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Sir Charles Thompson in 15 Tracks
Pianist Sir John Thompson could play anything. And he did, from swing and jump blues to bebop and pop, on recording session after recording session. Lester Young dubbed him “Sir" in the early 1940s when they were both performing at Cafe Society in New York. Prez laid the moniker on Thompson to honor his elegant keyboard ...
Johnny Richards and Stan Kenton
Johnny Richards arranged several crackerjack albums for Stan Kenton. They include Cuban Fire!, tracks on Back to Balboa, Kenton's West Side Story and Adventures in Time. Even more exceptional are Richards's albums recorded as a leader, including Something Else, Wide Range, Walk Softly/Run Wild and Aqui Se Habla Español. With Kenton, Richards came a long way ...
Earl Swope: 11 Tracks on Trombone
With the arrival of bebop in 1946 and the proliferation of independent record labels, trombonists seemed perfectly positioned to take on the new music. Perhaps it was the fluidity of the instrument's slide. Whatever the reason, a surging number began to emerge from the big bands to master the modernist form. The list included J.J. Johnson, ...
Quincy Jones in Paris, 1957-1960
It is impossible to fully appreciate the delight of the late Quincy Jones without doing a deep dive into his years in Paris. From 1957 to 1960, Jones studied composition and theory there with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen, performed at the Paris Olympia, toured Europe and became music director at Barclay Records. The French label ...
Eugenie Baird: Overlooked Vocalist
It's a strange admission, but I came to jazz through the big bands of the 1930s and '40. And I'm glad this was the case. Through these bands, my ear became atuned to syncopation and swing, and I developed a deep appreciation for large ensembles playing for dancers, easing worriers and encouraging dreamers. I also became ...
Why Benny Golson Was Special
The late Benny Golson was rare in jazz. Among his many gifts were original songs with catchy melodies, glamorous harmony and romantic sophistication, His improvisational style was both fluid and relentlessly elegant. Best of all, his music had a way of making you feel sexy and cool. For me, Benny was one of the Sensual Four—a ...
10 Tracks by Pianist Ross Tompkins
Yesterday I posted on Solo, a 1963 album by trombonist Kai Winding for Verve. Accompanying Winding on the three days of recording was pianist Ross Tompkins. Who was he? Tompkins was probably best known as the pianist on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1971 to 1992, when the show folded. Born in Detroit in ...
17 Favorite 1950s Clips by Bill Holman
As an arranger, the late Bill Holman} knew how to set 'em up and knock 'em down. His arrangements always began with a relatively simple melodic idea, which he then whipped up into a flaming meringue, holding dear to the original concept. He loved to put the reeds in play, setting them off with call-and-response harmony ...
The David Frost Show: 1969-1972
The David Frost Show debuted in the U.S. in 1969 and lasted until 1972. It was broadcast in color from New York and was produced by Westinghouse's Group W Productions for syndication, airing three days a week. What made the show special, in addition to featuring an intelligent host, was the diversity of guests and their ...
12 YouTube Clips of Anita O'Day
Anita O'Day was one of jazz's first “slick chicks." Born Anita Colton in 1919, O'Day was raised in Chicago. She left home during the Depression at age 14 to become a walk-a-thon contestant—the last person standing after sleepless hours won a cash prize. Dance-a-thons would soon follow. In 1936, O'Day began singing professionally and fronted her ...
