The King of Swing

by | Nov 30, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet, Sextet, Trio

Any artist’s Carnegie Hall debut is an auspicious occasion. In Benny Goodman’s case, January 16, 1938 was not only the debut of a major star, but it also marked the first time people sat in a concert hall to hear swing music rather than dance to it. That first Carnegie concert was jazz’s ‘coming out’ party to the world of ‘respectable’ music.’ Benny would appear there at least 25 more times in the next 44 years! During an era of racial segregation, Goodman led one of the first integrated jazz groups, hiring both Teddy Wilson (p) and Lionel Hampton (vb) for his quartet. His reign as “King of Swing” took off when he helped ease our nation through the darkest days of The Great Depression, with the grace and optimism offered by swing music.

Down South Camp Meetin’ (top) features Benny in a big band setting at the New York Marriott Marquis in 1985, with Dick Hyman on piano and Louis Bellson playing drums. Then a pair of tunes from the early days: Sing, Sing, Sing (middle left) with Gene Krupa on drums and Harry James on trumpet, from the 1937 film Hollywood Hotel … and Nice Work If You Can Get It (middle right) from 1960, swung by The Benny Goodman Trio with Teddy Wilson playing piano and, once again, Gene Krupa on drums. Finally, buckle up as George Benson sits in on guitar for Charlie Christian as the sextet plays Seven Come Eleven in a 1975 tribute to John Hammond.

They Called Him “Mr. T”

by | Nov 22, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Sextet

A legend of the tenor saxophone, Stanley Turrentine was renowned for his distinctively thick, rippling tone, and earthy grounding in the blues. In fact, his distinctively thick, warm, blues-drenched tone made him a defining voice in soul jazz and a perennially popular figure across several genres. Turrentine recorded in a wide variety of settings, but was best-known for his Blue Note soul-jazz jams of the ’60s. Although most commonly referred to as “Mr. T” he was also known as “The Sugar Man” in more intimate circles.

His frequent collaborations with organist Jimmy Smith resulted in a treasure trove of classic recordings … evidence their ever popular Midnight Special (above), recorded at the 1987 Mount Fuji Jazz Festival, with Kenny Burrrell on guitar and the fabulous Art Blakey on drums.

Another Smith collaboration, Scratch My Back (upper right) features the same group with Grady Tate on drums … recorded in 1985 at NYC’s Town Hall. On the (lower right) is Sugar with Mr. T, of course, on tenor, Jimmy Smith once more at the Hammond, Freddie Hubbard trumpet, Kenny Burrell guitar, Ron Carter bass, and Joe Chambers playing drums … from the 1987 Mount Fuji Jazz Festival.

Gold from Silver

by | Nov 16, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

Pianist Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver was the heart and soul of the hard bop era, helping to form the influential Jazz Messengers, and composing many blues and gospel-flavored songs that have become part of the jazz canon. For more than fifty years, Horace Silver wrote some of the most enduring tunes in jazz while performing them in a distinctively personal style, combining clean and sometimes humorous right-hand lines with the rumble of darker left hand notes. Precious few jazz musicians have had a greater impact on the contemporary mainstream than Horace Silver. The hard bop style that Silver pioneered in the ’50s is now dominant, played not only by holdovers from an earlier generation, but also by fuzzy-cheeked musicians who had yet to be born when the sound fell out of critical favor in the ’60s and ’70s.

Silver’s Señor Blues (upper left) is a latin-influenced piece, more than a little reminiscent of many Duke Ellington compositions. Recorded in Paris in 1959, Horace is joined by Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook playing sax, Gene Taylor on double bass, and Louis Hayes at the drums. In 1964, his “5Tet” shows a softer side with Pretty Eyes (upper right). If my references serve me correctly, Horace Silver plays piano, Woody Shaw is on trumpet, Joe Henderson is playing tenor, Bob Cranshaw is on bass, and Roger Humphries is at the drums. Song for My Father (lower left) is an unapologetic Silver tribute to his dad. Inspired by the Cape Verdean folk music he heard from his Portuguese-born father, the tune has become a standard in his repertoire. During a 1968 Rotterdam concert, this rendition was recorded with Horace Silver on piano, Randy Brecker playing trumpet, Bennie Maupin on tenor, John Williams on bass, and Billy Cobham playing drums. Finally, (lower right) Horace pays homage to the late, great trumpet player Blue Mitchell with a composition entitled Blues for Brother Blue, recorded in 1994 in the Netherlands by Silver’s big band –– The Silver Brass Ensemble.

Drummin’ Man

by | Nov 7, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Trio

Rich was fast, Krupa was smooth, but Jack DeJohnette was melodic. He played R&B, hard bop, and avant-garde stylings … and always made it look easy. Jack left us at the age of 83 just a few weeks ago, on October 26th. He was a pianist, composer, and most of all a drummer, whose command and versatility made him one of the standout instrumentalists of the past five decades and an indispensable figure in era-defining jazz. He fearlessly embraced abstraction and his approach, which could be hushed or explosive, freely swinging or fiercely funky, built bridges between the old and the new. He once referred to himself a “colorist on the drums.”

 

Shadow Dance (above) opens with a DeJohnette drum solo, which leads into just one color of a largely new age electronic rainbow, borrowing heavily from the pop-rock genre. It features Herbie Hancock playing piano and keyboards, Pat Metheny on guitar, and Dave Holland on bass, rounding out the quartet. Rider (below) is a classic example [from 1985] of just how funky Jack could be in driving the trio … which includes Keith Jarrett at the piano and Gary Peacock on bass. Jack DeJohnette leaves a large legacy but even larger shoes to fill.