I’ll Remember April / Señor Blues – Phil Woods

by | Jan 10, 2020 | Orchestral, Quartet/Quintet

I’ll Remember April was recorded in 2005 at the Marciac Jazz Festival in France. Phil Woods and his alto are joined by Ben Aronov (piano) Reginald Johnson (bass) Doug Sides (drums) and the lush strings of The Orchestre du Conservatoire National Regional de Toulouse.

Señor Blues is a Horace Silver composition that has become something of a jazz standard.  This recording is from the Legends Of Jazz television series hosted by Ramsey Lewis on PBS in 2006.  This arrangement adds the distinctive sound of David Sanborn to the already solid Phil Woods Quartet.

Frank and Ella Perfect Together

by | Jan 3, 2020 | Vocal

Frank Sinatra said Ella Fitzgerald was the best singer (male or female) he ever heard and the only one who made him nervous to sing with, because he had to be up to her standards. Two legends and only one word to describe them:  Respect!   Frank even lets Ella dominate their performances to showcase her greatness.  He was always the gentleman. Talent like Frank and Ella are extinct now and nobody comes close to them … not then, not now. 

It was 1967 and both singers were in their prime on That’s Why The Lady Is A Tramp!  At one point they respectfully bow to each other, since hugging was not yet a public possibility … still they managed it, lyrically.

Frank may have met his match on Moonlight In Vermont and he knew it.  You can tell by the way he looks at her while they’re singing.  They sound so perfect, I wish they had made an album together.

What Are You Doing New Years Eve – Diana Krall & Seth MacFarlane

by | Dec 27, 2019 | Video, Vocal

When you find two people who ask the eternal question with such passion, with such tenderness and longing, is it fair to keep them apart?  Rather than posting two videos, I thought I would at least join them lyrically as best I could into one … and ask Diana Krall and Seth MacFarlane to convey my sincerest wishes for a most healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!  By the way, What Are You Doing New Years Eve?

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

Auld Lang Syne – Frank, Dean & Friends

by | Dec 29, 2018 | Lighter Side, Vocal

On New Years Eve everybody sings this tune but most people don’t know what it means.  Actually, it’s an old Scottish folk song and the phrase “Auld Lang Syne” roughly translates to “Times gone by”.  While no one seems to know who wrote it,  a Scotsman named Robert Burns was the first to put it on paper and so is most frequently credited with its composition.  Meanwhile Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and a few friends use it here to help us welcome in 2019 with this compilation of TV and movie scenes … and extend my wishes to you  for a very HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!

Manhattan Transfer Christmas

by | Dec 21, 2018 | Vocal Group

SNOWFALL

A live performance of the arrangement from their best selling “The Christmas Album”.  It’s a rich blend of mellow harmonies that smoothly combine all four voices into one as only The Manhattan Transfer can do.

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN

A swingin’ start to the Christmas season that celebrates the upbeat mood, magic and merriment of the jolly old elf … as if he is just around the corner.  Actually, he is!

Double Play – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

by | Oct 12, 2018 | Vocal

But Beautiful features the unlikely pairing of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.  It’s from their DVD “Cheek To Cheek – Live” and is, in fact, a beautiful stylistic blending of the old and the new into the traditional!

It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) is a lively performance of the classic Duke Ellington tune, also from the Cheek To Cheek video, featuring Tony Bennett and highlighting Lady Gaga’s surprising jazz virtuosity.

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!