Jazz Articles about Serge Chaloff

Various Artists: The Birth of Bop

by Richard J Salvucci
May 3, 2023

Someone famously called jazz the sound of surprise, but all too often, what is on offer is the dull hum of routine. Or something like that. This historic reissue is, however, anything but routine. This is not the first time that Teddy Reig's Savoy sides have been reissued (was he also the mysterious Buck Ram listed as producing one track?), but Craft Recordings took a lot of trouble to produce this very fine selection. If a listener were, ...

Serge Chaloff: Boston Blow-Up!

by Chris May
May 15, 2006

Baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff lived a short, often ugly and painful life. A hard-line, nodding off, ankle-scratching junkie with bad personal hygiene problems, he died horribly at the age of 34. Yet he was a master of his cumbersome instrument and capable of creating music of extraordinary beauty.

Boston Blow-Up!, made in 1955 as part of bandleader Stan Kenton's “Kenton Presents" series, is one of Chaloff's finest recordings. In some ways it's better even than the iconic Blue Serge, made ...

Serge Chaloff: Blue Serge

by Reid Thompson
December 1, 2001

One of only four available CD's by the unjustly overlooked Serge Chaloff, Blue Serge is a gorgeous, shimmering masterpiece that leaves one wondering why the baritone sax wasn't used much more often. Chaloff's complete mastery of the instrument combines a wide range with precisely executed bop lines and tender and effusive renderings of ballads. His effective use of dynamics and vibrato pierce the hearts of tunes like “I've Got the World on a String" and “Stairway to the Stars." Although ...