Home Music Archive by category "Jazz" (Page 7)

Category: Jazz

Jazz Album of the Day – Motif from the Greg Abate Quartet

MotifA good point guard on the basketball court elevates the players around him and makes them better players. That’s just what jazz saxophonist, flutist,  and composer Greg Abate does on his latest release Motif and as a result the album is currently among the most added albums on the JazzWeek Chart and I look forward to tracking its upward movement on the chart, over the coming weeks! It doesn’t hurt though, that the other members of his quartet are, like Greg professors at the Berklee College Music, even so, on the album Greg’s compositions give each member of the quartet room to “do their thing” and boy do they know how to do it!! The first time I listened to the album I thought that the leader of the band could be the piano player Tim Ray, because he  stood out so much through the first couple of tracks.  But then Greg’s great sounding sax kicked in and a few tracks later his flute appeared and I knew who the leader was! Read More

Today in Music – Oct 26, 1940 – Jazz Trumpeter, Doctor and Teacher -Eddie Henderson is born!!

Eddie HendersonSo as many of us struggle to find ourselves, we try to do many things in trying to plot our course through life. Some of us succeed, others of us, while we muddle through life, we never find our true calling, and while we have lived a comfortable life, we know that something is missing that true passion. What sometimes makes you feel even worse is when you find someone who excels at several things! One such person celebrates his birthday today! Imagine Louis Armstrong gives you your first few trumpet lesson at the age of nine. At sixteen, Miles Davis is a guest at your home during a Black Hawk Jazz Club gig is impressed with your ability to perform his famous “Sketches of Spain” without a fluff but encourages you to seek his own originality. At around twenty-two you become the  first African-American to compete for the National figure skating Championship, and win the pacific and Midwestern titles!!.You then enroll at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with a B.S. in Zoology, study medicine at Howard University in Washington D.C., graduate. Undertake  your residency in psychiatry,and practice general medicine[3] from 1975 to 1985 in San Francisco, part-time for about four hours a day working at a small clinic, all because what you really wanted to do was play music!! And when you do get a chance to play music, you excel in that too. and go on to become one of today’s top and most original jazz trumpet players. Boy am I green with envy of the life of Eddie Henderson!! After the skating championships and getting his medical degree here’s how Henderson’s music career started (according to Wikipedia)….. Read More

Exploring the Music of Rodney Whitaker – When We Find Ourselves Alone – “Is He Ever Alone?

Rodney Whitaker’s new release When We Find Ourselves Alone his been in my music rotation for a while now and I am enjoying it more and moreWhen We find Ourselves aAlone2 with each listen. After listening to the album several times, I went to his web page to find out a little more amount the Mack Avenue bass player. What I discovered aside from the fact that he has released seven albums as a leader or co-leader, but he has recorded and recorded with a plethora of artist that include: Read More

Saturday Morning Music from John Mayall – “Good Time Boogie” – Jazz Blues Fusion!!

John Mayall - Jazz blues Fusion

Jazz Blues FusionSo the other day I decided to visit an album that I haven’t listened to in a long while, Jazz Blues Fusion from John Mayall.The abum is a live album. The first side is from a concert in Boston on 18 November 1971, and the second side was selected from two concerts at Hunter College, New York, on 3 and 4 December 1971. John released two albums with this jazz fusion bent. On the albums he brought jazz musicians into his band. On this album the musicians were Freddy Robinson on guitar, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ron Selico on drums and Clifford Soloman on tenor and alto saxophones. Larry Taylor long-time member of the band provided bass. Read More

This Date in Music – October 17, 1976 – Jazz Guitarist Gary Tu was born!!

Gary Tu

When you listen to as many albums as I do over the course of a year, there are many that you forget, not because that they are not great, but because your mind can only remember so much! Anyway looking back at the albums that I wrote about on whatever day it is, serves as a good reminder! Today’s reminder is about jazz guitarist Gary Tu, who is celebrating his 38th birthday today. Here’s is last years post…… and Happy Birthday Gary!! (oh, by the way I’m listening to his album Looking East right now!!) Read More

Jazz Artists of the Day – Lee Konitz and Pharoah Sanders on their shared birthday – October 13th!!

Two iconic jazz saxophone players share October 13th as their birthdays. one, alto sax player Lee Konitz, is considered one of the main figures in theLee Konitz cool jazz movement, although Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings throughout his career. The other, tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders is an important figure in the development of free jazz. Read More

Jazz Artists of the Day – Lee Konitz and Pharoah Sanders

Lee Konitz and Pharoah Sanders share an October 13th birthday 

Lee Konitz And Pharoah Sanders

Two iconic jazz saxophone players share October 13th as their birthday. One, is alto sax player Lee Konitz. Konitrz is considered one of the main figures in theLee Konitz cool jazz movement. However, Konitz also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings throughout his career. The other,is  tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. Sanders is an important figure in the development of free jazz. Read More