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Sonny Rollins at 90
Today is Sonny Rollins's 90th birthday. I never talk to Sonny on his birthday. I know how he feels about this day. It brings too much attention to him, and Sonny is happiest off the grid. But that doesn't mean I cant write about him. My bond with Sonny goes back to to an afternoon we ...
Jazz 625: British Jazz
Between April 1964 and August 1966, BBC2 in the U.K. aired an hour-long TV show called Jazz 625. It was broadcast on 625-lines UHF rather than the 405-lines VHF system then used by the other channels. This allowed for a better signal at home. What was particularly noteworthy about the show is that it began airing ...
Lester Young on Verve
Lester Young was born on August 27, 1909 and died March 15, 1959. Known as Prez or Pres (short for President, a nickname Billie Holiday gave him), the tenor saxophonist was famous for his cool and airy relaxed style that modernized the tenor saxophone. Instead of improvising with an aggressive, vertical chopping approach, his sound was ...
Britain Plays the Blues
How did all those British rock bands learn to play the blues in the 1960s and why were they so fascinated by the form? What was the unlikely impact of the Yardbirds, the Animals, the Rolling Stones, Manfred Mann, John Mayall, Cream and other British bands introducing white audiences to the blues in the U.S.? Most ...
Frech Doc: Bud Powell
To fully feel the beauty and grace of jazz at its highest level, you must appreciate the sadness that comes with the joy and the poetry that's baked into the music's history. They are one, like two sides of a coin. Virtually all of the exceptional jazz musicians had tragic sides, making one wonder whether greatness ...
Videos: Three Ellington Reeds
Duke Ellington was a tonal impressionist. Each musician in his band had two functions—to be able to play and to have a special sound. Taken as a whole, his orchestral pieces were like canvases, with different hues layered on top of each other. Here are three of Ellington's top saxophonists on solo showcases, providing an opportunity ...
Grant Green: Church Perch
Guitarist Grant Green recorded two gospel-flavored leadership albums. The first was Sunday Mornin', in June 1961, and the second was Feelin' the Spirit in December 1962. Though Green would become a Blue Note studio star in the 1960s and '70s, he grew up in St. Louis and began his career at age 13 playing guitar in ...
Interview: Allegra Levy
I came upon Allegra Levy's new album back in July, when Nils Winther at Steeplechase in Denmark alerted me to its August release. As I listened to the album, I flipped. Allegra's voice was wonderfully hip, the song melodies were unknown but sophisticated and savvy, her lyrics were superb and she was joined by three other ...
Charlie Parker at 100: Part 5
This week, I've been celebrating Charlie Parker's centenary on August 29 by posting on the alto saxophonist's five major contributions to jazz and the culture at large. In Part 1, I posted about Parker's invention, with Dizzy Gillespie, of bebop in 1945. In Part 2, I posted on Parker's popularization of high-speed improvisation. In Part 3, ...
Charlie Parker at 100: Part 4
This week, I'm celebrating Charlie Parker's upcoming centenary on August 29 by posting on what I believe are the alto saxophonist's five major contributions to jazz and the culture in general. In Part 1, I posted about Parker's invention of bebop with Dizzy Gillespie in 1945. In Part 2, I posted on Parker's popularization of high-speed ...


