One of my favorite jazz musicians has died: Jim Hall, one of the great jazz guitarists. To get a sense of his sound, click here to listen to Intermodulation, Hall’s magnificent 1966 duet album with pianist Bill Evans. I also recommend this recent compilation of some of his early albums. Wonderful music. Finally, for a […]
Archive | Jazz
Jazz Trumpeter Donald Byrd, Dead at 80
The jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd has died at the age of 80. Byrd was a major figure during a very vibrant period, and he led or joined lots of now-classic recordings. I’ll confess I think of Byrd as being somewhat overshadowed by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard in his prime. Also, Byrd mostly lost me after Blackbyrd […]
Copyright Law and European Compilations of U.S. Jazz Recordings
I recently noticed that some U.S.-based merchants, such as Amazon, are selling imported collections of U.S. jazz recordings from the 1950s and early 1960s at extremely cheap prices: Typically, sets of 8 different albums put on 4 CDs are being offered at $15 for the entire set. For example, there’s “Hank Mobley: Eight Classic Albums,” […]
Geof Bradfield — A Jazz Musician Deserving of Wider Recognition
I’m always on the look-out for new jazz musicians, and one discovery I’ve made in the last two years has been a relatively obscure Chicago-based tenor player, Geof Bradfield. He reminds me a bit of Chris Potter, but he’s even more fluid and quick than Potter and has lots of ideas. He’s a real joy […]
Rosslyn Jazz Festival on Saturday
We have a lot of readers in the DC area, so I thought I would flag a particularly good line-up at the annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival on Saturday. As always, the Jazz Festival is free, and with lovely weather expected for Saturday the event should be a real treat. The location is Gateway Park, the […]
Modern Jazz Quartet With Laurindo Almeida Play “One Note Samba”
It’s been ages since I blogged a link to a jazz video on YouTube. I did it for a while, but I stopped when it began to feel more like work than just a fun thing to share. In any event, here’s a video I’ve enjoyed enough that I thought it was worth sharing: The […]
“Night Lights” Classic Jazz Radio Program
I recently discovered the “Night Lights” Classic Jazz Radio Program, an hour-long weekly jazz program produced by Indiana University’s public radio station. It’s marvelous, and there are five years’ worth of archives available on the web that you can listen to at any time. Each program focuses on a particular artist, particular period, and/or particular […]