Archives for March 2007

St. Patrick's Day never arrives without reminding me of a record that did not get made. In the 1960s Paul Desmond and guitarist Jim Hall, frequent collaborators in those days, came up with an idea for an album of Irish music. In their planning session, they decided on some of the tunes they would … [Read more...]

I have been roundly corrected by alert Rifftides readers who point out that the German broadcasting entity NDR has always been in Hamburg. For their interesting comments, additional information and a bit of speculation about the Phil Woods video discussed in the previous posting, go here. Thanks to … [Read more...]

Thanks to Rifftides reader Tyler Newcomb for sending a link to this Phil Woods video from 1968. YouTube gives almost no information about it. I gather from the ID bug in the upper right-hand corner of the screen that this was made in the studios of Norddeutscher Rundfunk in what was then East … [Read more...]

Your more or less faithful correspondent is working pretty much full tilt on an essay to accompany the reissue of an important Red Garland album. In the course of researching the piece, I ran across an article I wrote about the pianist for Texas Monthly in 1977. It included Garland's story about his … [Read more...]

Pianist Emil Viklický and his trio recently did a tour of the Czech Republic with the American trumpeter Marcus Printup. It began at the Prague Castle and took in other cities including Olomouc. Viklický reports that a CD will be released of music from the castle concert. In Olomouc, a fan … [Read more...]

We're in the most stupid business in the world. -Artie Shaw, BBC interview Are big bands coming back? Sure, every football season. -Woody Herman … [Read more...]

Clifford Jordan, one of the great (term used advisedly) tenor saxophonists of the second half of the twentieth century, in 1974 made a magnificent album called Glass Bead Games. Billy Higgins was the drummer on all twelve tracks. Cedar Walton and Stanley Cowell shared piano duties. Sam Jones and … [Read more...]

The Rifftides discussion about the size of the jazz audience moves along as comments continue to come in. Most them are posted following the original item, which you will find here. We're adding the following communique from the pianist and composer Vijay Iyer, who goes beyond the effect of formal … [Read more...]

My Jazz Times review of the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival is published in full on the magazine's web site. It includes most of what I reported in Rifftides and some festival background added for JT. … [Read more...]

It's taken me all my life to learn what not to play. -Dizzy Gillespie- It's not the mistakes that count, it's what you do after them that counts. -Thelonious Monk- … [Read more...]

I know, I know. I promised a survey of recent CDs. But a couple of writing assignments materialized, the kind that bring more than the psychic rewards associated with blogging, and I must meet the deadlines. In the meantime, here's a link to an informal performance of "Sweet Lorraine" by Zoot Sims, … [Read more...]

There has been interesting response to the Rifftides musing a few postings ago about jazz audiences decreasing at the same time that jazz education programs are burgeoning. Here is an excerpt from one comment: A lot of talented high school and college band directors never program anything more … [Read more...]

Reports from New York are that the benefit for pianist Larry Willis last week at St. Peter's Church raised more than $5,000. That won't build Willis a new house, but it will help him replace some of what he lost in a January fire. More than two dozen pianists, including some of the most prominent in … [Read more...]