Jazz on Film: From Ellington to emThe Wild One/em
Prompted by the British release of 5 jazz-oriented film scores, this All About Jazz article delves into the jazz scores of ‘50s-early ‘60s jazz scores from the stylized Leith Stevens music for “The Wild One” to more integral scores by Ellington (“Paris Blues”) and Johnny Mandel (“I Want To Live”).
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Read MoreAnthony Braxton Takes Off from John Coltrane
Anthony Braxton’s take on John Coltrane’s “Impressions,” with the great rhythm section of Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitous and Jack DeJohnette. Recorded at Karl Berger’s Creative Music Studio in 1971 or ’72.
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All Ears on Piano Master Kenny Werner
Kenny Werner joins Marian McPartland on this 2007 edition of NPR’s Piano Jazz. Sensitive and forward thinking, Werner has long been regarded as one of the great pianists to emerge in the 1980s, but he has also recently come into his own as a major composer and arranger, thanks to recent ambitious projects on Half Note Records. (Photo by Richard Conde)
-Michael Cuscuna
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Joe Lovano & Joshua Redman: Live At SFJAZZ
Joshua Redman and Joe Lovano got together during the opening week festivities at the new SFJazz to stretch out on Lovano’s tribute to the late drummer Ed Blackwell, “Blackwell’s Message.” Lovano and Redman first recorded this piece 20 years ago on Joe’s “Tenor Legacy” album. Based on this footage, these guys should definitely be doing more together.
-Michael Cuscuna
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The Tranquil Elegance of Teddy Wilson: Chatting in 1950
This WNYC interview with Teddy Wilson dates back to 1950. The written introduction to the posting is a wonderful capsule history of this amazing pianist who played with unfailing taste and clarity. For those of us who never had the pleasure to meet him, his style of speech - calm, deliberate, direct and concise – matches his piano playing to a tee.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Read MoreFreedom Day: Max Roach with Abbey Lincoln
“Freedom Day” is an excerpt from Max Roach and Oscar Brown, Jr.’s “We Insist: Freedom”. This European television appearance comes from a 1964 tour by the Max Roach Quartet with Clifford Jordan, plus Abbey Lincoln.
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Jeremy Denk on Charles Rosen: Recalling a Miracle
Pianist Jeremy Denk, who writes just about as well as he plays (check out his concerts and recordings of Charles Ives) reflects in this New Yorker article on the special place in our culture occupied by the late Charles Rosen — a fellow pianist and, as it turns out, a brilliantly insightful writer. Rosen’s landmark book, The Classical Style, helped shape the way that I, and a generation of listeners and musicians, looked at great classic European classic music.
-Nick Moy
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Django Reinhardt – One Of the Greatest Jazz Guitarists
Doug Ramsey celebrates what would have been Django Reinhardt’s 103rd birthday on January 23rd posting the gorgeous 1940 version of his “Nuages.” It is really remarkable that, in an era when European jazz musicians were trying to imitate the American innovators, Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli developed an original music that was as rooted in French and Gypsy culture as it was in American jazz. A nice bonus is a video of the Aaron Diehl Quartet with Warren Wolf on vibes burning on an extended version of John Lewis’s “Django”.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Fred Hersch on Navigating Jazz Career and Life
The great pianist Fred Hersch talks about his 1989 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, and how it jump-started his jazz career and gave him the impetus to develop and diversify musically. A wonderful oral chronicle of how Fred got to where he is at this point in time: no easy journey.
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Jason Moran, Dave Douglas, the Bad Plus take on Bjork: Success?
Icelandic vocalist and artist Bjork has often skirted the borders of rock and other conventional art forms, creating both elusive and sometimes unpredictable art and persona. Her work has challenged numerous creative musicians associated with the jazz space to interpret her work, including Jason Moran, the Bad Plus and Gretchen Parlato. This round-up assessment of jazz interpretations of Bjork has aspects that may not enthrall, like numeric ratings that can prove confining; at least this compilation can send us on our way to explore Bjork, and her influence of these artists and their work, for ourselves.
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