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Results for "Toshiko Akiyoshi"
Skelton Skinner All Stars / Clare Fischer Big Band / Ron Carter's Great Big Band

by Jack Bowers
Skelton Skinner Allstars Big BandCookin' with the Lid OnDiving Duck Records2012 Back in the late 1950s, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs (with some help from his friends) put together an ensemble that became known as the Terry Gibbs Dream Band, took up residence in Hollywood and began blowing audiences ...
Big Band Jazz: It's Not Just for Guys Anymore
by Jack Bowers
Back in the early '90s, Stanley Kay, one-time back-up drummer for the incomparable Buddy Rich, later a manager of such artists as Maurice Hines, Michelle Lee and Paul Burke and the entertainment director for the New York Yankees, had a good idea: the time had come, he reasoned, to assemble an all-woman big band that would ...
Gold Medalists Abound at Big Band Olympics
by Jack Bowers
As this is being written, Betty and I are just back from a ten-day visit to California, the first six days of which would be of absolutely no interest to readers of this column. The last four, however, were spent at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel attending the L.A. Jazz Institute's Big Band Olympics," which ...
Walt Weiskopf: Walt Weiskopf: Quartet Live

by Doron Orenstein
Besides being the tenor man onstage with Steely Dan, Walt Weiskopf is first and foremost a prolific solo artist. With over 15 critically acclaimed recordings as a leader, Walt is not one to rest on laurels collected over the course of years, playing alongside legends such as Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and The Vanguard ...
Jay Anderson: Driving the Bus

by Ian Patterson
The term sideman" really doesn't do justice to bassist Jay Anderson, as his beautifully melodic, lyrical lines and in-the-pocket-grooves lift and shape any music that he is a part of. And while the term journeyman" holds some truth--Anderson has played with a huge number of people--one glance at his extensive discography reveals that most of the ...
Japan Benefit Concert at the Village Vanguard

by Emilie Pons
On Monday, April 4, 2011, the storied Village Vanguard, a classy little West Village basement club, hosted one of numerous benefit concerts for Japan around New York City. The Village Vanguard Orchestra was featured for three incredible sets, like every Monday; but on this special occasion invited a series of wonderful guest musicians to contribute.
Are You Sure, Bobby?
by Jack Bowers
In late March, I received an e-mail from trumpeter Bobby Shew. He said he'd performed a gig in West Palm Beach, FL, and had met my brothers, whom he described as nice guys." My first impulse was to write back and ask if he could have been mistaken. My brothers? Nice guys? Well, the fact is ...
A Memorable Evening with Andy Martin
by Jack Bowers
After several months of inactivity, big-band jazz in Albuquerque sprang vibrantly to life for one memorable evening February 19 as Andy Martin, one of the world's most accomplished trombonists, flew in from Los Angeles to team with the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra for an electrifying concert at the Eldorado High School Performing Arts Center, crowning the city's ...
Let's Give Thanks for the DVD
by Jack Bowers
As there isn't much to report--well, nothing, actually--about big bands this month, I'll use the space to say a few words in praise of the DVD. Yes, I know there aren't a whole lot of jazz DVDs on the market, especially big band videos, but there are a few, and I'm grateful for every one of ...
Moody's Mood Was Always Happy

by Jack Bowers
James Moody, whose noble spirit and radiant personality were as impressive as his exploits on saxophone and flute for more than six decades, died December 9, 2010 from pancreatic cancer at his home in San Diego. He was 85 years old. To anyone who was lucky enough to meet him, the Moody hug ...