*Disclaimer: This is not -I repeat NOT- an authoritative piece of writing, nor is it personal exposition passed off of as the gospel. What follows is exactly what the rather academic-sounding title says: my personal thoughts on an interesting aspect of collecting jazz on vinyl! Last week while in the Motherland of Southern California, I [...]
I mean, if I'm doing a Black History Month tribute, I can't NOT feature an album from the illustrious Blue Note label, can I? The answer, of course, is no. Hail no. And as a trumpeter myself, of course I had to profile one of my favorite trumpeters of all time. Enough chit chat; to [...]
Rolling right along in my celebration of Black History Month, here's an album featuring a rare type of jazz artist- a female who strictly plays and doesn't sing. Of course, there's also a bit of intrigue behind the album as well. To the music! The Music The Tune: "Hip Soul"Recorded: 2 June, 1961 at Van [...]
It's February 1st, which is the beginning of Black History Month here in the States. At the Raggy Waltz offices, we're celebrating Black History Month by highlighting albums made by black artists. To kick off the official start of February, here's quite possibly the most unpretentiously black album I own. With that, to the music! [...]
UPDATE: Yesterday, at 86, Michel Legrand passed away in Paris, France. A new post is forthcoming, but in the meantime, I thought it appropriate to bring this one back. It's my personal favorite Legrand album and it features Legrand's piano on all the tracks. Rest easy, Michel Legrand! Full disclosure. This post was completely inspired [...]
Over here in the United States, the month of February is Black History Month. The month of February is also the shortest month of the year. As a result of both of these facts, the staff of Raggy Waltz decided to celebrate Black History Month by spotlighting jazz albums made by black artists. Beginning now. [...]
Wrapping up the Brubeck Birthday series, I thought I'd finish with what I consider to be the Brubeck Quartet's best live album and one of the best live jazz albums of the 20th century. High praise, I know. Let's jump to the music then! À la musique! The Music The Tune: "Blue Rondo a la [...]
Back to the 'Better Than 'Time Out'' series of Brubeck albums, which is Raggy Waltz's (admittedly protracted) celebration of Dave Brubeck's December birthday. For this installment, here's an album that was recorded a year before 'Time Out' and like that album is all-original material. Music to the! The Music The Tune: "Nomad"Recorded: 25 July, 1958 [...]
Starting the New Year with a post about an album I've been playing on repeat since I bought it last month. West Coast Jazz lives!
I know this is supposed to be a Brubeck record in accordance with my series of 'Better Than 'Time Out' Brubeck Albums', but a recent trip to the local record store yielded some fantastic finds that I have been spinning on the turntable nonstop ever since. Two albums in particular have been in constant rotation [...]
