Category Archives: Jazz

A type of American music that originated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the Southern United States as a combination of European harmony and forms with African musical elements such as blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation and the swung note.

Bobby Hutcherson – Ummh

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Bobby Hutcherson – “Ummh” from the album “San Francisco”

Bobby was born in Los Angeles on 27 January 1941. He was inspired to take up the vibraphone  at the age of 12 when he heard Milt Jackson play on the Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants LP. He was still in his teens he began his professional career in the late fifties.

San Francisco

1) Goin’ Down South; 2) Prints Tie; 3) Jazz; 4) Ummh; 5) Procession; 6) A Night in Barcelona

Bobby Hutcherson

Personel

Bobby Hutcherson – Vibraphone, Marimba, Percussion
Harold Land – Tenor Sax, Flute, Oboe
Joe Sample – Piano, Electric Piano
John Williams – Bass, Fender Bass
Mickey Roker – Drums
Producer – Duke Pearson
Engineer – David Brand
Recorded on 15 July 1970 at United Artists Studio, Los Angeles

Bugge Wesseltoft – Movement Seventeen

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Bugge Wesseltoft – “Movement Seventeen” from the album “Trialogue”

Born Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft on 1 February 1964 in Porsgrunn, Norway.

Dan Berglund was born 5 May 1963 in Pilgrimstad, Sweden. He was a member of Esbjörn Svensson Trio until the tragic death of Esbjörn Svensson in 2008.

Henrik Schwarz was born on 31 May 1972 in Germany and is a music producer, composer and performer.

Trialogue

1) Interlude; 2) Valiant; 3) Headbanger Polka; 4) Movement Eleven; 5) Take A Quick Break; 6) Movement Seventeen; 7) This Is My Day; 8) Round Midnight

Bugge Wesseltoft - Trialogue

Personnel

Bugge Wesseltoft – Piano
Henrik Schwarz – Computer
Dab Berglund – Bass

Billy Cobham – Stratus

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Billy Cobham – “Stratus” from the album “Spectrum”

Billy was born William Emanuel Cobham on 16 May 1944 in Panama. He moved to New York City with his family as a child, attended New York’s High School of Music and Art and graduated in 1962. He played in a U.S. Army Band between 1965 to 1968 and, following his discharge, joined an ensemble led by Horace Silver. He co-founded Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin in 1971.

He recorded Spectrum in May 1973, while still with Mahavishnu Orchestra,

Spectrum

1) Quadrant 4; 2) Searching for the Right Door/Spectrum; 3) Anxiety/Taurian Matador; 4) Stratus; 5) To the Women in My Life/Le Lis; 6) Snoopy’s Search/Red Baron

Billy Cobham - Spectrum

Personnel

Billy Cobham – drums and electronics; Tommy Bolin – guitar; Jan Hammer – electric piano, Moog synthesizer, acoustic piano; Lee Sklar – bass guitar; Joe Farrell – soprano and alto sax; Jimmy Owens – flugelhorn and trumpet; John Tropea – guitar; Ron Carter – acoustic bass; Ray Barretto – congas

Roland Kirk – Fly By Night

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Roland Kirk – “Fly By Night” from the album “The Inflated Tear”

Born Ronald Theodore Kirk on 7 August 1935 in Columbus, Ohio he became blind shortly after his birth. On the back of a dream he transposed two letters in his name to make it Roland. He was playing saxophone and clarinet with the school band aged 12 and by the time he was 15 he was leading his own group performing in the Ohio area.

In another dream when he was 16 he was playing three horns at once. On a visit to the local music store he discovered two obscure member of the saxophone family – a manzello and a stritch – and after some experimentation was able to play them at the same time as his tenor sax. After hearing it in a dream in 1970 he added “Rahsaan” to his name.

He died from a stroke on 5 December 1977 aged just 42.

The Inflated Tear

1) The Black and Crazy Blues; 2) A Laugh for Rory; 3) Many Blessings; 4) Fingers in the Wind; 5) The Inflated Tear; 6) The Creole Love Call; 7) A Handful of Fives; 8) Fly By Night; 9) Lovellevelliloqui

Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear

Personnel
Roland Kirk – tenor saxophone, manzello, stritch, clarinet, flute, whistle, cor anglais, flexafone
Ron Burton – piano
Steve Novosel – bass
Jimmy Hopps – drums
Dick Griffith – trombone

Esbjörn Svensson Trio – Bound for the Beauty of the South

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Esbjörn Svensson Trio – “Bound for the Beauty of the South” from the album “Strange Place For Snow”

Esbjörn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.) formed in 1993 and consisted of Esbjörn Svensson on piano, Dan Berglund on double bass, and Magnus Öström on drums. Esbjörn was awarded Swedish Jazz Musician of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and Songwriter of the Year in 1998. “Winter in Venice” was awarded the Swedish Grammy in 1997.

“Strange Place For Snow” won the following awards – Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (from the German Phonoacademy), the German Jazz Award, Choc de l’année (Jazzman, France), the Victoire du Jazz – the French Grammy – as best international act and the Revelation of the Festival award, a special award from Midem. e.s.t. was awarded the Hans Koller prize as European Artist of the Year in December 2004.

Tragically Esbjörn died in a scuba diving accident in Stockholm in 2008 aged 44.

Strange Place For Snow

1) The Message; 2) Serenade For The Renegade; 3) Strange Place For Snow; 4) Behind The Yashmak; 5) Bound For The Beauty Of The South; 6) Years Of Yearning; 7) When God Created The Coffeebreak; 8) Spunky Sprawl; 9) Carcrash

Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Bound for the Beauty of the South

Personnel

Daniel Berglund – Double Bass
Magnus Öström – Percussion, Drums
Esbjörn Svensson – Keyboards, Piano

Buddy Rich – Channel 1 Suite

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The Buddy Rich Big Band – “Channel 1 Suite” from the album “Mercy, Mercy”

Born Bernard Rich on 30 September 1917 in Manhattan. His father noticed that he could keep a steady beat with spoons at the age of one and by the time he was 18 months old he was playing drums in vaudeville billed as “Traps the Drum Wonder”. He was a bandleader by the time he was 11 years old.

“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”

1) Mercy, Mercy, Mercy; 2) Preach and Teach; 3) Channel 1 Suite; 4) Big Mama Cass; 5) Goodbye Yesterday; 6) Acid Truth; 7) Alfie; 8) Ode to Billie Joe; 9) Chavala; 10) Mr. Lucky; 11) Chelsea Bridge

Buddy Rich - Mercy, Mercy

Buddy Rich – drums; Walter Namuth – guitar; Gary Walters – double bass, electric bass; Joe Azarello – piano; Charles Owens – alto saxophone; Art Pepper – alto saxophone; Pat LaBarbera – tenor saxophone; Don Menza – tenor saxophone; John Laws – baritone saxophone; Jim Trimble – trombone; Rick Stepton – trombone; Peter Graves – bass trombone; Al Porcino – trumpet; David Culp – trumpet; Kenneth Faulk – trumpet; Bill Prince – trumpet

Weather Report – Black Market

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Weather Report – “Black Market” from the album “Black Market”

Weather Report was a jazz fusion band co-led by keyboard player Joe Zawinul and the saxophonist Wayne Shorter. “Black Market” was recorded in December 1975 and released in April 1976 on Columbia Records and won the album of the year award from Down Beat magazine.

“Black Market”

1) Black Market (J. Zawinul); 2) Cannon Ball (J. Zawinul); 3) Gibraltar (J. Zawinul); 4) Elegant People (W. Shorter); 5) Three Clowns (W. Shorter); 6) Barbary Coast (J. Pastorius); 7) Herandnu (A. Johnson)

Weather Report - Black Market

Wayne Shorter — Soprano and tenor saxophones, Lyricon by Computone
Joe Zawinul — Yamaha Grand Piano, Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Arp 2600 Synthesizer, Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer
Alphonso Johnson – Electric Bass and Charles La Boe Electric Bass, Gertu
Jaco Pastorius – Fender Electric Bass (2,6)
Narada Michael Walden – Drums (1,2)
Chester Thompson – Ludwig Drums (1 & 3-7)
Alex Neciosup Acuña – Percussion, Congas (2-5 & 7)
Don Alias – Percussion (1,6)

Grant Green – Idle Moments

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Grant Green – “Idle Moments” from the album “Idle Moments”

Grant was born on 6 June 1935 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was playing with local groups in and around St. Louis when he was 13 years old. Lou Donaldson discovered Grant playing in one of these bars and, after touring with Donaldson, arrived in New York circa 1959–60.

Grant was then introduced to Alfred Lion of Blue Note Records by Lou. Lion was so impressed with him that rather than testing Grant as a sideman, as was the usual Blue Note practice, he arranged for him to record as a group leader first.

Between 1961 and 1965 he made more appearances on Blue Note LPs, as leader or sideman, than anyone else.

He died of a heart attack in New York City on 31 January 1979 aged just 43.

Idle Moments

1) Idle Moments; 2) Jean De Fleur; 3) Django; 4) Nomad

Grant Green - Idle Moments

Personnel;
Grant Green – guitar
Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone
Duke Pearson – piano
Bobby Hutcherson – vibraphone
Bob Cranshaw – double bass
Al Harewood – drums

David Axelrod – Holy Thursday

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David Axelrod – “Holy Thursday” from the album “Song of Innocence”

David was born on 17 April 1933 in Los Angeles, California. He initially started out as a boxer, but then found work in the film and television industry. He joined Capitol Records in 1963 as a producer and A&R man.

After successfully producing Lou Rawls and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley Capitol allowed him to produce solo albums, the first two of which, “Song of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience”, were homages to the mystical poetry and paintings of William Blake. He is considered a visionary and the father of fusion.

“Song Of Innocence”

1) Urizen; 2) Holy Thursday; 3) The Smile; 4) A Dream; 5) Song of Innocence; 6) Merlin’s Prophecy; 7) The Mental Traveler

David Axelrod - Holy Thursday

Performers – Al Casey, Allen Di Rienzo, Alvin Dinkin, Anne Goodman, Arnold Belnick, Arthur Maebe, Benjamin Barrett, Bobby Bruce, Carol Kaye, Douglas Davis, Earl Palmer, Freddie Hill, Gareth Nuttycombe, Gary Coleman, Gene Estes, Harold Schneier, Harry Bluestone, Harry Hyams, Henry Roth, Henry Sigismonti, Howard Roberts, Jack Shulman, Leonard Malarsky, Lew McCreary, Marshall Sosson, Myron Sandler, Nathan Ross, Ollie Mitchel, Pete Wyant, Raphael Kramer, Richard Leith, Sid Sharp, Tibor Zelig, Tony Terran, Vincent de Rosa, Bill Hinshaw

Thelonious Monk – ‘Round Midnight

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Thelonious Monk – “‘Round Midnight” from the album “‘Round Midnight: The Complete Blue Note Singles”

Born Thelonious Sphere Monk on 10 October 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but his family moved to Manhattan, New York City in 1922.  By the time he was six he was playing piano.

He was mainly self-taught, although a brief spell at Juilliard School of Music gave him some theoretical training. A majority of his style was developed while he was the house pianist at Minton’s Playhouse on 118th Street between 1941 and 1948.

‘Round Midnight: The Complete Blue Note Singles

Disc 1

1) Thelonious; 2) Suburban Eyes; 3) ‘Round Midnight; 4) Well You Needn’t; 5) Evonce; 6) Off Minor; 7) In Walked Bud; 8) Epistrophy; 9) Ruby My Dear; 10) Evidence; 11) Humph; 12) Misterioso; 13) All The Things You Are; 14) I Should Care; 15) I Mean You; 16) Monk’s Mood; 17) Who Knows?; 18) Nice Work (If You Can Get It); 19) April In Paris; 20) Four In One; 21) Straight No Chaser; 22) Criss Cross; 23) Eronel; 24) Ask Me Now; 25) Willow Weep For Me

Thelonious Monk - 'Round Midnight

Disc 2

1) Skippy; 2) Let’s Cool One; 3) Hornin’ In; 4) Carolina Moon; 5) Evonce (alternate take); 6) Suburban Eyes (alternate take); 7) Nice Work (If You Can Get It) (alternate take); 8) Ruby My Dear (alternate take); 9) Well You Needn’t (alternate take); 10) April In Paris (alternate take); 11) Introspection (alternate take); 12) Who Knows? (alternate take); 13) I Should Care (alternate take); 14) Misterioso (alternate take); 15) Four In One (alternate take); 16) Criss Cross (alternate take); 17) Ask Me Now (alternate take); 18) Skippy (alternate take); 19) Hornin’ In (alternate take); 20) Sixteen (take 1); 21) Sixteen (take 2); 22) I’ll Follow You