The weather continues magnificent in the US Pacific Northwest. Many thanks to a surprisingly high number of Rifftides readers for their good wishes following this week’s self-indulgent health reports. My doctor today put me on a course of antibiotics. I have taken the first installment and … [Read more...]

Fair weather continues. So, too, does recuperation, if that's what it can be called. For such details as exist, see yesterday's" Rifftides installment. For “Fair Weather” from 1958, click on the arrow below. Benny Golson is the composer. The doctor is going to have a look … [Read more...]

“Under the weather” is not quite the right phrase to describe what the Rifftides senior staff is experiencing this week. Who could ask for a better forecast than this one for the region east of the Cascade mountains? The problem may be a virus inhaled early last month on the flight from … [Read more...]

Listeners rarely have the opportunity to witness world-class musicians prepare for a performance. In the autumn of1966, pianist Bill Evans toured Europe with his regular bassist, Eddie Gomez. Danish drummer Alex Riel joined them for a concert in Copenhagen that also included the Swedish singer … [Read more...]

In the United States this is Labor Day, since 1894 a national holiday that celebrates working peoples’ contributions to the nation. Although the calendar says that summer doesn’t end until September 22 this year, many Americans and our close neighbors in Canada consider that Labor Day, or Labour … [Read more...]

Rifftides reader Frank Roellinger reports that a YouTube watcher who goes by the handle Swel1954 has identified a quote in Desmond's celebrated solo on "The Way You Look Tonight" from Jazz At Oberlin. Swel1954 may not be the first to think he recognized a bit of "La Cucaracha"* in that masterpiece … [Read more...]

…just because it has been too long since you’ve heard it, even if you heard it a few minutes ago. It is a B-flat blues called “Honesty,” composed by trombonist Dave Baker and played by a sextet led by George Russell (pictured). We hear seven musicians thoroughly experienced in the post-bop … [Read more...]

Jim Wilke alerts us that his Jazz Northwest" " broadcast this weekend features two drummers who at different times drove Woody Herman’s Herd. " Jeff Hamilton and Joe LaBarbera will co-lead an all-star big band that includes another Herman alumnus, baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan. Herman was … [Read more...]

Rudy Van Gelder, who recorded thousands of albums by musicians including some of the most important in jazz, died today at 91. As a young man, Van Gelder began recording in a room in his parents' house in Hackensack, New Jersey. Among his recordings were early albums by Miles Davis and Thelonious … [Read more...]

Steven Lugerner, Jacknife: The Music Of Jackie McLean (Primary Records) After his studies at The New School in New York ended a couple of years ago, alto saxophonist Steven Lugerner returned home to the San Francisco Bay area and took Jackie McLean with him. Not in person, of course; McLean died … [Read more...]

Toots Thielemans, the man who made the harmonica a well-known jazz instrument died today in Brussels, Belgium, his hometown. He was 94. Thielemans was recently hospitalized after a fall that resulted in a broken arm, but neither his family nor management representatives specified the cause of his … [Read more...]

The Rifftides wrapup report on the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival included a brief, enthusiastic comment about a performance by the Kathrine Windfeld Big Band of her piece “Aircraft.” This young Danish composer, arranger and pianist writes for 15 young musicians from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and … [Read more...]

Bobby Hutcherson, whose vibraphone playing developed deep and complex harmonies, died on Monday at home in Montara, California. He was 75. When Hutcherson came to prominence in the early 1960s, he was in the forefront of young musicians already adept at bebop but seeking greater freedom. He expanded … [Read more...]

In fifty years the New Orleans JazzFest has evolved from a three-day pure jazz event into a musical spectacular that also encompasses rock, folk, zydeco, gospel, and genres that may not yet have names. As a weeklong citywide gala, it is second only to Mardi Gras. Ellis Marsalis was there from the … [Read more...]

It was impossible to hear all of the music at the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival. I came as close as allowed by festival scheduling and the need for a minimal amount of sleep. Here are brief notes wrapping up this series of Rifftides reports on Ystad 2016. Swiss harmonica player Grégoire Maret … [Read more...]

Nearly as old as jazz itself, Svend Asmussen celebrated his 100th birthday in February. The Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival honored him in a concert by two violinists, Bjarke Falgren and Gunnar Lidberg, who were inspired by the centenarian. Asmussen’s longtime guitar colleague Jacob Fischer was also a … [Read more...]

As the Rifftides staff flies home, digital magic allows us to continue reporting on highlights of the 2016 Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival. In the first of two Ystad appearances accompanying soloists, Sweden’s formidable Bohuslän Big Band backed singer LaGaylia Frazier. The Bohusläns opened the … [Read more...]

As I prepared to leave Ystad, I learned that clarinetist Pete Fountain died on Saturday in New Orleans. By way of his recordings and television exposure, he became an unofficial and effective cultural spokesman for his beloved hometown and was happy to return there following his years in the 1950s … [Read more...]