Bill Evans – Debby And The Prince

by | Mar 28, 2020 | Trio

When you say the word “piano” you might as well say “Bill Evans” because they are one in the same. The only criticism I’ve heard of Bill is that he didn’t have “chops” … obviously uttered by someone who hadn’t heard Someday My Prince Will Come.

Forming the trio on Waltz For Debby, as well as on ‘Prince’ is Bill Evans playing piano, Larry Bunker on drums and Chuck Israels on bass.   Waltz for Debby is one of those tunes almost as closely associated with Evans as the word “piano’!

Eric’s Gale / Moonlight In Vermont – Houston Person

by | Feb 21, 2020 | Quartet/Quintet, Trio

As one of the unsung heroes of the tenor sax, Houston Person’s role in life seems to be as a show stopper and spotlight stealer, whether performing live or recorded.  Eric’s Gale is one of those occasions.  His silk and cement style added to the likes of Lonnie Smith on organ, Ron Carter at the bass and Grady Tate on drums makes you want to say “Wow!” and play it again, just to make sure Houston really did that.

Eric's Gale

by Houston Person, Eric Gale | In A Jazz Tradition

Moonlight In Vermont is a standard but Houston Person‘s incredible solo is anything but!  It may be Joey’s album but, that evening, Person was once again a thief in the night.  In 1993 at The Five Spot Cafe in New York, he joined Joey DeFrancesco at the organ, Paul Bollenback with his guitar and Byron “Wookie” Landham playing drums to make a statement that teases legendary status. Personally, I’ve always liked what Houston has had to say.

Moonlight In Vermont

by Houston Person, Joey DeFrancesco | Live At The 5 Spot

Phineas Newborn – Only Blues

by | Feb 7, 2020 | Trio

Bud Powell once performed an entire set using only his left hand, after being criticized for relying too much on his right.  In tribute to Bud’s influence, Phineas Newborn performs “Blues For The Left Hand Only”.

“The New Blues” is a laid back blues number also featuring Newborn’s trio, with Al McKibbon on bass and Kenny Dennis playing drums.  Both videos are from the 1962 Jazz Scene TV series, with Oscar Brown, Jr.

Body and Soul – Billy Taylor

by | Nov 9, 2019 | Trio

On March 2nd 2000, The Billy Taylor Trio played this soulful but swinging arrangement of “Body and Soul” live at the Manchester Craftsman’s Guild in Pittsurgh, Pennsylvania.  Featured on piano was the great Dr. Billy Taylor, Chip Jackson was on bass and the amazing Winard Harper played drums. Dr. Taylor became the most prominent spokesman for the virtues of jazz and was the first to describe it as “America’s Classical Music”.

Mary Lou Williams – Pianist’s Pianist

by | Aug 16, 2019 | Solo/Duo, Trio

Mary Lou Williams was one of the few female jazz pianists to achieve fame during the middle of the 20th Century.  She was also a much sought after composer, arranger and mentor. Mary Lou wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and LP versions). Williams wrote and arranged for such bandleaders as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. Three of her compositions were scored for a Carnegie Hall concert played by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1946!

The top video, Willow Weep For Me, is a popular 1932 standard from The Mary Lou Williams Collection 1927-59 and features her trio. The bottom two offerings, The Man I Love (1978) on the left and Mary Lou Plays Some Blues (1980) on the right are live solo performances recorded toward the end of her fabulous career..

Late Lament / Rider – Keith Jarret

by | Aug 9, 2019 | Trio

Late Lament has become something of a standard that was first popularized by Paul Desmond.  The Jarret rendition isn’t quite as mellow as Desmond’s and features the gold standard of trios, with each member in clear communication with the other.  Keith Jarret is probably the most ‘athletic’ piano player ever to caress a keyboard. He gets a real workout with Rider, which also features Gary Peacock on bass and Jack Dejohnette on drums.  Sometimes I wonder how Keith can make so many moves and still maintain contact with the piano!

Blues In B-Flat – Barry Harris

by | Jul 20, 2019 | Trio

Blues in B-Flat was recorded by The Barry Harris Trio live at Dizzy’s in New York, during June of 2017.  At the age of 90 he is still going strong both performing and teaching.  When he is not on the road, Harris holds weekly music workshop sessions in New York City for vocalists, students of piano and other instruments.  Alongside Barry in the trio are bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Leroy Williams.

Squatty Roo / Five O’Clock Whistle – Ray Brown

by | Jun 28, 2019 | Solo/Duo, Trio

Squatty Roo was recorded in 2002 at the Bern Jazz Festival by the Ray Brown Trio.  It’s a kicky little tune written by Johnny Hodges, with Ray of course on bass, Larry Fuller at the piano and Karriem Riggins playing drums.

Five O’Clock Whistle is an exercise in “lyrical bassism” (My term, not theirs).  John Clayton joins Ray Brown in a duo setting that will have you wide-eyed and keen-eared from beginning to end.   This is something you just never hear … but here it is!

Tin Tin Deo – Tommy Flanagan Trio

by | Jun 21, 2019 | Trio

Tin Tin Deo was written by Gil Fuller and Chano Pozo … first recorded by James Moody and His Bop Men.  The song has become a jazz standard but I’ve often wondered, “What does it mean?”  It could be an eggcorn of “te entiendo” which is Spanish for “I understand you.”  Granted, that may be a bit of a stretch but lots of old jazz men named their songs based on what they heard rather than what may have been grammatically correct. It’s no farther out than Charles Mingus’ “Ecclusiastics” or Miles Davis’ “Solar” which many people pronounce so-LAR instead of soler.  This recording features Tommy Flanagan on piano, George Mraz on bass and Lewis Nash drums.

Body and Soul / Cantabile – Michel Petrucciani

by | Feb 22, 2019 | Trio

Body and Soul is an old favorite with a new twist.  Michel’s arrangement is reverent but with serious chops.  Petrucciani is joined by bassist Miroslav Viteous and drummer Steve Gadd, two of the best in jazz.

Cantabile is an Italian word that means “singable” or “songlike”.  In instrumental music, it is a particular style of playing designed to imitate the human voice.  The trio recorded both tunes in Munich during July of 1997.