Rifftides

For many aficionados of Bix Beiderbecke the surprise is not that there is so little film of the great cornetist, but that there is any. To the left, we see a frame of film shot in 1928 for Fox Movietone News of the Whiteman orchestra recording or rehearsing a piece called "My Ohio Home." When Beiderbecke died in 1931 at the age of 28, he had earned the admiration of his contemporary and friend Louis Armstrong and become an inspiration for generations of cornetists and trumpet players. The … [Read more...]

Having heard an advance CD by Jamie Shew, a singer new to me, I asked the trumpeter Bobby Shew if she is related to him. He followed his answer—No— with a question of his own, the one that musicians invariably ask about singers: “Can she sing?” Meaning: • Is she in tune? • Doe she phrase well? • Does she have good time? I have listened twice to Ms. Shew’s album and watched several of her Youtube videos. She can sing. The CD, Eyes Wide Open, finds her in the company of players from … [Read more...]

Lorraine Gordon, who inherited the Village Vanguard after her husband Max died in 1989, remained its proprietor and no-nonsense guiding spirit until her death yesterday in New York. She was 95. Under the Gordons, the Vanguard became quite likely the most famous jazz club in the world. Bill Evans, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis were among many musicians who made memorable live recordings and videos there. The club is a destination not only … [Read more...]

As I may have mentioned a time or two, keeping up is impossible. We can only try. Here we go with observations on a few of the dozens (hundreds?) of recent jazz releases. Roni Ben-Hur, Harvie S: Introspection (Jazzheads) Compatibility, mutual responsiveness and subtle interactivity characterize this album from guitarist Ben-Hur and bassist Harvie S. It might have just as appropriately been titled “Interaction.” With drummer Tim Horner as a third partner, the trio moves through a ten-track … [Read more...]

A new Rifftides reader, Orsolya S., joined us recently. Now and then she sends comments, an activity we encourage among all readers. Her latest communique concerns a recording that has been exciting listeners for more than sixty years. Thanks for recommending the album Dave Brubeck Quartet at Oberlin College a while back. One of my favorite albums, I've listened to it 8 or 9 times since buying it. All the tracks are great, but "Perdido" is my favorite. The quartet recorded the album in the … [Read more...]

Roberta Piket, West Coast Trio, 13th Note Records The seasoned New York pianist traveled west to record with a sterling rhythm section of veteran Los Angeles players. The bicoastal combination clicked. Drummer Joe La Barbera, bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz, and—on two pieces—guitarist Larry Koonse meld with Piket in a collection of standards and originals by her and others. After Piket wrote “Mentor,” she discovered that it reminded her of her former teacher Richie Beirach and dedicated it to … [Read more...]

Keeping up with the ceaseless flow of jazz albums is impossible, but it’s a pleasure to try. Here are short reviews of a few relatively recent releases. Hank Jones In Copenhagen: Live At Jazzhus Slukefter 1983 (Storyville) From nearly the moment he moved from Detroit to New York in 1944, pianist Hank Jones was a central figure in jazz as the music evolved from swing to bebop. In this album recorded at a leading Danish jazz club, Jones reunites with drummer Shelly Manne, another key … [Read more...]

It is Memorial Day in the United States, a time for parades, picnics and family gatherings across the land. This is the perfect occasion on which to honor the US armed services by acknowledging and displaying the accomplishments of their bands dedicated to the music that is the primary stock in trade of Rifftides. We begin with the Airmen of Note, the jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. The arrangement of “Cherokee” is by Alan Baylock. The US Army Blues appeared a few years … [Read more...]

Composer, arranger, educator and jazz authority Jeff Sultanof occasionally honors Rifftides with his insights. This is one of those happy occasions. Jeff has seen a restoration of  King Of Jazz, a pioneering film from the days when motion picture studios had decided that sound was here to stay. King Of Jazz: A Guest Review By Jeff Sultanoff Until 1926, the only sound the movie-going public heard in a theatre was the accompaniment of a piano, organ or symphony orchestra if they went to one of … [Read more...]

News has arrived that the pianist Jack Reilly (pictured) died of a massive stroke on Friday at his home in New Jersey. Mr. Reilly, 86, was an accomplished classical and jazz pianist who returned to his native New York in 1954 following Navy service and pursued graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music. His early experience in jazz was with John LaPorta, Sheila Jordan, Ben Webster and George Russell, among other prominent figures in the bebop and post-bop eras. From the biography on … [Read more...]

In Monday’s posting revisiting an early <em>Rifftides</em> piece about Tom Talbert (pictured ca. 1956), the staff was remiss in not including examples of Talbert’s music. Let’s remedy that. From his remarkable Bix Duke Fats album, we will hear his transformation of two Duke Ellington compositions. The first is “Do Nothing ‘Til You Hear From Me,” one of Ellington’s best-known popular hits; the second, “Ko Ko,” is perhaps his most celebrated pioneering of bitonal harmonies).  Both were … [Read more...]

Denny Zeitlin, Wishing On The Moon, Live At Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola In New York City Pianist Zeitlin has recorded three albums with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, beginning in 2001 with Stairway To The Stars, then the adventurous Slickrock in 2003 and In Concert, in 2009. Wishing On The Moon, recorded earlier but just released, revisits several items that Zeitlin has recorded before, including “Slickrock.” Inspired by his and his wife’s mountain-biking adventures, Zeitlin … [Read more...]

Noah Preminger, Rob Garcia Dead Composers Club Chopin Project (Connection Works Records) If I were going to be in New York City tomorrow evening—alas, I won’t be—I would be at the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village hoping that Preminger's and Garcia’s Chopin CD release concert would be as fascinating as the album itself. Preminger’s tenor saxophone and Garcia’s drumming have support from guitarist Nate Radley and bassist Kim Cass in their interpretations of nine of Frederic Chopin’s … [Read more...]

On Call: Peter Erskine & The Dr. Um Band (Fuzzy Music) Erskine’s quartet luxuriates in excitement that recalls and updates his achievements as Weather Report’s keystone drummer.  Later when he was with Steps Ahead,  that group further contributed to electronica as a legitimate jazz movement. The band features saxophonist Bob Sheppard, John Beasley playing keyboards, and the ebullient electric bassist Benjamin Shepherd. As it has for decades, Erskine’s drumming incorporates rhythmic … [Read more...]

Fred Hersch Trio, Live In Europe (Palmetto) Hersch opens his new trio album with Thelonious Monk’s “We See” and closes it with an unaccompanied performance of “Blue Monk.” A longtime source of inspiration for the pianist, bassist John Hébert and drummer Eric McPherson, Monk seems to trigger renewed stimulation and interaction whenever they play his compositions. In “We See,” Hersch maintains a flow of stimulating ideas even as he fragments the melody line that he develops so brilliantly. … [Read more...]

Matthew Shipp, Zero, ESP For years pianist Shipp has gone his own unconventional way. Critics have shunted him into the avant garde piano category. That’s not where he belongs. He is the sole occupant of the Matthew Shipp category. The listener with open ears will understand that individuality is the core of Shipp’s approach. The title of his new solo album, Zero, may suggest metaphysical implications. My advice is, don’t worry about metaphysical implications. Simply listen to Shipp’s … [Read more...]

  Trumpeter, baritone horn player, vocalist, broadcaster and blogger Steve Provizer turns his attention this afternoon to Burt Bacharach on the songwriter’s 90th birthday. Provizer’s DuPlex program will present performances of Bachrach tunes by Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and other jazz artists. Duplex streams live from 5 to 6 PM Eastern time at WZBC.ORG, 90.3 FM. … [Read more...]

Todd Strait, There’ll Be Some Changes Made (Todd Strait) Drummer Todd Strait has spent significant stretches of his career in New York and Portland and freelanced with a cross-section of world-class musicians. Having toured extensively, Strait is back in his Kansas City home territory. His first album as a leader demonstrates not only the flexibility and power of his drumming, but also the connections he has established over the years. The veteran pianist Bill Mays worked hand in glove with … [Read more...]

Listen to Thomas Waller: Whatever’s bothering you, don’t let it. Hope you're having a happy Sunday. … [Read more...]

Following our April 24 remembrance of Duke Ellington’s 70thbirthday party at the White House, be aware that Jim Wilke has prepared a special Ellington broadcast on his Jazz Northwest. Here is part of the Jazz Northwest alert and instructions for listening: These unique performances combine excerpts from Shakespeare's plays with Duke Ellington's musical portraits of the featured characters. The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra is conducted by Michael Brockman with guest actors from The Seattle … [Read more...]

This is the birthday of two men who had significant effects on jazz and popular music. Bing Crosby was born on May 3, 1903 in Spokane, Washington, John Lewis seventeen years later in LaGrange, Illinois shortly before his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he grew up. Crosby became the world’s best-selling recording artist, a title he holds 40 years after his death. According to his Wikipedia biography, Crosby has sold around the world more than one billion records, tapes, CDs and … [Read more...]

...because of a family celebration, there will be no Monday Recommendation this week. Please accept this springtime view facing south down the Rifftides World Headquarters side street. We're in bloom around here. (That's Ahtanum Ridge in the background.)   … [Read more...]

  New Orleans is mourning the death on Friday of Charles Neville, saxophonist and ever-smiling presence in the Neville Brothers band from 1977 to 2015. Charles was a focal point with his brothers Cyril, Art and Aaron in the family band that became one of the city’s most successful and celebrated musical groups. For years, they were a fixture of the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival. Neville died at home in Huntington, Massachusetts.He moved to New England in the 1990s, returning … [Read more...]

In the aftermath of Bob Dorough’s death on Monday, increased attention is going to his extensive body of songs. Among Dorough’s greatest admirers is the Swedish trumpet player and singer Mårten Lundgren. With bassist and vocalist Helle Marstrand, pianist Sven-Erik Lundequist and drummer Espen Laub von Lillienskjod, Lundgren recorded an album of Dorough’s music and made a video version of “But For Now,” one of Dorough’s loveliest songs. The memory of Bob Dorough is alive in Sweden. … [Read more...]