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!

String Along with Lowe

by | Jan 30, 2026 | Solo/Duo

Mundell Lowe is, arguably, the most successful jazz guitarist of his era. He routinely performed with such luminaries as Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Sarah Vaughn, and many others. For more than seven decades, he was a major name on the jazz circuit, not only as a much in demand side man, but with his own group as well … in addition to composing scores and soundtracks for a myriad of films and television shows!

Mundy was a quietly elegant guitarist, easy to listen to, with a cool but surging swing. That quality is particularly evident on Nancy with the Laughing Face, a tune popularized by the great Frank Sinatra, where he is joined by his good friend Irish guitarist Louis Stewart.

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.

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.

Sax from the Woods

by | Aug 31, 2025 | Orchestral, Quartet/Quintet

Phil Woods was a jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. He did it all and did it well! Woods earned the top alto sax player award almost 30 times in DownBeat magazine’s annual readers’ poll. He composed more than 200 songs during his 60 plus year career, and staked his claim to being the finest alto saxophonist in mainstream jazz.

I have to laugh when someone tells me they don’t like jazz. My reply is usually, “Which kind don’t you like?” If you really listen, there’s something for everyone … even ‘pretty’ jazz. Take, for example, Phil’s performance of I’ll Remember April (above) with the Orchestre du Conservatoir National Regional de Toulouse at the Marciac Jazz Festival in 2005. It’s as lush and mellow, as Steeplechase (below) is cookin’! Woods’ famous quartet recorded the tune in 1990 at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France; it consisted of Phil (as), Hal Galper (p), Steve Gilmore (b), and Bill Goodwin (d).

Sweets for the Suite

by | Jul 5, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

Harry “Sweets” Edison came to prominence as a soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra, and as an occasional composer/arranger for the band. His most notable contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backing any number of famous singers, most notably Frank Sinatra. It was Lester Young who gave him the nickname “Sweets” because of his sweet style of playing. It started out as “Sweetie Pie,” was eventually shortened to “Sweets,” and has stuck as Edison’s trademark moniker to this day.

(Top left) is Lester Leaps In, recorded in 1990 together with Billy Mitchell (ts), Paul Kuhn (p), Major Holley (b), and Butch Miles (d). (Lower left) “Sweets” slows things down with Willow Weep for Me, featuring that mellow muted sound that earned him his nickname. Finally, (at the bottom) Edison joins the Louie Bellson big band in 1992 with the tune Sweet Tooth.

A Hot Time in Bern

by | Jun 14, 2025 | Septet/Octet

Clark Terry was a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, not to mention one of the most prolific of all jazz musicians with over 900 recordings during his more than 70 year career! As a composer, educator, and mentor to some of the greats, he became one of the most influential swing and bebop trumpeters of our time.

(Above) he joins Kenny Davern (c), Danny Moss (ts), Johnny Letman (t), George Masso (tb), Ralph Sutton (p), Howard Alden (g), Milt Hinton (b), and Gus Johnson (d) at the 1989 Bern Jazz Festival with a tune popularized by the great Count Basie … Swingin’ the Blues. (Below) Clark blows the audience away with a flugelhorn solo of God Bless the Child, backed by the same incredible personnel.

Sassy and Sultry Diana Krall

by | May 23, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

Some of Diana Krall’s fans are not necessarily jazz fans. Many seem to want a stronger focus on the vocals, which is quite understandable given how great Krall is at the microphone … and they want her to sing in a more straightforward, singer-songwriter/pop fashion, rather than using her voice as a jazz instrument or inserting improvisational passages into her piano playing.  But, that’s not who Diana is. She’s a jazz artist who puts on jazz shows. She has been playing since the age of four and performing since the age of fifteen.

During her concerts, vocals are just a part of the attraction. True jazz fans get this, and appreciate the lengthy spotlights given to Krall’s band mates as well: bassist John Clayton, drummer Jeff Hamilton, and guitarist Anthony Wilson are all phenomenal players with so much to say musically that is absolutely worth hearing. (Above) is something on the soft side from the group with Cry Me a River and (below) they pick up the tempo with East of the Sun. See what you hear!

The Artistry of Stan Kenton Pt. 2

by | May 16, 2025 | Big Band

Stan Kenton’s music has been described as “combining formal education with big-band jazz.” Blending jazz with other musical genres, he created what became the popular stage (or concert) band movement of the 1960s and ’70s … and each of these tunes is a prime example.

(Above) is Malagueña … an old Spanish folk song with flamenco stylings,dating back to the 1800s, by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. It’s the story of a man telling a woman––from Málaga, Spain––how beautiful she is, and how he would love to be her man, but that he understands her rejecting him for being too poor. (Below) the Kenton Orchestra’s rendition of George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue. The Rhapsody is one of Gershwin’s most recognizable creations, and a key composition that defined the Jazz Age. The video was shot with a personal camcorder during a 1972 Copenhagen concert, but was never produced commercially. Chuck Carter is out front with a memorable solo on baritone sax.