Results for "Al Grey"

Al Grey

Born: June 6, 1925

Trombonist Al Grey was famous as "the last of the big time plungers," for his mastery at using a plumber's plunger to manipulate the color of his instrument. The result was a soulful quality that sounds as if he's singing the blues. Grey rose to prominence as a soloist and gifted accompanist to singers, particularly on bluesy numbers. His unique style developed over years spent playing with many great bands

Eli Howell: Steps Taken

by Jack Bowers
June 4, 2026

Picture this: Having assembled a supporting cast, finalized the playlist and booked a studio, you are ready to make the debut recording as leader of your own ensemble, only to learn that, hours earlier, said studio in East Lansing, Michigan, had been devastated by a tornado. That is  exactly what happened to trombonist Eli Howell in ...

The Art of Accompanying

by Monk Rowe
March 27, 2026

Wycliffe Gordon: What You Dealin' With?

by C. Andrew Hovan
April 2, 2023

Privy to the entire history of jazz trombone via the technological age in which we live, Wycliffe Gordon seems to have utilized this information in such a way that his own playing displays elements from various periods and a technical competence that is indeed remarkable. “I was most familiar, at first, with guys who played with ...

The Lady Swings: Memoirs of a Jazz Drummer

by David A. Orthmann
January 5, 2022

The Lady Swings: Memoirs of a Jazz Drummer Dottie Dodgion and Wayne Enstice 264 Pages ISBN: #9780252085512 University of Illinois Press2021 Dottie Dodgion isn't reluctant to share the trials and tribulations endured throughout a long life. Dodgion was raped by her stepfather at age ten, afflicted with early ...

Jon Hendricks: An Essential Top Ten Albums

by Peter Jones
September 16, 2021

Considering he reached the ripe old age of 37 before recording an album, Jon Hendricks' jazz legacy is remarkable. Although a singer, in his head he was more of an instrumentalist. When he improvised, he would imitate the tenor saxophone, the flute, the trombone, or the double-bass. His professional singing career lasted from 1932, when he ...

US Military Service Bands: Histories & Heroes

by Chris M. Slawecki
September 9, 2019

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 US Air Force Airmen of Note The premier jazz ensemble of the US Air Force, the Airmen of Note is one of six musical ensembles that comprise The US Air Force Band. Created in 1950 to continue the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces ...

June Birthdays Featuring Reginald Workman, NEA Jazz Master

by Marc Cohn
July 5, 2019

June jazz birthdays! Our featured honoree is bassist Reggie Workman, 82 years young, who got a fine birthday present: a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award. So, we have three tracks from his own recordings, which may surprise you. One features Andrew Hill and Julian Priester. Other birthday honors include Marcus Belgrave (Horace ...

Randy Weston Tribute & New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
September 11, 2018

Another master has left us. Randy Weston passed away on Sept. 1st at the venerable age of 92. This week we celebrate the music of an artist that consciously built a bridge between jazz and African musical traditions and, in doing so, strongly contributed to the awareness of the African roots of jazz music.

Good Morning Blues

by Richard J Salvucci
January 11, 2018

Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie as told to Albert Murray William James Basie 399 Pages ISBN: 978-1-5179-0143-1 University of Minnesota Press 2016 (1985) In May 1959 Count Basie and his Orchestra played a “Breakfast Dance and Barbecue," like back in Kansas City, hosted by Roulette ...