Get your tickets now to Why Jazz Happened—the multimedia show at 92Y/Tribeca on February 4 at noon. I will take you through 30 years of jazz with images and music. I'll also tell you the reasons eight different jazz styles emerged. From World War II to Watergate, you'll hear and see how jazz evolved from bebop to fusion. This is for experts and novices who want to learn why jazz is such a big deal. For more information and tickets, go here.
Duke Ellington. Terry Teachout informs me that he has just finished writing the first draft of his hefty biography of Duke Ellington. High five, Terry. Read more here. [Photo of Duke Ellington above by William P. Gottlieb]
Lester Holt is more than just a fine NBC news journalist. He's also a jazz bassist...
Jazz-classical—New York style. On Sunday, the Chris Byars Quartet will join Sinfonietta of Riverdale, a classical ensemble, to premiere a new jazz-classical work. Time: 2:30 p.m. at the Riverdale Temple, 4545 Independence Ave. (at 246th St.) in the Bronx. Free parking. For directions, go here. Tickets are $35 each ($25 for seniors and $15 for students. [Pictured above: Chris Byars]
For more information, go here. How good is Sinfonietta of Riverdale. Hear for yourself...
Patti Page, 1957. Let's say it's 1957, and you've just come home from work. There are no computers, cell phones, iPads or iPods. Just the old radio and your new
television set. The kids are upstairs listening to their phonograph, so you'll have the TV all to yourself. Back then, there wasn't much on—just a handful of stations, and your only means of seeing pop stars during the week was by tuning into one of the many variety shows hosted by singers. Most of these shows were pretty bland, and they don't hold-up well, this one included, but they had their moments. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Patti Page and The Big Record, complete with ads...
Platter chatter. If you bemoan the loss of record stores—a place to hang out, listen to music and spend some money—meet Sally White of Westport, Conn. (use Safari or Chrome to access). A special thanks to Dave Sampson for sharing...
Harold Mabern is featured on piano here by Solos, which promotes New York City music, dance, visual arts and comedy by creating original video content. More about Solos here. Here's Harold (use Safari or Chrome to access by link)...
Hal Blaine x 2. Take a driving trip to Norway, courtesy of the famed Wrecking Crew drummer...
What's it like to be a recording engineer? Hal sent this one along...
Radio. Next Wednesday, John Greenspan of KSFR in Santa Fe, N.M., will host his annual show featuring favorite jazz CDs from 2012. The show airs at from 9 a.m. to noon (MST). To listen, tune-in here.
Gene Shaw. Trevor Preston of Toronto, Canada, sent along an interview he conducted with trumpeter Gene Shaw's family. Go here.
CD discovery of the week. By now, you know how fond I am of the new jazz-groove style emerging from artists like Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding and others. The style is digital-savvy and reaches
backward to the '70s and integrates the soul feel with current sounds to create dynamic textures. Add to the list Yeah, a German band. On The Challenge, an action-packed album, Yeah fuses a big beat, horns, organ, Fender Rhodes, a synthesizer, a rubbery bass, wah-wah guitar, scratching, samples, programmed riffs and more. It's Tower of Power meets Les McCann meets Roy Ayers. I can't stop listening to it. To sample, go here. You'll find this one hidden at iTunes.
Who are these guys? Here's an email from the band...
"We're based in Berlin. Most of us are in our mid-20s and hung up on old sounds. This means we are down with old samples, recording on tape and classic miking. Style wise we're not too strict. Nevertheless there's definitely always a tendency toward jazz. Four of us
form the basis of Yeah. Several tracks feature friends, and we even included a children's choir at the end of No Matter What).
"The Challenge is our first release on 180-gram vinyl. It was recorded and mixed last year in Germany and mastered by Dave Cooley in Los Angeles. The cover is by Markus Mai in Berlin. Band members: Christian Schock, Flo König, Leo Hilsheimer and Philip Lawall."
Oddball albums cover of the week.
There's nothing like falling in love and frolicking with your special other—in the Niagara River.
