Archives for March 24, 2010

Correspondence: Party For John Norris

March 24, 2010 by Doug Ramsey

From Toronto, guitarist and author Andrew Scott sends news of a memorial event in honor of the influential Canadian jazz publisher and record company owner John Norris, who died in late January. Sandi Norris, Ted O'Reilly, Jim Galloway, Don Thompson and I are organizing a Jazz Party in celebration of the wonderful life of John Welman Norris on Sunday April 18th from 3:00 until 8:00 at the Hart House Music Room (at the University of Toronto). A light lunch will be provided. In addition to the … [Read more...]

Spring In The South 40

March 24, 2010 by Doug Ramsey

Apricot blossoms and daffodils. All right, it isn't 40 acres, and we don't have a mule. We'll settle for this. … [Read more...]

Bill Is Back

March 24, 2010 by Doug Ramsey

An alert Rifftides reader, Andy Rothman, sent an alert that YouTube has reinstated the Finland videos that disappeared from our Bill Evans, Relaxed And Articulate posting of May 2008. To read the reconstituted piece and view the clips, go here. Many thanks from the staff to Mr. Rothman. … [Read more...]

Monday Recommendation: Another Bill Evans Discovery

Bill Evans, Another Time, Resonance For years, it was thought that drummer Jack DeJohnette’s only recorded appearance with the Bill Evans trio was at the 1968 Montreux Jazz Festival. Then in 2013, producer Zev Feldman discovered that five days after Montreux, Evans, DeJohnette and bassist Eddie Gomez recorded privately for the owners of the MPS […]

Monday Recommendation: A Captivating Book Of Photos

Jean-Pierre Leloir, Jazz Images (Elemental) Jean-Pierre Leloir, who died in 2010, left a remarkable legacy of photographs from his work in the years when France was a destination for, and in a few cases home to, many of the world’s principal jazz musicians. The technical perfection of Leloir’s photographs was matched by his ability to […]

Recommendation: Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975

Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975:The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4 (Columbia/Legacy) Miles Davis’s importance and recognition grew dramatically in the decades covered by the recordings on these four volumes. When he played in an all-star group at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival, the trumpeter was barely known to the general public. By the end of the […]

Monday Recommendation: Mat Walerian

Mat Walerian, Matthew Shipp, Hamid Drake, Jungle: Live At Okuden (ESP-Disk) His adventurism ranges far and he occasionally makes harsh sounds, but Polish reed artist Mat Walerian ultimately projects a calming effect not often found in avant garde music. The album is from the concert that produced a previous Walerian album with American pianist Matthew […]

Monday Recommendation: Broadbent And Mancio

Georgia Mancio, Alan Broadbent, Songbook (Roomspin Records) Pianist and composer Alan Broadbent has found his lyricist. Further good news: in their Songbook, Georgia Mancio sings her words to Broadbent’s songs with taste, feeling and faultless intonation. Their collaboration began after the Anglo-Italian singer wrote a lyric to “The Long Goodbye,” a Broadbent composition for Charlie […]

Monday Recommendation: Fay Claassen

Fay Claassen, Luck Child (Challenge) With exceptions, the Dutch singer departs from her incomparable interpretations of standard songs to explore contemporary pieces. They include the title tune written by guitarist Leni Stern, originally an instrumental called “Sandbox.” Sentimental and lyrical, it is dedicated to Claasen’s daughter. Claasen gives “One Trick Pony” a lilt in a […]

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