Five Faces Of Harlem Nocturne

by | Mar 22, 2019 | Big Band, Orchestral

Harlem Nocturne was written in 1939 by Earle Hagen and Dick Rogers for the Ray Noble Orchestra, of which they were members at the time.  It quickly became a jazz standard and has since been recorded by nearly 100 artists!  Here are just 5 different versions, including the very first recording of the tune on Columbia Records by Ray Noble.  Then there was a recording by The Viscounts that ran up the Billboard charts, not once but twice … in 1959 and again in1966.  Lyrics were eventually added and in 1963 Mel Torme painted a lonely picture of nighttime in New York.  While many of the others smack of a certain “stripperesque” quality, the fourth arrangement imparts a certain elegance we’ve learned to expect from Duke Ellington.  Finally, a treatment of Harlem Nocturne by Illinois Jacquet that makes all the hairs on the back of my neck stand at full attention!

Harlem Nocturne

by The Viscounts | Harlem Nocturne

Harlem Nocturne

by Mel Torme | Songs Of New York

Harlem Nocturne

by Duke Ellington | Blues

Harlem Nocturne

by Illinois Jacquet | Swing's The Thing

All That Jazz Is LeGrand!

by | Feb 15, 2019 | Quartet/Quintet, Septet/Octet

If you’re like most people, when you think of Michel LeGrand you think of film scores, orchestras and swirling strings.  Well fasten your seatbelt because he was one whale of a jazz pianist as well and swung with the best of them!  His pen and his baton will be sorely missed, Michel having passed away last month at the age of 87.

“You Must Believe In Spring” was recorded at the Festival International de Jazz in Montreal.  It features Michel Legrand (p), Phil Woods (as), Eric Lagace (b) and Ray Brinker (d).

“The Jitterbug Waltz” was recorded in 1958 in New York for the album “LeGrand Jazz”.  It’s an interesting mix of Michel with artists such as Herbie Mann, Barry Galbraith, Miles Davis, Phil Woods, Jerome Richardson, Eddie Costa, Paul Chambers and Kenny Dennis.  Listen for the silky smooth changes in tempo and subtle harp glissandos of Betty Giamann … not your everyday addition to a jazz combo.

The Jitterbug Waltz

by Michel LeGrand & Miles Davis | LeGrand Jazz

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!

Let It Snow – New York Voices

by | Dec 3, 2018 | Video, Vocal Group

‘Tis the season to be snowy!  New York Voices is the Grammy Award winning vocal ensemble renowned for their excellence in jazz and the art of group singing. Like the great groups that came before, such as Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Singers Unlimited, Manhattan Transfer and, of course, The Four Freshmen, they have learned from the best and taken their musical form to new levels.  I couldn’t resist adding a few pictures to their marvelous rendition of this Sammy Cahn – Jule Styne tune … written in July 1945!

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

Take The ‘A’ Train – Billy Taylor & Dave Brubeck

by | Oct 7, 2018 | Quartet/Quintet

This rare performance of A-Train is from the Legends of Jazz, Piano Masters series with Ramsey Lewis hosting. For the first time in more than forty years, a American national network, PBS, aired a weekly program devoted to jazz.  The series aired in 2006 and lasted only 13 weeks, but has become available on both DVD and CD for continuing enjoyment by jazz buffs everywhere.

Sweet Georgia Brown – Gene Harris

by | Sep 7, 2018 | Quartet/Quintet

Pianist Gene Harris (Remember The Three Sounds?) delivers a slightly different treatment of the jazz classic, “Sweet Georgia Brown”.  Along with guitarist Jim Mullen, bassist Andrew Clayndert and drummer Martin Drew, Gene infuses a touch of his early boogie-woogie background into the music at the 1998 Berne Jazz Festival resulting in a very crowd pleasing effect.