For a couple more hours, it is still Veterans Day here in the western United States. I’ve been thinking that I should post something about this American holiday dedicated to the men and women who have sacrificed years of their lives—and in too many cases life itself—to keep us free. … [Read more...]

The recent Rifftides review of pianist Sullivan Fortner’s new album mentions Johnny Costa (pictured) as an influence. The influence came early. Like millions of other American children, Fortner grew up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. He was captivated by the music Costa played with his trio … [Read more...]

Sullivan Fortner, Aria (Impulse!) In Sullivan Fortner’s debut album as a leader, the shaded subtlety of his keyboard touch is only one of the young pianist’s notable attributes. His harmonic inventiveness, grasp of the jazz piano vocabulary and rich employment of his quartet’s resources are … [Read more...]

In Seattle, the Earshot Festival is easing into the penultimate weekend of its six-week run. On Sunday, Jim Wilke, the veteran broadcast chronicler of jazz in the region, will present some of the musicians still to come at the festival. Here is his announcement: This Sunday, November 8 at 2 PM on … [Read more...]

Lennie Tristano, including The New Tristano (Atlantic/Rhino) Researching notes for the forthcoming Don Friedman album discussed in this post a couple of weeks ago led me to revisit the original Lennie Tristano recording of “Requiem.” Friedman includes the piece on his CD. Tristano recorded it … [Read more...]

Bassist and author Bill Crow (pictured) sent a note: Following some of your links, I ran across Dave Frishberg’s article on the Half Note, and saw a comment after it by someone looking for the name of the book in which he had read a chapter on the Half Note. It may have been my book, From … [Read more...]

“What has to happen is that you develop a comprehensive technique and then say, forget that. I’m just going to be expressive through the piano.” —Bill Evans “Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges … [Read more...]

The problems that took the Rifftides computer out of action a few days ago were resolved when I replaced it with a newer model. Then, attempts to post new items derailed in an onslaught of password problems involving the publishing platform. That has been fixed, too——I think. Perhaps any … [Read more...]

Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dee Dee’s Feathers (Okeh) Dee Dee Bridgewater is strong medicine, fully a match for the powerful New Orleans repertoire she performs here. Slinking and seducing her way through Harry Connick, Jr.’s “One Fine Thing,” finding joy and irony in “Saint James … [Read more...]

Mark Murphy died last night in his sleep following a long illness. He was 83. Murphy’s eagerness to take artistic chances combined with his innate musicianship to make him one of the most interesting singers in jazz. He died at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey. Born in … [Read more...]

This may come a tad late as news but not too late—I trust—for enjoyment. Last spring, Sullivan Fortner won the Cole Porter Fellow In Jazz award of the American Pianists Association. Fortner is a 28-year-old New Orleanian who attracted favorable notice as the pianist in trumpeter Roy … [Read more...]

Today was chock-full of interviewing, transcribing, researching and, in general, preparing to write liner notes for a new Don Friedman trio album. The research included diving into books, rummaging through the web for additional information and—best of all—listening to Friedman play the … [Read more...]

The nearly infinite flexibility of English makes the language universally useful and often confusing. Seeing the word for the first time, who would know how to pronounce “Arkansas?” Imagine that you had never heard “colonel,” “sword” or “Wednesday.” How would you say them? The … [Read more...]

On Yahoo’s Dave Brubeck listserve, John Bolger called attention to an unsual version of Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo ala Turk.” It is by the Dutch ensemble Fuse—five string players and a percussionist. According to the group’s website, like many young bands today they play in a variety of … [Read more...]

Last weekend, pianist Bill Mays wrapped up a tour of the west with his Inventions Trio, which includes trumpeter and flugelhornist Marvin Stamm and cellist Alisa Horn. Longtime collaborators in several projects, Mays and Stamm also played a duo concert in The Seattle Art Museum’s Art of Jazz … [Read more...]

This seems to be the season for a new round of films based, more or less, on the lives of jazz trumpet players. See the October 11 Rifftides post about Don Cheadle as Miles Davis. The latest entry in the category is Born To Be Blue, which was screened yesterday and today in special presentations at … [Read more...]

Miles Ahead, the movie, opened today at the New York Film Festival. Veteran actor Don Cheadle directed the film, which stars him in the title role (pictured). Since it became known months ago that the motion picture was in the works, speculation has been rampant about its faithfulness to Davis’s … [Read more...]