After diggin' on Kenny's new one (with Mulgrew), I got around to listening to Mulgrew's new recording on MaxJazz, Live at the Kennedy Center Volume I with his trio featuring Derrick Hodge and Rodney Green.



As with all of Mulgrew's recordings its nothing short of brilliant...and belongs in every music collection.

Coming Soon: Your email questions answered.

Labels: CD Review

The record is killin'!

Kenny Garrett
Pharaoh Sanders
Bobby Hutcherson
Mulgrew Miller
Robert Hurst
Brian Blade

Labels: CD Review

ornette coleman live 1979

I love this more than I can tell you

Labels: Video Clip

John Hicks, known as "June" to his family, wrote these final words,
read to loved ones by his brother Raiford Hicks at his funeral May 26, 2006.

TO MY FAMILY; THINGS ARE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT
(June's Wishes Before the Final Call)


I have now stepped aside and leave you all with a grave responsibility, the responsibility of sharing and caring for each other; the responsibility of loving each other unconditionally; the responsibility of letting go of anger towards God; resentments and attitudes of indifference and intolerance. No day can be too long, no demands upon your time can be too urgent, no task too hard, no effort too great. You will need rigorous patience with yourself and each other. You must be prepared for criticism. At times, you may even feel a lack of appreciation. You may even be misunderstood at times. I call on each of you, especially Paula, Raiford, and Emma Lou to continue to practice what mama and daddy taught us: that sometimes it's better to understand, rather than be understood. We have seen fire and rain together. Some sunny days we thought would never end.

Remember, the only thing that is impossible is the impossible.

With Love,
June

Labels: Rememberance

Duke Jordan died on Tuesday (August 8th) in Copenhagen. The news summons thoughts of the beauty of his piano playing and the gentleness of his personality. Jordan's touch, harmonic sensitivity and gift for the creation of melodic lines made him a favorite colleague of Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Gene Ammons and Chet Baker, to name a few who benefited from his artistry. He had worked earlier with Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins and the Savoy Sultans, but his playing on Parker's 1947 recordings on the Dial label, when he was twenty-five, brought him his first wide recognition. His introductions to ballads were often little masterpieces. The four bars leading into Parker's "Embraceable You" constitute one of the most exquisite moments in all of recorded jazz, and one of the most imitated.

In the days of three-minute records, Jordan rarely had more than sixteen bars of solo time in Parker's quintet or sextet sessions, but he invariably constructed short stories with beginnings, middles and endings, never filling the time with random improvisation. An example of his cogency is in the middle of "Quasimodo," which happens to also be "Embraceable You" under the guise of an original Parker melody line. Both of those pieces are on this CD.

A prodigious composer, Jordan's most famous piece is "Jordu," a staple of the modern jazz repertoire. "No Problem" may be a close second. He wrote it for the sound track of Roger Vadim's Les Liaisons Dangereuses. He was also the co-composer, as Jacques Marray, of the soundtrack for that 1959 film, with contributions by Thelonious Monk. After he moved to Copenhagen in 1978, Jordan recorded copiously as a leader and with Chet Baker, Doug Raney, Clifford Jordan and others.

The times I was privileged to be around him, Jordan was quiet, easy in his skin and earnest. He was the pianist for Sam Most's 1976 album Mostly Flute, which had Tal Farlow on guitar, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Billy Higgins. In the liner notes, I recounted a recording session incident that typified Duke's attitude.

"The More I See You" is taken at a bright medium-up tempo. Duke's introduction recalls some of the gems he recorded with Parker, and he has one of the best solos of the date. In the control room, heads were shaking in admiration during this one, and afterward when Jordan walked in asking, "Was that all right?" everyone broke up.
Duke Jordan, dead at eighty-four.

Labels: Rememberance

Frank Lowe-Black Beings

beautiful!

and some old Betty "Mabry" Davis Soul/Funk Records


be well

Labels: CD Review

Hi everyone

Thanks for all the great emails and letters! We'll soon announce what my plans are for next year, so stay tuned.

A few things that I am in love with right now...

Greg Maddux on the Dodgers
&
The Billy Hart Quartet

A good August.

Labels: Artist Thoughts

Moacir Santos, a Brazilian pop music composer who influenced scores of musicians in his native country while living his later years in relative obscurity in the U.S., has died. He was 80.

Santos died Aug. 6 of complications from a stroke suffered about a month ago, said Richard Zirinsky Jr., managing partner of Adventure Music, which released Santos' last two albums. Santos had been living in an assisted living home in Pasadena, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Santos was raised in rural poverty in the northeast Brazilian state of Pernambuco. After his father left and mother died, a young Santos was taken in by a local family and sent to music lessons.

Santos was able to play several instruments by the age of 14, including clarinet, banjo, mandolin and baritone saxophone. By his 20s, Santos was earning a living as a musician in Rio de Janeiro, composing music for Brazil's Radio Nacional.

In the 1950s and '60s, Santos taught music to several young musicians who became important bossa nova performers, including Nara Leao, Baden Powell, Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal.

During this time, Santos also scored a number of Brazilian films and recorded the acclaimed album "Coisas" - a musical embodiment of Brazil's diverse ethnic heritage. The album was a mix of marches, African rhythms, jazz influences and regional Brazilian idioms.

Critic Larry Blumenfeld wrote in the Village Voice that "Coisas" represented "the best of Brazilian jazz."

In 1967, Santos left Brazil with his wife for Southern California, where he recorded several uncredited scores for Hollywood movies and three albums for the Blue Note. His 1972 album "The Maestro" received a Grammy nomination.

After several years of obscurity, a group of younger and better-known Brazilian musicians, including Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil, recorded a compilation of covers of Santos' best work - a two-CD set called "Ouro Negro."

The 2001 album reawakened musicians and fans of Brazilian music to the scope of Santos' influence.

"Moacir spent the better part of his life in obscurity and it's really a thrill for me that he finally was recognized at the latter years of his life," Zirinsky said.

Santos is survived by his wife, Cleonice; son, Moacir Santos Jr.; and three grandchildren who all live in Pasadena.

Labels: Rememberance