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Ayako Shirasaki: Falling Leaves
On the cover of her new album, pianist Ayako Shirasaki looks as demure and as delicate as a cherry blossom. But looks can be deceiving, especially in jazz. On Falling Leaves: Live in Hamburg, Ayako plays solo piano with a powerful attack and enormous physical strength that leaves you enchanted and breathless. As for the demure ...
Interview: Mose Allison (Part 1)
Mose Allison sings like he's taking a bath with his clothes on. There's a lovely howling casualness about his vocal style, but what you hear is somewhat deceptive. Within that rural yowl is wisdom and depth, not only in the lyrics of the songs he chooses but also in his piano playing. Mose may initially sound ...
Interview: Mose Allison (Part 2)
Pianist-singer Mose Allison is perhaps rock's least likely muse. A Southern blues singer-pianist, Mose's lyrics are sophisticated and riddled with puns while his voice has a distinct twang. But it's this subversive originality and “who cares" approach that has made his music attractive to artists such as Georgie Fame, the Yardbirds, the Clash, Leon Russell, Van ...
Interview: Jerry Lee Lewis
Driving south out of Memphis on I-55 last Wednesday, I popped on Jerry Lee Lewis' new CD, Mean Old Man. Officially released yesterday, the album is a tour de force of little-known country and rock songs featuring Lewis on piano accompanied by a who's who of guests, including Mick Jagger, Merle Haggard, John Fogerty, Mavis Staples, ...
A Portrait of Sonny Rollins
Today is Sonny Rollins' 80th birthday. In addition to his much-anticipated concert at New York's Beacon Theater this Friday night, a new coffee-table book has just arrived that features lush color photographs by John Abbott and engaging text by Bob Blumenthal. Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins (Abrams) is about as close as you will ...
CD Discoveries of the Week
Since this is a holiday weekend, I decided to move my usual Sunday review feature to Monday and stretch out a bit. What's more, I had a bunch of new discs to share with you, so making this a day's post rather than a squeezed-in feature made the most sense: You've got to sample Chico Pinheiro's ...
Sonny Rollins Takes a Ride
A couple of months ago, I asked Sonny Rollins if he would be willing to visit his old neighborhood in Harlem with me from the back of a comfortable car for the Wall Street Journal. His 80th birthday was coming (September 7). So was a much heralded concert at New York's Beacon Theater (September 10). Now ...
Jazzwax List: The Sonny Band
During the 1940s and 1950s, many jazz musicians had nicknames. Some were bestowed on them by band members. Others were affixed by parents or friends while they were growing up. One of the most popular sobriquets during this period was “Sonny." It seems to have been given most often by parents in need of differentiating between ...
Orrin Keepnews on Bill Evans
In rereading producer Orrin Keepnews' superb book, The View From Within, a collection of his jazz writings and recollections over the years, I came across the following passage on Bill Evans and the recording of Explorations. I've often posted that the years between 1959 and 1965 represent my favorite Bill Evans period, with Explorations being among ...
Charlie Parker and McKusick's Suit
In early 1945, saxophonist Hal McKusick found himself in Los Angeles sharing a hotel room with arranger and pianist George Handy. Weeks earlier, Hal and Handy had been in Boston with Boyd Raeburn's band. But just before Christmas 1944, they quit in protest. Raeburn was handing solos meant for tenor saxophonist Al Cohn's to alto saxophonist ...
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