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Recording

Trombonist Reggie Watkins's "Avid Admirer: The Jimmy Knepper Project" Set For July 15 Release

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
June 30, 2016

Trombonist Reggie Watkins had the opportunity to meet trombone master Jimmy Knepper just once, shortly before Knepper’s death in June 2003. Watkins was performing in his native Wheeling, WV with Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau Band, and Knepper, himself a Ferguson alumnus, was in the audience. The older musician complimented Watkins after the concert and shook his hand. Little did Watkins realize that a series of remarkable circumstances ten years later would lead him to record an album of Knepper ...

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Recording

Sinatra: Strangers in the Night 2

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 1, 2016

Yesterday, I posted about Frank Sinatra's single, Strangers in the Night, which went to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week in 1966. I also included a link to my Wall Street Journal essay on the song and album. Included in yesterday's post was my complete interview with Jimmy Bowen, who produced the single and shed some light on why Sinatra wasn't crazy about the song and why he avoided it in future concerts. Today, I want to ...

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Recording

Guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos Releases "In The North" - Out Now

Source: Tassos Spiliotopoulos
June 30, 2016

In the North is the third album by guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos and his first since his relocation from London to Stockholm. Originally from Athens, Greece, Tassos Spiliotopoulos spent the better part of twelve years living in London and establishing a solid reputation as one of the most exciting, up-and-coming guitarists in the UK Jazz scene. He worked with some of the country's most celebrated jazz musicians including Kenny Wheeler, Gary Husband, Asaf Sirkis, John Parricelli, John Etheridge and appeared in ...

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Recording

Sinatra: Strangers in the Night

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 30, 2016

In the Wall Street Journal today, I write on Frank Sinatra's Strangers in the Night—the single and the album (go here). Fifty years ago this week, the single went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album soon a chart topper in July, resulting in four Grammys the following year. For the article, I tracked down Jimmy Bowen, the song's legendary producer, and Artie Kane, the organist who gave the album its fresh and snarky pop feel. ...

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Recording

Guitarist Kevin Golden Releases Debut CD "Pelham Parkway"

Source: All About Jazz
June 29, 2016

Jazz guitarist, Kevin Golden releases his debut CD Pelham Parkway. This marks Golden's first recording as a leader, and features seven original tunes penned by him paying homage to the legendary organ trio sounds of Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, and Wes Montgomery. Kevin Golden is on guitar, along with Akiko Tsuruga on organ, and Peter Grant on drums. The session was recorded at the legendary Tedesco Studios in Paramus, NJ, by Tommy Tedesco in February 2016. Golden is a long ...

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Recording

West Coast Jazz: Early Sounds

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 29, 2016

West Coast jazz has no real beginning and no specific founder. It's a sound that evolved from a range of influences, including Lester Young's relaxed sound on the tenor saxophone, Count Basie's swing and classical counterpoint. But West Coast jazz is also a product of experiences, including the beach breezes, the vastness and tranquilizing effect of the Pacific Ocean, the car culture, and the optimism of suburbia. When I interviewed Howard Rumsey in 2009, the bassist who managed The Lighthouse ...

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Recording

Monday Recommendation: Charlie Parker

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
June 29, 2016

Charlie Parker, Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes (Verve) Charlie Parker has never disappeared from the consciousness of serious jazz listeners. This two-CD collection, due out on Friday, could go a long way toward helping new generations discover the stunning purity and power of Parker’s creativity. Subtitled “The Unissued Takes,” the album brings together 69 unissued tracks and released masters that the alto saxophonist recorded for the Verve label from 1949 to 1952. For close listeners, annoyance at the stop-and-go sequence ...

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Recording

John Coltrane: Speak Low

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 27, 2016

John Coltrane recorded Speak Low only once in the studio, during Sonny Clark's Sonny's Crib album session for Blue Note on Sept. 1, 1957. What's notable about the recording session is that it took place 14 days before Coltrane's sole leadership date for Blue Note—Blue Train, an album widely regarding among his most important recordings. What makes Speak Low special is Coltrane's attack along with the suburb musicians on the date—Donald Byrd (tp), Curtis Fuller (tb), John Coltrane (ts), Sonny ...

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