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!

The Art of Van Damme

by | Jan 23, 2026 | Quartet/Quintet

Usually, the accordion takes about as much heat as a Christmas fruitcake … and, as a jazz instrument, may be reminiscent of the first guy who looked at a lobster and thought, “Food!” But Art Van Damme changed all that. He dared go where no man had gone before, and became known as “the hippest cat ever to swing an accordion.” Evidence his treatment of Durham and Battle’s Topsy, with his quintet in 2004 during the annual TIM Festival. With Art playing accordion, Steve Homan on guitar, Jon Ericksen on vibes, Rich DeLabio playing drums, and John Witalla on bass, they dazzled the Brazilian audience with their gentle, yet swinging sound.

For Bud

by | Jan 16, 2026 | Quartet/Quintet

“Bud” Powell was a pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory, as well as a major influence on pianist Chick Corea. Chick salutes that influence with his composition simply called Bud Powell. It features Kenny Garrett (as), Christian McBride (b), and Roy Haynes (d), as well as Corea, who made his own contributions to the jazz idiom with his considerable participation in the birth of fusion, particularly during the 1970s with the formation of his group Return to Forever.

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.

Sonny Side Up – Pt. 2

by | Oct 31, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Trio

Four is a tune from Sonny Rollins’ 1968 concert in Denmark. Its authorship is traditionally attributed to Miles Davis who first recorded it in 1954, but any number of sources say Four was actually composed by saxophonist Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson. It’s still a matter of debate in jazz circles. Whoever deserves the credit, it has become a jazz standard recorded by a countless number of musicians throughout the years. (Above) is Sonny’s rendition, with NHOP on bass, Kenny Drew at the piano, and Tootie Heath playing drums. Rollins sets the scene with an unaccompanied introduction in which he does not ‘quote’ every song he ever heard … it only seems that way. My One and Only Love (below) is a popular song from 1953. Notable renditions by Frank Sinatra (1953), and later by John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman (1963), have made it part of the musical repertoire of jazz standards. This recording from the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1982 marks one of Sonny’s rare performances with the recently departed (10/2025) legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette. Also featured is Bob Cranshaw (b), Bobby Broom (g), and Yoshiaki Masuo (g). Listen for a killer sax solo by Sonny Rollins at the end!

Sonny Side Up – Pt. 1

by | Oct 26, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Sextet, Trio

Sonny Rollins is not only the most enduring tenor saxophonist of the bebop and hard bop eras, but also one of the greatest jazz saxophonists of all time. In a career that spanned more than 70 years, Sonny thrilled millions of fans around the world, and recorded north of sixty albums! As a composer, a number of his compositions have become jazz standards … as a musician, he has been called “the greatest living improviser” and has even been referred to as “the real Charlie Parker.”

Speaking of standards (below top) sample some 1965 Rollins on There Will Never Be Another You, together with Alan Dawson on drums and the great Niel Henning Orsted Pedersen (NHOP) playing bass … in concert, in Denmark.

Sonny Rollins poked a toe into several musical genres including Pop Country … tunes like “I’m an Old Cowhand” and Tennessee Waltz (middle left) recorded in Munich in 1992 … no Patti Page here. The sextet includes Clifton Anderson (tb), Mark Soskin (p), Jerome Harris (g), Bob Cranshaw (b), and Yoron Israel (d). The familiar Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (bottom left) recorded in Prague in 1982, adds Masuo and Bobby Broom (g), Lincoln Goins (b), and Tommy Campbell (d), to Sonny’s tenor.

Taylor Made

by | Oct 17, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Trio

Musician, composer, teacher and all around jazz ambassador, Dr. Billy Taylor did it all!  His musical career is legendary. More than just the embodiment of “America’s Classical Music,” Billy fought for the recognition of Black musicians as key contributors to the American music scene … promoting jazz as a commentary against racial prejudice. Despite being one of the most remarkable jazz pianists of all time, the recipient of honors and awards worldwide, through it all, he always managed to remain a true gentleman of honor and humility.

(Upper left) In 2009 The Billy Taylor Trio takes George and Ira Gershwins’ The Man I Love to a whole new level, as Chip Jackson on bass and Steve Johns playing drums blend seamlessly with Taylor’s inimitable piano touch.  Winard Harper takes over on drums, and guest violinist John Blake, Jr. joins the group for Thelonious Monk’s own Blue Monk (upper right), recorded in 2000 at the C.D. Hylton High School, Woodbridge VA.

Also in 2000, that same trio welcomes the new millennium at the Manchester Craftsman’s Guild in Pittsburgh with Pensativa (lower left), a jazz composition by pianist Clare Fischer … and Caravan (lower right) as Winard Harper stretches out with an amazing drum solo. For more Billy Taylor magic, don’t miss our previous posts from April 14, 2017; October 7, 2018; November 9, 2019 and November 22, 2024!