The Peter Beets trio performs Waltz in C#m with the world famous Residentie Orkest The Hague (The Hague Philharmonic) at Paard (The Hague). Jazz improvisations on Chopin music were arranged for trio and symphony orchestra by Rob Horsting and Marijn van Prooijen. The trio consists of Peter on piano, Marius Beets playing double bass and Gijs Dijkhuizen on drums.
Through the years, the definitive version of One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) has been associated with Frank Sinatra … but Dianne Reeves gives ‘Old Blue Eyes’ a run for his money on this one. It’s from her 2008 appearance at the Jazzopen Music Festival in Stuttgart, Germany. Her band is comprised of Peter Martin on piano, Peter Sprague playing guitar, James Genus on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums. Even with all of the energy Reeves typically puts into her performances, she has a lower, slower gear … and I’ve selected two of my more mellow favorites from her live concerts.
Stormy Weather was taken from Dianne’s 2012 performance at Jazzwoche Burghausen, also Germany. It’s a jazz/pop standard that she infuses with anything but a standard feeling … featuring Peter Martin at the piano, Romero Lubambo on guitar, Reginald Veal on bass, and Terreon Gully playing drums behind the vocal instrumentation of Ms. Reeves.
In 2003 a concert was held for Dismas House in St. Louis Missouri, the first halfway house in the country. It featured The Rat Pack … Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. performing at their relaxed, professional finest! The Count Basie Orchestra, led by Quincy Jones, provided much of the accompanying music.
I’ve chosen to highlight Sinatra in this video and selected Get Me To The Church On Time and Luck Be A Lady Tonight from the concert, because their performances are so very, very Sinatra. Old Blue Eyes’ ability to make a song his own is one of the elements that makes him so appealing and these tunes so enjoyable. Now … someone tell me that Frank is not actually jazz or that he doesn’t swing and I’ll be glad to send you some polka records!
The first video is one of only two existing pieces of footage of Charlie Parker in performance. This session was recorded in October 1950 in an effort to add video to some previously recorded audio tracks. Bird was smiling because Hawkins, Rich and company were trying to mime their own improvised solos and it wasn’t working out so well. Bird had a good time with it until he got into “trouble” with the producer for laughing at Hawkins. I believe the tune they are attempting to re-dress is called Celebrity.
The second video is the other piece of performance footage and is entitled Hot House. It was recorded in 1951 and ‘co-features’ Dizzy Gillespie in the days before his trumpet developed its trade mark distinctive ‘curve’. The two audio selections, Lover Man and They Can’t Take That Away From Me are simply more ‘Bird’ at his best, including a cut from his album with strings.
In this session Bird was, of course, on alto, Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Hank Jones played piano, the great Ray Brown played bass, and you’re sure to recognize Buddy Rich on drums.
When Parker got together with Dizzy Gillespie to jam, you knew the music had to be hot, so the tune was bound to be a few degrees above normal, too! If you look closely toward the end, you’ll spot Dick Hyman at the piano.
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