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On the Air: Jazz and Beer
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Before beer became the beverage of televised college and professional sports in the U.S., it was most often linked with jazz. For TV and radio advertisers in the 1950s, '60s and the '70s, jazz meant good times, letting go and dancing. Perfect for a few cold ones. After my post yesterday on the late Urbie Green and my inclusion of a Schaefer beer ad Green appeared in, Sid Gribetz sent along a few more jazzy beer ads. I added a ...
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Pianist Romain Collin Releases Third Video In #taurussesh Series
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Romain Collin releases the third 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. The Collin original “Great Ocean Road“ features Collin with drummer Eric Harland. 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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Perfect Album: Pettiford in Hi-Fi
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Back in the 1940s and '50s, Oscar Pettiford was one of the finest jazz bassists and cellists in New York. In the mid-1950s, he formed a big band with top musicians and arrangers and recorded two albums for Creed Taylor's ABC-Paramount label. The albums were Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi, Vol 1. and Vol. 2. The first was recorded in June 1956. The compositions and arrangements on each and every track remain spectacular. The first of the three sessions for ...
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Anita O'Day: August 1960
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In 1952, Norman Granz signed singer Anita O'Day to his Clef label. Clef became Norgran in 1954 and then Verve in 1955. Throughout the 1950s, O'Day recorded more than 20 albums for Granz's labels. Most of the recordings are quite good, but only a few are excellent. Two that stand out are Waiter, Make Mine Blues, arranged by Russ Garcia, and Incomparable, arranged by Bill Holman. Both were recorded in August 1960. The quality of O'Day's seductive voice and magic ...
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The Sammy Nestico Sessions
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
The swingin'est arranger around today is Sammy Nestico. In fact, Sammy probably has held that title since the late 1960s, when he first arranged Count Basie's album Straight Ahead. My first encounter with Sammy's finger-snapping scores was in the early 1970s, when I was in high school. As member of the school's dance band, I recall that Mr. Lowery, the band's teacher and conductor, ordered Sammy's charts for the band. Music parts came in an envelope along with a floppy ...
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Alice Darr and Kevin Gavin
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Guitarist Mundell Lowe was a wonderful arranger with impeccable taste and intimate elegance. This was true of his big-band writing and those for small groups. Recently I posted on his Columbia albums for Joe Mooney (1963), his TV Action Jazz albums (1959), the score for Satan in High Heels (1961), Jerri Winters Again (1962) and J.J. Johnson's Broadway Express (1965). Two more beautiful examples of Mundy's touch were albums for singers in 1962—Alice Darr's I Only Know How to Cry ...
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Perfect Album: Something Else
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
I was going to post today about a “Hot Track" but decided instead to simply start a new feature called “Perfect Album." Yesterday I was listening to Johnny Richards' Something Else, one of my absolute favorite big-band albums. Something Else was recorded for Bethlehem in Hollywood on August 2 and 3, 1956. What made Richards (above) special as an arranger was his fiery romanticism and percussive moodiness. A highly progressive writer, Richards thought big. Really big. And he loved his ...
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Pianist Romain Collin Launches #taurussesh: Intimate video series features Collin and special guests
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Romain Collin has just launched #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. The first clip, the original Collin composition “Raw, Scorched and Untethered," features Collin playing solo. All other videos will showcase spontaneous collaborations with special guests that include Eric Harland, Sachal Vasandani, Grey McMurray, Christina Courtin, Gregoire Maret and Yosvany Terry. In addition to ...
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