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Jimmy Ponder: 1946-2013
Soul-Jazz guitarist Jimmy Ponder was well known to serious jazz lovers for his recordings as a leader and appearances as a sideman on 80 albums. His unique bluesy sound, which incorporated Wes Montgomery's approach of playing octaves with the thumb, has influenced other guitarists. Ponder's playing was described as aggressive rhythm-and-blues figurations with swift and lucid ...
MONK'estra at SFJAZZ Center
by Harry S. Pariser
MONK'estraSFJAZZ CenterSan Francisco, CAAugust 22, 2013The music of the legendary Thelonious Monk (October 10, 1917-February 17, 1982) has rarely been heard in a big band setting. The second most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, Monk's music is nothing if not popular. While Ellington composed over a thousand songs, Monk penned only ...
Bill Mays: Inventions, Conventions and Dimensions
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
This title is more than a rhyme: it's an attempt to capture some of the legendary versatility of pianist Bill Mays. “Inventions" refers to his unprecedented, working jazz trio of piano, trumpet, and cello. “Conventions" is a nod to his invaluable contribution to the annual meeting of the International Society of Bassists (in 2013, he played ...
Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway: Duke at the Roadhouse: Live in Santa Fe
by Jack Bowers
For a powerful adrenaline rush, it's hard to beat a full house (sixteen or seventeen single-minded musicians wailing in unison and swinging like there's no tomorrow), although there's a lot to be said for a pair of aces, too. That's the hand that's dealt on Duke at the Roadhouse: Live in Santa Fe, the aces in ...
Pointing Fingers... And Naming Names
by Jack Bowers
As the countdown continues toward the last Big Band Report in June, the time has come to point fingers and name names--in other words, to compile a short list of contemporary jazz musicians who have risen above the norm to help make life more pleasurable for one devoted listener. These are, mind you, personal choices, and ...
Paul Motian: Paul Motian (Old & New Masters Edition)
by John Kelman
In a time when leadership roles are being thrust increasingly upon young musicians who may have the chops, the technique and the theory, but not the experience, drummer Paul Motian could be considered a lesson in patience, in waiting for the right time, in holding off for the precise moment of readiness.It's not that ...
John Beasley: Everyone Loves John
by Scott Mitchell
Keyboardist John Beasley (aka “The Bease" to friends and family) is a musician's musician and one of the busiest professionals in the game. His biography and list of credits are so broad and deep that they could fill an NFL playbook.If NASA or MIT were to invent a device that could measure creative and ...
The Dave Lalama Big Band: The Hofstra Project
by Edward Blanco
As an academic, pianist Dave Lalama's resume includes being a founding faculty member of the prestigious Manhattan School of Music Jazz Program, as well as a current professor at Hofstra University where hundreds of students, colleagues and musicians have all been a part of his distinguished professional life. As a musician, his background includes performances with ...
Jukkis Uotila / Stockholm Jazz Orchestra: The Music of Jukkis Uotila
by Florence Wetzel
The Music of Jukkis Uotila presents an exciting array of modern big band arrangements performed by The Stockholm Jazz Orchestra (SJO), with compositions provided by SJO's drummer and occasional pianist, Jukkis Uotila. For over twenty-five years, the SJO has been at the forefront of big band music, proving that it's possible to explore innovation while remaining ...
Conrad Herwig: There's Nothing Else
by Bob Kenselaar
Talking about some of his great influences in jazz, Conrad Herwig points out that it's important to look beyond their achievements on their instruments. “Sometimes during a musician's lifetime, people put so much emphasis on their virtuosity as a player that they don't really think about the vehicle of their expression—their compositions." Herwig was speaking of ...
