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News: Recording

Wes Montgomery: 1957-58

March 2, 2012

Guitarist Wes Montgomery began his recording carer with Lionel Hampton's band in 1948. The experience lasted until 1950, when he returned to his native Indianapolis and began to raise a family. Though Montgomery recorded with his brothers Monk and Buddy in 1955 and 1957, he didn't start to record as a leader until April 1958 (for ...

News: Interview

Interview: Jimmy Wilkins (Part 3)

March 1, 2012

For Jimmy Wilkins and his brother Ernie, receiving a call from Clark Terry in 1951 to join Count Basie's new band in New York was a stroke of incredible luck. Both musicians were jumping from one territory band to another trying to keep the paychecks coming. But big bands were folding fast. Small swing groups weren't ...

News: Interview

Interview: Jimmy Wilkins (Part 2)

February 29, 2012

Most of us think of jazz's evolution after World War II as one big surge forward as the years progressed. In truth there were economic ups and downs, triumphs and setbacks as well as opportunities and dead ends. Success often was the product of relentless hard work, talent and good fortune—such as being in the right ...

News: Interview

Interview: Jimmy Wilkins (Part 1)

February 28, 2012

Jimmy Wilkins is the younger brother of Ernie Wilkins, the prolific composer and big band arranger who died in 1999. Today, Jimmy lives outside of Las Vegas and leads a big band in Henderson, Nev., carrying on his brother's legacy. The band's book features wow-pow charts by his brother and Frank Wess. Jimmy's recording career as ...

News: Recording

Insider's Picks: R&B Harmony

February 27, 2012

In the late 1940s, jazz and R&B wound up like the Parent Trap twins. Two different music forms separated when fans “divorced" and went their separate ways—some preferring to sit and listen intently to jazz while others went with a big-beat sound more suitable for dancing. In the years that followed, jazz and R&B developed two separate ...

News: Recording

Paul Williams: Baritone Boogie

February 23, 2012

Bebop wasn't a big deal in many parts of the U.S. until 1948 and 1949, when stronger radio signals in New York allowed jazz stations to reach other cities at night and national magazines began picking up on on Dizzy Gillespie's hipster style and novel sound. But just as bebop was outflanking swing, another form of ...

News: Interview

Marion Evans on Ted McNabb

February 22, 2012

One of the finest (and rarest) big band recordings of the late 1950s is Ted McNabb & Co. for Columbia's Epic label. Arranged and conducted by Marion Evans, the session was recorded over three days in November 1959 and featured the cream of the New York studio scene. On the date were Burt Collins, Bernie Glow, ...

News: Recording

Jazz's First Record Turns 95

February 21, 2012

New Orleans may be where jazz was born, but New York's Garment District is where jazz spoke its first words. As I write in today's Wall Street Journal (go here), the very first jazz record was made 95 years ago this coming Sunday on West. 38th St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues [pictured]. Back then—on February ...

News: Interview

Interview: Rudy Van Gelder (Part 5)

February 17, 2012

Before I left Rudy Van Gelder's historic recording studio in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist asking a favor. Rudy's eyebrows went up in agreeable arches. Out came my copy of Horace Silver's Horace-Scope, one of my favorite Blue Note albums. Though it was recorded in Hackensack, N.J., in 1960, I still ...

News: Interview

Interview: Rudy Van Gelder (Part 4)

February 16, 2012

For much of this week, JazzWax readers have been sending emails urging me to ask engineer Rudy Van Gelder about specific sessions he recorded for Blue Note, Prestige and other labels. All suggestions were wonderful. The problem is Rudydoesn't think back on these sessions the way we do. We sit back and enjoy the music. Rudy was ...