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News: Music Industry

Les McCann: Live From Coast to Coast, 1966-1967

November 23, 2023

Prior to the 1969 release of pianist Les McCann's hit live album Swiss Movement, I was never much of a fan. In the 1960s, on studio LPs, he seemed a melange of pianists I liked better, including Red Garland, Gene Harris and Billy Taylor. The percussive, soul-jazz approach he favored seemed better articulated in the hands ...

Article: Take Five With...

Take Five With Pianist Olivia Perez-Collellmir

by AAJ Staff
November 18, 2023

Meet Olivia Perez-Collellmir Olivia Pérez-Collellmir is a solo pianist, composer and music director from Barcelona, Spain. Currently, Olivia is a member of the faculty in the Berklee piano department. As a tribute to her heritage, she incentivized the formation of the first Berklee Contemporary Spanish Music and Flamenco Jazz Ensemble. As a performer, Olivia has performance ...

News: Video / DVD

Backgrounder: Sammy Sings, Laurindo Plays, 1966

November 18, 2023

One of Sammy Davis Jr.'s finest albums is Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays, an LP he recorded in June 1966 accompanied only by Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida. Captured at United Recordings in Las Vegas and released on Reprise, the album of ballads allowed listeners to hear Sammy's voice exposed in an intimate, near-a ...

News: Music Industry

Documentary: The Long Night of Lady Day (1984)

November 17, 2023

How bad did Billie Holiday have it? You have no idea. Coming up in the 1930s, she faced raw racism and sexism head on, but the challenges and injustices the singular vocalist endured took a toll and led to a life of alcohol and drug abuse. The origins of her blues, why she started wearing gardenias ...

News: Video / DVD

Five Video Clips of Sammy Davis Jr.

November 16, 2023

Sammy Davis Jr. was a tragic figure in many ways. Enormously talented as an actor, singer, dancer, musician, comedian and entertainer, he was born too soon in segregated America to be taken seriously as a powerhouse artist. So he worked doubly hard to stand out and often poked fun at himself to minimize hate as he ...

News: Video / DVD

Modern Jazz Quartet: Nearly Forgotten

November 15, 2023

Time has a way of sweeping some jazz stars away while leaving others top of mind. One supergroup that seems to be disappearing from the public consciousness is the Modern Jazz Quartet. In the 1950s, when a more classically influenced style known as chamber jazz became popular at the start of the LP era, the MJQ ...

News: Recording

Backgrounder: Coleman Hawkins 'Desafinado' 1962

November 11, 2023

Over two days In September 1962, Impulse producer Bob Thiele brought Coleman Hawkins into Rudy Van Gelder's recording studio in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., for a bossa nova session. By then, Paul Winter, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and Herbie Mann, among others, had recorded albums using the new Brazilian rhythm. The key question was whether the old-school ...

Article: Take Five With...

Take Five With Bassist / Composer Jakob Dreyer

by AAJ Staff
November 9, 2023

Meet Jakob Dreyer Jakob Dreyer is a New York City based jazz musician, bassist, and composer. Born and raised in Germany he moved to New York in 2014. He appears on over 30 albums as a sideman, and as a leader he has released two albums on Fresh Sound New Talent: Songs, Hymns & Ballads Vol. ...

News: Music Industry

Mike Barone: Live in Los Angeles in 1967

November 8, 2023

Trombonist Mike Barone is a composer, arranger and leader of smashing big bands. As a sideman, he recorded on albums that include Supersax Plays Bird (1973), Oliver Nelson's Sound Pieces (1966) on Impulse, Johnny Hartman's Unforgettable Songs (1966) and I Love Everybody (1967), and Shelly Manne's My Fair Lady with the Un-original Cast (1964). On the ...

News: Recording

Dave Brubeck: Live From the Northwest, 1959

November 7, 2023

Last week, I pulled a new album loose from an envelope and the first thought I had was, “Goodness, do we really need another live album from the Dave Brubeck Quartet?" The track list wasn't much help selling me on giving the CD a listen, with songs like When the Saints Go Marching In and The ...