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Sonny Rollins, Volume One – 1956
by Marc Davis
It's easy to like Sonny Rollins. The guy is bluesy, edgy and clever. And it almost doesn't matter which period of Rollins' career you choose. It's all pretty terrific. But there's an unexpected down side: Because Rollins has so many fantastic recordings, listening to ones that are merely good can be a little disappointing. ...
Donald Byrd: A New Perspective - 1963
by Marc Davis
A New Perspective is unlike any jazz album you've heard before--and the change is refreshing. The biggest difference? Voices--singers, but not jazz singers. A New Perspective includes a seven-voice gospel choir, singing wordless syllables. Not scat, but pure notes. At first, the choir feels wrong. The very first notes of this 1963 ...
Sweet Lu Olutosin: Sweet Lou's Blues
by Geannine Reid
Lu Olutosin, aka 'Sweet Lu,' is an innovative vocalist based in the Washington D.C. area. Olutosin served for thirty five years in the Military as a Police Officer and archived the rank of Colonel. Upon retiring from the Military, Olutosin found that his calling to be a jazz vocalist was still as strong as it was ...
Gryce and Byrd's Jazz Lab
In the early 1950s, as the 10-inch LP began rolling out, leaders of jazz recording sessions were given top billing followed by the size of their ensemble. Hence the Miles Davis Quintet, the Thelonious Monk Quartet and the Sonny Clark Trio. As the decade continued, jazz supergroups formed with multiple star soloists. Names were either created ...
Paul Chambers: Whims of Chambers – Blue Note 1534
by Marc Davis
At Blue Note Records in the 1950s, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones were about as common as grits at a Southern diner. And about as noticeable, too--not flashy, just solid and reputable. Blue Note never had a “house band," but if it had, Chambers and Jones would have been the hard ...
Herbie Hancock: A Life Of Possibilities
by Chuck Schultz
Herbie Hancock is a world treasure. The following are a review of his memoir Possibilities and an interview. The Book Review During more than a half-century in the public eye, Herbie Hancock has been acclaimed as a jazz pianist and composer and an explorer of new musical forms. He rose to fame ...
Jazz Musician of the Day: Donald Byrd
All About Jazz is celebrating Donald Byrd's birthday today! Trumpeter Donald Byrd was born in Detroit in 1932, his studies at Wayne State University (1954) were interrupted by military service, during which he played in an Air Force band. He then attended the Manhattan School of Music (MA in music education). At the same time he ...
Peter Zak: The Disciple
by Dan Bilawsky
Peter Zak has put out one strong trio affair after another, yet his work is often overlooked. Maybe it's due to the fact that he hasn't settled on one lineup for an extended period of time, preferring to try out different combinations for his trio recordings; or maybe it's because he doesn't stray far from the ...
Billy Harper: A Life of Persistence and Improvisation
by R.J. DeLuke
On stage, Billy Harper puts his lips to the tenor saxophone, stands relatively erect and sings through his horn; a strong, angular, muscular sound. There little physical gesticulation, belying the effort it takes to express feelings and emotions through the instrument. But Harper's creative statements demand attention. Over the last few years, a lot ...
Jeremy Begbie: What can Jazz teach us about being a Christian?
by K. Shackelford
Jazz has long conciliated a sonic language that speaks of the nubilous, mystifying aspects of the human journey. Through jazz, we find the evocation of diverse emotions of the human spirit--depression, happiness, pain and love--sonically conjured through its dissonant chords and jagged rhythmic constructions. Indeed, the deepest and most hidden emotions are provoked and dealt with, ...
