Wesbound – Lee Ritenour

by | Nov 15, 2019 | Quartet/Quintet

Wesbound was written by Lee Ritenour as a tribute to the late, great guitarist Wes Montgomery.  Lee is joined in this video by the very versatile Patrice Rushen playing keyboards and Terry Crews delivering a driving bass.

Ritenour’s guitar stylings are usually considered to be acid or club jazz, which for the uninitiated is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, soul, funk, and even a smattering of disco.  While it is a bit of a departure from our emphasis on more traditional, straight ahead jazz, I think you’re gonna like what you hear.  Listen for an ear-popping solo by Patrice!

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”.

S’ Wonderful – Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis

by | Nov 1, 2019 | Quartet/Quintet

From virtually the beginning of his career, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis achieved one of the main goals of all jazz musicians: to have his own sound. One can always identify “Jaws” within two or three notes. Was he a bop, swing, hard bop or early R&B improviser? Duke Ellington’s phrase of “beyond category” perfectly fit “Jaws” because his highly individual voice always stood apart from everyone else.

S’ Wonderful was recorded in Copenhagen, 1985 with Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (TS), Niels Jorgen Steen (P), Jesper Lundgaard (b) and Ed Thigpin (d).

The Sidewinder

by | Oct 25, 2019 | Audio, Quartet/Quintet

The Sidewinder is a tune born in minutes, destined to last a lifetime!  It became one of the defining recordings of the soul jazz genre … a jazz standard that set the tone for an entirely new style of funky jazz that is a driving force even today.

The session was being recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s famous Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio.  Although the album was essentially finished, the musicians felt they needed one more song.  Lee Morgan suddenly disappeared into the washroom and emerged about twenty minutes later, passing around a sheet of music with notes on it that turned out to be Sidewinder!

That original date included Lee Morgan playing trumpet, Joe Henderson on sax, Barry Harris at the piano, Bob Crenshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins playing drums.  The album they recorded that day became Blue Note’s best-selling record ever, breaking the previous sales records roughly ten times over!  In addition to the original, two other compelling arrangements of the title tune are presented here by Gene Harris and The Turtle Island String Quartet.

The Sidewinder

by Lee Morgan | The Sidewinder

The Sidewinder

by Gene Harris | Brotherhood

The Sidewinder

by Turtle Island Quartet | Metropolis

String Along With Turtle Island

by | Oct 18, 2019 | Quartet/Quintet

The Turtle Island String Quartet is an unconventional musical ensemble which plays jazz standards and original compositions that cross several styles, including blues, classical, jazz, and world music. Violinist David Balakrishnan got the idea for a jazz string quartet in 1985.

As a child, David was inspired by Jimi Hendrix and later discovered jazz through the music of the David Grisman Quartet.  The group has performed with the likes of Billy Taylor, Manhattan Transfer, Modern Jazz Quartet, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and many others.  Since its founding, TIQ has had many members come and go, but their uniqueness, intensity and musical integrity has always remained.

Blue Rondo A La Turk is a jazz composition in 9/8 time written by Dave Brubeck. It first appeared on his classic Time Out album in 1959.  His choice of rhythm was inspired by the Turkish aksak time signatures.

Moment’s Notice, a John Coltrane composition, was recorded live in Brussels featuring David Balakrishnan playing violin, Mark Summer on cello,  Mateusz Smoczynski also on violin and Benjamin von Gutzeit on viola.

Angels / I Remember Clifford – Roy Hargrove

by | Oct 11, 2019 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

Roy Hargrove is known as one of the top trumpet players in jazz for the past quarter-century.  As an incisive trumpeter, doubling on flugelhorn, Roy was discovered by Wynton Marsalis in the 1980s.  He embodied the brightest promise of his jazz generation, both as a young steward of the hard bop tradition and a savvy bridge to both hip-hop and R&B.  His assertive sound embodied a tone that could evoke either burnished steel or a soft, golden glow.  Here we have both.

 

Angels (Above), features the quintet with Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Justin Robinson on alto sax,  Tadataka Unno playing piano,  Ameen Saleem on bass, and Quincy Phillips playing drums.

I Remember Clifford (Below) displays Hargrove’s softer side, with the flugelhorn as a contrast to his big band backing.

Blues On Sunday / Let It Be – Joshua Redman

by | Oct 5, 2019 | Quartet/Quintet

Blues On Sunday was recorded at the Philharmonic Hall in Munich during the Munich Piano Summer 1994.  Joshua Redman is on saxophone, Brad Mehldau at the piano, Christian McBride on bass and Brian Blade plays drums.

The 1970 Beatles tune Let It Be was performed by the Joshua Redman Quartet in 2013 at Jazz In Marciac.  It features Joshua Redman, saxophone; Aaron Goldberg, piano; Reuben Rogers, contrabass; and Gregory Hutchinson, drums.

June Christy and Friends

by | Sep 19, 2019 | Big Band, Vocal

How High The Moon is the top video in more than one way.  Besides the fabulous June Christy doing the vocal, two other legendary singers don’t utter a solitary note!  Instead, Mel Torme is on drums and Nat ‘King’ Cole plays piano, which of course was his original musical calling.  Lower left is June in her prime with That Old Feeling and on the lower right she is featured with the Stan Kenton Orchestra Just A-Sittin’ And A-Rockin’.  Christy, of course, was the replacement chanteuse for the incredible Anita O’Day after she left the Kenton band … one of the few singers who could have filled O’Day’s stylish ‘pumps’ fronting that powerful, creative Orchestra.

Movin’ Wess

by | Sep 13, 2019 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

While most often listed as a saxophonist, I prefer the sound of Frank Wess on the flute. Though the tune is nameless, Flauta Jazz uses the same chords as Ellington/Strayhorn Take The ‘A’ Train.  Sound Familiar?

The Very Thought Of You is a jazz and pop standard, first recorded and published in 1934 with music and lyrics by Ray Noble. Frank Wess applies his own magic touch along with big band backing.

Shelly Is The Manne!

by | Sep 6, 2019 | Quartet/Quintet

The first song is from Shelly Manne’s Check Mate album, based upon the T.V. show (1960-1962) of the same name …  it’s called The Isolated Pawn.

Shelly Manne and his Men are comprised of Russ Freeman on piano, Richie Kamuca on tenor, Conte Candoli playing trumpet, Monte Budwig at the bass and, of course, Shelly Manne himself on drums.  Shelly has been called “the most musical drummer who ever lived” and virtually any of his solos will bear that out.

The second tune is Speak Low, from the 1943 Broadway play One Touch of Venus and features the same ensemble.  Both performances were recorded live in 1962 for Jazz Scene U.S.A. at Shelly’s Manne Hole in Los Angeles, CA.