Results for "AAJ Staff"
Take Five with Benny Benack III
by AAJ Staff
Meet Benny Benack III By age 32, Emmy-nominated trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III has already become a leading voice in jazz for his generation, while his trademark ebullience onstage assures his audiences he's got “A Lot of Livin' to Do" still to come! His sophomore album sharing that title featured the likes of ...
Sol Schlinger, Baritone Sax Extraordinaire
In the 1950s, when the 12-inch album became dominant, many studios recording jazz LPs needed musicians who could record perfectly in the fewest number of takes. Such skills included top-notch sight reading, the ability to play multiple instruments flawlessly and artists who could blow beautiful solos. To streamline their operations, producers began forming groups of musicians ...
Hal Schaefer: Marilyn Monroe and Two Albums
Like Erroll Garner, Hal Schaefer had his own distinctive jazz piano style and transformd every song he played into pure magic. He could turn standards inside out with a swinging fury and, with his right hand, whip up improvised lines that left listeners dazzled. Born in 1925 in Queens, N.Y., Schaefer began playing professionally at resorts ...
Take Five with Singer-Songwriter Arnab Sengupta
by AAJ Staff
Meet Arnab Sengupta Arnab Sengupta is a contemporary singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based out of Bangalore, India. Growing up in the eastern cities of India, Arnab has absorbed a plethora of diverse musical styles, both local and international, and has diligently pursued the study and performance of contemporary music for over 30 years, while arriving at his ...
Backgrounder: Johnny Richards' Walk Softly
As West Coast arrangers go, Johnny Richards was spectacular. Like Bill Holman and Shorty Rogers, he had an authentic feel for the Hollywood scene and how to blend glamor with art. To stir this mood, Richards made wonderful use of French horns and piccolos, and he always threw in a touch of Latin flavor. His arrangements ...
Sy Oliver's Arrangements in 10 Clips
Yesterday's post on arranger, trumpeter and vocalist Sy Oliver generated many emails from readers who have long loved his work and those who weren't familiar with him. In yesterday's post, I shared some of Oliver's classic arrangements for Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra. To drive home Oliver's importance and influence, here are 10 of my favorite ...
Sy Oliver: Easy Walker and Sentimental Sy
Sy Oliver was one of the most important arrangers of the swing era. A trumpeter, singer and arranger in Jimmie Lunceford's orchestra in the 1930s, Oliver was hired by Tommy Dorsey in 1939 to give the band a more authentic Savoy Ballroom sound. Oliver's good fortune came the following January when Frank Sinatra joined Dorsey and ...
Backgrounders: Basie With Quincy and Hefti
In 1958, the French Vogue label put out a double LP in Europe entitled Count Basie Plays Quincy Jones & Neal Hefti. Essentially, it was a re-issue of two previous Roulette releases—Basie One More Time: Music From the Pen of Quincy Jones (1960) and Basie Plays Hefti (1958). Both are classics in the Basie canon and ...
Moonlighting With the Countsmen
Count Basie was able to hold onto players for long periods of time because the band was fun, it had enormous global prestige and the experience was like being with family. But there were other factors. So long as the band wasn't in the studio or didn't have to play that day, his sidemen were free ...
Documentary: Basie, The Kid From Redbank
Three days into the week, I'm still hooked on Count Basie. What can I say. The sound, the feel, the simplicity and the prowess—no band was as influential in jazz over the decades. Duke Ellington was a towering figure with a singular band, but I think it's fair to say that he didn't influence nearly as ...
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