A Frank, Bing and Kenny Christmas

by | Dec 20, 2019 | Orchestral, Vocal

It’s classic upon classic!  First, Kenny G. takes a walk down memory lane with scenes from classic Christmas movies and his lush arrangement of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.  Then a classic clip from the 1967 Bing Crosby television special featuring a duet of White Christmas with Frank Sinatra, as the magic of the holiday season unfolds.

After that, the only thing left to say is MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I wish you and yours Christmas rainbows all through the new year!

Five Faces Of Harlem Nocturne

by | Mar 22, 2019 | Big Band, Orchestral

Harlem Nocturne was written in 1939 by Earle Hagen and Dick Rogers for the Ray Noble Orchestra, of which they were members at the time.  It quickly became a jazz standard and has since been recorded by nearly 100 artists!  Here are just 5 different versions, including the very first recording of the tune on Columbia Records by Ray Noble.  Then there was a recording by The Viscounts that ran up the Billboard charts, not once but twice … in 1959 and again in1966.  Lyrics were eventually added and in 1963 Mel Torme painted a lonely picture of nighttime in New York.  While many of the others smack of a certain “stripperesque” quality, the fourth arrangement imparts a certain elegance we’ve learned to expect from Duke Ellington.  Finally, a treatment of Harlem Nocturne by Illinois Jacquet that makes all the hairs on the back of my neck stand at full attention!

Harlem Nocturne

by The Viscounts | Harlem Nocturne

Harlem Nocturne

by Mel Torme | Songs Of New York

Harlem Nocturne

by Duke Ellington | Blues

Harlem Nocturne

by Illinois Jacquet | Swing's The Thing

Nat & Natalie Cole – Piano and Duet

by | Feb 8, 2019 | Orchestral, Vocal

Natalie Cole is one of only a handful of performers whose apple didn’t fall very far from the tree.  In the top video she proves it by singing a duet with Nat that was cleverly constructed in 1991, by mixing his 1951 recording with Natalie’s live performance.  It’s Unforgettable … and it really is!  Like her dad, she was probably best known for her work in ‘pop’ music but, oh, she could swing!

As for Nat ‘King’ Cole, many who only knew him as a singer didn’t realize that he was one helluva piano player.  In fact, some might say he was a great piano player who just so happened to know how to sing.  In the bottom video, sample both the voice and fingers of ‘The Velvet Rasp’ himself.

Joy Spring / Laura – Clifford Brown

by | Jun 29, 2018 | Orchestral, Quartet/Quintet

Clifford Brown, also known as “Brownie”, is often regarded as the finest jazz trumpet player to ever perform on the American music scene. Certainly he is the benchmark against whom all others are judged.  Brownie died tragically at the age of 25 in a car accident on a rainy night in Pennsylvania, leaving behind a recorded legacy that spans a mere four years. He profoundly influenced later jazz trumpeters including Booker Little, Freddie Hubbard, and the great Lee Morgan.  He was also a composer of note, with two of his compositions, “Joy Spring” and “Daahoud” becoming jazz standards.

Joy Spring

by Clifford Brown | Jazz Immortal

Laura

by Clifford Brown | Brown With Strings

Body and Soul – Oscar Peterson

by | Jun 15, 2018 | Orchestral

Oscar Peterson performs “Body and Soul” with John Williams and The Boston Pops Orchestra.  His ability to play ‘more notes per measure’ than nearly anyone else was one of the defining characteristics of his destinctive style.

Linda Ronstadt & The Nelson Riddle Orchestra

by | Jun 8, 2018 | Orchestral, Vocal

As jazz crosses over and influences other musical genres, so artists from those other genres sometimes dip their toes into the cool waters of jazz.  For all of her ‘pop’ success, it turns out that  Linda Ronstadt, has a marvelous voice for the standards.  What’s New?  Listen and find out!

Reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters era, Linda is joined by vocalists Liza Edwards, Elizabeth Lamers, Rita Valente and pianist Red Young for their rendition of the old Glenn Miller classic, I’ve Got A Gal In Kalamazoo.

Linda turns away from her top 40 stylings in favor of the ever popular Lover Man (Where Can You Be).  When Nelson Riddle is behind you, the result is as good as guaranteed to be terrific!

Parker’s Mood – James Moody

by | May 11, 2018 | Orchestral, Solo/Duo

James Moody was a jazz saxophonist and flutist from Newark, New Jersey, celebrated for his virtuosity, his versatility and his onstage ebullience. This is a gentle solo with strings, from Eastwood After Hours, recorded at Carnegie Hall in NYC on October 17, 1996.

Between Two Worlds – Andre Previn

by | Apr 13, 2018 | Orchestral, Trio

Andre Previn is a pianist, composer, conductor and arranger masterfully standing astride two musical genres … both classical music and jazz. Many fans don’t realize that he had one foot in jazz before his other became firmly planted as a classical musician. Here we sample a touch of his conducting, arranging and piano artistry with “Rhapsody In Blue” before stepping back a few years into a swinging performance of Lerner and Loewe’s “Get Me To The Church On Time.”

Satin Doll / Windsong – Mundell Lowe

by | Jan 5, 2018 | Orchestral, Solo/Duo

Mundell Lowe and Louis Stewart perform Satin Doll together with a string quartet.  It’s a unique treatment of the Ellington / Strayhorn classic, with the tender touch of one of jazz’s guitar icons.

Wind Song is a rhythmic, medium-up tempo tune featuring Mundell Lowe and Louis Stewart on guitars, Jim Doherty piano, Dave Gausden bass, Peter Ainscough on drums, augmented by a classical string quartet just to keep things interesting.

The Christmas Song – Nat ‘King’ Cole

by | Dec 15, 2017 | Orchestral, Vocal

“The Christmas Song” (Merry Christmas To You) is a true classic, written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells in 1944.  It was first recorded by Nat Cole and the The King Cole Trio in 1946 … then recorded again in stereo with a full orchestra conducted by Ralph Carmichael, using the same arrangement for Nat King Cole’s Christmas Song album in 1961.  Since then it has been recorded more than 254 times by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé himself, to the likes of Christina Aguilera and Justin Bieber in more recent times!