Results for "Hank Crawford"

Hank Crawford

Hank Crawford was an alto sax sensation since he stepped out of the Ray Charles band back in 1963. A signature piercing, full bodied, blues, soul, and gospel drenched tone, sets him apart from the alto pack. He has an instantly recognizable voice, and his excellent choice of material suits his style perfectly. He is a bluesman turned preacher on the sax, and the sermon is always on time. Bennie Ross Crawford Jr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee on December 21, 1934, began formal piano studies at age nine and was soon playing for his church choir. His father had brought an alto saxophone home from the service and when Hank entered high school, he took it up in order to join the band

Muse Records: Ten Smoking Hot Albums

By CHRIS MAY

Alone among the other great jazz labels of the 1960s and 1970s—Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside, Impulse!, Strata-East and Atlantic—Joe Fields' Muse is rarely anthologised, written about or otherwise celebrated. Yet like its peers, Muse was prolific, releasing over 200 premium-grade albums during the 1970s, its most active decade, alone. This relative obscurity is ...

Atlantic Records: More Giant Steps: An Alternative Top 20 Albums

By CHRIS MAY

Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun's Atlantic Records differs in one key respect from Prestige, Riverside, Impulse!, Strata-East and Flying Dutchman, the most prominent labels covered so far in this Building A Jazz Library series. Those labels' discographies consist almost exclusively of jazz. Atlantic had parallel interests in soul and rhythm-and-blues and, later, rock. This had consequences, as ...

Sir Stevie: Jammin' on Stevie Wonder - Part 2

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

Stevie Wonder has often infused his performances with compelling renditions of jazz standards like Miles' “All Blues" or Coltrane's “Giant Steps." In return, countless jazz musicians have looked into his Songbook for compositions that would provide them with a fertile ground for their own explorations. In the second part of our “Stevie @70" ...

Big April Birthdays & More

By MARC COHN

April birthdays this week on G&M with the Carmen McRae centennial, along with the 90th birthdays of Herbie Mann, pianist Frank Strazzeri (who toured in the 1970's with Elvis!), Claude Bolling and Richard Davis (the latter 2 still with us); as well as the 80th birthdays of George Adams and the very much alive Herbie Hancock! ...

David Sanborn: The Curtain Rises on Sanborn Sessions

By JIM WORSLEY

Listed alphabetically, as opposed to first, second, and third place, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker, and David Sanborn are as good as it gets when discussing the best and most influential alto saxophone players of all-time. Now before you say what about Phil Woods or Kenny Garrett or any number of others, let me qualify that this ...

Listeners' Recent Faves

By MARC COHN

Listeners' favorites this week from shows 381 to 390! Lots of 'pop' covers tickled your fancy this time around, along with a trip to jny: New Orleans and the usual dose of grits & gravy. Enjoy the show. And, no, we haven't abandoned Blue Note 50th anniversary salutes (yet:); they will be featured next week. Thanks ...

Your Antidote to Obsessively Melancholy Music!

By MARC COHN

Gifts & Messages is here to rescue you from depressing news and to cure what ails you! After a rollicking opening segment from Hank Crawford, Vanessa Rodrigues, Brice Winston and Leslie Odom Jr., we continue to celebrate Sonny Rollins -his first recordings with the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet. Then, it's the always sublime Stephane Grappelli, this ...

Jeff Chambers' Chosen Alternative: The Therapies of Tijuana

By ARTHUR R GEORGE

Jeff Chambers, long a go-to jny: San Francisco Bay Area bassist, looked at death closely and decided it was not yet his time. In 2017 his medical chart revealed Stage IV prostate cancer, commonly and fearfully an endgame diagnosis. Prostate cancer affects African-American men with almost twice the frequency as other races, and is almost twice ...