The Shearing Sound – Pt. 1

by | Aug 26, 2023 | Orchestral, Solo/Duo

George Shearing was a British born pianist who led a popular jazz group that took the country by storm for many years.  Born blind, the youngest of nine children, he started learning to play at the age of three … and went on to compose more than 300 titles during his illustrious career, including the jazz standard Lullaby of Birdland (Uppermost video).  He had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 60s, 80s, and even the 1990s.

Shearing emigrated to the U.S. and founded the first George Shearing Quintet in 1949, which saw a number of permutations over the years and finally led to solo and trio performances later in his career.  He drew upon classical music and the records of Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller for his influences, eventually developing a harmonically complex style––mixing swing, bop and modern classical into his playing.  His technique became known as Shearing’s Voicing … a type of double melody block chord, with an additional fifth part that doubles the melody an octave lower.  This style of playing is also known as Locked Hands.

Henry Mancini’s Dreamsville, like the video above, was recorded in 1992 at the Munich Philharmonie … with Neil Swainson on bass.

George goes solo with John Williams at the Boston Pops with his performance of Look At That Face.  The picture quality is a bit compromised, but the music is near perfect!

 

The Softer Side of Earl Klugh

by | Jul 9, 2023 | Septet/Octet, Smooth Jazz

Generally know for his ability to play beautiful melodies and spin soft solos, Take It From The Top is one of Earl Klug’s more up-tempo arrangements –– swinging quietly and still maintaining his trademark mellow sound.  It was originally recorded for BET on Jazz on The Jazz Channel which launched in 1996 with the emphasis on smooth jazz, and has undergone several metamorphoses since.

Wishful Thinking, recorded in 2018 during a weekend of jazz at the Broadmoor, features Earl on guitar, Al Turner on bass, Tom Braxton playing sax, David Lee at the keyboards, and Ron Otis on drums.

Since You’re Gone adds the amazing George Benson to an already mellow mix of musicians –– the way smooth jazz ought to be played. Arguably, two of the greatest guitarists of the modern era in a rare appearance together.

Chelsea Bridge – Joe Henderson & Kenny Drew

by | Jun 30, 2023 | Quartet/Quintet

Chelsea Bridge is yet another jazz standard written by the wonderfully prolific Billy Strayhorn.  The tune was originally recorded by Duke Ellington in 1941 –– fast forward to 1968 and the Molde Jazz Festival in Norway, and an impressionistic interpretation of the impressionistic song by Joe Henderson and the Kenny Drew Trio.  Sometimes soft, sometimes swinging, this most creative arrangement features Joe on tenor, Kenny Drew at the piano, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (NHOP) on bass, and Albert “Tootie” Heath playing drums.

Pop Music’s Favorite Jazz Pianist

by | Jun 25, 2023 | Quartet/Quintet, Smooth Jazz, Video

After recording more than 80 albums, and collecting 3 Grammy awards, plus 5 Gold Records, Ramsey Lewis remained a major figure in contemporary jazz until his death just last year at age 87.

While his award-winning 1965 recording of “The In Crowd” established him on the pop charts, his Sun Goddess album remains one of his most sought after by pop music and jazz fans alike.  Both of these selections are live performances of tunes from that album –– beginning with the video of Stevie Wonder’s Living for the City (topmost).

This is Sun Goddess, the title song from the album.  It features Ramsey on piano, Henry Johnson playing guitar, Chuck Webb on bass, Steve Cobb on drums and Mike Logan at the keyboards.

Jazz at Trinity Church – NYC

by | Jun 18, 2023 | Solo/Duo

On May 7, 2023 NEA Jazz Master pianist Kenny Barron and eight-time Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride went to church –– to play, not to pray.  That’s gospel!  As part of Trinity’s music series, in association with Jazz House Kids, the dynamic duo played practically nonstop for more than an hour, to the delight of a packed houseful of fans and supporters.

The top-tune is Billy Strayhorn’s Isfahan, while below that, McBride performs a few finger gymnastics on the more familiar Body and Soul.

The Legendary Buddy Rich

by | Jun 11, 2023 | Big Band

“The Jet Song” from West Side Story never sounded quite like this. On August 20, 1982 at the Frank Sinatra Concert for the Americas, at age 64, Buddy Rich performed what may have been one of the greatest drum solos by one of the greatest drummers ever. Wincing from chest pains, which caused him to go to the hospital afterword, he gave his usual flawless performance––once again demonstrating his fierce life force and love for the music.

This performance of “Hawaiian War Chant” was recorded on January 5, 1987. Just a few months later, on April 2, 1987 Buddy Rich died of heart failure following surgery for a malignant brain tumor. He was 69 and maintained his unparalleled, life-long excellence right to the end. It’s hard to believe Buddy was self-taught and didn’t read music!

Teacher, Musician, Legend – Barry Harris

by | May 27, 2023 | Trio

Barry Harris is part of an exceptional group of Detroit-bred jazz musicians, including Tommy Flanagan and Donald Byrd, who rose through the extraordinary arts education program in the public school system during the 1930s and 1940s.  He took piano lessons from his mother at the age of four––a church pianist, she asked him if he was interested in playing church music or jazz.  Fortunately for us, he chose jazz.

In his teens, he learned bebop largely by ear, imitating solos by Bud Powell, who along with Thelonious Monk was a strong influence on his playing.  Early on, he developed an interest in passing the torch through education.  Barry began teaching his musical theories as early as 1956, tutoring young, promising talent––all the while performing professionally with the likes of Miles Davis, Max Roach, and Lee Konitz. He has carried on the teaching tradition throughout his life.

Still going strong in 2017 at the age of 88, his arrangement of A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square at Dizzy’s in New York is as unique as Barry Harris himself.

Also at Dizzy’s, Blues In Bb features the trio of Barry on piano, Leroy Williams on drums and Ray Drummond playing bass.

Betty Carter Unplugged

by | Apr 8, 2023 | Trio, Vocal

Versatility abounds at The 1982 Montreal Jazz Festival with “What A Little Moonlight Can Do.”  As Carmen McRae once said, “”There’s really only one jazz singer—only one: Betty Carter.”

Betty Carter is something of an acquired taste, largely owing to her fondness for ‘scat singing’ … which is also an acquired taste.  Most folks either end up loving scat or hating it, but if you love it no one did it better, not even Ella.  Well-l-l, maybe it’s a tie because each is so unique.  Where Ella scat sings like a horn player, Carter thinks like a rhythm section and scats more like a bass player.  (Below left)  “Blue Moon” takes us back to France in 1968 and a younger Betty heading up The Betty Carter Trio with The Boy Edgar Orchestra.  Cees Slinger played piano, Jacques Schols bass, and John Engels was on drums.  (Below right) “What’s New” is another stellar performance from The 1982 Montreal Jazz Festival, featuring a most memorable Betty Carter bringing the lyrics to life, Khalid Moss on piano, Lewis Nash playing drums and Curtis Lundy on the bass.

In 1998, Betty Carter wowed The Nice Jazz Festival with her inimitable style and the Rodgers and Hart standard, “Isn’t It Romantic.”  The festival was held in July and she left us merely two months later in September.

Whisper Not / No Problem – Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

by | Mar 24, 2023 | Quartet/Quintet

In 1956, while performing with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Benny Golson wrote “Whisper Not”. The band recorded it in November of that year and in 1957 Golson recorded it with his own group. It’s a wonderfully mellow tune, performed here by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers in 1958 … with Benny on tenor, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons at the piano, Jymie Merritt on bass and of course Blakey, himself, playing drums.

By contrast, the Duke Jordan composition “No Problem” unleashes a more typical Messenger sound … and the message is “HOT!” It’s 1959 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the personnel are the same, except Wayne Shorter is on tenor and Walter Davis, Jr. plays piano.

Newport ’71 – Thelonious Monk Et Al

by | Mar 18, 2023 | Sextet

Thelonious Monk is the first stellar name we know … el al is the rest of the who’s who of Bop live on stage. It was Newport ’71 in De Doelen Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Monk was joined by the likes of Art Blakey, Kai Winding, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sonny Stitt, with Al McKibbon bringing up the bass. As you would expect, the solos are out of sight, as the Monk standard, Straight No Chaser takes on a larger-than-life richness that can only be described as very delicious jazz!