Results for "JazzWax by Marc Myers"

Nat King Cole: Hittin' the Ramp

November 10, 2019

In the years before World War II, musicians didn't get near a recording studio unless they could produce perfect results. Three major companies dominated the record industry then—Columbia, RCA and Decca—and they weren't big on wasting time or money. Errors were costly in the pre-tape era. Music then was recorded onto lacquer discs before metal impressions ...

Zacherley, the Cool Ghoul

October 31, 2019

Back in the late 1950s and early '60s, TV had a lot of time to fill. In the years before syndication, when TV was still a black-and-white medium, local stations had few programming options. They didn't have big budgets to create original shows, yet they still had to do something to connect with viewers in their ...

Big Sid Catlett in 5 Clips

October 31, 2019

Sidney “Big Sid" Catlett was an extraordinary drummer who immediately grasped and advanced nearly all jazz styles—New Orleans, Chicago, Swing and bebop—to widen his playing and recording opportunities. As a result, he played with masters of the forms: Louis Armstrong; Eddie Condon and Muggsy Spanier; Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington; and Charlie Parker and ...

Doc: Gene Krupa, Jazz Legend

October 29, 2019

Doc: Buddy Rich, Jazz Legend

October 28, 2019

In 2002, Warner Bros. released one of the finest documentaries of drummer Buddy Rich. The film clips are rare and spectacular. Produced by Rob Wallis and Paul Siegel, and co-produced and written by Bruce H. Klauber, with Cathy Rich and Sandy Feldstein as co-executive producers, the documentary can be seen at YouTube in two parts. Bruce ...

Kenny Burrell: Dream Weaver

October 24, 2019

I recently posted on leading jazz instrumentalists who also happened to have great singing voices. I skipped the obvious ones, such as Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Nat King Cole, and focused instead on ones that would likely surprise you. I also didn't include my favorite musician-vocalist—Kenny Burrell. I wanted to save him for a separate ...

Charles Tolliver's Big Bands

October 22, 2019

One of the finest jazz trumpeters around today who began his career during the 1960s Blue Note period is Charles Tolliver. If you're familiar with Jackie McLean's It's Time (1965), Action Action Action (1967) and Jackknife (1975), then you know the blistering sound of Tolliver's horn. His career as an album leader began in 1968 with ...

Diana Panton: Cheerful Earful

October 21, 2019

Diana Panton's voice is irresistible. It's not just that her phrasing is rich with mischief and joy. Or that she has great taste in songs and that she gleefully avoids tired songbook standards. For me, it's her sound and skills. She's always in pitch, no matter the risks taken with her voice, and there's a hip, ...

Five Atsuko Hashimoto Videos

October 18, 2019

Atsuko Hashimoto is one of the world's finest jazz Hammond organists. Born in Japan, Hashimoto first performed in the U.S. in 1999 and last performed here in July. When she tours outside of Japan, she travels with an interpreter, which is probably why she is little known by many American jazz fans. Here are five videos ...

Art Blakey: Africaine

October 14, 2019

Wayne Shorter's first studio album with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers was recorded on November 10, 1959. Two of the six songs on the date were originals by the tenor saxophonist. Then the album sat in the Blue Note vault for 22 years, when it finally was released as Africaine in 1981. We have re-issue ...