David Amram: About Poet Gregory Corso
A classical conductor, a jazz French hornist and a composer, David Amram was in the middle of the ‘50s jazz scene, a member of the beat generation and involved in the ‘60s folk and protest movements. His reminiscences in JazzWax on poet Gregory Corso are priceless. I’m reminded of a morning Amram and I watched the sun come up at the bar in Bradley’s on University Place, where I listened to David talk animatedly about Lord Buckley for an hour!
-Michael Cuscuna
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A Guide to Henry Threadgill and Particularly Zooid
Henry Threadgill’s latest ensemble, Zooid, has just been his latest brilliant vehicle for composition, improvisational structure and collective expression for over the last several decades. In this guide in The Wire, Alexander Hawkins points to some telling recent signposts on the web in Threadgill’s fascinating musical journey \u2014 and it seems, in Hawkins’ journey to loving the Zooid. All the signposts are well worth a stop.
-Nick Moy
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How Cecil Taylor Met Andrew Cyrille
Cecil Taylor’s collaboration with drummer Andrew Cyrille by now approaches legend in the world of free improvisational music. This account, written for the Revivalist by Libby Peterson, traces not only how Andrew Cyrille came to meet and work with Cecil Taylor, but also how the rising turbulence of the times spurred musical development for both individuals that drew the two together.
-Nick Moy
Photo of Andrew Cyrille: Seth Rogovoy
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Ted Curson Remembered
Taylor Ho Bynum penned this touching recollection of trumpeter Ted Curson, who passed in November 2012. His meditation, in Jazz Times, reflects much of how many of us would like to remember Ted Curson, too.
-Nick Moy
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Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles, Flo and Eddie, and Frank Zappa, Etc.
Howard Kaylan was on the inside for a number of pop music’s most important movements in the ’60s and ’70s. With The Turtles, he proved you could write and perform the most sarcastic bubblegum songs and still have hits. His sense of humor served him well, primarily with Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention and Flo and Eddie, revamped, unmasked version of the Turtles. His memoir Shell Shocked is a wonderful read about a wild time in music.
-Michael Cuscuna
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Read MoreThe Instantly Recognizable Alto Sound of Jackie McLean
Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean is on fire for this 1988 version of Quadrangle, which he originally recorded in 1959 for “JACKIE’S BAG” (Blue Note). The rest of the band on this Mt. Fuji Blue Note Festival is Wallace Roney, Horace Parlan, Peter Washington and Kenny Washington.
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Long-Form Jazz: Out of the Harlem Renaissance
The long-form jazz composition \u2014 spanning the jazz suite and symphonic works - is said to have blossomed during the Harlem Renaissance, as early as James P. Johnson. Duke Ellington grappled with the form for a good part of his career. Composers in the jazz realm often coupled long-form compositions with grand themes in black history. This NPR survey samples five examples of long-form jazz composition, including excerpts from Ellington’s Black Brown and Beige, Oliver Nelson and a haunting piece by Wadada Leo Smith, honoring Rosa Parks.
-Nick Moy
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Read MoreVijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa Together Live
Two of today’s most important improvisational artists, pianist Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, collaborators for more than a decade, in this exhilarating concert performance of “The Shape of Things,” at the Bridgestone Music Festival in Sao Paulo. With Stephen Crump, bass, and Marcus Gilmore, drums.
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View VideoCharlie Parker
Well, there you have it. For your ears and eyes, a perfectly conceived, totally improvised solo on “All The Things You Are” by the maestro himself Charlie Parker.
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Vijay Iyer: Five Great Ways to Listen to Wadada Leo Smith
We’re gratified to see the name of Wadada Leo Smith crop up in recent conversation, whether to acknowledge his contributions to long-form composition or to point to his tribute to Rosa Parks. In this post on NPR’s A Blog Supreme, pianist Vijay Iyer recommends five recordings of Wadada Leo Smith \u2014 including “Rosa Parks” \u2014 that you should check out. NPR provides the click buttons.
-Nick Moy
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