Results for "Don Was"

Article: In Pictures

A Tribute to Dr. Lonnie Smith

by Dave Kaufman
June 14, 2022

The great master of the Hammond B3 organ, Dr. Lonnie Smith, passed away in September 2021 at 79. Smith enjoyed a more than 50-year career at the vanguard of soul jazz. His influence extended far beyond that genre to electronic, hip-hop, and funk artists. Smith remained at the peak of his powers as a musician and ...

Article: Interview

Dave McMurray: Blowing on the Edge of Grate-ness

by Lawrence Peryer
July 23, 2021

Saxophonist Dave McMurray's discography is reflective of the musical melting pot of his hometown Detroit. Dave came up playing with everyone from bluesman Albert King, pianist Geri Allen, even Kid Rock. He is most known for his decades-long association with eclectic producer, and Blue Note label President, Don Was. Through Was, who ...

Article: Just For Fun

Sinatra In Vegas With Sun Ra Discovery

by Arthur R George
April 1, 2021

Atomic! Sun Ra and Frank Sinatra at The Sands, a previously unknown 1966 recording of the Intergalactic Navigator onstage with The Chairman of the Board, was released today in a joint venture by Blue Note and Mobile Fidelity. “We didn't know if it was real when we first found these recordings. Had we been had? Or ...

Article: Catching Up With

Ron Miles: Rainbow Sign Of The Times

by Ian Patterson
December 29, 2020

The title of Ron Miles' Rainbow Sign (Blue Note Records, 2020) carries great personal meaning for the Denver cornetist/composer and educator. The initial influence was The Carter Family song “God Gave Noah the Rainbow Sign," with its line 'No more water but the fire next time," which in turn gave James Baldwin the title for his ...

Article: Building a Jazz Library

Blue Note Records: Lost In Space: 20 Overlooked Classic Albums

by Chris May
July 29, 2020

For anyone with a passion for Blue Note, it is hard to conceive of an album that has been “overlooked," let alone twenty of them. For connoisseurs of the most influential label in jazz history, the passion can be all consuming: if a dedicated collector does not have all the albums (yet), he or she will ...

Article: Album Review

Thiago Nassif: Mente

by Chris May
June 20, 2020

This is by no stretch of the imagination a jazz album, yet Brazilian singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer Thiago Nassif's Mente is so packed with risk-taking and invention that it is likely to appeal to a good number of AAJers. The music's starting point is tropicalia, Brazil's tripped-out successor to bossa nova in the ...

About Don Was

Results for pages tagged "Don Was"...

Musician

Don Was

Born: September 13, 1952

Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year. A journeyman musician, he grew up listening to the Detroit blues sound and the jazz music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Using the stage name "Don Was", he formed the group Was (Not Was) with school friend David Weiss (David Was). The group found commercial success in the 1980s—releasing four albums and logging several hit records. A jazz/R&B album of Hank Williams covers, "Forever's A Long, Long Time" was released in 1997, under the name Orquestra Was

Article: Album Review

Blue Note All Stars: Our Point Of View

Read "Our Point Of View" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
December 10, 2019

Different generations of Blue Note stars come together on this double-album to celebrate the label's legacy and to affirm its present-day relevance. Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock first recorded for Blue Note in the 1960s. Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, Marcus Strickland, Lionel Loueke, Derrick Hodge and Kendrick Scott variously came on board in the 2000s and ...

Article: Film Review

Blue Note Records Beyond The Notes

by Chris May
November 21, 2019

Blue Note Records Beyond The Notes Director: Sophie Huber Run Time: 111 minutes Eagle Rock Entertainment 2019 Blue Note fans will love this film. It is an unblemished, 360-degree, feel-good feast for the eyes and the ears. Intended by director Sophie Huber to make sense ...

Article: Live Review

Jamey Johnson, with Kelsey Waldon and Chris Hennessee, at The Paramount

by Mike Perciaccante
April 20, 2019

Jamey Johnson with Kelsey Waldon and Chris Hennessee The Paramount Huntington, NY April 7, 2019 Jamey Johnson is a guitarist and songwriter who personifies the Americana musical genre. His music is a powerful mélange of blues, folk, pop, southern rock and, of course, country. Simply put: it is Americana, with ...