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Backgrounder: Sidney Bechet/Martial Solal
Soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet was one of jazz's most complex giants. Born in New Orleans in 1897, four years earlier than Louis Armstrong, Bechet made his first recordings in early 1920, three years before the trumpeter. Unfortunately, these recordings were never issued. His first released recordings, for Okeh, came out the same year as Armstrong's earliest ...
Martial Solal Trio Recordings, 1953-1962
Martial Solal was born in Algiers in 1927, when the city was part of what was known then as French Algeria. At 6, he began taking piano lessons and for years played classical pieces. Then he discovered the extraordinary recordings of Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum, and turned to jazz. Solal moved to Paris in 1950 ...
Paul Smith: Swinging Elegance
In the late 1940s and 1950s, few pianists moved as effortlessly and deftly between jazz and pop as pianist Paul Smith. Instrumental pop, as a genre, came into its own after 1948, with the advent of the 10-inch LP. Pop back then still had plenty of swing but was really jazz-light—easy-going music that had a bit ...
Backgrounder: Art Blakey! Jazz Messengers!, 1961
One of my favorite albums by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers has a baffling title. For some reason, Impulse Records decided the title should be Art Blakey Jazz Messengers The confusing result is that some refer to the album as Impulse!!! or Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers!!! while those in Japan know the album ...
Jazz 625: Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers
On March 7, 1965, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers appeared on the BBC-TVs Jazz 625, hosted by Humphrey Lyttelton. The video of the performance was recently colorized, which gives the musicians enormous dimension and visual personality. The music was always great. The color just makes the presentation a little greater. The Jazz Messengers on this ...
Backgrounder: Brazilian Jazz Quartet
Who were the musicians in the Brazilian Jazz Quartet? According to Wikipedia, the group featured José Ferreira Godinho Filho “Casé" on alto saxophone, Moacyr Peixoto on piano, Luiz Chaves Oliveira da Paz “Luiz Chaves" on bass and Rubens Alberto Barsotti “Rubinho" on drums. The reason I pose the question is the remarkable similarity in tone between ...
Documentary: The Rise and Fall of the Concorde
During the 1960s, as the U.S. spent billions to beat the Soviet Union to the moon and fight a war in Vietnam, another expensive race was taking place in Europe. Air France and British Airways had joined forces to develop a supersonic passenger plane ahead of the Soviets and the Americans. When the Concorde took off ...
Soho Scene '57: Jazz Goes Mod
The Soho Scene series from Britain's Rhythm and Blues label has been pure joy for me. On these double-CD packages, the smartly curated discs zoom in on a specific year and feature terrific modern jazz from London on one disc and the recordings of American artists British artists were likely listening to on the other. In ...
Lena Horne: Merry From Lena, 1966
Once again, it's that time of year to induct a new entry into the JazzWax Vintage Holiday Album Hall of Fame. This year marks the Hall's 16th season and one of JazzWax's oldest annual traditions. This year's inductee is Merry From Lena, by Lena Horne. Released by United Artists in 1966, the album was produced by ...
Backgrounder: Jimmy Forrest's 'Forrest Fire'
In the years leading up to World War II, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest got his start in bands led by Jay McShann and Andy Kirk. After the war, he was with Duke Ellington and then was on his own. His big claim to fame was co-writing and first recording Night Train, which became a jazz and ...
