Home » Search Center » Results: Ken Dryden
Results for "Ken Dryden"
Charles Mingus: The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott's
by Ken Dryden
Charles Mingus was larger than life as a composer, performer and bandleader. A writer of frequently difficult music, Mingus was demanding of himself and his musicians, yet he never wanted his works to sound overly polished. These recordings made over two consecutive nights at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London in 1971 were recorded to be ...
Art Tatum: Nursery Rhymes A La Tatum
by Ken Dryden
Art Tatum was a piano virtuoso whose improvising skills impressed even the likes of classical greats such as Vladimir Horowitz, though he had a fondness for folk songs in addition to standards and jazz favorites. This recording came about when a friend, Mitt Kinder, and his wife Mutti, announced the arrival of their first child, a ...
Richard Nixon & Spiro Agnew: Dick & Spiro Play Duke & Billy
by Ken Dryden
Anyone who has read much history probably knows that President Richard Nixon once serenaded ex-President Harry Truman during a White House visit by playing “Missouri Waltz" on the piano in his honor (he was unaware that Truman hated the song). But history buffs may overlook that Nixon's Vice President, Spiro Agnew also played piano and was ...
Clark Terry: This Could Be The Start Of Something Big! - Clark Terry Plays TV Themes
by Ken Dryden
The late NEA Jazz Master Clark Terry was known for his brilliant playing and sense of humor, the latter which first came into wide recognition when he introduced his “Mumbles" routine in two original blues on the album Oscar Peterson Trio + 1—Clark Terry (Mercury, 1964). By the early 1970s, he was well established and had ...
Bill Evans: After Hours
by Ken Dryden
Bill Evans was strictly known as a pianist, though he studied flute throughout college, yet he claimed to have “no chops on the instrument." His only previously known vocal was recorded on a lark at the conclusion of a Monica Zetterlund recording session for Philips, consisting of a playful, hip take of “Santa Claus Is Coming ...
"Grandpa" Al Lewis: Sings Swing Street Favorites
by Ken Dryden
"Grandpa" Al Lewis is best remembered for his sitcom roles in Car 54, Where Are You? and The Munsters, though the vaudeville veteran had a number of different careers in addition to television and comedy. He earned a doctorate in child psychology, wrote children's books, taught school and was a circus performer as well.But ...
Denny Zeitlin: Balancing Act
by Ken Dryden
Denny Zeitlin is a true Renaissance man with many interests, in addition to balancing his careers in medicine and music. Although his medical practice and teaching have limited his abilities to tour beyond brief trips east or playing near his home in California, he has recorded regularly in recent years, releasing a variety of projects for ...
Kenny G: Playin' It Straight
by Ken Dryden
Kenny G has been categorized as a jazz musician by record companies simply because he plays saxophone. The reality is that his style is actually banal pop consisting of repetitious melodies with short passages of bland improvisation and, occasionally, long-held notes to show off his grasp of circular breathing—a technique Clark Terry and Rahsaan Roland Kirk ...
Ted Rosenthal: Dear Erich, A Jazz Opera
by Ken Dryden
Ted Rosenthal is one of the most renowned pianists of his generation. He won first prize at the second Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and has been awarded several NEA grants as a composer. Well known as the pianist in Gerry Mulligan's final quartet, Rosenthal has recorded or performed with many other artists, including Bob ...
Phillip Johnston: Back From Down Under
by Ken Dryden
IntroductionPhillip Johnston is best known to many jazz fans as co-founder of The Microscopic Septet, though the saxophonist and composer has led many groups of his own and co-led others, including Big Trouble, The Transparent Quartet, Fast 'N' Bulbous and The Spokes. In addition, Johnston has composed and performed numerous soundtracks for both silent and modern ...
