Results for "JazzWax by Marc Myers"

Fred Astaire: Jazz Pianist

July 25, 2013

At his dancing best, Fred Astaire had the grace and cunning of a fencer. His swing-era manner, daring routines and silky steps still captivate. Less well known (or too easily forgotten) was Astaire's ability as a pianist. His keyboard moments in film are easily overlooked because his ballroom moves steal the show.  Here are three clips ...

Billy Taylor Trios: 1952-56

July 24, 2013

Today would have been Billy Taylor's 92d birthday had he not died in December 2010. Unfortunately, Billy is remembered most often now as a kindly educator and radio and TV personality rather than as a superlative pianist. Mind you, his work in jazz education was noble and needed. I would probably not be as passionate about ...

Wes Montgomery: So Much Guitar!

July 23, 2013

Wes Montgomery recorded So Much Guitar! for Riverside Records on August 4, 1961. For years, the album has been largely overlooked as a masterpiece—eclipsed by The Incredible jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, which was recorded a year and a half earlier in January 1960. What makes So Much Guitar! special is its taut quality and Montgomery's ...

Jazzdoc: Art Tatum

July 19, 2013

Ron Isley: Who's That Lady

July 18, 2013

The Isley Brothers' That Lady was released 40 years ago this summer. It has always been a favoritee of mine—with its wailing hard rock guitar and Ron Isley's falsetto. It packs a funky, psychedelic punch. So when I spent time with Ron at his home in St. Louis a few weeks ago for my Wall Street ...

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: 1985

July 17, 2013

A year before his death in 1986, Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis was in Copenhagen on tour with a quartet. For those unfamiliar with Lockjaw (or “Jaws"), the tenor saxophonist was a spectacular soloist dating back to the '40s, when his gruff, pushy style was admired and adopted by R&B honkers. Originally an East Coast bebopper, Lockjaw recorded ...

Ron Aprea: Remembering Blakey

July 16, 2013

If you're going to record a tribute to drummer and hard-bop boss Art Blakey, you'd better come to burn. Alto saxophonist Ron Aprea and the band he assembled do just that on Remembering Blakey (Early Autumn)—one of the strongest small group albums of the year. Instead of miming songs recorded by Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, ...

Leroy Vinnegar: Walks Again!

July 15, 2013

Bassist Leroy Vinnegar was born in 1928 in Indianapolis, began playing professionally in 1948, became part of the Bee Hive club's house rhythm section in Chicago in 1952 and moved to Los Angeles in 1954, where he recorded for the first time with pianist Lorraine Geller and drummer Larance Marable. In L.A., Vinnegar became a prolific ...

Art Hodes: I Remember Bessie

July 12, 2013

The end of World War II remains the most profound demarcation in jazz history. Jazz changed so radically and abruptly after 1945 that fans of the music split into two bickering camps. Pre-war jazz fans argued that their music had structure, charm and romanticism that post-war jazz lacked. Post-war jazz fans countered that their music was ...

Duduka Da Fonseca: New Samba

July 11, 2013

Imagine a cat playing the drums with its whiskers and you'll have a sense of what makes Duduka Da Fonseca so special. When he plays bossa nova, it's not your standard-issue shuffle rhythm. Duduka is constantly trying new ways to approach the cool folk style. This is certainly the case on his new album: New Samba ...