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Backgrounder: Art Blakey! Jazz Messengers!, 1961
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
One of my favorite albums by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers has a baffling title. For some reason, Impulse Records decided the title should be Art Blakey Jazz Messengers The confusing result is that some refer to the album as Impulse!!! or Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers!!! while those in Japan know the album as Alamode. Whatever title you choose, the album is an explosion of energy and beauty. Recorded in June 1961, the Messengers lineup consisted of ...
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Lena Horne: Merry From Lena, 1966
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Once again, it's that time of year to induct a new entry into the JazzWax Vintage Holiday Album Hall of Fame. This year marks the Hall's 16th season and one of JazzWax's oldest annual traditions. This year's inductee is Merry From Lena, by Lena Horne. Released by United Artists in 1966, the album was produced by Ray Ellis (Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin) and orchestrated and conducted by Jack Parnell. The vocalist was in fine, swinging form. Now meet the ...
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The first names for jazzahead! 2024 are announced: Maite Hontelé (and mambo!) at the Gala Concert
Source:
Michael Ricci
Let there be joy... and energy... and mambo! The 2024 jazz trade fair and festival will take place from April 11 to 13. jazzahead! goes mambo- and presents the first names for its next edition in 2024. Dutch trumpet star Maite Hontelé and the internationally renowned Dutch youth jazz orchestra NJJO (Nationaal Jeugd Jazz Orkest) – and more guests still to be announced – are booked for the Gala Concert, which will take place on Saturday, 13 April 2024 at ...
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Backgrounder: Paul Quinichette: Moods, 1954
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Mercury Records began as a Chicago R&B label in 1945, shortly after the first musicians union recording ban was settled. As the LP business took off in the early 1950s, Mercury became a mainstream pop label, launching EmArcy to handle its jazz business. Run by Bob Shad, EmArcy began production in 1954 by recording Dinah Washington's Dinah Jams; Erroll Garner's Contrasts; and Clifford Brown, Maynard Ferguson and Clark Terry's Jam Session. EmArcy's fourth album of 1954 was Moods, by Paul ...
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Les McCann: Live From Coast to Coast, 1966-1967
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Prior to the 1969 release of pianist Les McCann's hit live album Swiss Movement, I was never much of a fan. In the 1960s, on studio LPs, he seemed a melange of pianists I liked better, including Red Garland, Gene Harris and Billy Taylor. The percussive, soul-jazz approach he favored seemed better articulated in the hands of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet. For me, McCann always sounded more dynamic live. In performance recordings, he came across as freer and spiritually present, ...
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Pianist Joshua Bowlus Spreads Christmas Cheer With New Music
Source:
Joshua Bowlus
With a long overdue follow-up to his debut album in 2014 (What a Wonderful World), Joshua Bowlus collaborates again with vocalist Linda Cole to create a fresh offering of Christmas classics. This time, about half of the tracks feature Linda while the rest are instrumentals. The album cover showcases Joshua sitting at a grand piano full of wrapped gifts, as if the piano itself was a sleigh and the gifts contain the joyous music which will abound. Joshua has surrounded ...
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Documentary: The Long Night of Lady Day (1984)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
How bad did Billie Holiday have it? You have no idea. Coming up in the 1930s, she faced raw racism and sexism head on, but the challenges and injustices the singular vocalist endured took a toll and led to a life of alcohol and drug abuse. The origins of her blues, why she started wearing gardenias in her hair, how she first became addicted to heroin are revealed in The Long Night of Lady Day, a fine 1984 documentary by ...
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Singer/Songwriter Kristen Lee Sergeant Gives Museumgoers a Soundtrack for Manet
Source:
All About Jazz
An “unauthorized" audio guide is shaking things up for art goers at Metropolitan Museum in New York City, centered around an exhibit that features an artist who was no stranger to scandal himself. Kristen Lee Sergeant, an NYC based singer/songwriter, had been writing songs inspired by Manet's artwork since seeing an exhibit at the Getty years ago. When the Met announced the arrival of the “Manet/Degas" exhibit this fall, she recorded demos of the songs that corresponded to the paintings ...
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