Shuggie Otis, Past and Present
On the occasion of the re-release of his influential 1974 album Inspiration Information, with tons of subsequent, previously unreleased music on a second disc, Shuggie Otis is making a comeback and has been touring recently. (For more on his comeback, see this New York Times article.) The son of Johnny Otis and son-in-law of former employer Gerald Wilson, Shuggie Otis remains a killer guitarist and innovative songwriter. Give this release a first listen on this NPR site.
-Michael Cuscuna
Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter
Read More
Louis Armstrong Unissued Recording to be Unveiled
JazzTimes announces a gathering on April 30 (International Jazz Day) at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, heralding the discovery of a previously unknown performance of Louis Armstrong’s “West End Blues.” Unfortunately, it’s not an alternate take of the June 28, 1928 masterpiece recorded for OKeh, considered one of the most significant jazz performances ever put to wax, but fortunately, it’s still Armstrong, it’s still the “West End Blues” and it’s the last surviving presentation of this piece by Louis, recorded while he was in concert at Feedomland (a defunct park in the Bronx) back in 1961. Dan Morgenstern, who was there on that day, will be a guest speaker reminiscing about the event.
-Scott Wenzel
Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter
Read More
Bessie Smith: Empress of the Blues
Bessie Smith is the subject of this fine entry in NPR’s “Jazz Profiles” hosted by Nancy Wilson (who no doubt felt inspiration from Smith). There have been many tributes to Smith, whose power and emotion has rarely been equaled: an artist that deserves all the accolades ever given to her. Among those interviewed are Albert Murray, Chris Albertson, John Hammond and Susannah McCorkle.
-Scott Wenzel
Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter
Read More
John Lewis: At Home with the Blues
John Lewis’s appearance on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz from the first season in 1979 fittingly starts with a wonderful piano blues. I remember being amazed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in the mid ‘70s when Lewis unleashed a soulful set of piano blues. I had always associated him with the Modern Jazz Quartet and jazz interpretations of Bach’s music. But that typecasting came to a quick end that evening.
-Michael Cuscuna
Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter
Read More
Five Blues Songs That Feel Your Midwinter Chill
Back in the day when Clear Channel didn’t exist, FM radio didn’t have playlists and the popular format was “freeform underground,” those of us who were disc jockeys were among the happiest, most overpaid people in the country. The most fun was creating musical sets building off of keys, tempos and topics. Mick Morrison’s excellent 5-song set of winter blues on NPR’s blog supreme takes me back to those days
-Michael Cuscuna
Listen To The Blues… Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr Twitter
Read More
That Memphis Blues Again
Memphis is a magical American city that has played an important role in acoustic blues, electric blues, jazz and R & B for seven or eight decades now. Whether it’s Sleepy John Estes or B. B. King or Charles Lloyd or Otis Redding….must be something in the water. Check out these blues recordings as a starter.
-Michael Cuscuna
Follow: Mosaic Records Facebook Tumblr
Read More
