Just Call Her Deedles

by | Dec 4, 2020 | Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To is from a live 2005 Seattle (DVD) concert entitled “Deedles Is My Name”.  Diane Schuur is backed by Maynard Ferguson and his powerful Big Bop Nouveau Band, although many of the songs feature the more intimate setting of a quartet.  It’s fascinating to hear Diane trade riffs with Maynard, mimicking his exuberant, high-flying sound.

Billy Joel’s New York State Of Mind, featuring Diane together with the sensuous sax of Stan Getz, was first released as a 45 RPM single and on her “Deedles” album with Dave Grusin in 1984… then again on her “Best Of” album in 1995.  Below you’ll hear the original 45 release, nostalgic clicks, pops and all.  By the way if you ever wondered where Diane Schuur’s nickname “Deedles” came from, it was an affectionate name her mother called her as a child and it just sort of stuck!

New York State Of Mind

by Diane Schuur | Original 45 RPM Single

Moonglow And Theme From Picnic – (Soundtrack)

by | Nov 28, 2020 | Orchestral, Soundtrack

Take the 1933 song “Moonglow”, popularized by The Benny Goodman Quartet, blend it carefully with the theme from a 1955 Academy Award winning movie … then add Kim Novak and William Holden, and you have the recipe for a genuine box office blockbuster!  This is the famous dance scene from “Picnic” that was considered so daring and erotic for a movie of that day.

While not strictly a jazz tune, the music [written by George Dunning and scored by Morris Stoloff] became highly popular, and to this day remains one of my favorite songs … and the movie one of my favorite films.. By merging the two songs a truly unique sound was achieved and the combination was successfully recorded by a variety of artists from both the pop and jazz idioms.

The Wonderful World of Satchmo

by | Nov 23, 2020 | Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

If the world ends someday, this song will be the credits.  What A Wonderful World was first recorded and popularized by Louis Armstrong in 1967.  Although there have been many recordings by other significant performers, Satchmo’s rendition continues to stand above the others.  This arrangement is a mellow jazz instrumentation rather than the more common version with strings.  While it isn’t really a jazz tune, I defy anyone to tell me it shouldn’t be included here.

In 1965 The Cold War was raging and the Berlin Wall stood strong, not to keep people out, but to keep people in!  On March 22nd, despite the political tensions and human oppression, the ambassador of jazz Louis Armstrong, gave a legendary concert in East Berlin at the Friedrichsstadt Palast.  The bottom two videos, Mack The Knife and When The Saints Go Marching In are just two of the powerful performances from that evening.

Don’t Blame Me / Bolivar Blues – Thelonious Monk

by | Nov 14, 2020 | Quartet/Quintet, Solo/Duo

Thelonious Monk is something of an acquired taste.  As Monk himself has said, “The piano ain’t got no wrong notes” … but once that taste is acquired, the listening experience is singular and thoroughly enjoyable!  The impression is one of almost hitting the note by playing around it, implying the expected note by actually creating a new version of it.  Monk is the very definition of avant-garde … half pianist, half painter.  As for Charlie Rouse adding his tenor to the mix, Charlie rents space inside Monk’s head.  Together they are musical twins joined at the hip!

Recorded in 1966 in Denmark, Don’t Blame Me puts Monk’s quartet on hold for a solo performance of the time-tested classic.

Monk’s Bolivar Blues was recorded in Japan in 1963.  The quartet is Thelonious at the piano, Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Frankie Dunlop playing drums and Butch Warren on bass.

Stolen Moments / Milestones – Oliver Nelson

by | Oct 31, 2020 | Big Band

The Oliver Nelson standard Stolen Moments is from the 1961 Impulse album “The Blues And The Abstract Truth” …  a classic album that fully captures the feeling of that very prolific jazz era.  It features Oliver Nelson on tenor sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Eric Dolphy playing flute, George Barrow on baritone sax, Bill Evans at the piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Roy Haynes playing drums.  Kind of a ‘who’s who’ of the time.

The Miles Davis tune Milestones was recorded by Oliver Nelson with The Berlin Dream Band in 1970.  The band was comprised of several of the top jazz musicians from West Berlin’s underground music scene and, as this wild, up-tempo arrangement proves, European musicians can positively hold their own with their American counterparts!

Stolen Moments

by Oliver Nelson | The Blues And The Abstract Truth

Mind Games / Topside – Bob James Trio

by | Oct 24, 2020 | Trio

Mind Games is a wonderfully rhythmic piece that plays more tricks with your feet than your mind. Bob James is, of course, at the piano, Billy Kilson plays drums and James Genus is on bass.

Topsail is another live performance by The Bob James Trio from their ‘Espresso’ album, recorded live in studio.  Bob switches over to the keyboard for this one, with the rest of the trio remaining the same.

Opus de Jazz – Frank Wess & Milt Jackson

by | Oct 17, 2020 | Quartet/Quintet

At the impressionable age of fourteen, Opus de Jazz was the first jazz album I ever bought.  While the other kids were rocking to Buddy Holly, The Del Vikings and The Platters, I was getting hooked on the likes of Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck and Count Basie!  It wasn’t until I became a disc jockey (Back when we actually played those round things made of vinyl) that I developed a nodding acquaintance with Rock music … but my love affair with jazz has only intensified to this day.

Opus de Funk and Opus And Interlude were recorded at a Savoy Records session in New York, October 1955 and were released on the album Opus de Jazz (subtitled A Hi-Fi Recording for Flute, Vibes, Piano, Bass, Drums) along with two other songs in 1956.  All featured Frank Wess on flute (tenor sax on one tune), Milt Jackson on vibes, Kenny Clarke playing drums, Hank Jones at the piano and Eddie Jones on bass.

Opus de Funk

by Frank Wess & Milt Jackson | Opus de Jazz

Opus And Interlude

by Frank Wess & Milt Jackson | Opus de Jazz

Tribute To Benny Goodman

by | Oct 10, 2020 | Big Band, Orchestral

The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.  In 1982, Lionel Hampton and Peggy Lee paid tribute to that year’s honoree Benny Goodman.  Lionel performed “Air Mail Special” and “Sing, Sing, Sing” while Peggy performed “Where or When” in a star-studded gala at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C.  Master of ceremonies Andre Previn introduces the segment.

A Super Saxy Battle

by | Oct 2, 2020 | Septet/Octet

On July 15, 1979 at the North Sea Jazz Festival something very special happened.  Five legends of the tenor saxophone descended upon The Hague in the province of South Holland … they were Illinois Jacquet, Dexter Gordon, Arnett Cobb, Buddy Tate and Budd Johnson.   They were joined by Hank Jones at the piano, Gene Ramey on bass and Gus Johnson playing drums.  It was an all-star cast and a performance those jazz fans will never forget!

Two of my favorite performances were Lionel Hampton’s Flying Home (Top video) and The Hague Blues in ‘C’ (Below) which was written especially for the occasion.