Sunny Side Of The Street / Begin The Beguine – Arnett Cobb & Lionel Hampton

by | Jan 4, 2019 | Big Band

Sunny Side Of The Street was recorded July 16, 1978 in Nice, France.  They put on quite a show, with Arnett sounding particularly bright on tenor and Lionel singing and playing drums.  Neither is an everyday sight!

Begin The Beguine, also recorded in Nice in ’78, was practically Artie Shaw’s theme song, once upon a time.  Here it gets quite a different treatment between the tenor of Arnett Cobb and the vibe virtuosity of Lionel Hampton.

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!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Kenny G

by | Dec 7, 2018 | Smooth Jazz, Video

This is Kenny G’s official Christmas video and features clips from five of the best traditional holiday movies ever.  There is good reason they are viewed continually by millions every year … nothing compares, period!  With Hollywood icons like Burgess Meredith and Jimmy  Stewart in the background of Kenny’s gently nostalgic performance, the experience is nothing less than pure emotional magic.

My Favorite Things – Joey Alexander, Encore!

by | Nov 21, 2018 | Solo/Duo

Do you realize there is no Thanksgiving jazz?  The only Thanksgiving song I could  even think of was “Over The River and Through the Woods” but I couldn’t find a jazz rendition.  The closest I could come was “My Favorite Things” but what a find it was, holiday or not.  None other than Joey Alexander, that kid prodigy from Indonesia, once again dazzles us with his piano prowess.

To have reached this level of technical proficiency and have such a sophisticated harmonic understanding at the tender age of 12 is nothing short of astonishing!  I couldn’t decide which of these performances to share and the contrast between the two is most outstanding when heard side-by-side.  So here are both … and Happy Thanksgiving.  What is going on inside this young man’s head is enough to make many established jazz pianists blush!.

Joey Alexander performs the title track from his debut album “My Favorite Things” in studio, along with the intricate bass work of Larry Grenadier.  

Joey plays jazz piano like old timer, but he’s only 11-years-old for this solo performance.  They say he started playing at six … then “got serious” at seven.  

Red Cross / The Summer Knows – Art Farmer Quartet

by | Nov 16, 2018 | Audio, Quartet/Quintet

Red Cross is a Charlie Parker tune performed live by The Art Farmer Quartet at the Smithsonian in 1982. The group includes Art on flugelhorn, Fred Hersch on piano, Denis Irvin playing bass and Billy Hart is the drummer.

The Summer Knows is a beautiful, romantic song from the motion picture “Summer of ’42.”  Here, Art Farmer does it gentle justice on his flugelhorn, along with Cedar Walton on piano, Sam Jones at the bass, and Billy Higgins on drums.

The Summer Knows

by Art Farmer Quartet | The Summer Knows

Three Great Guitars – Burrell, Kessel & Green

by | Nov 12, 2018 | Quartet/Quintet

Here’s some rare footage of 3 of the top jazz guitarists of all time, Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel and Grant Green.  The videos were recorded in 1969 for a French TV show that never aired … along with Burrell, Kessel and Green, are Larry Ridley on bass and Don Lamond on drums.  The video TO THE RIGHT features all 3 guitarists with an easy swinging tune of “Rhythm Changes”.  

BELOW on the upper left all 3 men again collaborate on the familiar blues theme “Blue Mist”.  Although the performance is incomplete, I included it because of some great guitar licks that’ll make you glad you have ears!  Upper right Kenny steps forward with “Imagination.”  Lower left offers Barney with “I’m Glad There Is You”, while at the lower right Grant dazzles with his virtuosity on “I Wish You Love.”

Flying Home – Lionel Hampton

by | Nov 2, 2018 | Big Band

Lionel Hampton was in the Benny Goodman Band and a gig in 1939 required them to fly from Los Angeles to Atlantic City New Jersey.  It was the first time Hampton had been on a plane. He began whistling a tune while waiting for the plane to taxi and Goodman asked him what it was.  Lionel simply said, “I don’t know. We can call it Flying Home, I guess.” (Hampton later confessed that the tune was a way for him to keep his mind off of the upcoming flight.)  They played it for the first time with the Goodman Quartet that night and later that year Goodman recorded the first version of the song. This rendition was filmed in 1965 and features a baritone sax solo that would have made Gerry Mulligan blush!

The Lady Is A Tramp – Frank Sinatra & Ella Fitzgerald

by | Oct 26, 2018 | Vocal

Sinatra said Ella Fitzgerald was the best singer he ever heard and the only one who made him nervous to sing with, because he had to be up to her standards. “The best way to start any musical evening is with this girl. It don’t get better than this,” Frank said about performing with Ella.  Beyond that, there isn’t much to say about two of the greatest singers of all time.   You just sit back and listen!