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Jimmy Gourley: American in Paris
Jazz guitarist Jimmy Gourley spent much of his career in France, creating the impression for many jazz fans that he was French. He wasn't. He was born in St. Louis and grew up a high school band mate of alto saxophonist Lee Konitz. After Gourley's father bought him a guitar, Gourley picked up the basics by ...
Helen Merrill and Bill Evans
In February 1958, singer Helen Merrill recorded five tracks backed by Bill Evans, who was part of a superb quintet. The tracks would be their only studio recordings together. Evans would move on to the Miles Davis Quintet and Sextet that May and then form his own trio at year's end. Helen would spend 1958 and ...
10 tracks: Niehaus and Brass
With the recent passing of alto saxophonist and arranger-composer Lennie Niehaus, I spent yesterday listening to his Stan Kenton and sideman sessions and arrangements. During this period, Lennie used a wonderful device on up-tempo arrangements, opening with a heavy, dark riff and then cutting the cord and letting the song float into bright swing. On ballads, ...
Greek Legend Manolis Mikelis
Today, jazz flourishes in Athens—or at least did before the virus lockdown. Many clubs dot the city, and gifted Greek jazz musicians perform there. Greek jazz greatness begins with a pianist whose name might be new to you—Manolis Mikelis. That's because Mikelis barely recorded, preferring to play live throughout Europe during his lifetime. Back in the ...
More Harry James in Hi-Fi
Throughout the 1950s, Count Basie saw Harry James in his rear-view mirror. For James, Basie was an inspiration and a model on which to record. Their connection dated back to 1939, when James recorded Two O'Clock Jump, a trumpet-driven interpretation of Basie's popular One O'Clock Jump credited to Basie, James and Benny Goodman. The update became ...
Paul Bley: Early Trios
Pianist Paul Bley is often thought of today as a free-jazz trailblazer and avatar of the avant-garde. But in the beginning, in the early 1950s, Bley was a swinging modernist, leaning heavily on bop. Bley led a trio in New York and recorded three albums—Introducing Paul Bley (Debut), Autobiography in Jazz (Debut) and Paul Bley (Emarcy). ...
Sonny Greenwich in 10 Clips
Yesterday I received an email from Bob Miller in Canada. In his note, he mentioned Sonny Greenwich, a guitarist who is little-known in the U.S. but a favorite among musicians north of the border. Canada, of course, has produced its share of great jazz musicians, including Greenwich, multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson, saxophonist Moe Koffman, pianist Oscar Peterson ...
Chuck Israels and Alec Katz
Bassist Chuck Israels and I have become fast pen pals. Every since my interview with Chuck in 2019 (here), he sends along wonderful notes with insights into the historic subjects of my posts. I share many of them with you. Recently, Chuck sent along a thrilling album featuring his trio live at a club in Tel ...
Chet Baker: Sweden, 1985
On June 30, 1985, Chet Baker performed in the library of Sonet Records in Lidingö, Sweden, backed by French pianist Michael Graillier and Belgian bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse. As with the Zoot Sims video posted earlier, Red Mitchell conducted an interview that was interspersed between songs. [Photo above of Chet Baker courtesy of YouTube] Chet played the ...
Meredith d'Ambrosio in 10 Tracks
What I love most about vocalist Meredith D'Ambrosio is her ability to exude innocence and sophistication at the same time. Her first album, Lost in His Arms, was recorded in 1978 and from then on, Meredith has amazed me with her talent and artistry. She's a composer, an arranger, a painter (her paintings grace virtually all ...
