Results for "Gerry Mulligan"

Jazzed Media to produce Woody Herman documentary

August 25, 2010

Jazzed Media, a jazz record label and film production company, has started production of a documentary film on big band jazz legend Woody Herman titled Blue Flame. This is the fourth jazz documentary from filmmaker Graham Carter, owner of Jazzed Media. Woody Herman was one of the most famous big band leaders from the 1940's swing ...

Celine Bonacina: Way Of Life

by Chris May
July 29, 2010

It may not approach the freak-show proportions of the bass saxophone Adrian Rollini popularized in the 1920s, but the baritone is still an impressive beast, one that has frequently been employed as much for its visual impact as for the notes it produces. Ever since Little Richard introduced the unwieldy instrument to his touring band in ...

Singin' and Swingin' With Annie Ross: an 80th-Birthday Tribute

July 25, 2010

Denis DiBlasio: View from Pikes

by Victor L. Schermer
July 18, 2010

Originally released in 2006, this “sleeper" of an album may not contain breathtaking breakthroughs, but it's so good for what it does that it deserves attention. View from Pikes provides consistent listening pleasure from start to finish. The absence of drums actually facilitates the sweet, laidback playing of the Denis DiBlasio/Steve Varner/Jim Ridl trio, which maintains ...

Duo Piano: Two For the Ages

by Ken Dryden
June 12, 2010

Bill Charlap & Renee RosnesDouble PortraitBlue Note2010 Eric Reed & Cyrus ChestnutPlenty Swing, Plenty SoulSavant2010 The debate continues as to whether having two pianos is merely a novelty or something that ...

Pianos in the Foreground: Six Modern Masters

by Eugene Holley, Jr.
June 11, 2010

Because of its huge range, the piano might be the most expressive and adaptable instrument in western music. And since jazz is a product of western culture, it's no surprise that jazz pianists have been the genre's foremost creators, interpreters and stylists. This has been true since the days of ragtime, New Orleans, stride and swing, ...

The Diva Jazz Orchestra and Johnny Mandel at Dizzy's Club, NYC

by Dan Bilawsky
June 6, 2010

Diva Jazz Orchestra Dizzy's Club Coca Cola New York, New York May 26, 2010 While The Diva Jazz Orchestra often gets press that relates to their status as an all-female big band, gender is irrelevant when discussing their musical acumen. Drummer Sherrie Maricle and company have proven themselves time and ...

Phil Woods / Stan Kenton / The Les Hooper Band

by Jack Bowers
June 3, 2010

Phil Woods / DePaul University Jazz Ensemble Solitude Jazzed Media 2010 Not to underplay the title, but Solitude, from alto saxophone master Phil Woods and the splendid DePaul University Jazz Ensemble, embodies far more than the sort of serenity it implies. In fact, Woods is as animated and ...

Eddie Gomez: The Playing is Free

by Donald Elfman
May 20, 2010

Eddie Gomez is known throughout the world as a consummate bassist, sterling educator and a musician active in a wide variety of musical settings. He has been on the music scene for more than 40 years and has worked with everyone from Bobby Darin to Giuseppi Logan. Gomez moved from Puerto Rico as a child and ...

Sonny Rollins Elected as Member of American Academy of Arts & Sciences

by Jack Bowers
May 7, 2010

This month's most welcome news has nothing to do with big bands but everything to do with artistry and excellence: saxophonist and jazz icon Sonny Rollins has been elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. The Academy, a center for independent policy research (I don't quite understand what that has to do ...