Edward Kennedy Ellington Part 2

by | Sep 13, 2024 | Audio, Big Band

On his first trip to Africa, Duke Ellington wrote a piece of African music for the First International Festival of Art in Senegal, entitled La Plus Belle Africaine. The video (above) was later recorded at the Ellington Orchestra’s Norwegian concert in 1969. My three part interview with Mercer Ellington (below) took place a few years ago … back in my radio days.

As son of one of the most important and prolific composers of the 20th Century, not to mention his prowess as an arranger, musician and bandleader, it now fell to Mercer to continue and enhance Duke’s legacy. While their relationship was sometimes contentious, Mercer’s love and respect are evident, even as he struggled to emerge from a giant shadow and establish his own identity. I was privileged to sit down for an extended interview with Mercer Ellington in his Manhattan apartment, with a big pot of coffee and a New York size platter of Danish pastries.  For two hours I received an intimate look at the father through the eyes of his son … revealing many of The Duke’s opinions, philosophies, and foibles. I hope you’ll find my visit with Mercer as fascinating and fun as I did.

Music Was Their Mistress Pt. 1

by Fred Masey | JS #019

Music Was Their Mistress Pt. 2

by Fred Masey | JS #20

Music Was Their Mistress Pt. 3

by Fred Masey | JS #21

Edward Kennedy Ellington Part 1

by | Sep 6, 2024 | Big Band

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was one of the most important creative forces in the music of the twentieth century. His influence on classical music, popular music and, of course, jazz can’t be overstated. His childhood friends noticed that his casual, offhand manner and dapper dress gave him the bearing of a young nobleman, so they began calling him “Duke.” Though Ellington took piano lessons as a child, he also loved playing outdoors. In his memoir, Ellington recounts playing baseball with his friends in Washington D.C., where he was sometimes visited by President Theodore Roosevelt on horseback!

On November 3rd 1969, Duke Ellington and his orchestra held a concert in Bergen Norway. Below are just three excerpts from that concert, which featured a band that was nearly a who’s who of jazz legends: Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Harold “Money” Johnson (t); Lawrence Brown (tb); Chuck Connors (btb); Russell Procope (cl,as); Norris Turney (fl,cl,as,ts); Johnny Hodges (as); Harold Ashby (ts,cl); Paul Gonsalves (ts); Harry Carney (cl,bcl,as,bar); Duke Ellington (p); Wild Bill Davis (o); Victor Gaskin (b); Rufus Jones (d). The first tune is the Ellington/Strayhorn classic, Take the A-Train, with a trumpet solo by Cootie Williams.

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, another Ellington composition which became a standard, features a sax solo by the great Johnny Hodges.

Rufus Jones was new with Ellington at the time, having earlier been the drumming force driving the Basie band. This brief solo, called Coming Off the Veldt, shows why he was also known as Speedy Jones!

The Count Basie Quartet

by | Aug 30, 2024 | Quartet/Quintet

Most of us are used to hearing the Count Basie big band, and when you’re a musician in an orchestra of that size, it’s easy to get lost in the power of the other 15 or so instruments … even if it’s your orchestra!  As a result, Basie himself became, arguably, one of the most underrated piano players in jazz.  In fact, few of his fans even realize that he has recorded with a trio, quartet, and even a septet. Twenty Minutes After Three (above), Untitled Blues (below left), and Squeeze Me (below right) are a testimonial to The Count’s actual keyboard prowess. His sidemen are drummer Sonny Payne, bassist Norman Keenan, and Freddie Green on guitar, retaining the trademark Basie sound even in a small combo. The recording was done in 1968 as part of the Jazz Casual series on National Educational Television (NET now PBS).

The Christian Thing

by | Aug 24, 2024 | Big Band, Trio

He blazed an extraordinary trail as one of the most preeminent jazz musicians of our time. As a dynamic musician, composer and arranger, as well as a dedicated educator and mentor, bassist Christian McBride has an exceedingly wide wingspan! He has appeared on more than 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner.

The upper video, Fried Pies, features pianist Christian Sands, drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. and McBride, of course, on bass. It was recorded in 2012 at the KNKX performance studios in downtown Seattle, Washington. The lower video, Black Narcissus Part 2 recorded in 2019, represents a sequel to Black Narcissus Part 1 written in the early 70s by George Duke for Cannonball Adderley … and is something of a departure for McBride into big band territory.

The Genius of Gil Evans

by | Aug 18, 2024 | Big Band

Gil Evans (no relation to Bill) was a Canadian-born composer, arranger, and band leader who is considered to be one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz history. Evans had a long and productive career, but remains best known for his celebrated collaborations with trumpeter Miles Davis. Two prime examples of that collaboration can be heard in the videos below, recorded at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival. These performances also combined the talents of Gil and his orchestra with Quincy Jones, in addition to featuring Miles brooding solos.

The topmost video, My Ship is a popular tune written for the 1941 Broadway musical Lady in the Dark, with music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The second video is Evans’ brilliant arrangement of Gershwin’s ever popular jazz standard, Summertime, from Porgy and Bess. Miles Davis soulful solo captures the essence of the song and the mood of the 1935 opera. The audio below, La Nevada, is from Gil Evans’ 1960 album Out of the Cool … one of Impulse!’s first four albums, released together.

La Nevada

by Gil Evans | Out of the Cool

The Most Happy Piano

by | Aug 2, 2024 | Trio

“One of the most distinctive of all pianists” is just one of the descriptions accorded to Erroll Garner. His style has rendered him nearly immortal among jazz pianists. He says, “I just play what I feel. Suddenly I hit a groove that moves me, and then I take off.” Erroll even composes––you may remember a little tune called “Misty”––no easy feat, considering he never learned to read music! In fact, Misty is featured below with a rousing rendition of the perennial favorite I Get a Kick Out of You just above it … both from a 1963 concert filmed in Belgium for television broadcast. The classic Garner trio is rounded out, in both performances, by bassist Eddie Calhoun and drummer Kelly Martin.

Jarrett Gyrations

by | Jul 27, 2024 | Trio

Keith Jarrett is probably the most animated piano player I’ve ever seen! If you’re not familiar with him, you’ll know what I mean from the very first note. Once you settle in with, arguably, one of the finest trios ever put together, Keith’s musical prowess will quickly prevail over any extracurricular exuberance you may witness at the keyboard.  The trio is rounded out by Jack DeJohnette on drums and Gary Peacock on bass.  The uppermost video is a slightly funky rendition of Billy Holiday’s God Bless the Child from Jarret’s Standards Live album.  Below that, It Could Happen to You, recorded live in 1996 at Tokyo’s Hitomi Memorial Hall.

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.

Shades of Mahogany

by | Jul 14, 2024 | Trio, Vocal

Since I Fell For You

by Kevin Mahogany | Double Rainbow

Kevin Mahogany became prominent in the 1990s and became particularly known for his scat singing. His singing style has sometimes been compared with that of Billy Eckstine, and Joe Williams, with many of his more mellow tones containing a touch of Johnny Hartman. Since I Fell For You (above) is from Kevin’s first album Double Rainbow in 1993, where his vocals were paired with the piano of Kenny Barron, sax of Ralph Moore, drums of Lewis Nash and bass from Ray Drummond.

[On] Green Dolphin Street features Kevin Mahogany with the vocal chores, Larry Fuller playing piano, Ray Brown on bass, and George Fludas on drums.

Like Green Dolphin Street, My Foolish Heart was recorded with The Ray Brown Trio at Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen 2001 in Germany.

One If By Sax, Two If By Flute

by | Jul 7, 2024 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

More than a jazz saxophone and flute player, James Moody was something of a vocalist and composer as well. While playing predominantly in the bebop and hard bop styles, Moody took up the alto sax at the age of 16, eventually adding the flute and tenor to his tool bag, for its deeper resonance. He played with Dizzy Gillespie in 1964, where his colleagues in the Gillespie group––pianist Kenny Barron and guitarist Les Spann––would become important musical collaborators in the coming decades.

Mmm Hmm (top video) is a Moody original, with James playing flute, Christopher White on bass, Kenny Barron at the piano, and Rudy Collins on drums. It was recorded on the French Riviera in 1965.  Parker’s Mood (lower video) is from “Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie Hall,” a 1996 live performance recorded for both record and video. Moody plays the sax on this one and the tune, of course, references ‘Bird’. Along with James Moody are Barry Harris on piano, Christian McBride on Bass, Kenny Washington playing drums, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, plus strings under Lennie Niehaus..