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Herschel Evans and Chu Berry: the short careers of two tenor masters of the swing era
by Larry Slater
In the 1930's Coleman Hawkins' big sound and harmonic mastery ruled the roost, but there were tenor saxophonists who challenged Hawks throne, Two of these talented tenor players died before they had a chance to find fame: Chu Berry, and Herschel Evans. . Herschel Evans joined the Count Basie band In 1936, where he rose to ...
Slam Stewart and Eddie Durham: Forgotten Innovators
by Larry Slater
Since its inception, jazz musicians have attempted to bring something new to the music. We all know the major innovators: Charlie Parker, Monk, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane. In this hour, we'll hear from two creative musicians who've been largely forgotten--bassist Slam Stewart and guitarist Eddie Durham.Both came of age during the '30s and ...
Chick Corea: A Retrospective
by Larry Slater
Chick Corea was a jazz master and a celebrated artist who explored harmonically adventurous post-bop, electric fusion, Latin, classical and solo piano. He emerged on the jazz scene as a member of Miles Davis's group, and went on to found the fusion group Return to Forever with Stanley Clarke. Throughout his career, Corea never ...
The Music of Carla Bley: Late Carla, Part 4
by Larry Slater
Carla Bley's career spanned 60 years and included big band, small group, and a few duet recordings with her long time partner Steve Swallow. The music ranged from raucous free jazz to meditative chamber music. Her distinctive music never had a large following, which was just fine with her. In 2018 Carla was diagnosed with brain ...
Interpreting the music of Carla Bley, Part 3
by Larry Slater
Carla Bley always considered herself a primarily a composer She said “I would rather write music than perform it. I'm not an improviser, basically, because I'm not quick enough. I'm a composer because I'm so slow... my writing is just like playing very slowly and my playing is like writing..."Carla's legacy, like all composers, ...
The Music of Carla Bley, part 2; Small and Large Ensemble Recordings
by Larry Slater
The jazz world lost a true original free spirit in October of 2023 when t.he composer, arranger and pianist Carla Bley died at age 87. Carla led both big bands and smaller groups throughout the '70s, '80s and '90s, typically utilizing many of the same musicians, including the trombonist Gary Valente, saxophonists Andy Sheppard ...
The Music of Carla Bley, Part 1: The Early Years
by Larry Slater
The Jazz world is full of highly original, creative musicians who forged their own unique paths. Carla Bley, who died on October 17, 2023, followed her own highly individual path as a composer, arranger and bandleader. As one critic commented, “No album by the legendary composer, pianist, and bandleader sounds like anyone else could have created ...
The Jazz Sides of Nat King Cole, Part 3: Recordings with Jazz Greats
by Larry Slater
Nat King Cole spent the '40s with the King Cole Trio, but he also played with many of the prominent jazz musicians of the era in a variety of settings. including Les Paul, Lester Young and Lionel Hampton. In 1956 he waxed the famous “After Midnight" sessions with Stuff Smith, Sweets Edison, Juan Tizol and the ...
The Jazz Sides of the Nat Cole Trio, part 2
by Larry Slater
During the swing era, Nat King Cole was one of the most influential jazz pianists of the era. and his trio, including the guitarist Oscar Moore, set a new standard for the jazz trio. In part II of the Jazz Recordings of the Nat Cole Trio, you'll hear the trio in the 1940s displaying ...
The Jazz Sides of the Nat Cole Trio, Part 1
by Larry Slater
Nat King Cole is known and loved today for his classic vocal recordings but when Cole started out in the late 1930s, he was a jazz pianist, and his singing was an afterthought, Eventfully of course he gained worldwide fame with his voice, and as an unsurpassed interpreter of romantic ballads, but during the swing era, ...
