The Art of Van Damme

by | Jan 23, 2026 | Quartet/Quintet

Usually, the accordion takes about as much heat as a Christmas fruitcake … and, as a jazz instrument, may be reminiscent of the first guy who looked at a lobster and thought, “Food!” But Art Van Damme changed all that. He dared go where no man had gone before, and became known as “the hippest cat ever to swing an accordion.” Evidence his treatment of Durham and Battle’s Topsy, with his quintet in 2004 during the annual TIM Festival. With Art playing accordion, Steve Homan on guitar, Jon Ericksen on vibes, Rich DeLabio playing drums, and John Witalla on bass, they dazzled the Brazilian audience with their gentle, yet swinging sound.

Gold from Silver

by | Nov 16, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

Pianist Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver was the heart and soul of the hard bop era, helping to form the influential Jazz Messengers, and composing many blues and gospel-flavored songs that have become part of the jazz canon. For more than fifty years, Horace Silver wrote some of the most enduring tunes in jazz while performing them in a distinctively personal style, combining clean and sometimes humorous right-hand lines with the rumble of darker left hand notes. Precious few jazz musicians have had a greater impact on the contemporary mainstream than Horace Silver. The hard bop style that Silver pioneered in the ’50s is now dominant, played not only by holdovers from an earlier generation, but also by fuzzy-cheeked musicians who had yet to be born when the sound fell out of critical favor in the ’60s and ’70s.

Silver’s Señor Blues (upper left) is a latin-influenced piece, more than a little reminiscent of many Duke Ellington compositions. Recorded in Paris in 1959, Horace is joined by Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook playing sax, Gene Taylor on double bass, and Louis Hayes at the drums. In 1964, his “5Tet” shows a softer side with Pretty Eyes (upper right). If my references serve me correctly, Horace Silver plays piano, Woody Shaw is on trumpet, Joe Henderson is playing tenor, Bob Cranshaw is on bass, and Roger Humphries is at the drums. Song for My Father (lower left) is an unapologetic Silver tribute to his dad. Inspired by the Cape Verdean folk music he heard from his Portuguese-born father, the tune has become a standard in his repertoire. During a 1968 Rotterdam concert, this rendition was recorded with Horace Silver on piano, Randy Brecker playing trumpet, Bennie Maupin on tenor, John Williams on bass, and Billy Cobham playing drums. Finally, (lower right) Horace pays homage to the late, great trumpet player Blue Mitchell with a composition entitled Blues for Brother Blue, recorded in 1994 in the Netherlands by Silver’s big band –– The Silver Brass Ensemble.

Sonny Side Up – Pt. 2

by | Oct 31, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Trio

Four is a tune from Sonny Rollins’ 1968 concert in Denmark. Its authorship is traditionally attributed to Miles Davis who first recorded it in 1954, but any number of sources say Four was actually composed by saxophonist Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson. It’s still a matter of debate in jazz circles. Whoever deserves the credit, it has become a jazz standard recorded by a countless number of musicians throughout the years. (Above) is Sonny’s rendition, with NHOP on bass, Kenny Drew at the piano, and Tootie Heath playing drums. Rollins sets the scene with an unaccompanied introduction in which he does not ‘quote’ every song he ever heard … it only seems that way. My One and Only Love (below) is a popular song from 1953. Notable renditions by Frank Sinatra (1953), and later by John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman (1963), have made it part of the musical repertoire of jazz standards. This recording from the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1982 marks one of Sonny’s rare performances with the recently departed (10/2025) legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette. Also featured is Bob Cranshaw (b), Bobby Broom (g), and Yoshiaki Masuo (g). Listen for a killer sax solo by Sonny Rollins at the end!

Mellow McRae

by | Oct 4, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

Carmen McRae is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century. She was known for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretation of lyrics, both of which seemed to come to her quite naturally. Carmen didn’t just sing a song, she owned it! The three tunes below are prime examples, and while McRae could swing with the best of them, I always felt she shone brightest in a mellow mood.

(Topmost) is the 1935 standard I’m in the Mood for Love, with Carmen accompanying herself on the piano. She was joined by Scott Colley on bass and Mark Pulice playing drums, in 1990 at the Good Day Club in Tokyo. Ruby My Dear (middle) may be the most beautiful Thelonious Monk composition since ‘Round Midnight. It was recorded in 1988 at the Newport Jazz Festival, with Clifford Jordan playing tenor and Eric Gunnison on piano, joining Carmen and her rhythm section on stage. At the Bern Jazz Festival, also in 1988, she eschews the usual uptempo arrangements of Have You Met Miss Jones (bottom) in favor of a more heartfelt version all her own. Dizzy Gillespie adds a few notes of counterpoint to her amazing vocal.

Coltrane

by | Sep 26, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet

The 1960 video (above) is from John Coltrane’s first time in Europe, touring as a member of one of Miles Davis’ first great quintets. On Green Dolphin Street was recorded in Dusseldorf Germany, and features Coltrane on tenor, Wynton Kelly playing piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb at the drums. Miles sat out this particular evening, thus leaving the spotlight all to Trane.

(Upper right) Stan Getz joins the quartet in a medley of standards with John soloing on What’s New? and Stan doing the chores with Moonlight in Vermont. Alabama (Lower right) is a powerful tune penned by Coltrane in response to the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four young Black girls.

Settings – Ellis Marsalis

by | Sep 6, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Trio

Ellis Marsalis is a father figure of jazz in a number of ways. As a pianist, he was among the first generation of musicians to bring bebop to New Orleans; as an educator, many great musicians came through Marsalis’ tutelage, including Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr., Donald Harrison, and Nicholas Payton. Ellis is, of course, the headwaters –– the actual father –– of four exceptional jazz musicians: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason Marsalis. Here he demonstrates his prowess in three settings, including a quintet, quartet, and trio … equally as masterful in all of them.

Delilah (top) was part of a concert streamed live by WWOZ from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Center in 2018. It features the quintet with Ellis on piano,Gerald Watkins at the drums, Jason Stewart playing bass, Andrew Baham on trumpet, and Derek Douget on sax. In the (middle) is Homecoming, an Ellis original performed with his quartet at his 80th birthday celebration event at Dizzy Gillespie’s Club CocaCola, in New York. Finally (bottom) in 1997 Syndrome, another Ellis Marsalis original, is given the trio treatment in Bern Switzerland.

The Swingin’ Side of Stan Getz

by | Jul 26, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet

Stan Getz was often called “The Sound” because of his warm, lyrical tone, due largely to the influence of the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. He elicited from his tenor sax a luxuriant tone, which made Stan a natural to spread the sound of cool jazz in the ’50s, and furthered the bossa nova explosion of the ’60s of which he was a centerpiece.

We have become accustomed to hearing a very mellow Stan Getz, as exemplified by his definitive rendition of Desafinado (top right) … bossa nova at its best, with Joanne Brackeen on piano, Clint Houston playing double bass, and Billy Hart on drums. Just (below that) Getz continues in a mellow mood, as he is joined by Chet Baker on Dear Old Stockholm, not too surprisingly recorded in Sweden, in 1983.

A bit less usual Stan swings out on the old favorite Slow Boat To China, with Kenny Barron playing piano, Alex Blake on bass, and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums (just left), performing at the Munich Philharmonie Hall in Germany, in 1990. And, finally, Getz once again lights it up, joined by Chet Baker … also featuring Jim McNeely at the piano, George Mraz on bass, and Victor Lewis playing drums (bottom) on Miles Davis’ Milestones.

Dizzy Is as Dizzy Does

by | Jul 19, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

John Birks Gillespie earned the name “Dizzy” with his playful, even mischievous behavior both on and off stage … his bent-bell trumpet is sort of a reflection of that off-beat character, although its ‘birth’ was accidental. One day someone fell over his horn, and he liked the new sound so well that he had his trumpets constructed with that special bend from then on. Gillespie’s effect on jazz can’t be overstated; his trumpet playing influenced every player who came after him. His compositions have become part of the jazz canon, and his bands have included some of the most significant names in the business. During the early 40s, along with Charlie Parker, Dizzy was one of the major leaders of the bebop movement.

On (top) is a 1951 Gillespie jazz standard, Birk’s Works. Most often heard with a big band, this quartet arrangement has Dizzy on trumpet, Ray Brown on bass, Ed Cherry playing guitar, Tommy Campbell at the drums, and Valerie Capers playing piano. It was recorded in Belgrade in 1981.  While I’m not a huge fan of scat singing, this one had to be shared. Gillespie is joined at the 1985 Jazz Festival in Bern by James Moody (bottom) to give even Mel Torme a run for his ‘scatting’ money on Oop-Pop-A-Da. They’re backed by Gene Harris on piano, Ray Brown playing bass, and Grady Tate on drums.

 

Basic Basie

by | Jul 12, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Septet/Octet, Solo/Duo

In 1950, due to economic pressures, Count Basie disbanded his 16 piece orchestra in favor of a septet, and other smaller combos such as a quintet, quartet, and even a trio. He missed the big band sound and in 1952, as things improved, he reformed the orchestra we are more accustomed to hearing. Mark of Jazz featured the quartet on August 30, 2024 … this post is a kind of sequel to Basie’s ‘between the big bands’ era.

The septet consisted of Count Basie at the piano, Clark Terry playing trumpet, Buddy DeFranco on clarinet, Wardell Gray on tenor, Freddie Green playing guitar, Jimmy Lewis on bass, and Gus Johnson at the drums. (Topmost) these future stellar artists join together on Basie’s own One O’Clock Jump. (Just below that) the dazzling Cleveland Eaton is featured on double bass, in a quintet setting, on Booty’s Blues. Finally, (below) is The Count Basie Trio at the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival, with Ray Brown on bass and Jimmy Smith on Drums.

Sweets for the Suite

by | Jul 5, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

Harry “Sweets” Edison came to prominence as a soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra, and as an occasional composer/arranger for the band. His most notable contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backing any number of famous singers, most notably Frank Sinatra. It was Lester Young who gave him the nickname “Sweets” because of his sweet style of playing. It started out as “Sweetie Pie,” was eventually shortened to “Sweets,” and has stuck as Edison’s trademark moniker to this day.

(Top left) is Lester Leaps In, recorded in 1990 together with Billy Mitchell (ts), Paul Kuhn (p), Major Holley (b), and Butch Miles (d). (Lower left) “Sweets” slows things down with Willow Weep for Me, featuring that mellow muted sound that earned him his nickname. Finally, (at the bottom) Edison joins the Louie Bellson big band in 1992 with the tune Sweet Tooth.