The Real McCoy

by | Jun 22, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Solo/Duo, Trio

Alfred McCoy Tyner was an American jazz pianist and composer known, primarily, for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965. His long solo career spanned six decades, and netted five Grammy Awards. McCoy’s powerful, propulsive style of piano playing was an integral part of the Coltrane Quartet in the early 1960s, and influences countless young jazz musicians to this day.

The (topmost) video is a 2002 performance of Moment’s Notice, and features the instantly recognizable piano of Tyner, along with Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Charnett Moffett on bass, and Eric Harland playing drums.

To the (left) is a solo performance of Coltrane’s Giant Steps from 1996. It is a classic example of McCoy Tyner’s signature emphatic left-hand attack, particularly on the low keys.

To the (right), A Song for Love was recorded in 1997 with his trio, including Avery Sharpe on bass and Aaron Scott on drums. It shows the softer side of Tyner, and brought down the house at the jazz festival in Berlin!

Miles-tones

by | May 31, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Sextet

“Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.” This is yet another quotable quote from Miles Davis, and probably the one that best describes his musical style. His early playing was sometimes tentative and not always fully in tune, but his unique, intimate tone and fertile musical imagination outweighed his technical shortcomings … which by the 1950s he turned into considerable assets. Miles would have celebrated his 99th birthday a few days ago, on May 26th, but while he severed his earthly bonds in 1991, he left behind a wide variety of timeless jazz that will be enjoyed by many generations to come.

(Top) The Pan Piper and Solea are both tunes from Davis’ 1960 album Sketches of Spain. They are co-arranged with Gil Evans, blending jazz and classical influences, incorporating a flamenco theme for this 1991 Montreux performance. (Middle) is a Davis original, now a standard, Milestones from his 1958 album of the same name. It features a regular who’s who of jazz, with Miles on flugelhorn, Cannon Adderley playing alto, John Coltrane, playing tenor, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones at the drums. Finally (Bottom), the quintet’s 1964 performance of My Funny Valentine evokes a slightly different feeling with Miles on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on sax, Herbie Hancock playing piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams at the drums –– talk about a who’s who!

Milestones

by Miles Davis | Milestones

Sassy and Sultry Diana Krall

by | May 23, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

Some of Diana Krall’s fans are not necessarily jazz fans. Many seem to want a stronger focus on the vocals, which is quite understandable given how great Krall is at the microphone … and they want her to sing in a more straightforward, singer-songwriter/pop fashion, rather than using her voice as a jazz instrument or inserting improvisational passages into her piano playing.  But, that’s not who Diana is. She’s a jazz artist who puts on jazz shows. She has been playing since the age of four and performing since the age of fifteen.

During her concerts, vocals are just a part of the attraction. True jazz fans get this, and appreciate the lengthy spotlights given to Krall’s band mates as well: bassist John Clayton, drummer Jeff Hamilton, and guitarist Anthony Wilson are all phenomenal players with so much to say musically that is absolutely worth hearing. (Above) is something on the soft side from the group with Cry Me a River and (below) they pick up the tempo with East of the Sun. See what you hear!

Cute / Willow Weep for Me – Mel Lewis

by | Apr 11, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

Mel Lewis was an American jazz drummer, session musician, professor, and author, who received fourteen Grammy Award nominations. He did it all! Lewis’s cymbal work, in particular, was considered unique among many musicians … drummer Buddy Rich once remarked, “Mel Lewis doesn’t sound like anybody else. He sounds like himself.” In 1966 Mel teamed up with composer, arranger, trumpeter/cornetist Thad Jones to form the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra.

Topmost, At the 1984 Swiss “Jazz-In”, Mel Lewis teams up with Horst Jankowski at the piano, ‘Toots’ Thielemans playing harmonica, Mads Vinding on bass, and Pierre Cavalli on guitar to perform the bright and breezy Cute. Below that, Is rather non-standard arrangement of the standard Willow Weep for Me, typical of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big band, which played primarily at the Village Vanguard in New York for the next twenty-four years.

Jazz Italian Style

by | Apr 6, 2025 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

Funny, but she sounds awfully American! Roberta Gambarini came to America in 1998 from Turin, Italy, and took the jazz world by storm. Roberta has toured and sung with the greatest in the business … from Dizzy Gillespie to Jimmy Heath, from Clark Terry to Paquito D’Rivera.  I’ll be seeing her perform live for the first time next Saturday, with the South Carolina Jazz Masterworks Ensemble. Keep you posted. (Above) Gambarini is reflective with a heartfelt rendition of Every Time We Say Goodbye. She was recorded live in 2009 at Jazz A Vienne (France) with the Roy Hargrove Big Band. (Below) Roberta steps up the tempo with Joe Lovano (ts), Cyrus Chestnut (p), James Genus (b), and Antonio Sanchez (d) in 2021, singing When Lights Are Low at the 10th annual celebration of International Jazz Day, featuring top musicians from all over the world.

Haruka Kikuchi – Girl with a Horn

by | Mar 29, 2025 | Quartet/Quintet, Vocal

Jazz may be “America’s Classical Music” but it has a strong, worldwide appeal. Trombonist Haruka Kikuchi is a native of Tokyo, Japan, who always had a knack and a love for music, listening to as much of it as she could at a young age, as well as picking up instruments like piano and violin. It wasn’t until she heard an old recording of the Original Dixieland Jass Band that she decided to pick up a trombone, a decision that would inspire her to move the 7,000 miles to New Orleans in 2014, where she has been “making her bones” ever since. You first heard Haruka –– also known as Queen of Tailgate because she continues the tailgate style trombone, which is a tradition of New Orleans Jazz –– on Mark of Jazz a few weeks ago performing with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. I was floored by her playing and felt compelled to feature her this week.

The tune (above) is Wabash Blues, presented live in 2020 from the studios of WWOZ, with Haruka Kikuchi on trombone, Z2 at the piano, Nobu Ozaki on bass, Mishi playing trumpet and Gerald French on drums. (Left upper) they cut loose on Hold That Tiger … in 2015, also live from WWOZ in New Orleans. (Left bottom) is the old favorite Margie, recorded at the Jazz and Heritage Center in 2023, with a Satchmo style vocal by the drummer.

Emily, Wendy and Cassandra … The Girls

by | Sep 27, 2024 | Quartet/Quintet

Paul Desmond is usually associated with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, but he achieved quite a body of work of his own, including his composition of the classic “Take Five” for the Brubeck Quartet. He was a modest, retiring man, known to his friends for his wit and charm. For example, when asked why he changed his surname to Desmond, with a straight face, he replied that Breitenfeld sounded too “Irish.” Such witticisms were as typical of his demeanor, as “soft and liquid” were typical of his sound … a tone that Paul, himself, once described as imitating a “dry martini.”  (Above) he demonstrates that tender touch with a wonderfully gentle version of Johnny Mandel’s Emily, recorded in 1975 at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Mundell Lowe is on guitar, Richard Davis bass, Roy Burns playing drums, and John Lewis at the piano. (Below) are two more tunes based on the names of girls.

Cassandra proves that even when Desmond swings, it’s mellow. He is joined by The Quartet, with Dave Brubeck on piano, Joe Morello playing drums, and Eugene Wright on bass, in 1965 at the Newport in Paris festival.

Here, Paul romanticizes Wendy with his quartet around 1975. Ed Bickert plays guitar, Jerry Fuller is on drums, and Don Thompson is at the bass. Will that martini be straight up or on the rocks?

Gettin’ Dizzy

by | Jun 30, 2024 | Big Band, Quartet/Quintet

John Birks Gillespie got the name “Dizzy” because of his offhand manner and outlandish antics. He got the unusual-looking bent-bell trumpet in 1953, when someone accidentally fell on his trumpet stand backstage. Gillespie liked the sound of the altered instrument so much that his trumpets were specially made in that configuration from then on. More than a jazz trumpet virtuoso, bandleader, composer, educator and singer, he was a civil rights advocate who participated in marches and protests … and even ran for president as a write-in candidate in 1964!

No More Blues (top) was taken from a 1966 BBC television show, and features Dizzy on trumpet, James Moody on alto, Kenny Barron at the piano, Chris White on bass, and Rudy Collins playing drums. In the (middle) we have Dizzy with the United Nations Orchestra playing Tin Tin Deo in 1989 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Also included in the mix are such notables as trombonist Slide Hampton, saxophonists James Moody & Paquito D’Rivera, trumpet player Arturo Sandoval, and guitarist Ed Cherry. Finally (bottom) is a tune called Brother K. It was named by Gillespie in1968 as a response to the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy that year.

Dexter Gordon Takes Belgium

by | Jun 23, 2024 | Quartet/Quintet

Dexter Gordon filmed 3 concerts in 1964 while living in Europe … Holland, Switzerland and Belgium. Body and Soul is from the Belgium session, and particularly highlights his classic style and silky tone.

“Long tall Dexter” was an early influence on both John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins,  as well as many other greats.  As above, accompanying Dex on  Lady Bird are George Gruntz on piano, Guy Pedersen on bass, and Daniel Humair playing drums.

Jammin’ with Cozy Cole

by | May 17, 2024 | Audio, Quartet/Quintet, Video

Cozy Cole was a free-wheeling drummer who made his mark in the world of jazz with some of the top bands of the 1930s and 40s. He continued to perform into the 70s in a variety of settings, alongside names like Jonah Jones, Stuff Smith, and Cab Calloway.  Because of his aggressive style, Cole is often cited as an influence by many of our contemporary rock drummers.

In my “What About Dat” page here at Mark of Jazz, I talk about one music genre crossing over to another. There is probably no better example than Cozy Cole’s 1958 hit recordings of Topsy Part 1 that made it to #27 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Topsy Part 2 that made it all the way to #3 … #1 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues Chart, staying atop the latter for six weeks!  The original version of both tunes can be heard below, with a wonderfully laid back after hours jam session inbetween.  It begins with some simple blues, culminating with Coleman Hawkins joining Cole and the quartet for a captivating rendition of Lover Man (Where Can You Be).  The players are Cozy Cole (d), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Johnny Guarnieri (p), Barry Galbraith (g), and Milt Hinton (b).

 

Topsy Part 1

by Cozy Cole | Cozy Cole Hits

Topsy Part 2

by Cozy Cole | Cozy Cole Hits