It may have been news to many that there was a trace of jazz left anywhere on AM radio, but that doesn’t make a report from Los Angeles easier to take. Here’s the lead paragraph from Kirk Silsbee’s story in today’s L.A. Times. A silence has descended on Los Angeles' AM radio band. On April … [Read more...]

The next time I visit New York, which can't be soon enough, I will make it a point to visit the Cornelia Street Café. The restaurant in Greenwich Village has intrigued me with its digital notifications about performances by musicians, singers, poets and uncategorizable others. Eclecticism seems to … [Read more...]

Dandelions may be the gardener's curse, but they have their place. Around here in springtime, their place is in the orchards. On the most recent cycling expedition, this was a good reason to stop. … [Read more...]

If you follow jazz even tangentially, you have seen photographs by Ted Williams. Most of us have also seen his shots of major figures in news events of the second half of the twentieth century. This picture of Martin Luther King is one of them. When Williams died in 2009 at the age of 84, he … [Read more...]

The previous item about the Blackhawk triggered thoughts of Shelly Manne (1920-1984) and the quintet he led in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. As chance would have it, this morning I encountered videos of a superb edition of that band. The pieces are from Manne’s 1961 album Checkmate. The … [Read more...]

In my notes for the final volume of Shelly Manne & His Men At The Blackhawk, I wrote: During my years of labor at KGO-TV in San Francisco, I never passed the parking lot a block away at Turk and Hyde without regretting the injustice of a world that puts more value on the storage of … [Read more...]

We have been losing important musicians in batches. In the past few days we said goodbye to four men who were not well known to general audiences but were appreciated—even revered—by jazz listeners and by their fellow artists. Hal McKusick’s early career found him in two of the most … [Read more...]

Here is the final round of Rifftides readers’ listening choices. Thanks to all who responded for introducing me—and many others, I’m sure—to music or musicians that I would not have known otherwise. Without this exercise, among other recordings The Mars Volta, cellist Claire Gastinel … [Read more...]

Thanks to the dozens of Rifftides readers who sent lists of music that they have been listening to. The sweepstakes is now closed (no drawing, no prizes, no winners, no losers). It will take at least a day or two longer to get everyone's list posted. I have been impressed with the range of interests … [Read more...]

Rifftides readers' recent listening choices are still coming in. We intend to get them all posted as production time allows. Scroll down to the April 15 item to see the simple guidelines. If you respond, please end with your name and where you live. Use the "Contact Me" link above the Rifftides … [Read more...]

Clark Terry’s long siege of ill health, and recent drastic surgeries, have left him in need of help to meet medical expenses. Later this month, the Jazz Foundation of America will hold a special New York fundraising event for CT. The concert will bring together dozens of musician friends and … [Read more...]

Responses to the invitation in the previous post are arriving in sizeable batches. Briefly, the idea is for you to let the rest of us know what you’ve been listening to. How to do that? The April 15 post tells you to use the “Contact Me” link at the top of this page. Remember to include your … [Read more...]

Six years ago when Rifftides was a year old, we asked readers to send information about the music they were turning on, and vice versa. There was a deluge of replies. It took several days of long posts to accommodate the responses. It's time to do it again. The invitation went something like … [Read more...]

Wednesday night’s memorial service for Bob Brookmeyer attracted friends and admirers from many compartments of his productive life. The valve trombonist, composer and arranger—influential in jazz since the early 1950s— died at the age of 81 last December 15. The memorial was at St. Peter’s … [Read more...]

The apricot tree is in blossom and the daffodils are daffodilling. The Rifftides staff hopes that it's nice where you are, too. Getz from an album recorded in his late period, with Lou Levy, piano; Monty Budwig, bass; and Victor Lewis, drums. … [Read more...]

In the Seattle Times, critic Paul deBarros tells of a man named Bill Carter finding in a storage container “a treasure chest from the golden age of jazz.” The unearthing may not equal the importance of the discovery by another Carter—Howard—of King Tut’s tomb, but it is creating excitement … [Read more...]

There are indications that the economy is slowly improving. There are few signs that it is improving for musicians. Times are also hard for dining and drinking establishments, so some of them try to better a lose-lose situation by persuading musicians to perform for nothing. The usual enticement is … [Read more...]

After he saw the Gerry Mulligan birthday post below, Jack Reilly sent the following update on that day at Newport in 1958. I played after the Mulligan set, with the John LaPorta Quartet: Dick Carter, bass; Charlie Perry; drums; me, piano; and LaPorta, alto sax. Jimmy Giuffre's new pianoless … [Read more...]