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Leo Wright: Suddenly the Blues (1962)
When he wasn't playing and recording in the 1960s with Dizzy Gillespie, Tadd Dameron, Milt Jackson and others, alto saxophonist and flutist Leo Wright recorded a handful of albums as a leader. One of the best of these was Suddenly the Bluues. Recorded for Atlantic in April 1962, Wright's quartet included Leo Wright (as,fl), Kenny Burrell ...
Perfection: George Shearing - I'll Be Around, 1951
As you can see, I'm still hooked on I'll Be Around, one of composer Alec Wilder's best songs. He reportedly wrote the music in 10 minutes while riding in a cab in Baltimore. But the words “took much longer," he said in an interview before his death in 1980. Recorded first by Cab Calloway, then by ...
Eugenie Baird: Overlooked Vocalist
It's a strange admission, but I came to jazz through the big bands of the 1930s and '40. And I'm glad this was the case. Through these bands, my ear became atuned to syncopation and swing, and I developed a deep appreciation for large ensembles playing for dancers, easing worriers and encouraging dreamers. I also became ...
Interview: Karrin Allyson
Karrin Allyson has been singing professionally since the late 1980s. She has recorded more than 15 albums and has been nominated for a Grammy five times. Her new album, A Kiss for Brazil, is a breezy swing through bossa nova and samba with a sterling group of musicians. In addition to singing songs in English and ...
A Conversation with Benny Golson
by AAJ Staff
One of the most successful talents on the Arkadia Jazz label is without a doubt the phenomenal Benny Golson. The tenor saxophonist, composer, lyricist, arranger, educator and jazz icon, holds the distinction of being the only living jazz legend to have written eight standards for jazz repertoire: “Killer Joe," “Along Came Betty," “Whisper Not" “Step Lightly," ...
Why Benny Golson Was Special
The late Benny Golson was rare in jazz. Among his many gifts were original songs with catchy melodies, glamorous harmony and romantic sophistication, His improvisational style was both fluid and relentlessly elegant. Best of all, his music had a way of making you feel sexy and cool. For me, Benny was one of the Sensual Four—a ...
Benny Golson (1929-2024)
Benny Golson, one of jazz's most prolific composers of sophisticated jazz standards and one of the most graceful powerhouse hard-bop tenor saxophonists, died on September 22. He was 95. Benny's long list of majestic compositions include Along Came Betty, Park Avenue Petite, Blues March, I Remember Clifford, Killer Joe, Stablemates and Whisper Not. He not only ...
Backgrounder: Hank Mobley Quintet, 1957
Recorded in August 1957, Hank Mobely Quintet featured the tenor saxophonist fronting a band that had been an early lineup of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. The only difference was that Art Farmer played trumpet instead of Kenny Dorham. The quintet featured Hank Mobley (ts), Art Farmer (tp), Horace Silver (p), Doug Watkins (b) and ...
Perfection: Byrd and Adams — Bronze Dance, 1959
Trumpeter Donald Byrd and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams recorded eight albums together between 1959 and 1970. Their combined sound was a perfect fit—Byrd's sweetly piercing trumpet and Adams's grunting attack on the baritone. Their first album together was Byrd in Hand, recorded in May 1959 for Blue Note. The lineup was stunning: Donald Byrd (tp), Charlie ...
Gillespie Quintet Live: Gillespiana, 1961
Like Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts (1965, '68 and '73) and Chico O'Farrill's Second Afro-Cuban Suite (1954), Lalo Schifrin's Gillespiana is a jazz masterwork. Now, SteepleChase Records in Denmark has released Dizzy Gillespie Quintet: Gillespiana in Concert, recorded in Copenhagen on November 20, 1961. Gillespiana was a work originally written by Lalo for Gillespie's 16-piece orchestra. It ...
