Results for "Billy Strayhorn"
Results for pages tagged "Billy Strayhorn"...
Billy Strayhorn
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If you are familiar with the jazz composition, "Take the A Train," then you know something about not only Duke Ellington, but also Billy "Sweet Pea" Strayhorn, its composer. Strayhorn joined Ellington's band in 1939, at the age of twenty-two. Ellington liked what he saw in Billy and took this shy, talented pianist under his wings. Neither one was sure what Strayhorn's function in the band would be, but their musical talents had attracted each other. By the end of the year Strayhorn had become essential to the Duke Ellington Band; arranging, composing, sitting-in at the piano. Billy made a rapid and almost complete assimilation of Ellington's style and technique
Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Borrowed Roses
by Mike Jurkovic
While many men and women approach their sixtieth birthday with visions of retirement, pianist and iconoclast Gonzalo Rubalcaba, with his perceptive ear for folk dance and dense improvisation, moves as far as possible from the idea of retirement and attains another peak of perfection on Borrowed Roses. Unlike his previous head-turning, stylistic solo recordings--the ...
Vin Venezia: The Venetian
by Jack Bowers
Vin Venezia won't blow your mind or even knock your socks off--that's simply not his style. The New Jersey-based guitarist will, however, lure you into his orbit with the sort of smooth and mellow sounds and precisely articulated phrases often associated such masters as Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and others who blazed a trail ...
Terell Stafford: Between Two Worlds
by Neil Duggan
Family is a major theme on Terell Stafford's Between Two Worlds, with compositions dedicated to his daughter, mother and wife. His band has been playing with him so long they must feel like family too. They include tenor and soprano saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianist Bruce Barth, drummer Johnathan Blake and bassist David Wong. In fact, Wong ...
Sienna Dahlen & Bill Coon: Balladextrous
by Pierre Giroux
Balladextrous, a collaborative jazz album featuring vocalist Sienna Dahlen and guitarist Bill Coon, is a delightful exploration of the ballad form which allows the artists to make moment-to-moment choices about how they are feeling the rhythm or letting it breathe. This session invites the listener on a soothing and introspective musical journey which showcases the artists' ...
Carol Sloane: Setting New Standards
by Mathew Bahl
In her concert appearances, Carol Sloane often sings a lovely ballad called “An Older Man is Like an Elegant Wine." Listening to Ms. Sloane extol the virtues of age and experience in a voice as soft and warm as angora wool, it is hard not to conclude that the sentiments of the lyric have an even ...
The Jazz Historian: John Edward Hasse
by B.D. Lenz
Jazz is not simply a style of music; it is also a culture. The impact of this cultural force has had many ups and downs throughout the last century but, undeniably, has been felt worldwide across all nations and all languages. With such a storied past, it's important that an account of its beginnings and those ...
Duke Ellington's Top Ten Albums
by DIG 9000
Duke Ellington, the legendary jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader, released numerous albums throughout his illustrious career. It's challenging to narrow down his extensive discography to just ten, but here are some essential Duke Ellington albums that showcase his incredible talent and contribution to jazz: Ellington at Newport Columbia Records 1956 ...
Alan Ferber: Enneadic Endeavors
by Dan Bilawsky
When Alan Ferber was first finding his way as a Californian-turned-New Yorker near the dawn of the new millennium, he didn't know many people on his adopted scene. So logically, he used composing--for nonet, among other configurations--as a means for networking and fostering connections. “I don't like cold calling people; I just like to put projects ...
Duets From Strangers And Old Friends
by Jerome Wilson
The first of these duo recordings is from two musicians meeting for the first time. The second comes from long-time acquaintances. The compatibility of the playing on both is so high you would be hard-pressed to tell which was which. Pierrick Pedron & Gonzalo Rubalcaba Pedron Rubalcaba Gazebo 2023
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