Results for "Ellis Larkins"

Ellis Larkins

Born: May 15, 1923

Ellis Larkins' elegant piano playing was once described as a rainbow of interwoven musical textures. He created an intimate palette of sound which brought out the best in his partners — Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Pass and Ruby Braff among them. Braff, who recorded with Larkins in the 1950s, recalled, “[His] playing was so beautiful — a complete orchestra by itself.”

Yet Larkins was also an understated and unselfish performer. He rarely, if ever, sought the spotlight. He stressed the importance of musical patience, and of adhering to a song's melody.

Plays Duke, part II: Contemporary Covers of Ellingtonia from the Swing Era

by Larry Slater
March 27, 2026

Duke Ellington always said his orchestra was his instrument, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra was at the peak of its power and popularity in the 1930s and 40s. Many famous Ellington masterpieces were penned during this era; “It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me," “I ...

Albert Marquès / Rachel Therrien: Dialogue (Vol. I & II)

by Artur Moral
January 30, 2026

Except for the most radically experimental music, in a jazz context increasingly dominated by written scores that leave little room for improvisation, the appearance of a musical diptych centered on the latter is undoubtedly most welcome. This applies both to individual discourse and to creation shared simultaneously by various performers. Granted, many listeners may be absolutely ...

Introducing Pianist Holly Bean

by Sanford Josephson
May 25, 2025

For Holly Bean, in her last semester at Juilliard, it was the summit of a long journey that began when, as a three-year-old, she started playing on the piano in her Oak Ridge, TN, home. “I would hop on top of the bench and try to copy my mom, who plays piano and organ," she said. ...

Is There Really Only One Guitar And Drums Duo Album in Jazz History?

by Ian Patterson
January 12, 2024

A veritable mountain of duo albums color jazz history. Vocal and piano duos abound. Think Ella Fitzgerald and Ellis Larkins, Tony Bennet and Bill Evans, or Carmen McRae and George Shearing for starters. Guitar and piano duos? Plenty of those too. Jim Hall and Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Joe Pass spring to mind. ...

Marty Elkins: 'Tis Autumn

by C. Michael Bailey
January 16, 2021

There exists a group of jazz musicians dedicated to pre-bebop jazz who have traditionally populated the catalogs of the Nagel-Heyer and Arbors record labels. These musicians include Herb Pomeroy, Max Kaminsky, Randy Sandke, Harry Allen, and Dave McKenna. Central to this group is vocalist Marty Elkins who, while in college, discovered the recordings of Ella Fitzgerald, ...

The Songbooks (1950 - 1959)

by Russell Perry
August 13, 2019

Songs from what came to be known as the Great American Songbook, have been part of jazz perhaps since The Original Dixieland Jazz Band began recording Irving Berlin compositions. In the 1940s, singer Lee Wiley recorded several collections of 78s, known as “albums"--a name that stuck into the LP era, focused on the work of individual ...

Fresh Sound Records and the Legacy of Recorded Jazz

by Bruce Klauber
November 22, 2012

If the importance and the contributions of jazz are measured by its recorded legacy, then Fresh Sound Records--and its founder, Jordi Pujol--must be duly recognized for rescuing a legacy that might otherwise be lost or nearly impossible to find, and for making it available to the public. Specifically, this legacy includes recorded works by ...

Eddie Daniels / Roger Kellaway: Live at the Library of Congress

by Nic Jones
January 7, 2012

This is a wonderfully sympathetic duo. Pianist Roger Kellaway has an identity which brings together Ellis Larkins, Bill Evans and deep knowledge of jazz piano, whilst Eddie Daniels may be the most formidably correct clarinetist in jazz today, without ever letting technique get in the way of expression. Add to this duo's many ...

Smooth One : The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions

By Ellis Larkins

Label: Unknown label
Released: 2002