey McMurray, Christina Courtin, Gregoire Maret and Yosvany Terry. In addition to the #TaurusSesh project, Collin's forthcoming trio ...
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StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: It's "Go Time" for Grace Kelly
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week, let's check out some videos featuring saxophonist and singer Grace Kelly, who's coming to St. Louis to perform starting Wednesday, February 13 through Sunday, February 17 at Jazz St. Louis. Already a music business veteran at age 26, Kelly grew up in the Boston area, recording and releasing her first album when she was just 12 years old. She subsequently earned her GED at 16, and went on to study at the New England Conservatory and Berklee, graduating ...
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Art Farmer on Prestige: 1953-'55
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Much attention by jazz fans has been paid to the Blue Note label, and deservedly so. But the first half of the 1950s really belongs to Bob Weinstock and Prestige. While Prestige album 10-inch covers weren't as beautifully designed as those by Paul Bacon at Blue Note, the music released on Prestige between 1951 and 1955 was far more significant. The early 1950s was the dawn of the long-playing 33 1/3 record. The format was invented in 1948 by Columbia ...
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Gigi Gryce: Jazz Lab
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
The year 1957 was a bountiful one for Gigi Gryce. The alto saxophonist teamed with trumpeter Donald Byrd and formed the Jazz Lab, a group that allowed Gryce to record and perform his compositions and those by other artists with a particular feel and with varying tempos and moods. From February to September 1957, Gryce and Byrd recorded Jazz Lab albums for five different labels—Columbia, Riverside, Verve, Jubilee and RCA. Gryce, like Tadd Dameron, Quincy Jones, Benny Golson and Horace ...
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Pianist Romain Collin Releases Fifth Video In #taurussesh Series
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Romain Collin releases another new video in #TaurusSesh, a series of intimate videos in which he explores the vast musical possibilities offered by his unique combination of acoustic piano, vocal loops and textures, and the bass synthesizer Moog Taurus. “You Held Me Up“ features Collin with vocalist and songwriter Christina Courtin. Videos showcase spontaneous collaborations with special guests including Sachal Vasandani, Grey McMurray, Christina Courtin, Gregoire Maret and Yosvany Terry. In addition to the #TaurusSesh project, Collin's forthcoming trio recording ...
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Alice Darr: Feature Story
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In January, I posted on obscure singer Alice Darr, who recorded her first album in 1962. While researching another subject recently, I came across a feature on the singer in the Cumberland News in Cumberland, Md., from January 31 1963. The headline was “Local Singer to Record Second LP Album Soon." It's hard to know why Darr wasn't a bigger name except that labels had shifted to rock and soul, leaving her stranded in jazz. Here's the article typed out... ...
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