Category Archives: Jazz

The Classical Jazz of Dave Brubeck

|We need only enjoy the magic of what can be described as a six-song diary of the Brubeck Quartet on tour to foreign and exotic places.| _______________________________________ Ruminations about jazz vs. classical appear fairly often here at JazzNotes. Whether it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Classic Jazz, Jazz | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Some Orchestral Miles Davis

|The assertion that Davis was a “musical chameleon” might best be demonstrated by listening to albums, Porgy and Bess and Aura, back-to-back. They are similar without being anything alike.|  Recently grazing along a shelf with 41 CDs by Miles Davis (double-sets … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Chick’s Tunes

|Chick Corea was on my turntable decades before I knew who he was. Albums like The Leprechaun and Romantic Warrior have been staples of my jazz soundtrack since critical listening became a treasured habit.| A keyboard player who worked with … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Abdullah Ibrahim

|Duke Ellington Presents from 1963 introduces the world to Abdullah Ibrahim, then living in Switzerland. Nelson Mandela invites the prodigal son back to South Africa in 1990. Subsequently, Ibrahim performs at Mandela’s inauguration in 1994. Since then he has continued to … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz, New Jazz | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Joshua Redman Quartet

|The Joshua Redman Quartet seem to have taken the suggestion of Miles Davis to heart, “First play what you know, then play beyond what you know.”| The new album by saxophonist Joshua Redman, Come What May (2019), features a band Redman … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz, New Jazz | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Tenor Conclave

The output of the Rolling Stones rolled off my radar a couple of decades ago. Hearing some newer music recently it was not difficult to recognize the sound, even if it has evolved somewhat since I last tuned in (around … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Many Passions of Gerald Wilson

|Talk about a career in jazz, Wilson’s first album as a leader was released in 1961 and his last recording was released in 2011.| First hearing the big band sound of Gerald Wilson was a revelation. Talk about a career … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Bigness of Kamasi Washington

|Moments of brilliance, moments of bombast and moments of madness give people a reason to talk about jazz, perhaps so they don’t have to listen to the music.| Half listening to the radio, my full attention turned suddenly to a … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz, New Jazz | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Many Tangents of Jimmy Giuffre

|“Like his more celebrated contemporary Miles Davis, Giuffre remains a musical chameleon, a distinctive stylist who constantly feels compelled to change his sonic setting.”  -Ted Gioia | Jimmy Giuffre: The Headstream of Divergent Tangents Jimmy Giuffre is not much heard these … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Electricity, Miles and Byrd

Electricity was in the air when trumpeters Miles Davis and Donald Byrd heard a buzz. Miles was first to noticeably respond to the stimulus with his 1968 release, In A Silent Way. Though George Benson had appeared on one cut … Continue reading

Posted in Jazz | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment