As a record collector, I collect records. Obviously, right? But as my friends say, there's a message in there somewhere. In the course of collecting records, there are albums that get played once, twice, or for a season, only to be put back on the shelf, forgotten and neglected. Having bought a new turntable that's [...]
After writing a piece profiling a 10-inch record, my interest in the other 10-inchers in my collection grew. Those clunky relics of the early 1950's are actually pretty neat. Especially when they come in crazy colors, like this album! The Music Tune: "Chopsticks Mambo" Recorded: November 1951 in California Personnel: Cal Tjader- Bongos Vince Guaraldi- [...]
This record marked the fruitful beginning of both Gerry Mulligan's West Coast piano-less sound and the Pacific Jazz Records label. Both would do much to popularize the laid-back, more academic sound of jazz that blew in from the Coast. All of that began in 1952 with this album. The Music Tune: "Walkin' Shoes" Recorded: 15-16 [...]
Back to vinyl, back to records. This post is a nod to Dave Brubeck. Specifically, it's a post in honor of Dave Brubeck, who passed away five years ago on December 5th, 2012. He was 91, a day shy of his 92nd birthday. To celebrate (and reflect), I wanted to profile an Brubeck album of [...]
The Music Tune: "Mutt and Jeff" Recorded: 7 November, 1954 in New York City, New York Personnel: Baritone/Alto Sax- Boots Mussulli Piano- Ray Santisi Bass- Max Bennett Drums- Shelly Mann Tune: "Lullaby In Rhythm" Recorded: 14 June, 1954 in New York City, New York Personnel: Alto Sax- Boots Mussulli Piano- Ray Santisi Bass- John Carter [...]
On this day fifty years ago (well, it was the 13th when I wrote this), the Dave Brubeck Quartet played their last European concert. Luckily, the music made that night was recorded and pressed onto wax. The Music Tune: "These Foolish Things" Recorded: 13 November, 1967 in Paris, France Personnel: Paul Desmond- Alto Sax Dave [...]
Talking to a friend after class the other day, she made a comment that I looked like the type to play cello in a jazz band. That made me think about West Coast jazz and how funny her comment was in that context, which led me to a hankering for some West Coast jazz. The [...]
The Music Hampton Hawes, a fellow Californian, may be closely tied to West Coast jazz, but there's nothing cool or relaxed about his playing. Especially on this series of records, his playing sounds more like a horn, spitting out line after line of percussive piano. Only the easy swing and the presence of Jim Hall's [...]
The Music Tune: Mr. X Recorded: 17 September, 1956 in New York City Personnel: Sonny Rollins: Tenor Sax Kenny Dorham: Trumpet Ray Bryant: Piano George Morrow: Bass Max Roach: Drums As the liner notes say, this was the first recording Max Roach made after the tragic car crash that killed his star trumpeter Clifford Brown [...]
Jazz fans like to know the musicians that most jazz fans don't know. It's almost like a secret rite of passage, being familiar with the jazz musicians that seemed to have slipped through the cracks of history and praise. Yeah, Miles was great, but what about Kenny Dorham? Oscar Peterson had chops, but so did [...]
It's A Raggy Waltz 