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.

A Frank, Bing and Kenny Christmas

by | Dec 20, 2019 | Orchestral, Vocal

It’s classic upon classic!  First, Kenny G. takes a walk down memory lane with scenes from classic Christmas movies and his lush arrangement of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.  Then a classic clip from the 1967 Bing Crosby television special featuring a duet of White Christmas with Frank Sinatra, as the magic of the holiday season unfolds.

After that, the only thing left to say is MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I wish you and yours Christmas rainbows all through the new year!

Winter Wonderland / My Favorite Things – Tony Bennett

by | Dec 13, 2019 | Big Band, Vocal

Tony Bennett makes you want to slip on your galoshes and follow him into the snow with this rendition of Winter Wonderland.  It features the Count Basie Orchestra and is certain to add Holiday spring to anyone’s step!

My Favorite Things is a classic song swung by a classic performer with a classic band.  While the tune was written for a Broadway play, not as a Christmas song, the season wouldn’t be complete without it.

Diana Ross Sings Billie Holiday

by | Nov 22, 2019 | Vocal

Her true versatility is on full display as Diana Ross moves seamlessly from R&B to jazz in the 1972 motion picture Lady Sings The Blues … the life story of the legendary Billie Holiday. My Man is one of the featured songs.

Riding atop the power of a big band, with All Of Me Diana shows she can swing with the best of them, in addition to melting your heart with her poignant approach to a ballad.

Give Me A Pig Foot And A Bottle Of Beer is a familiar Billie Holiday song that unquestionably distances Diana Ross far from her original Motown days with The Supremes.

God Bless The Child (That’s Got His Own) has been recorded by several top artists but NOBODY ever did it like Billie Holiday … although Diana comes pretty darn close.  Another tune featured in Lady Sings The Blues.

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.