Jazz Articles

Red Garland's Piano

by C. Michael Bailey
May 25, 2020

Pianist Red Garland follows up his debut recording A Garland of Red (Prestige, 1956) with what might be his finest statement leading a jazz trio, Red Garland's Piano. Garland continues his association with bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor forming his most durable rhythm section, and one that would record with him on ten of his 45 recordings as a leader. The trio recorded the sides that would become Red Garland's Piano in December 1956 and March 1957 at ...

A Garland of Red

by C. Michael Bailey
May 9, 2020

Like pianist Wynton Kelly and Kelly's debut recording New Faces -New Sounds (Blue Note, 1951), William McKinley Red Garland performed for years as a sideman before releasing his first recording as a leader, A Garland of Red. Originally from jny: Dallas, Texas, Garland migrated to jny: New York City after a stint with Hot Lips Page in 1946. There, Garland recorded with Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis and Charlie Parker, basically just kicking around until drummer Art Blakey heard him one night ...

Miles Davis Quintet: Relaxin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet

by C. Michael Bailey
July 19, 2017

Relaxin' With the Miles Davis Quintet was the second of four releases resulting from Davis' famous May and October 1956 marathon sessions. The other three recordings were Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1957), Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1959), and Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1961). All of the music from these sessions would eventually collected and released on The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions (2006). Chronologically, Relaxin' shows up between Bag's Groove (Prestige, 1957) and Miles Davis ...

Jazzmeia Horn: A Social Call

by James Nadal
May 25, 2017

Coming from a gospel oriented family in Dallas, Texas, given a unique name and early tutelage by her piano playing grandmother, Jazzmeia Horn was destined to be a jazz singer. After relocating to New York City to pursue music studies, she went on to conquer the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition, topping that by winning the Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition in 2015. All of this preparation and recognition has culminated in her debut release A Social Call, ...

Gene Ammons: Boss Tenor

by Matthew Aquiline
July 20, 2016

Tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons' tone can be best described using the qualities of an ideally brewed cup of joe: rounded, bold, smooth, and exhilarating after first taste. Widely regarded as an original founder of the “Chicago school of tenor sax," Ammons' nonchalant, yet indelible sound--echoing the soft, breathy tone of Lester Young--drove him to a great deal of fame within the post- World War II jazz crowds of the '50s. Ammons, famously nicknamed “Jug," had an inherent ability ...

Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Monk

by Chris Kompanek
December 10, 2009

The remastered Monk is actually two mini-sets melded into one with the first quintet consisting of the underrated trumpeter Ray Copeland, tenor saxophonist Frank Foster and bassist Curly Russell, with the legendary Art Blakey holding it all together on drums. These first four tracks (including a beautiful rendition of the Jerome Kern classic “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") are upbeat and decidedly lighter in tone. This half ends with a masterfully syncopated solo by Blakey on the jaunty “Hackensack," named ...

John Coltrane: Side Steps

by Chris May
October 16, 2009

John Coltrane Side Steps Prestige Records 2009 The 5-CD Side Steps follows two other Prestige box sets--the 6-CD Fearless Leader (2006) and 5-CD Interplay (2007)--which together catalogue saxophonist John Coltrane's recordings for the label 1956-58. The three boxes, each packed with extraordinary music, chronicle on parallel paths the years during which Coltrane's revolutionary style began to emerge, but before he achieved iconic status first, from 1959, on Atlantic, and then, from ...

John Coltrane: Dakar

by Chris May
October 4, 2008

Often cited as saxophonist John Coltrane's first album as leader, Dakar--recorded on April 20, 1957--is a usurper. Originally credited to the Prestige All Stars (and released as part of a short-lived experiment with 16-rpm discs), it was only credited to Coltrane on its re-release in 1963, when the saxophonist's star was firmly in the ascendant. The Dakar session was one of several Coltrane appeared on as a sideman that week--on the 16th with pianist Thelonious Monk, on the 18th with ...

Andy and the Bey Sisters: 'Round Midnight

by David Rickert
September 6, 2007

One of the best things about all of the limited edition series out there is that occasionally an obscure oddity gets released. Not necessarily a record that people have sought after, but more like one that many never even knew existed and thus never clamored for its release.

Such is the case with 'Round Midnight, recorded in 1965 and one of only three records that Andy and the Bey Sisters made. Andy, Salome, and Geraldine Bey were siblings ...

Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Monk Trio

by Chris May
July 1, 2007

Pianist, composer and ranking bop pioneer Thelonious Monk made a heap of recordings during his lifetime (1917-82) and, generally speaking, the further back in time you go the more magical they are. Thelonious Monk Trio (Prestige, 1954), here in a Rudy Van Gelder remaster edition, is early Monk and amongst the most eternal of his albums.

The disc catches Monk playing with the same revolutionary zeal as characterized his earlier masterpieces Genius Of Modern Music Volume 1 (Blue Note, 1947-48) ...