The fine jazz photographer Ron Hudson died at his Seattle home on Tuesday. He was 71. For more than 30 years, Hudson captured memorable images of Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Woody Herman, Milt Jackson, Bud Shank and dozens more of the leading musicians of his time. He worked exclusively in black … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2011
Other Places: Arturo O’Farrill’s Cuban Odyssey
Many listeners know that Arturo O'Farrill is a talented New York pianist who leads Jazz at Lincoln Center's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. He has been a considerable force in Latin music in the US for three decades. Fewer may be aware that he is the son of Chico O'Farrill, a Cuban of Irish origin who … [Read more...]
Closeted With The MJQ
Blogging is going on the back burner—or maybe a side burner—for a few days while I wrap up an assignment. I am writing the essay and program notes for a seven-CD Mosaic box of the Modern Jazz Quartet's Atlantic studio recordings from 1956 to 1964. It involves a lot of listening, a lot of … [Read more...]
SRJO Broadcast Today
I should have alerted you earlier to another web concert by the excellent Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. It will be broadcast beginning at 1 pm (PST) today. Here are the details in an announcement from the SRJO. Tune in to hear highlights of the SRJO's "Jazz Goes To the Movies" (recorded in … [Read more...]
Other Matters: Bill Monroe’s Legacy
Bill Monroe died yesterday at the age of 90. You may remember him as the moderator of NBC's Meet The Press. He was noted for the toughness and fairness of his questioning in the years when that Sunday morning program influenced millions of Americans' thinking about government and politics. I … [Read more...]
Other Places: Frishberg In Portland
Dave Frishberg will be featured this weekend at one of the main concerts of the Portland Jazz Festival. It's an unusual gig for Frishberg; he frequently plays piano in his adopted hometown but rarely sings his songs there. In Oregon Music News, Jack Berry opens his piece about Frishberg with a story … [Read more...]
Other Places: Shearing In Perspective—And A Coup
In today's Wall Street Journal, Terry Teachout writes about George Shearing's popularity. He finds it admirable. A sample observation: Mr. Shearing's willingness to work both sides of the street vexed jazz critics, who are not an especially tolerant lot, and by the '60s he had been written off as a … [Read more...]
Winter Moon
This is what dominates the sky tonight. The photograph snapped by an inadequate camera merely suggests its chilly magnificence. Hoagy Carmichael captured the mood the winter moon generates. This is from his 1956 album with the Pacific Jazzmen. Art Pepper has the first chorus on alto saxophone, with … [Read more...]
George Shearing, 1919-2011
George Shearing died early today at the age of 91. With his quintet, Shearing used a locked-hands technique at the piano, blending with vibes and guitar to develop a style that resonated with listeners and became one of the most recognizable sounds in an era when jazz was still at the core of … [Read more...]
Shearing On How He Did It
I just came across this video clip of George Shearing answering fellow pianist Billy Taylor's questions about how he developed the Shearing style. The clip has no date, but Taylor's leisure suit says the 1970s. The interested onlooker is Marian McPartland. … [Read more...]
Other Places: Bill Holman Lauded
On his Jazz Profiles website, Steve Cerra begins a tribute to Bill Holman with this passage: In Japan, a select few of those who maintain the country's artistic traditions or make a unique contribution to them are accorded the respect of the nation by being designated as a Living National Treasure … [Read more...]
Esperanza Spalding Smashes Grammy Precedent
The young bassist, composer and vocalist Esperanza Spalding last night shattered decades of pop and rock dominance of the Grammys to become the first jazz musician ever to be named best new artist. She edged out the teen idol Justin Bieber and three other pop performers. Spalding's Chamber Music … [Read more...]
Moody In Norway: An Update, Illustrated
James Moody toured in most parts of the world and made friends wherever he went. Following his death in December, the Norwegian pianist Per Husby sent the story of his encounter with Moody a couple of decades ago and the touching question Moody asked him the day after their concert. The pictures and … [Read more...]
Other Matters: First Ride Of 2011
Unlike many areas of the northern hemisphere, the Pacific Northwest has had a mild winter so far. Still, it has hardly been prime cycling weather. It was unseasonably warm today—above 60"º C—so my Italian friend Vigorelli Bianchi and I hit the road. Downside: the roads and streets were … [Read more...]
Allen Smith RIP
From San Francisco comes word that trumpeter Allen Smith died last week at the age of 85. Smith's musical career got underway at the same time as those of his San Francisco State College classmates Paul Desmond, Cal Tjader, Jerome Richardson, Vernon Alley, Roberta Mandel and Dick Vartaniah. He … [Read more...]
Ack Värmeland, Du Sköna
At a jam session a couple of nights ago, someone called "Dear Old Stockholm." I suggested that we play it in the unaltered form of the Swedish folk song that Stan Getz recorded in Stockholm 60 years ago. The bass player said, "Huh?" "It was a folk song?" said the pianist. Many musicians and … [Read more...]
Terry Teachout One-Ups Rifftides
Teachout found video of one of the most unlikely—and most delightful—performer pairings imaginable. To see it, go to Terry's blog, About Last Night. Then hurry back. … [Read more...]
Other Matters: Language, Ya Know? (From The Archives)
We in the Rifftides Department Of Language Reform realize that it has been only a year since this item ran. But it failed to change peoples' lousy usage habits, so here it is again. This time, please pay attention. The Rifftides Department Of Language Reform (DOLR) has been neglecting its duties. … [Read more...]
Compatible Quotes: On Language
Language is the dress of thought.—Samuel Johnson The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish squirting out ink.—George … [Read more...]