Glenn Mitchell's account of the 90th birthday party for Howard Rumsey a month or so ago at Catalina's in Los Angeles included this about Jack Sheldon's appearance with his sextet: They played a favorite of Rumsey's, a tune that bassist Jimmy Blanton (his all-time favorite) was remembered in, "Do … [Read more...]
Archives for 2007
Letter From Evans
Rifftides reader and Bill Evans specialist Jan Stevens alerts us to a trove of Evans material that until now existed only in print archives. He reports that Win Hinkle, editor of Letter From Evans, has made all issues of his newsletter available free on the internet. Hinkle's subscription … [Read more...]
CD: Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, My Foolish Heart (ECM). In his notes, Jarrett writes that this recording presents his Standards Trio "at its most buoyant, swinging, melodic and dynamic." Sure does. For evidence, follow the link above and sample Jarrett summoning the spirit of Fats … [Read more...]
Picksilated
Well, it's about time. Exigencies of the past few weeks have required putting off a number of duties, including the posting of a new batch of Doug's Picks. But there they are, in the right-hand column. … [Read more...]
CD: Linda Ciofalo
Linda Ciofalo, Sun Set (Lucky Jazz). Matt Wilson, the drummer on the CD, suggested that I would like Ciofalo. I do. She is adventurous, but not to the point of disrespecting the material. She sings in tune, uses time play in her phrasing without losing rhythmic consistency and has a light, creamy … [Read more...]
CD: Nat Cole
Nat Cole, Penthouse Serenade & The Piano Style of Nat King Cole (Collectors' Choice). Nat Cole's singing made him a king of popular music. His playing influenced pianists from Bud Powell to Bill Evans and beyond. The two albums included in this reissue CD will help those who know him only as a pop … [Read more...]
Brubeck On The BBC
Here is a listening tip for Friday, December 7, gleaned from a Dave Brubeck Quartet listserve: To celebrate pianist Dave Brubeck's 87th birthday, Alyn Shipton introduces part of a conversation with Brubeck recorded during his quartet's 40th anniversary tour of the UK, in which he selects some of his … [Read more...]
DVD: Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery, Live in '65 (Jazz Icons). Anyone interested in guitar at the highest level will be fascinated by this DVD. If you are intrigued by the democratic, cooperative nature of jazz, you will relish the first segment. (For a complete Rifftides review of this DVD, go here.) … [Read more...]
Book: Gene Lees
Gene Lees, Song Lake Summer (Libros Libertad). Lees, the prolific biographer of musicians and proprietor of the invaluable Jazzletter, turns novelist with fiction about a little-remembered piece of history in the northeastern US. It is the tale of a deep and unlikely friendship that develops between … [Read more...]
Wes Montgomery: Live in ’65
Wes Montgomery, Live in '65 (Jazz Icons). Anyone interested in guitar at the highest level will be fascinated by this DVD. If you are intrigued by the democratic, cooperative nature of jazz, you will relish the first segment. Sitting in a television studio in Holland with a rhythm section he is … [Read more...]
Hal Gaylor
Have you ever wondered what happened to Hal Gaylor? Oh. You don't know about Hal Gaylor. In the 1950s and '60s, Gaylor was one of the most respected bassists in jazz, working with a range of musicians. Here is what I mean by range; his colleagues included Chico Hamilton, Paul Bley, Stan Getz, Bill … [Read more...]
On The Radio
This is short notice, but here's a message from pianist-composer Joan Stiles: Tonight, Sunday, Dec. 2nd, 11pm-midnight EST: "Jazz from the Archives" show on WBGO (88.3 FM). I'll be interviewed by Annie Kuebler, archivist and curator of the Mary Lou Williams collection at the Institute of Jazz … [Read more...]
Jelly, Jelly
Apropos of nothing, I love this picture of Jelly Roll Morton, evidently lecturing the members of his Red Hot Peppers. This was 1926 or '27 in Chicago. Behind Morton from left to right are Omer Simeon, clarinet; Andrew Hilaire, drums; John Lindsay, bass; Johnny St. Cyr, banjo; Kid Ory, trombone; and … [Read more...]
Cecil Payne
The world lost Cecil Payne today. He didn't quite make it to his eighty-fifth birthday. Born on December 14, 1922, Payne was thought by many of his peers to be the greatest baritone saxophonist of the first bop generation. He anchored Dizzy Gillespie's seminal big band from 1946 to 1949 and went on … [Read more...]
Correspondence: About The Bebop Reunion
Rifftides Reader Chuck Mitchell, a veteran of print journalism and television production, writes concerning Dizzy's Bebop Reunion. As it happens, I was a 24 year-old associate producer on Soundstage in 1976 when this program was shot at Chicago Public Television, having been hired away from my Down … [Read more...]
Paul Desmond, 1924-1977
Had he lived, Paul Desmond would have been eighty-three years old today. Jim Hall said it best, "He would have been a great old man." Here's a good way to remember Desmond--having fun with Dave Brubeck, Gene Wright and Joe Morello in 1976, fourteen months before his death. At CKUT-FM in Montreal, … [Read more...]
Bebop Reunion Expanded
It turns out that the exhilirating version of "Groovin' High" that was the subject of yesterday's post was only a sample. It came from an hour television program that, if you have enough bandwidth, you may watch in its entirety. Rifftides reader Richard Carlson again does the setup: Now that I've … [Read more...]
Bebop Reunion
The Rifftides staff thanks reader Richard Carlson for alerting us to a piece of video from a 1976 television program. It gives us James Moody, Ray Brown, Al Haig and Kenny Clarke playing Dizzy Gillespie's "Groovin' High." This is a rare opportunity to see Haig, one of the most influential bebop … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving 2007
This is an important American national holiday. To those in or from the United States, the Rifftides staff sends wishes for a happy Thanksgiving. To readers around the world: we appreciate your interest, attendance and comments. Wherever you are, we hope that you have much for which to be thankful. … [Read more...]
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