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Gerry Mulligan: 'Spring in Stockholm,' 1959
In early 1958, baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan formed a new pianoless quartet, featuring Art Farmer on trumpet, Henry Grimes on bass and Dave Bailey on drums. By July, Bill Crow had replaced Grimes on bass. The post-war, no-piano format was first pioneered by Mulligan in 1952, with Chet Baker on trumpet, Bob Whitlock on bass and ...
Backgrounder: Jimmy Forrest - Out of the Forrest
Tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest began his recording career in 1943 with Andy Kirk's band. There, he learned all he needed to know about swing. By 1949, he was touring and recording with Duke Ellington. Next came his first leadership album, Night Train, in 1951, featuring the hit title song. Night Train, a lift from Ellington's Happy ...
Perfection: Jimmy Smith - 'Too Old to Dream'
In April 1960, organist Jimmy Smith joined forces with tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and recorded Back at the Chicken Shack for Blue Note. One of the tracks was “When I Grow Too Old to Dream," by Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg. The song was introduced in The Night Is Young (1935) and was given a gospel-soul ...
Sarah Vaughan: Concert in Stockholm (1967)
By the late 1960s, more jazz singers and musicians had tabled the American songbook and were digging into the new standards by the decade's contemporary pop composers. They had to if they wanted to attract younger audiences. This was especially true while performing abroad. [Photo above of Sarah Vaughan in Stockholm in 1967, courtesy of YouTube] ...
Toots Thielemans: Live in Liège, Belgium (2012)
In 2012, jazz-pop guitarist and harmonicist Toots Thielemans turned 90. On May 17 of that year, he performed a concert at Le Chapiteau, the opera house in Liège, Belgium. The performance was taped for the release of a live recording. The rhythm section featured Toots Thielemans (harmonica), Karel Boehlee (piano and synthesizer), Hein van de Geyn ...
Diana Panton: Soft Winds and Roses (2024)
I'm big on sensitivity, so right off the bat vocalist Diana Panton had me with the first notes of her new album—Soft Winds and Roses (SRG). Her last recording, Blue (2022), was a mood work reflecting hard emotional times. On this one, the songs chosen have a gentle, talcum-soft feel that exposes her cheery side. Back ...
Glenn Miller: Chesterfield Broadcasts, 1940-42
If you want to know what America's home front felt like during World War II, listen to Glenn Miller. I know that's an odd thing to say, but that's what an old timer told me one afternoon when my parents had a party at our house. I had mentioned my interest in the big bands, and ...
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 ...
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