Jazz by George

by | Feb 27, 2026 | Quartet/Quintet

George Benson has been described as one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history. He started out as a singer, and quickly added the strings of guitarist and songwriter to his musical bow, making an indelible mark in soul, pop, and R&B genres as well as jazz. George first came to prominence during the 1960s, playing with organist Brother Jack McDuff and other prominent musicians before beginning his solo career. Here, at the age of only 21, he joins McDuff at the Antibes Jazz Festival in 1964 … along with Red Holloway on tenor sax and Joe Dukes on drums in their rendition of It Ain’t Necessarily So. Quite a departure from the later, more familiar Benson sound (like “This Masquerade” and “Give Me the Night”). Altogether, He collected no fewer that 10 Grammy Awards during his illustrious career!

Three’s a Charm!

by | Feb 21, 2026 | Big Band, Orchestral

Ella, Ray, and Pete have the blues! Pete Kelly’s Blues may just be the greatest jazz motion picture of all time … featuring appearances by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee (who received an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress), with much of the music played by Matty Matlock. Pete Kelly’s Blues‘ main title is performed here by Ray Anthony, who accompanies Ella’s vocal with a trumpet that captures the essence of the film. Fitzgerald follows with her rendition of Hard Hearted Hannah –– hear and see her original clip from the movie in our June 9, 2017 post.

Maiden Voyage – Herbie Hancock

by | Feb 13, 2026 | Sextet

The history of jazz is often told through the exploits of its firestarters, outsized personalities like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and pianist/composer Herbie Hancock … one of the most adept and creative of the sound-sculpting facilitators.  Maiden Voyage is the product of both his genius and his willingness to experiment with fresh, new sound ideas.  It is, arguably, his peak solo statement from the 1960s, some would say along with his compositions of Dolphin Dance and Watermelon Man, (our June 1, 2018 post) two tunes which have also become jazz classics. Herbie is joined here by Brian Blade on drums, Randy Brecker playing trumpet, Ravi Coltrane on tenor saxophone, James Genus on bass and Zakir Hussain playing tabla, as part of the “International Jazz Day 2022” All-Star Global Concert.

It’s June in February

by | Feb 6, 2026 | Big Band, Vocal

Although she was the epitome of the vocal cool movement of the 1950s, June Christy was a hypnotically warm vocalist, whose audiences either loved her or were confused by her unusual, sometimes off-key phrasing. She was able to stretch out her impressive voice on uptempo swing tunes, as well as on laid back ballads, and set herself apart from other vocalists with her deceptively simple enunciation. Midnight Sun originally an instrumental composed by Lionel Hampton and Sonny Burke in 1947 –– now considered a jazz standard –– receives a very gentle yet powerful interpretation by June when she was with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. For more June Christy and further examples of the versatility that made her one of the top jazz vocalists of the 50’s era, see our post of September 19, 2019, “June Christy and Friends.”