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.

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!

Settings – Ellis Marsalis

by | Sep 6, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Trio

Ellis Marsalis is a father figure of jazz in a number of ways. As a pianist, he was among the first generation of musicians to bring bebop to New Orleans; as an educator, many great musicians came through Marsalis’ tutelage, including Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr., Donald Harrison, and Nicholas Payton. Ellis is, of course, the headwaters –– the actual father –– of four exceptional jazz musicians: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason Marsalis. Here he demonstrates his prowess in three settings, including a quintet, quartet, and trio … equally as masterful in all of them.

Delilah (top) was part of a concert streamed live by WWOZ from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Center in 2018. It features the quintet with Ellis on piano,Gerald Watkins at the drums, Jason Stewart playing bass, Andrew Baham on trumpet, and Derek Douget on sax. In the (middle) is Homecoming, an Ellis original performed with his quartet at his 80th birthday celebration event at Dizzy Gillespie’s Club CocaCola, in New York. Finally (bottom) in 1997 Syndrome, another Ellis Marsalis original, is given the trio treatment in Bern Switzerland.

The Real McCoy

by | Jun 22, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Solo/Duo, Trio

Alfred McCoy Tyner was an American jazz pianist and composer known, primarily, for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965. His long solo career spanned six decades, and netted five Grammy Awards. McCoy’s powerful, propulsive style of piano playing was an integral part of the Coltrane Quartet in the early 1960s, and influences countless young jazz musicians to this day.

The (topmost) video is a 2002 performance of Moment’s Notice, and features the instantly recognizable piano of Tyner, along with Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Charnett Moffett on bass, and Eric Harland playing drums.

To the (left) is a solo performance of Coltrane’s Giant Steps from 1996. It is a classic example of McCoy Tyner’s signature emphatic left-hand attack, particularly on the low keys.

To the (right), A Song for Love was recorded in 1997 with his trio, including Avery Sharpe on bass and Aaron Scott on drums. It shows the softer side of Tyner, and brought down the house at the jazz festival in Berlin!

Bill Evans – Three for One

by | Feb 13, 2025 | Trio

Legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans was one of those people who, tragically, left us all too soon … but left behind a body of work that has become a benchmark for future generations of young pianists. When you say the word “piano” you might as well just say “Bill Evans” because they are synonymous. The only criticism I’ve heard of Bill is that he didn’t have “chops” … obviously uttered by someone who may have heard him play, but didn’t really listen.  Forming the trio on Miles Davis’ Nardis (top), as well as on How My Heart Sings (middle), and Gershwin’s classic Summertime (bottom) is Bill Evans playing piano, Larry Bunker on drums and Chuck Israels on bass.

The Grasso’s Always Greener

by | Nov 9, 2024 | Quartet/Quintet, Trio, Vocal

Pasquale Grasso is an Italian-born jazz guitarist now based in New York City. He is known for a pianistic approach to jazz guitar, largely influenced by Bud Powell’s style; he has somehow managed to transfer the essence of piano language onto guitar. Grasso’s innovative blend of classical-guitar and bebop influences have helped him create a sound that’s completely his own, setting him apart as a one-of-a-kind jazz guitarist … in 2016 Pat Metheny told Vintage Guitar magazine that Grasso was “the best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.” Recently, he has been getting more public exposure with several of his own recordings released by Sony Masterworks, and teaming up with super-vocalist Samara Joy on two of her recent hit albums.

(Below upper left) Pasquale Grasso adds his personal touch to the American Songbook Standard, Just One of Those Things, live at The Cutting Room in NYC. Pasquale is on guitar, Phil Stewart plays drums, and Ari Roland is on double bass. Charlie Christian’s Seven Come Eleven (Below upper right) was recorded at Birdland,also in NYC, and features the guitars of Pasquale Grasso, Frank Vignola, and Olli Soikkeli … with Gary Mazzaroppi on bass, and Vince Cherico playing drums. Finally a video (Bottom) with Grasso’s guitar and Samara Joy singing Ellington’s In My Solitude, from his Pasquale Plays Duke album.

Precision Piano By Drew

by | Oct 20, 2024 | Trio

America’s loss was Europe’s gain. Kenny Drew’s move to Paris in 1961, and then to Copenhagen in 1964 proved to be permanent. Although he sacrificed much of the interest of an American jazz audience, he gained a wide following across Europe. Drew was a well-known figure on the Copenhagen jazz scene, but always remained somewhat underrated as a jazz pianist in the USA because of his absence.

His touch was described in the Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz as “precise,” and his playing as “a combination of bebop-influenced melodic improvisation and block chords, that included refreshingly subtle harmonizations”. You’ll hear typical examples of this (below) in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s It Might As Well Be Spring and (below that) in Sonny Rollins’ St. Thomas. Both were recorded in 1992 at the Brewhouse Theater in the UK. Kenny’s trio includes Alvin Queen on drums and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (NHOP) playing the double bass.