Stan Getz was born on this date in 1927. The day has an hour or so to go in this time zone, so before it expires, let’s listen to one of the master tenor saxophonist’s great collaborations. He and the bossa nova pioneer Joao Gilberto teamed up for a 1963 album whose title consisted of their … [Read more...]

Two non-musicians prominent in the US jazz community have died in the past week. One was a photographer whose images are among the most prominent in jazz history. Chuck Stewart's intimate work appeared on dozens of album covers and in magazines. He was 89. Among his most familiar photographs were … [Read more...]

Dave Brubeck Quartet With Paul Desmond At The Sunset Center 1955 (Solar) New music by the Dave Brubeck Quartet has surfaced on the European label Solar. Previously unissued, it finds the group brimming with the harmonic daring, contrapuntal interaction and humor that were beginning to make them … [Read more...]

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd has made a cover version of Bob Dylan’s protest song “Masters Of War.” Lloyd and Blue Note Records timed the release of the single—a track from the album I Long To See You—to coincide with today’s inauguration of Donald J. Trump as president of The United … [Read more...]

Attention aficionados of the baritone saxophone and of women who play the instrument: Rifftides reader Tony Burrell sent an illustrated comment following up two recent posts. He went to the trouble of rounding up performances by seven female players of the imposing instrument and included them in … [Read more...]

Following the release of the John Coltrane Quartet’s album Live At Birdland, the band appeared on Ralph J. Gleason’s Jazz Casual program on public television. Here, Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones revisit “Alabama,” the high point of the Birdland … [Read more...]

Bandleader, arranger and reed soloist Bill Kirchner recommended a followup to the baritone saxophone extravaganza that Ralph Miriello allowed Rifftides to link to a couple of days ago. Bill describes it as... “…perhaps the first extended jazz baritone solo on record: ‘I Got Rhythm,’ … [Read more...]

Last night we lost Nat Hentoff, a defender of civil liberties and—notably, for this readership—a lifelong champion of jazz. He was 91. His son Nick reported" that members of the family were nearby and a Billie Holiday record was playing when Hentoff died in his Greenwich Village apartment in New … [Read more...]

If you can’t get enough of the baritone saxophone, Ralph A. Miriello has gone to lengths to see that your obsession is addressed if not satisfied. On his Notes On Jazz blog, Mr. Miriello (pictured) has assembled videos and audio recordings by twenty-five players of the baritone. He starts with … [Read more...]

Jim Wilke reports that on his Jazz Northwest this Sunday, January 8, he will feature the distinguished vocalist Nancy King in a private concert with pianist Steve Christofferson. That will be at 2 p.m. PST on the radio in the Seattle-Tacoma area at KNKX 88.5 FM and on the internet at … [Read more...]

As the Rifftides staff continues recovering from the holidays and auditions a few dozen incoming albums, let’s follow a lead sent by frequent commenter Terence Smith. Mr. Smith writes from his sanctuary in Washington State’s San Juan Islands: Somebody posted a video of the classic Brubeck … [Read more...]

Andrew Cyrille Quartet, The Declaration Of Musical Independence (ECM) Andrew Cyrille, a bold drummer, long since established his audacity and the independence underscored in the album title. This collection is notable for subtlety and daring in equal measure. Cyrille’s quartet includes the … [Read more...]

As the hours left in 2016 dwindle, we briefly acknowledge a few of the hundreds of albums that have accumulated this year at Rifftides world headquarters. Many releases stacked up without reviews. This does not indicate that they are unworthy, only that there are limits to how much music the linear … [Read more...]

Ray Brown (pictured left) wrote “Gravy Waltz,” with a lyric by comedian and talk show host Steve Allen. Allen recorded the piece on piano and got extensive airplay with it in the early 1960s. Jazz listeners, however, tend to think of Oscar Peterson’s version as the definitive recording. … [Read more...]

The NOLA Players, Christmastime in New Orleans (Verve/Aim Higher) A cross-generational and cross-racial gathering of Crescent City jazz veterans generates spirited versions of traditional Christmas music. Some of the players are well known outside of New Orleans; bassist Roland Guerin, … [Read more...]

Chet Baker became famous as a trumpeter, not a composer. Still, when he was with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet he wrote a tune that attracts musicians more than sixty years later. “Freeway” has clever rhythmic aspects and undemanding harmonies, and in the recording Baker played like the wind. His … [Read more...]

During the 2015 Christmas season, Rifftides brought you a program of holiday music by the late pianist Jack Brownlow. We have been asked if we would play it again. Yes, with pleasure. Jack Brownlow (1923-2007), known to his friends as Bruno, was a constant correspondent. Over the years, he stayed … [Read more...]

Quinn Johnson, Trio Con Clave (QuinnJMusic) Admired for his piano and arranging talents in the service of others, recordings under Johnson’s own name have rarely received the critical or popular attention they warranted. The longtime pianist and music director for singer Steve Tyrell, Johnson … [Read more...]