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Results for "Count Basie"

Article: Reassessing

Ella and Basie!

by Thomas Carroll
February 19, 2012

In July 1963, singer Ella Fitzgerald and pianist Count Basie's orchestra entered the studio for their first full-length recording session as a collective. They produced a gem for both veteran jazz fans and novices. The album features both artists in top swinging form and it is concise enough to serve as an introduction to those just ...

Article: Book Review

Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones

by David A. Orthmann
February 18, 2012

Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo JonesAs told to Albert Murray. Edited by Paul Devlin.200 pagesISBN:978-0-8166-7301-8University of Minnesota Press2011Rifftide is a slim volume subtitled The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones. Best known for his long tenure with the Count Basie ...

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Article: Interview

Matt Wilson: Have Drums, Will Travel

by Lawrence Peryer
February 13, 2012

Drummer Matt Wilson must surely be in the running for the title of hardest-working man in jazz. Wilson is a composer, bandleader, producer and teacher. As a leader, his projects include the Matt Wilson Quartet, Arts & Crafts, Christmas Tree-O and the Carl Sandburg Project. He has been in bands with luminaries such as Joe Lovano, ...

News: Performance / Tour

Roomful of Blues to Perform in Sellersville March 9

February 12, 2012

The horn-fueled, jumping, swinging, award-winning band, Roomful of Blues, touring in support of their latest Alligator CD, Hook, Line & Sinker, will perform live at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville on Friday, March 9, 2012. Roomful of Blues, according to DownBeat magazine, “are in a class by themselves." Since 1967, the group's deeply rooted blend of ...

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Article: Jazz Primer

What is Jazz? Good Question...

by Jason West
January 12, 2012

What is jazz? According to Wynton Marsalis jazz is music that swings. According to Pat Metheny jazz is not the music of Kenny G. According to Webster's jazz is characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre. Personally, I prefer the definition found in ...

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Article: Big Band Caravan

Stan Kenton-NOVA Jazz Orchestra / Baker's Dozen Big Band / Danny D'Imperio and the Bloviators

by Jack Bowers
January 10, 2012

Stan Kenton Orchestra / NOVA Jazz OrchestraDouble Feature, Vol. 2Tantara Productions2012 One of the more difficult aspects of reviewing Tantara's series of impressive salutes to Stan Kenton and his music is knowing where to begin. As on Volume 1 of the label's Double Feature (with Volume 3 ...

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Article: Book Review

Clark Terry with Gwen Terry: Clark - The Autobiography of Clark Terry

by Florence Wetzel
January 7, 2012

Clark: The Autobiography of Clark TerryClark Terry with Gwen TerryHardcover; 344 pagesISBN: 9780520268463University of California Press2011There are many sad stories in jazz. Cornetist Joe Oliver lost his embouchure and ended up working as a janitor in a pool hall, singer Billie Holiday was arrested ...

Article: Album Review

Thad Jones: The Magnificent Thad Jones

Read "The Magnificent Thad Jones" reviewed by Greg Simmons

by Greg Simmons
January 6, 2012

Trumpeter Thad Jones' greatest notoriety was as a member and leader of large ensembles, including the Count Basie Orchestra and later the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. But as great as his big band work was, it's a shame he didn't dedicate more time to small combos. He recorded a handful of really first-rate dates for Blue ...

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Article: Year in Review

2011: The Year In Jazz

by Ken Franckling
January 5, 2012

The ebb and flow of jazz in 2011 was marked by a Grammy Awards coup, a Grammy dustup, economic changes that consolidated the recording industry a bit, impacted clubs in various locales, and provided some new opportunities. The U.S. Postal Service literally put its stamp on jazz, even as the government wrestled with the future of ...

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Article: Extended Analysis

Cat Conner: Cat Tales

by C. Michael Bailey
January 3, 2012

Cat ConnerCat TailesSelf Produced2011 One of the greatest jazz performance challenges is playing and singing ballads slow...sometimes called “calendar slow." The trick is playing slowly without dragging or stalling. It is simple physics, the difference between velocity and momentum. Simple tempo may be understood in terms of ...