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Meet Tom Wells
by Tessa Souter and Andrea Wolper
Born and raised in that other “capital of jazz"--Kansas City, birthplace of Charlie Parker--Super Fan Tom Wells, along with long-time jazz date, his wife, Geri St. Clair (a future Super Fan--stay tuned!), is a huge supporter of the local scene. How huge? Well, Tom and Geri once followed the University of Missouri Kansas City's Jazz Orchestra ...
Culture Clubs: A History of the U.S. Jazz Clubs, Part I: New Orleans and Chicago
by Karl Ackermann
Marching bands, ragtime music, and the blues, were all well-entrenched and spreading up the Mississippi River Valley from New Orleans at the beginning of the twentieth century. Dixieland was the popular music staple and with the all-white Original Dixieland Jass Band recording the first jazz side, “Livery Stable Blues," in 1917, an original musical language was ...
Count Basie and Kay Starr
Count Basie fans tend to focus on his hard-driving “Super Chief" bands of the 1940s and his stylistic “New Testament" bands of the 1950s. And rightly so. But often overlooked is Basie's output during the 1960s, when he recorded more than 30 albums, many of them slam-bang swingers. Coming off his Roulette Records contract in the ...
Frank Sinatra: Portrait Of An Album | Sinatra Sings
by Chris M. Slawecki
Frank Sinatra Portrait Of An Album | Sinatra Sings Eagle Rock Entertainment 2017 The third release in The Frank Sinatra Collection concludes with the compilation Sinatra Sings, a retrospective of particularly memorable moments across forty years of Sinatra performances in the studio, on the stage, and on TV, narrated by his ...
The University of the Arts “Z” Big Band: Monterey, Here We Come!
by Victor L. Schermer
UArts “Z" Big Band Reception and Kickoff Concert Kaplan Auditorium University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA September 7, 2017 They were underdogs, but they gave it their best shot. Then they shocked themselves and everyone else by tying for first place with the UNLV ...
Bruce Harris: Beginnings
by Dan Bilawsky
Many a debut album receives a largely positive critique before being cut down to size with a qualifier. It's simply a jazz journalist's nature to paint newcomers as nascent talent in need of seasoning, players showing signs of potential, or artists taking a good first step with a first record. But sometimes a debut album is ...
Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band: All Smiles
by Chris M. Slawecki
The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band has historically been regarded as the best ensemble of its type based outside the US, and All Smiles is generally regarded as one of their finest recordings. You'll understand why with just a few listens. Belgian pianist and arranger Francy Boland began making music with American expatriate Kenny ...
Joe Smith & The Spicy Pickles: Gin & Moonlight
by James Nadal
Long before jazz became a spectator event, it was dance music. The big bands that played swing made their reputations on being able to flood the floor with dancers. Joe Smith & The Spicy Pickles are on a mission to bring back those days, and Gin & Moonlight has them on the right track. Formed in ...
Groovin’ Hard In Every Style
by Chris M. Slawecki
Big Mean Sound Machine Runnin' for the Ghost Peace & Rhythm | Blank Slate Records 2017 On Runnin' for the Ghost, Big Mean Sound Machine sounds intent on obliterating every imaginable musical border: the lines between regional or geographic styles, the divide between acoustic and electronic instruments, the ...
Jerry Lewis: (1926-2017)
Jerry Lewis, whose geeky, high-strung brand of humor starting in the late 1940s made him a national sensation and early TV star while still in his 20s and whose seemingly ad-libbed routines as a befuddled jerk in '60s films influenced several generations of improv comics, died on Aug. 20. He was 91. Personally, I was never ...
