Beautiful Django Reinhardt LP
Being a collector of 78 RPM recordings, I must say that I share the passion of the blog found on crownpropeller when it comes to 10” LPs. Originally issued on 78, this re-issue stemming from the French label Swing, is a beautiful version of “September Song” by Django Reinhardt who never ceases to amaze me with his dexterity and sheer beauty.
- Scott Wenzel
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Read MoreUnderstanding Gregory Porter: Melody and Intention
Try it; just listen to singer Gregory Porter throughout this profile, and then look: Gregory Porter has this way of sounding like he’s smiling, as he tells you about the church, family and influences of youth that created his infectiously joyous musical composite.
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View VideoSaxophone Summit: Brecker, Lovano and Liebman Play Coltrane
Everyone is on fire in this 1999 webcast of three contemporary tenor saxophonists re-igniting John Coltrane’s Locomotion. The rhythm section, Phil Markowitz, Rufus Reid and in particular, Billy Hart, nearly set off Birdland’s sprinkler system, too. Many thanks to the Jazz Video Guy, Bret Primack.
-Nick Moy
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Anthony Davis to Premiere New Opera: Riffing on emKing Lear/em
Composer and pianist Anthony Davis, who brought the world “X: the Life and Times of Malcolm X, ” is about to premiere a new opera, Lear on the 2nd Floor, which he describes as not so much doing King Lear as riffing on it. In this feature in U-T San Diego, Davis acknowledges the influence of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on this work. Yet, as Davis points out, no one has actually written an opera based on King Lear. In that respect, among others, he’s still very much in the vanguard.
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Wynton Marsalis and Ali Jackson: Advice for Young Musicians
Sage advice for budding musicians from Wynton Marsalis, and more compelling advice from his drummer, Ali Jackson, Jr. Some amusing banter ensues between Jackson and his boss. Thanks to Peter Blasevick for pointing to this.
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Read MoreBing Crosby & Louis Armstrong
Although one might be familiar with “Now You Has Jazz” from the movie “High Society”, Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong (along with the All-Stars) contributed a couple of recreations on television. One of the best is from “The Edsel Show”, a 1957 CBS television broadcast. Here are two true giants of music displaying a genuine mutual appreciation society.
- Scott Wenzel
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The Quest: Only Two Photos Of Robert Johnson Have Ever Been Seen
Earlier this month it became official that an unidentified photograph bought on Ebay was authenticated to be that of the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson. Frank DiGiacomo’s in-depth article for Vanity Fair in 2008 sheds light on the musician, the legal nightmares involving the Johnson estate and the journey New York guitar dealer Steven “Zeke” Schein took trying to positively identify a photo made around 80 years ago.
- Scott Wenzel
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Tito Puente and Machito: Latin and Jazz Happily Co-exist
In this 1977 Down Beat profile, Tito Puente and Machito chime in on the debates on where the line should be drawn between Latin music and jazz. For Puente and Machito, those geographic considerations seemed to matter little. They seemed comfortable with where they stood on the landscape. So, we understand, did the many jazz players, including Charlie Parker, who played for them; and happily, so were those of us lucky enough to hear them in person. (Above: Machito and the Afro-Cubans, 1946)
-Nick Moy
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PBS Preview: Finding Your Roots
New Orleans is like New York City. It’s geographically a part of the United States, but it’s actually it’s own culture and its own world. This British column on London Jazz News and preview of the PBS program “Finding Your Roots’ with Branford Marsalis glimpses that rich, unique place.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Read MoreThe World Saxophone Quartet: a Lot of Night Music
The World Saxophone Quartet was one of the most potent jazz ensembles of the late 20th century. The original version of the WSQ, with Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, David Murray and Hamiet Bluiett, appears here on “Night Music” with David Sanborn.
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