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Hal McKusick: Cross Section-Saxes
Hal McKusick was and remains a jazz musician's musician. Even in his earliest days in Boyd Raeburn's band in the mid-1940s, Hal's distinct sound on the alto saxophone was admired by bandmates Lucky Thompson, Oscar Pettiford and Dizzy Gillespie as well as contemporaries like Charlie Parker, Claude Thornhill and Quincy Jones. Hal's ability to navigate the ...
Dick Lapalm's DJ List
Dick LaPalm is a legendary jazz and pop record promoter who made his reputation in the 1950s and 1960s. Back in those days, Dick's job was to get records on the air for artists like Nat King Cole, Ahmad Jamal and others. Often musicians consulted with him to determine what types of songs and albums would ...
Gene Lees on Waltz for Debby
Last week, while writing about the late a CD that Gene had sent me back in the 1990s: Yesterday I Heard the Rain: Gene Lees Sings Gene Lees, which he produced. The album features 12 songs--9 with lyrics by Gene. When I pulled out my copy last week, out tumbled a sheet of paper folded into ...
Herb Geller on Bill Evans
Following my interview series last week with alto saxophonist Herb Geller, I was curious about Herb's interactions with bassist Scott Lafaro in the late 1950s and his flute playing with pianist Bill Evans in 1972. It turns out Herb was the one who first introduced LaFaro to Evans, that Herb began playing flute only after relocating ...
Rob McConnell (1935-2010)
Rob McConnell, a revered Canadian bandleader, valve trombonist, arranger and composer whose swinging versions of standards raised him to near cult status among his many global fans, died May 1st in Toronto. He was 75. In an age when many big bands are viewed today as uneven relics, McConnell's crisp arrangements and straight-shooter stage presence helped ...
Interview: Herb Geller (Part 5)
For years, the events surrounding pianist Lorraine Geller's sudden death at age 30 in October 1958 have been shrouded in mystery. Depending on what you've read or who you've listened to, rumored causes have ranged from a weak heart to a drug overdose, with plenty of other reasons in between. For the sake of setting the ...
Interview: Herb Geller (Part 4)
Starting in the mid-1950s, Los Angeles became a boomtown for many trained jazz musicians. With the rise of the 12-inch LP and expansion of the movie studios, the demand for gifted musicians who could read music and record perfectly spiked. Many of the musicians who had relocated to the area were in the right place at ...
Interview: Herb Geller (Part 3)
By the early 1950s, the number of big bands that traveled the country's roads to perform was dwindling. The reasons were a matter of economics and fizzling demand. Transporting, housing and feeding upward of 18 musicians required solid money, and with married couples going out less often to dance and preferring to stay home and play ...
Interview: Herb Geller (Part 2)
From his earliest small-group recording session with trumpeter Tony Fruscella in February 1952, Herb Geller's sound on the alto saxophone was distinct and vibrant. There was enormous power, spidery speed, seamless ideas and a soaring tone that immediately commanded attention. Though he would be thought of as a West Coast musician in the years to follow, ...
Interview: Herb Geller (Part 1)
Herb Geller is something of a mystery to many jazz fans. For one, the alto saxophonist who recorded steadily on the West Coast in the 1950s has lived in Germany since 1962, returning to the U.S. only sporadically to perform. For another, Herb rarely grants interviews, preferring to maintain his privacy while teaching and touring in ...
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