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Recording

Blossom Dearie: The Fontana Years, 1966-1970

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 17, 2023

Born in Upstate New York in 1924, Blossom Dearie wasn't really American. The jazz singer, composer, arranger and pianist was more at home in Paris in the 1950s and London in the 1960s. Classically trained as a child, she switched to jazz in high school. After graduation in the early 1940s, Dearie moved to Manhattan and sang in Woody Herman's Blue Flames and with Alvino Rey's Blue Reys. She also recorded with bop vocalist Dave Lambert and pianist Al Haig ...

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Recording

Backgrounder: Lockjaw Davis - Lock, the Fox

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 15, 2023

Tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis recorded two stupendous albums for RCA in 1966. The first was a sextet album called Lock, the Fox in June. The full album without ads surfaced on YouTube a year ago. The other, The Fox and the Hounds, was a big band album recorded in November. The band was essentially Basie's orchestra without Basie, with arrangements by Bobby Plater. Unfortunately, this one seems to have alluded YouTube completely. Both were produced by Brad McCuen, which ...

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Recording

Cuban Vocalist Estrella Acosta Releases New Album 'Tierra'

Source: Estrella Acosta
July 14, 2023

Estrella Acosta, the acclaimed Cuban vocalist, has unveiled her latest album titled Tierra. This vibrant and festive album shines a spotlight on the female songwriters of the Cuban countryside, including Acosta's own captivating compositions. Drawing inspiration from the rich musical heritage of her motherland, 'Tierra' features songs that are deeply rooted in the music of the Cuban countryside. Estrella also provides her personal vision of this tradition, presenting three compositions that reflect her own experiences with music and poetry, including ...

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Recording

Backgrounder: Moacir Santos - Coisas

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 14, 2023

Moacir Santos was a Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist and educator who never became as well known as his peers, including Bola Sete and Baden Powell. While he collaborated on songs with Nara Leão, Roberto Menescal and Sérgio Mendes among others, he privately taught artists who went on to become highly successful global bossa nova singers and songwriters. In 1965, he released Coisas (Things, in English), which combined the new Brazilian beat with big band jazz. The album didn't attract much attention ...

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Recording

Backgrounder: Benny Golson and the Philadelphians

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 13, 2023

What made jazz recordings distinct from most other forms of American music were the different combinations of individuals who came together to to record. The results were often fascinating, with different musical personalities creating both contrasts and harmony as a unit and through improvisation. One such album was Benny Golson and the Philadelphians. Recorded in November and December 1958 for United Artists, the LP featured five players who hailed from Philadelphia: Benny Golson (ts), Lee Morgan (tp), Ray Bryant (p), ...

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Recording

Backgrounder: The Return of Art Pepper

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 12, 2023

After time in prison in California following a drug bust in 1954, alto saxophonist Art Pepper returned to work in Los Angeles in 1956. The Return of Art Pepper was recorded on August 6, 1956 for Jazz West, a subsidiary of Aladdin Records. The LP was produced by Herb Kimmel, who ran the the Jazz West label. The album, recorded at Capitol Studios in the newly completed Capitol Records Tower on Yucca and Vine Streets in Hollywood, featured Art Pepper ...

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Recording

Backgrounder: Shorty Rogers - Cool and Crazy

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 11, 2023

One of Shorty Rogers's finest albums was available originally in the new 10-inch LP format or as a pair of extended-play 45s. Cool and Crazy dates back 70 years to March and April of 1953 and features a slam-bang band at the dawn of West Coast jazz. Rogers' compositions and arrangements are glorious, with loads of contrapuntal lines, and his band delivers enormous instrumental punch. His orchestra included: Shorty Rogers, Conrad Gozzo, Maynard Ferguson, Tom Reeves and John Howell (tp); ...

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Recording

Backgrounder: Herbie Mann-Sam Most Quintet

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 10, 2023

Two of the finest jazz flutists in New York in the mid-1950s were united by producer Creed Taylor when he was at Bethlehem Records. The Herbie Mann-Sam Most Quintet was recorded in October 1955 and released in 1956. It featured Herbie Mann, Sam Most (fl), Joe Puma (g), Jimmy Gannon (b) and Lee Kleinman (d). Sam Most had more experience under his belt than Mann at the time, having played with Tommy Dorsey, Shep Fields, Boyd Raeburn and Don Redman ...

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