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Buddy Rich: In a Zone of His Own
by Jack Bowers
One of the channels that came with my Dish Network package is Classic Arts Showcase, which is a treasure trove of film clips documenting classical, ballet, folk, pop and other forms of music that one is unlikely to see anywhere else (although some footage is presumably available on YouTube, which more and more seems to encompass ...
Dave Brubeck: Small Groups, Large Stature
by Jack Bowers
Dave Brubeck wasn't really a big-band kinda guy; in fact, he was seldom seen in groups larger than four or five. On the other hand, he was an extraordinary musician, one whose influence will no doubt be felt for generations to come. Brubeck, who remained active almost to the end of his life, died December 5 ...
The Complete Arista Albums Collection
by John Kelman
When fusion first emerged in the late 1960s/early '70s with artists like trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Chick Corea and guitarist John McLaughlin, the emphasis was on guitar and keyboard heavy lineups like Return to Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra, with an equally strong predilection for the intensity and volume of rock and a kind of thundering funk ...
After 15 Years, a "Caravan" Ends Its Journey
by Jack Bowers
For nearly fifteen years now, I've been writing two monthly columns here at All About Jazz: this one (Big Band Report) and Big Band Caravan. That is about to change. Starting next month, the two will be pared down to one inclusive column using as its title Big Band Report. So rather than searching the AAJ ...
Fresh Sound Records and the Legacy of Recorded Jazz
by Bruce Klauber
If the importance and the contributions of jazz are measured by its recorded legacy, then Fresh Sound Records--and its founder, Jordi Pujol--must be duly recognized for rescuing a legacy that might otherwise be lost or nearly impossible to find, and for making it available to the public. Specifically, this legacy includes recorded works by ...
Did Stan Kenton Swing? You Bet Your Walkin' Shoes He Did...
by Jack Bowers
I've been listening to a lot of Stan Kenton's music recently while coming to grips with the age-old question, did the Kenton orchestra really swing? The answer, to me, is a no-brainer: Yes, Kenton swung. Liberally and often. [Note: This of course depends on how “swinging" is defined; opinions may vary]. In his own way--although he'd ...
Bob Mintzer: Amazing Reach
by Bob Kenselaar
For about half of his four decade-long career in jazz, Bob Mintzer has been a member of the Yellowjackets, one of the most enduring, distinctive and creative bands in contemporary jazz. But, oddly enough, this association is a relatively small slice of Mintzer's remarkably multifaceted life in music as a saxophonist, bass clarinetist, composer, arranger, educator ...
Dave Pell: Remembers John Kirby and Big Small Bands
by C. Michael Bailey
Historical recreations of music are nothing new. Every tribute recording ever released is one. In the 1980s and '90s, classical music went through its “period instrument-performance practice" phase, where the entire Baroque, Classical and early Romantic repertoires were recreated using instruments and metronomic markings from the 18th and 19th Centuries. In the late 1950s, jazz was ...
James Cammack: Where You At?
by Ian Patterson
Oftentimes, it's only the passing of time that can offer true perspective. In years to come, bassist James Cammack may look back on 2012 as the year when--after over 30 years in the business--he truly began his musical adventure in earnest. After 29 years playing bass in the ensembles of piano legend Ahmad Jamal, Cammack was, ...
Richie Vitale: Vitalogy
by Edward Blanco
Richie Vitale is a fixture of the New York music scene, a veteran trumpeter with a resume that includes The Buddy Rich Big Band, Count Basie and Duke Ellington, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Vitalogy is not a big band recording, but features Vitale in a quintet format blowing through a ...
