Results for "AAJ Staff"
Lockjaw Meets the Hawk
To the best of my knowledge, tenor saxophonists Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis and Coleman Hawkins recorded together as a duo only once (Very Saxy was a group session with saxophonists Buddy Tate and Arnett Cobb). Davis—like Sonny Rollins, Don Byas, Lucky Thompson and others— was deeply influenced by Hawkins's gruff, boastful attack. So teaming up with his ...
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Bennie Green: The Swingin'est
Bennie Green had a distinctive trombone. He played in a powdery, insistent staccato style seasoned with the Chicago blues. A member of the challenging Earl “Fatha" Hines and Charlie Ventura bands in the 1940s, he also recorded in bop ensembles. In the 1950s, Green was a sideman on numerous sessions, including the Miles Davis Sextet with ...
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McCoy Tyner: Inception
McCoy Tyner should receive as much attention as Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson and even Bill Evans. For some reason, he doesn't, and I have no idea why not. Tyner's recordings are as inventive, as rich and as stunning as the other three piano leaders. Of course, Peterson and Monk came up in the late 1940s, and ...
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StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Improvising trio Kuzu set for St. Louis debut
This week, let's take a look at some videos featuring the musicians in Kuzu, an improvising trio who will be coming to St. Louis to perform in a concert presented by New Music Circle on Wednesday, March 11 at Joe's Cafe. Saxophonist Dave Rempis, guitarist Tashi Dorji and drummer Tyler Damon all are veterans of the ...
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René Thomas in 7 Clips
For some strange reason yesterday, I had a craving for guitarist René Thomas. I love the way he swings unevenly and the hip quality of his picking and sound of his guitar. Born in Belgium in 1927, Thomas moved to Paris and was deeply influenced by guitarist Jimmy Raney. In the 1960s, he often was featured ...
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Miff Mole: Miffology
The jazz trumpet dates back to Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke. The saxophone can be traced to Sidney Bechet and Frankie Trumbauer. And the piano dates back to Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton. As for the jazz trombone, it starts with Miff Mole. Mole is arguably the pioneer of the solo jazz trombone style. Born ...
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Ivie Anderson: Early Jazz Voice
Like Mildred Bailey, Ivie Anderson was an early female vocalist who pioneered the jazz idiom in dance bands. She joined Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1931and for the next 12 years she toured and recorded with the band. Anderson's voice was more pointed and huskier than Bailey's and featured a mild tremolo. She also had a slinkier ...
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Mildred Bailey: Queen of Swing
In the 1930s, as the country struggled through the Depression, households buckled under the strain of poverty and the creeping fear of darkening world events. What kept most people from being swallowed by nagging pessimism and despair was the radio. The dramas and music that came over the airwaves provided much-needed relief from anxiety and worry. ...
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Prez Day: Lester Young
Today in the U.S. we are celebrating a national holiday honoring Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Originally conceived in the 1880s as a day of tribute to George Washington on his birthday, February 22, the holiday was moved to the month's third Monday in 1968 when Congress shifted most holidays to Mondays and decided to ...
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StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Sarah Hennies, Merche Blasco to perform at the Contemporary Art Museum
Today, let's take a look at some videos featuring music by Sarah Hennies and Merche Blasco, two composer-performers who will be doing separate sets on a shared bill presented by New Music Circle on Friday, February 28 at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Hennies, who's currently a visiting professor of music at Bard College in ...
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Life Goes On by Carla Bley
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