Today being international jazz day, there will be much celebrating of the greatness of its history. I’ve done that in the past; it is a great history. But it is not all back in historical times; jazz lives, and evolves, and continues to be great. Yet how many lists of the greatest jazz albums include anything from the current century?
That they do not is no indictment of them; only sixteen percent of the years when recorded jazz has existed (not counting the present year yet) are in the twenty-first century, after all, and some prefer to bestow the label of greatness after more perspective has been achieved than sixteen (or fewer, for newer releases) years.
Nonetheless, if people are to respect jazz as a living art form, a look back at the best of its more recent releases seems worthwhile. Here’s one man’s “baker’s dozen...
That they do not is no indictment of them; only sixteen percent of the years when recorded jazz has existed (not counting the present year yet) are in the twenty-first century, after all, and some prefer to bestow the label of greatness after more perspective has been achieved than sixteen (or fewer, for newer releases) years.
Nonetheless, if people are to respect jazz as a living art form, a look back at the best of its more recent releases seems worthwhile. Here’s one man’s “baker’s dozen...
- 4/30/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron was born on August 16, 1925 in New York City. His father worked for the Long Island Rail Road. Mal started taking classical piano lessons at age seven and, inspired by his love of jazz, also learned alto saxophone. He earned a B.A. in Music from Queens College, with the G.I. Bill (he'd been drafted in 1943 and served for two years, fortunately not seeing combat) paying for his tuition. He worked in jazz, blues, and R&B contexts and made his first recording in 1952 as a member of Ike Quebec's band. In '54-56 he was part of Charles Mingus's Jazz Workshop and recorded with Mingus. Waldron went out on his own as a leader at the end of 1956 with the album Mal/1 on Prestige and quickly became one of the prolific label's house pianists. The following year he added to his workload the position of Billie Holiday's accompanist,...
- 8/16/2015
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
No jazz pianist in the last 45 years has been uninfluenced by Bud Powell, because his work in the early days of bebop with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie established the prototype for the style's pianists, at least in a group setting: quicksilver, horn-like figures from the right hand, jabbing harmonies from the left that add off-kilter accents to the rhythm. (When playing solo, and sometimes on ballads in trio, Powell deployed a fuller, more lush style derived from Art Tatum, with some of his friend and mentor Thelonious Monk's style mixed in.) He left surprisingly few official documents of his collaboration with Parker and Gillespie, with most coming after the style's foundation because of two recording bans. By then he had already become a leader in his own right and had begun recording a legacy of not just great pianism but also his unique compositional style.
But even though...
But even though...
- 9/27/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
We all love Denzel Washington, but the middling response to his latest vehicle, Safe House, has sparked talk of a point I’ve made for the past couple of years: the guy needs to step out of his box. Be it a move away from Tony Scott, putting an end to “the mysterious badass,” getting Spike back on the phone, whatever’s needed to get some interesting projects on his plate needs to happen soon.
An interview with The Guardian (via ThePlaylist) might have a solution. Over there, Washington revealed that he’s not only “hovering” over a comedy — which he hasn’t done in quite some time — the actor would also “really like to play” Thelonious Monk, the jazz musician responsible for famous pieces such as “Blue Monk” and “Straight, No Chaser,” among numerous others. (He’s second only to Duke Ellington as the most-recorded composer in jazz history,...
An interview with The Guardian (via ThePlaylist) might have a solution. Over there, Washington revealed that he’s not only “hovering” over a comedy — which he hasn’t done in quite some time — the actor would also “really like to play” Thelonious Monk, the jazz musician responsible for famous pieces such as “Blue Monk” and “Straight, No Chaser,” among numerous others. (He’s second only to Duke Ellington as the most-recorded composer in jazz history,...
- 2/13/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The blockbuster opening of "Safe House" over the weekend, the second biggest of Denzel Washington's career, serves as a reminder that he remains, in the U.S. at least, one of the most consistently reliable box-office draws around. His films do have a cap on them, to be sure, but few other stars consistently bring in an audience the way Denzel does, and "Safe House" serves as a reminder that he's not going away any time soon, even if the film didn't rank among our five favorite of his performances. And as ever, a big solid hit gives you a little more cache to do what you want, and it seems that Washington has an idea of what that might be. In an interview with The Observer, Washington reveals that he has ambitions to play jazz legend Thelonious Monk, has a script in place, and says that "I'm talking about it more,...
- 2/13/2012
- The Playlist
Paul Motian passed away at age 80 yesterday after complications from the bone-marrow disorder myelodisplastic syndrome. In a career that exceeded five decades, Motian was one of the most respected drummers in jazz history as well as a superb composer and adept bandleader. Critic Art Lange called him "that rare commodity, an intimate drummer." And here's a bit of trivia: Motian played at Woodstock, in Arlo Guthrie's band.
Even music lovers largely unfamiliar with jazz have heard his work with pianist Bill Evans, whose trio Motian played in from 1959 to 1964. Other piano greats who availed themselves of Motian's subtly swinging sense of rhythm included Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Carla Bley, Lennie Tristano, Mose Allison, Martial Solal, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Marilyn Crispell.
On his own records (perhaps to avoid comparisons?) he favored guitarists instead, most notably Bill Frisell. After graduating from their '80s apprenticeships in Motian's trio and quintet,...
Even music lovers largely unfamiliar with jazz have heard his work with pianist Bill Evans, whose trio Motian played in from 1959 to 1964. Other piano greats who availed themselves of Motian's subtly swinging sense of rhythm included Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Carla Bley, Lennie Tristano, Mose Allison, Martial Solal, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Marilyn Crispell.
On his own records (perhaps to avoid comparisons?) he favored guitarists instead, most notably Bill Frisell. After graduating from their '80s apprenticeships in Motian's trio and quintet,...
- 11/23/2011
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
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