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News: Interview

Claude Thornhill: 1941-42

January 3, 2013

For me, music doesn't spin in a vacuum. As a historian, once I know the date of a recording, a series of mental overlays drop into place—including the period's socio-political events, technological and economic developments, cultural trends, and the country's overall mood. Processing music this way comes in particularly handy when listening to Claude Thornhill's recordings ...

News: Recording

Frank Wess and Johnny Coles

January 2, 2013

Taste is what separates great jazz musicians from average ones. Those who have taste consistently choose notes, tempos, timbres and voicings that seduce and satisfy attentive listeners. Taste also requires a conscious effort on the part of the artist to make smart decisions about songs. Tenor saxophonist Frank Wess has always had superb taste, and perhaps ...

News: Music Industry

How 1948 Changed Everything

December 27, 2012

In today's Wall Street Journal (go here), I write about the American Federation of Musicians' little-known second recording ban of 1948 and how the 12-month job action unintentionally and dramatically altered jazz and other music styles for the next 50 years. The first AFM recording ban from 1942 to 1944 was an attempt by the union ...

News: TV / Film

5 Holiday Movies of Yore

December 25, 2012

Once upon a time in the 1940s, holiday films had a purpose—to make you feel good. Most had engaging love stories, they appealed to adults and they warmed your spirits. Here are five of my favorites... It Happened in Sun Valley (1941)... Christmas in Connecticut (1945)... The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)... ...

News: Video / DVD

Nat King Cole: Italy 1960

December 24, 2012

The other day I received a fabulous YouTube link from Dick LaPalm, Nat King Cole's record promoter. [Photo above: Nat King Cole with wife Maria] Before you watch, here are Dick's notes ... “The song Non Dimenticar [Do Not Forget] was written in 1950 by Italy's Michele Gladieri and Paulo Redi. Originally titled T'ho Voluto Bene, ...

News: Recording

Bill Evans and Jimmy Knepper

December 21, 2012

Most fans of pianist Bill Evans know him as one of jazz's great trio leaders from 1959 until his death in 1980. You also many know that in the years preceding 1959, Evans was a prolific sideman—popping up on a wide range of recordings led by superb artists such as Tony Scott, Miles Davis and Hal ...

News: Recording

Mary Wells: 'Something New'

December 20, 2012

For nearly four years—from 1960 to mid-1964—Mary Wells was Motown's first female solo star. Her singing voice was strong and conversational—mysteriously effortless in its sing-talk delivery. Unlike most African-American R&B singers of the period, Wells wasn't a church belter or a teen in heat. Rather, she had a cooler, understated sound that combined doo-wop and girl-group ...

News: Recording

7 Blues CDs a Swimming

December 18, 2012

If you're looking to buy blues albums as a holiday gift for yourself or a friend, you've come to the right place. Take a load off and set a spell. Here are seven that recently crossed my desk and knocked me out... The Fat Babies transport you back to the late '20s on Chicago Hot (Delmark). ...

News: Recording

Art Pepper: Rare Lighthouse (1952)

December 18, 2012

Alto saxophonist Art Pepper may well have been the earliest exponent of what would become known as West Coast jazz. At the end of 1951 and top of '52, Gerry Mulligan hadn't yet arrived in Los Angeles, Shorty Rogers was still emulating Dizzy Gillespie and Shelly Manne was still under the influence of Max Roach. But ...

News: Recording

Art Pepper: 1951-52

December 17, 2012

Alto saxophonist Art Pepper may well have been the earliest exponent of what would become known as West Coast jazz. At the end of 1951 and top of '52, Gerry Mulligan hadn't yet arrived in Los Angeles, Shorty Rogers was still emulating Dizzy Gillespie, and Shelly Manne was still under the influence of Max Roach. But ...