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.

Power of the Pen –– Sound of the Horn

by | Sep 13, 2025 | Orchestral, Quartet/Quintet, Video

Terence Blanchard is jazz royalty—trumpet player, bandleader, film score composer, and recording artist, all rolled into one. Terence is an alumnus of the Berklee College of Music, the premier institute of the performing arts, along with such notables as Quincy Jones, Diana Krall, as well as any number of other Grammy-winning engineers, producers, and instrumentalists across various musical genres. His close ties to Berklee revolve around teaching and mentoring rather than merely as an alumnus … that and similar educational involvements, in addition to his film scoring, may be the reason Blanchard hasn’t exactly become a household name.

In the early ‘90s Terence gained attention as a soloist, performing on Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and Mo’ Better Blues. He went on to score all of Lee’s subsequent films, including the Hurricane Katrina documentary, When the Levees Broke. Levees was originally part of the musical score, evocatively performed by Terence in the following video along with a forty piece orchestra!

The song I Cover the Waterfront was written by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman in 1933; it was inspired by Max Miller’s 1932 novel of the same name and a subsequent 1933 film. The Terence Blanchard rendition from his 1994 album, The Billie Holiday Songbook, features Terence on trumpet, Bruce Barth at the piano, Troy Davis playing drums, and Chris Thomas on bass.

I Cover the Waterfront

by Terence Blanchard | Billie Holiday Songbook

Sing Soweto is a New Orleans jazz and bop track released in 1991 on the album titled Terence Blanchard. The Soweto Uprising (or Rebellion) was a 1976 protest in South Africa, where thousands of Black students were killed in a march against the requirement they be instructed only in the Afrikaans language, which they strongly associated with the apartheid government. Blanchard’s trumpet and subtle chorus on the video (below) capture the pain of the struggle.

Sax from the Woods

by | Aug 31, 2025 | Orchestral, Quartet/Quintet

Phil Woods was a jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. He did it all and did it well! Woods earned the top alto sax player award almost 30 times in DownBeat magazine’s annual readers’ poll. He composed more than 200 songs during his 60 plus year career, and staked his claim to being the finest alto saxophonist in mainstream jazz.

I have to laugh when someone tells me they don’t like jazz. My reply is usually, “Which kind don’t you like?” If you really listen, there’s something for everyone … even ‘pretty’ jazz. Take, for example, Phil’s performance of I’ll Remember April (above) with the Orchestre du Conservatoir National Regional de Toulouse at the Marciac Jazz Festival in 2005. It’s as lush and mellow, as Steeplechase (below) is cookin’! Woods’ famous quartet recorded the tune in 1990 at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France; it consisted of Phil (as), Hal Galper (p), Steve Gilmore (b), and Bill Goodwin (d).

The Incomparable Cleo Laine

by | Aug 2, 2025 | Orchestral, Vocal

Cleo Laine was a British singer blessed with an agile contralto voice, boasting an incredible four-octave range!  She became not only the most creative and materially successful jazz singer the UK music scene has known, but also gained a worldwide reputation as one of a mere handful of truly original, jazz-inspired vocalists. Cleo was actually quite comfortable in almost any idiom, from jazzy standards to the frontiers of classical music and even opera … she was the only female singer to receive Grammy nominations in jazz, popular and classical categories. At the tender age of 97, Dame Cleo Laine passed away only last week, July 24, 2025, but leaves her magical touch on all musical genres for the inspiration of future enthusiasts.

(Above) she teams up with husband John Dankworth on Sophisticated Lady, a clip from the BBC film, “A Salute to Duke Ellington” on his seventieth birthday. (Immediately below) is a performance, again teaming with Dankworth, at the 1982 MDA Telethon. It’s the old favorite, I Don’t Know Why I Love You Like I Do, plus a surprise medley with a couple of mind-blowing Cleo twists toward the end! Finally (at the bottom) is a pair of tunes from a live performance in 1968, with Dame Laine truly in her prime … Come Rain or Come Shine (L) and Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone (R).

N’Orleans Jazz with the PHJB

by | Mar 15, 2025 | Orchestral, Quartet/Quintet, Septet/Octet

Preservation Hall Jazz Band has held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for more than 50 years, keeping the history they were founded to preserve alive and well. This ageless ensemble has toured the world displaying the unbreakable spirit of New Orleans and sharing the joy of its very special style of jazz. The band consists of Ben Jaffe (one of the original founders), Branden Lewis, Charlie Gabriel, Walter Harris, Kyle Roussel, Ronell Johnson, and Clint Maedgen. The PHJB‘s name and mission are directly tied to Preservation Hall, a venue in the French Quarter that serves as a hub for traditional New Orleans jazz. In 2006, The Band was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. (Above) they perform Bourbon Street Parade together with the Cincinatti Pops Orchestra in a PBS special “Take Me to the River.”

The video below is bit of a mystery. The group is called The Preservation Hall Jazz Quartet … although they perform at Preservation Hall, I cannot find any information affirming or denying a connection to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The quartet consists of Kevin Louis on trumpet, Lars Edegran at the piano, Haruka Kikuchi playing trombone, and Joe Lastie on drums. The tune is a mystery as well. I don’t recognize it, nor can I find reference to a name anywhere, but one thing is for certain … the sound is pure N’Orleans!

Fiddlin’ Around with the MJQ

by | Mar 1, 2025 | Orchestral, Quartet/Quintet

The Modern Jazz Quartet began in 1952, performing music influenced by classical, cool jazz, blues, and bebop. They carved out their own special niche playing elegant, restrained music, that utilized sophisticated counterpoint, while retaining a strong blues feel. They performed and recorded jazz, off and on, for some 45 years between 1952 and 1997.  As with any group of musicians there were occasional personnel changes but the core group remained for most of that time.  The personnel probably most frequently identified with MJQ are John Lewis at the piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, Percy Heath playing bass and Connie Kay on drums.

A Day in Dubrovnik (top) is a John Lewis composition, and adds strings to The Quartet for a slightly classical, European flavor. Meanwhile (below) Itzhak Perlman lends his talented ‘fiddle’ to the MJQ mix in a most delightful arrangement of Summertime that would capture even George Gershwin’s attention … recorded at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in 1987.

The Annual Christmas Show

by | Dec 21, 2024 | Holiday, Lighter Side, Orchestral

Christmas is a very special time of year and therefore calls for something a little different from our usual presentation.  I have brought The Christmas Show forward from our Jazz Scene Podcast page … featuring songs for the season by Maynard Ferguson, Tony Bennett, The Swingle Singers, Mel Torme, Count Basie, The Gene Harris Quartet, Lou Rawls, The Manhattan Transfer, Kenny G, Billy Taylor, Carol Sloan, plus a few of my own thoughts about the magic of Christmas. May you enjoy every minute of this musical Christmas card and have the Merriest of all Christmases with the ones you love!

— Fred

The Annual Christmas Show

by Fred Masey | Podcast 017

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!  Here’s a medley of tunes from the beloved Charlie Brown Christmas Special, with accompanying video sequences, and David Benoit’s magical Christmas fingers in solo performance! Below that, Kenny G performs Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, with scenes from five of the best traditional holiday movies ever made in the background.

Manhattan Transfer Christmas II

by | Dec 14, 2024 | Holiday, Orchestral, Vocal Group

In 1969, Tim Hauser formed a vocal group in New York City called The Manhattan Transfer. The videos below feature the fourth edition of the group, consisting of Tim Hauser, Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, and Cheryl Bentyne, who performed mostly cool and smooth jazz, tinged with pop, soul, funk, and even acappella. These cuts are from The Transfer’s 2005 DVD, “The Christmas Concert.” (For more Manhattan Transfer Christmas, see our MOJ post of December 21,2018)

A special MHT arrangement of Mel Torme’s The Christmas Song.  Listen to the rich blend of mellow harmonies, smoothly combining all four voices into one.

Happy Holidays adds some upbeat flavor to the Christmas season that celebrates all the magic and merriment of the jolly old elf himself … and it’s all just ’round the corner!

The foursome captures the warmth of a cozy fire against the backdrop of a cold wintry night with their uniquely gentle version of Let It Snow. Oh … the song was written during a California heatwave!

Swift Jazz

by | Jul 21, 2024 | Big Band, Orchestral, Vocal

Veronica Swift (no relation to the popular diva) is an amazing 23-year-old jazz and bebop chanteuse, who has already appeared with some of the biggest names in the idiom.  From a family of musicians, she cut her first album, Veronica’s House of Jazz, at the age of 9 and her second at 13! She has a most amazing voice and exciting style … as evidenced by the topmost video with Chris Botti and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, There Will Never Be Another You.  Bottom left, she appears with the Steven Feifke Big Band, rehearsing an unusual treatment of On The Street Where You Live, while bottom right Veronica stretches out with the Feifke band on the time honored standard, Until the Real Thing Comes Along.

A Horn Named Shirley

by | Jun 15, 2024 | Orchestral, Quartet/Quintet, Trio

Shirley Horn was both a jazz singer and pianist.  She formed her first jazz trio at the age of 20, and collaborated with many legendary musicians, including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis, and others. She was most noted for her ability to accompany herself with near-incomparable musical independence on the piano as she sang.  This was an ability described by arranger Johnny Mandel as “like having two heads.”  Her rich, lush voice, a smoky contralto, was once described by noted producer and arranger Quincy Jones as “like clothing, as she seduces you with her voice.”

The video above is Nice and Easy, recorded in concert at the 1990 International Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland … and, as the title indicates, it swings comfortably.  Below [left] Shirley  performs an uptempo Just In Time, at the 1992 Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island … while below [right] she eases back with a haunting rendition of How Insensitive.

Finally, [bottom-most] Shirley Horn reaches for your heartstrings and tugs a bit with a quiet look at life, as she performs Here’s to Life at the 1994 North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.  She is backed by the Metropole Orchestra and a sea of lush strings.