Holiday Season

I'll be gone for 10 days or so, spending Christmas and New Year with family everwhere a bit. I won't have the opportunity to update the blog i presume so that will be it for this year. Thanks a lot for passing by and hope to see you soon in 2010. Best wishes to all!

Terry Pollard R.I.P.

http://jazztimes.com/articles/25540-jazz-pianist-terry-pollard-dies-at-78

12/22/09
Jazz Pianist Terry Pollard Dies at 78
By Aubrey Everett


Terry Jean Pollard, a leading female jazz pianist during the thriving Detroit jazz scene of the 1940s and 50s, died in New York Dec. 16 after a long illness. She was 78.

An enthusiastic cheerleader and tireless Jazz supporter who told others she was from “the home of the pros in Detroit,” Pollard got her professional start at the age of 16, and recorded one solo album before settling down to raise a family.

Born on August 15, 1931, Pollard got her first taste of the prolific Detroit jazz scene by recording with Billy Mitchell in 1948. She then collaborated with Johnny Hill from 1948-1949 and the Emmitt Slay Trio from 1950-1952.

From 1952–1953, while Pollard was again working closely with Mitchell, she was discovered at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit by well-known vibraphonist Terry Gibbs and asked to join his North American tour as part of the Terry Gibbs Quartet. Pollard played piano and second vibes with the group, recording many songs with Gibbs and Dick Garcia, which set her on track to ultimately hit the highest point in her Jazz career.


Pollard won a recording contract with Bethlehem Records and recorded one solo self-titled album in 1955. The following year she won the prestigious DownBeat Magazine New Artist award. During this time Pollard performed alongside John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, and appeared with Gibbs on the Tonight Show hosted by Steve Allen.


Shortly after recording her solo album, in the late 1950’s, Pollard decided to return to Detroit to raise a family. She continued to participate in the music scene, performing with local artists Yusef Lateef and Dorothy Ashby, and headliners Bert Myrick, Earl Klugh and Diana Ross & The Supremes in the Detroit area.


Pollard was a 60-year-member of the Detroit Federation of Musicians Local 5 in Southfield, Mich., and won many awards during her career. She was featured in the 2001 book Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit 1920-1960 by Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert.


Pollard leaves one son, Dennis Michael Weeden; a daughter, Corby Marlene Swindle and their families. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.

ROIO OF THE WEEK : JERU VOL. 4

I got this recording in a trade a few years ago, only got around listening to it recently. The sound is quite good. Enjoy the music. The links are were they ought to be.



W 9004 " JERU " VOL. 4
G.M.6ET
Jon Eardley (tp), Bob Brookmeyer (vtb), Zoot Sims (ts), Gerry Mulligan (bars, p*), Peck Morrison
(b), Dave Bailey (dm)

BASIN STREET CLUB, NYC,OCTOBER 1955
1. APPLE CORE
2. MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT
3. NIGHT AT THE TURNTABLE
4. BROADWAY

BASIN STREET CLUB, NYC,DECEMBER 3, 1955
5. UTTER CHAOS
6. THE RED DOOR
7. SOFT SHOES
8. MAKIN' WHOOPEE
9. BERNIE'S TUNE

MILANO, TEATRO DELLA FIERA, FEBR. 25, 1956
TV BCAST, RAI TRE, SCHEGGE PROGRAM
10. BERNIE'S TUNE
11. WALKIN' SHOES
12. ONTET *

G.M. 4ET
Bob Brookmeyer (vtb), Gerry Mulligan (bars),
Bill Crow (b), Dave Bailey (dm)
NY CITY, CBS TV " CAMERA 3 "
TV BCAST
July 29, 1956
13. LINE FOR LYONS
14. MY FUNNY VALENTINE
15. FIVE BROTHERS

Pete King R.I.P.

Pete King, who died on December 20 aged 80, was the co-founder of Ronnie Scott's jazz club and in charge of its day-to-day running from the opening night. Read the full obit here.

Wintertime

Took these pictures when we out for a walk yesterday afternoon in our village.

Tony Williams article

Peter S. from the U.K. brought my attention to this older article on Tony Wiliams. Enjoy the read!

Miles From India

Here's the concert, direct recording on HD of the radio broadcast and brought to you in FLAC...

Enjoy!

Miles From India
Cité de la Musique, Salle des concerts
November 2nd 2009
RB
France Musique 17.12.2009

1. Intro Radio Ann.
2. All Blues
3. Ann R.M.
4. IASW
5. So What
6. Blue In Green
7. Ife
8. Jean Pierre
9. Ann & crowd
10. Encore Miles runs the Voodo down
11. Radio outro

Nicholas Payton , Trompette
John Beasley, Clavier
Adam Holzman, Clavier
Rudresh Mahanthappa, Saxophone
Darryl Jones, Contrebasse
Badal Roy, Tabla
U. Shrinivas, Mandoline
Ndugu Chancler, Batterie
Vince Wilburn, Batterie
V. Selvaganesh, Khanjira
V. K. Raman flûte, Voix
Anantha Krishnan, Mridangam

Links are in the comments section !

Miles From India

This evening at 20.00 PM France Musique will broadcast the following concert :

Miles from India
Concert donné le 2 novembre 2009 à la Cité de la Musique, Salle des concerts
Nicholas Payton , Trompette
John Beasley, Clavier
Adam Holzman, Clavier
Rudresh Mahanthappa, Saxophone
Darryl Jones, Contrebasse
Badal Roy, Tabla
U. Shrinivas, Mandoline
Ndugu Chancler, Batterie
Vince Wilburn, Batterie
V. Selvaganesh, Khanjira
V. K. Raman flûte, Voix
Anantha Krishnan, Mridangam

House honors Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue"

Miles Davis
House honors Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue"
Dec. 15, 2009, 2:28 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fifty years after jazz legend Miles Davis recorded "Kind of Blue," the House voted Tuesday to honor the landmark album's contribution to the genre.

Davis collaborated on the record with saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb.

Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat who sponsored the measure, H.Res.894, said the group "made musical history and changed the artistic landscape of this country and in some ways the world." The resolution recognizing the album's 50th anniversary passed on a 409-0 vote.

Columbia Records released the album in August 1959. The original album — only 37 minutes — had a huge impact that extended beyond jazz to other types of music — from rock musicians such as the Allman Brothers and Carlos Santana to minimalist composers like Steve Reich and Philip Glass.

Davis, one of the greatest trumpeters in jazz history, died of a stroke in 1991 at age 65. He was renowned for morphing his cool jazz into fusion and experimental sounds that later gave way to jazz funk and hip-hop grooves. Cobb is the only musician from the "Kind of Blue" sessions who is still alive.

A quote by René Magritte

"We mustn't fear daylight just because it almost always illuminates a miserable world."

"Il ne faut pas craindre la lumière du soleil sous prétexte qu'elle n'a presque toujours servi qu'à éclairer un monde misérable"

René Magritte

A whole night of Dave Brubeck on France Musique

As they did for Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis recently (and earlier on for Trane, Chet,..) France Musique spends tonight a whole night with Dave Brubeck. You can find more info here. It's possible i'll record it, don't know yet. It starts at 01.00 A.M. and lasts until 07.00 A.M.

ROIO OF THE WEEK : Marcus Miller NSJF, 2002

I recorded this in the early days of my 2nd radio recording career;-). A Marcus Miller show from the North Sea Jazz Fesitval, The Hague in 2002. It's a radio broadcast as far as i may remember, or possoibly a soundrip from a tv broadcast. Anwyay decent sound after all. I thought it fits perfectly with the 'We want Miles' expo in Paris and the concerts Marcus Miller is doin here in Europe these days.
Links are at its usual place.
Enjoy!



Marcus Miller
NSJF, The Hague
00.07.2002
RB/TB? -) EAC -) HD -) FLAC

1. So What
2. Ann.
3. Lonnie's Lament
4. Killing me Softly
5. When Your Life Is Low
6. Tutu

Marcus Miller el. b.
Michael Stewart tp
Lalah Hathaway voc on 4 & 5
Dean Brown g
Poogie Bell ds
Roger Byam sax
Bruce Flowers keyb

We Want Miles article by George Cole

The Guardian published a review of the 'We Want Miles' expo written by 'The Last Miles' author George Cole. Enjoy the read!

Empress Josephine: The woman who taught France to drink

Empress Josephine: The woman who taught France to drink By John Lichfield
10:30 AM Thursday Dec 10, 2009

An exhibition at Paris' Chateau de Malmaison (pictured) examines the role Napoleon Bonaparte's first wife, the Empress Josephine, had in changing France's wine tastes. Photo / Wikimedia Commons image from user Wabill


When Marie-Josephe-Rose de Tascher de La Pagerie died in 1814, she left a heap of unpaid bills and a golden legacy to social historians.

Marie-Josephe-Rose, better known as the Empress Josephine, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, was, among other things, a great connoisseur and collector of clothes, and an innovative gardener and botanist.

The written inventory of her final possessions in her chateau west of Paris has inspired learned studies and exhibitions on subjects as varied as the fashion trends and gardening styles of the early 19th century.

Josephine was also a celebrated hostess and, although not a great drinker, a great collector of wine.

The official inventory of her possessions at her death includes more than 13,000 bottles of wine from all over the world, from the Cape to Hungary to Champagne.

Study of her 1814 "wine list" reveals something that may seem unsurprising but was, at that time, extraordinary. Almost half of her bottles and barrels came from vineyards around Bordeaux.

Most of them, though little-known in France at that time, would later come to be recognised as among the greatest names in wine: the four "top" Medoc chateaux of Latour, Lafite, Margaux and Haut-Brion.

At the time of the Revolution 25 years earlier, the wine cellars of King Louis XVI had contained not a single bottle from the vineyards of south-west France. In aristocratic French society in the 18th century, Burgundy and Champagne reigned supreme.

Bordeaux was regarded as fit mostly for the English (who had been stubborn lovers of claret, or red Bordeaux wine, for four centuries).

Was the Empress Josephine a precursor of the great switch in French wine tastes which allowed the vineyards of Bordeaux, and especially the great chateaux of the Medoc, to emerge by the mid-19th century as the most prized wines in France and the world?

This is one of the subjects explored in an entertaining exhibition, La Cave de Josephine (Josephine's Cellar), which has started at the Chateau de Malmaison, west of Paris. It was here that Josephine lived for the last 15 years of her life, and died in June 1814, aged 50.

The exhibition, which will move to Germany and Italy next year, also examines other changes in the art de vivre of the French nobility which followed the fall of the monarchy.

Before the Revolution, an aristocratic French dinner-party was a kind of immense, stand-up buffet in which all dishes were served at once. Wine glasses were kept on trays by servants and topped up as required.

After the revolution, France gradually adopted the "Russian" style, now universal, of serving different, sit-down courses one after another.

Wine glasses began, finally, to be placed permanently on the table. These changes were driven partly by the post-Revolutionary dearth of legions of ill-paid servants.

France had also finally cracked the "industrial secret" of how to make crystal wine glasses, something previously known only to the British.

Elisabeth Caude, the joint curator of the exhibition, and joint curator of the chateau itself, says the Empress Josephine did not originate these shifts in the style of French dining but she did become one of their most celebrated exponents.

The Chateau de Malmaison, when bought by Napoleon and Josephine in 1799, was in wooded, open countryside beside one of the great loops of the river Seine west of Paris.

The site has now been enveloped by the suburban sprawl of the French capital but the chateau has been restored by the French state and looks, inside and out, much as it did in 1814.

When Napoleon divorced Josephine in 1809, he gave her the building and its contents. Josephine retained the title of Empress and maintained a kind of second imperial court. Hence her well-stocked wine cellar and her debts.

The new exhibition provides an entertaining insight into Josephine's life in Malmaison but also offers a freeze-frame of a pivotal moment in the history of wine.

In the late 18th century, two-thirds of all the vines planted in the world were in France. Domestic French tastes were dominated by white wine, mostly sweet, and by wine from Burgundy and Champagne.

The Emperor Napoleon was something of an exception. He would drank only Chambertin, a wonderful red wine from Burgundy which he insisted - following the habit of the times - in drowning in iced water.

How then did the cellar of the Empress Josephine, a dedicated follower and maker of fashion, contain so many barrels and bottles of unfashionable Bordeaux? How did it come to be dominated by red wine, rather than white?

The exhibition has borrowed huge, dusty ledgers from, among other places, the Chateau Latour in Medoc, showing the Empress Josephine's wine orders inscribed in ornate hand-writing.

It displays, among other things, the beautiful, porcelain labels which were hung around the necks of wine bottles before paper stick-on labels became common.

Of the 13,286 bottles of wine in her collection, no less than 5,973 came from Bordeaux. Only 419 (and one half) bottles came from Burgundy.

"Partly, you have to put those figures in perspective," Ms Caude said.

"We know there had been a great deal of entertaining just before Josephine's death. It is likely that the stocks of Burgundy and Champagne had been run down and were waiting to be replenished."

All the same, she says, the presence of so much Bordeaux, and not just any Bordeaux, is intriguing. The Napoleonic wars had cut off the traditional, British markets of the Bordeaux negociants, or traders.

One of Josephine's "knights of honour" and the manager of her household was Andre Bonnin de la Bonniniere, the Marquis of Beaumont. He was also the co-proprietor of the Chateau Latour vineyard in Medoc.

"It is obvious Bordeaux was desperate, at that time, to find new markets in France," Ms Caude said.

"One can also presume that the Marquis de Beaumont influenced Josephine's wine purchases, in an attempt to introduce the best kinds of Bordeaux to the imperial court and, therefore, to leading French society.

"But Josephine was also a woman of great character and great taste. She would certainly not have served her guests wine that she hadn't, herself, tasted and approved of. We can, therefore, say Josephine, as a leading figure in the new Imperial society of the early 1800s, did point the way to a change in the French taste in wine, which, by mid-19th century, had enthusiastically embraced Bordeaux."

The rest is oenological history. The days when British wine-lovers had the best Bordeaux chateaux to themselves have long gone.

The Empress Josephine died of pneumonia, after she wore a fashionably light gown outside on a chilly day. She was taking the Tsar of Russia on a tour of her famous gardens at the time.

She would have done better to stay inside and introduce him to her wine collection.

- INDEPENDENT

By John Lichfield

Sonny Rollins at The Kennedy Center

Source :

By Sriram Gopal in Arts and Events on December 3, 2009
During the 1960s, a great debate among jazz aficionados was over who was the better saxophonist, John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins. A fool's errand, really, as they had completely different approaches to music. Both were master technicians who could run the gamut, from aggressive to serene. Coltrane's playing had a deeper spirituality, while Rollins was the more mischievous, always playing with a witty edge. And while 'Trane's group was probably more groundbreaking, Sonny deserves a great deal of credit for his sheer longevity and high quality output over a 50+ year career. Few jazzers of his generation remain, making the 79-year-old saxophonist an artistic treasure, and totally deserving of the standing ovation that greeted him as he took the Concert Hall stage last night at the Kennedy Center.

Though walking with a bit of a hobble due to age, any sign of frailty disappeared the second Rollins brought the horn to his mouth. Opening with and uptempo swinger, he prowled about the stage, upper body bobbing back and forth, like a prize fighter throwing musical jabs at each of his bandmates. His tone was as powerful as ever, and the elder was the only band member who did not take a seat for the duration of his two-hour, two-set performance. Time has also not diminished Rollins's stylish flair. Always known for being one of the cleanest cats on the scene, yesterday he was looking quite dapper, with his hair slicked back while sporting a white blazer, dark pants, and his trademark sunglasses. Rollins even changed during intermission, returning to the stage with an equally eye-catching bright red shirt.

The evening's heartwarming moment came just before the band performed the ballad, "Cabin in the Sky," the title song to the 1943 picture starring the wonderful Lena Horne. Rollins recalled seeing the picture as a youngster at a movie theater in Annapolis, while on a trip to the nearby Carr's Beach and Sparrow's Beach, waterfront spots available to African-Americans during segregation. Rollins went on to tell a story of how he saw a big band while at the beach, and was heartbroken to see his crush sitting on the bandstand. But that same concert also planted the seed of his love of jazz, something he remembers, he said, every time he plays in this area. The song itself featured a soulful trombone solo from Clifton Anderson, who also shined on a moving tribute to J.J. Johnson, the trombonist who gave Rollins one of his early breaks.

While this was clearly Sonny's show, he gave his formidable bandmates plenty of space to shine. The first set closed with a Rollins original, "Nice Lady," an island theme that showcased the musicality of percussionist Victor Y. See Yuen, who gave a clinic in balancing technical prowess with taste and restraint. The second set began with another uptempo number that saw Rollins trade phrases with Kobie Watkins, a versatile young drummer with no shortage of chops, but who is also steeped in tradition. Guitarist Bobby Broom was given several solos throughout the evening, and rocked out on "Sonny, Please," the title track to the 2005 release. Bass guitarist Bob Cranshaw, who has been collaborating with Rollins since the late 1950s, spent most of the night holding things down, but was given a moment on the closer, "Don't Stop the Carnival." An homage to his parents' Virgin Island roots, the Rollins staple is built on an instantly hummable melody played over an infectious calypso groove, which brought the boisterous crowd to its feet once more.

In an interview conducted last year, Rollins told DCist that he does not listen to much music anymore. That remark struck us as odd, given the inherent desire artists have to grow and evolve. But like a grandfather who is unapologetically set in his ways, even artists of Rollins' stature probably reach a point where they don't feel that inner fire lighting an explorer's spirit. Instead, they are content to express the emotions and knowledge they have amassed over decades. And like that same grandfather who doles out words of wisdom for us to cherish, last night's audience could feel blessed that Rollins is still around to lend us his sweet, sweet sound.

New York Times : review of 2 books on Jazz

The NYT reviews two books on jazz : 'POPS A Life of Louis Armstrong' by Terry Teachout is reviewed here and there's 'JAZZ' written by Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux which is reviewed here

Great way to start the weekend!

Miles Davis in Belgrade 1971

BBC Radio Scotland broadcasted yesterday a small excerpt of Miles' concert at Belgrade 1971. I captured it from the net and the links can be found in the comments section.

More info on the complete concert can be found here

Miles Davis
November 3, 1971
Dom Sindikata, Belgrade (Yugoslavia)

1. Radio Intro
2. Yesternow (inc)
3. Radio Ann

Miles Davis (tpt)
Gary Bartz (ss, as)
Keith Jarrett (el-p, org)
Michael Henderson (el-b)
Ndugu Leon Chancler (d)
Charles Don Alias (cga, perc)
James Mtume Forman (cga, perc)

George V. Higgins : The Friends of Eddie Coyle

A month ago wbur.org published an article on George V. Higgins which you can read here. Be sure to check out the commentary section as well! It makes me realise it's ages ago i saw the film, and check out the book as well again.
Enjoy!

John Coltrane & Elvin Jones

as remembered by german bassist Lothar Meid :

ROIO Of The Week : Imani Winds

Now for something different, after the jazz ROIO's here some actual classical music brought to you by Iamni Winds. They played together with Wayne Shorter at different festivals and concerts and at thisn concert they play a Wayne Shorter composition.
Sit back, relax and enjoy!

More on Imani Winds can be found on their here and on this wiki.




Imani Winds
Perelman Theater
Kimmel Center
Philadelphia
Fresh Ink Series
Friday, October 24, 2008 | 7:30pm
FM>Total Recorder>HD>CD Wave>FLAC Frontend (level 8)

Valerie Coleman, flute
Toyin Spellman-Diaz, oboe
Mariam Adam, clarinet
Jeff Scott, French horn
Monica Ellis, bassoon

01. Station ID 0:29
02. Introduction 2:52
03. Call (Toyin Spellman-Diaz) 5:49
04. Announcement 4:08
05. Speech and Canzone (Valerie Coleman) 13:51
06. Announcement 2:40
07. Cane (Jason Moran) 11:15
08. Announcement 1:24
09. Terra Incognita (Wayne Shorter) 10:39
Total Time: 53:09

Performed but not included on this recording:
Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet (Gyorgy Ligeti)
Contrabajissimo (Astor Piazzolla - Arr. Jeff Scott)

Dick Katz R.I.P.

Dick Katz passed away on November 10th.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/arts/music/13katz.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries

November 13, 2009 - NY TIMES - By Ben Ratliff
Dick Katz, 85, Jazzman of Many Gifts Over 6 Decades, Is Dead

Dick Katz, a pianist, record producer, educator and writer whose
knowledge of jazz from the stride-piano era to 1960s modernism made
him a valuable presence on New York’s jazz scene for six decades, died
on Tuesday in Manhattan. He was 85.

The cause was lung cancer, said his son Jamie.

Mr. Katz’s piano idols were soloist royalty: Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum,
Fats Waller. But he was a more reserved musician, finding his place
somewhere between accompanist, arranger and subtle improviser.

One of his breakthrough moments was his role as pianist on the
saxophonist and composer Benny Carter’s 1961 album “Further
Definitions,” meshing with a first-class multigenerational crew
including swing-era veterans and younger musicians. Another was his
1965 collaboration with the singer Helen Merrill, “The Feeling Is
Mutual,” an arty, cooled-out album of jazz standards of which he was
co-leader, arranger and producer.

Richard Aaron Katz, born in Baltimore on March 13, 1924, was already
playing in local clubs there as a teenager before he left for the
University of North Carolina to study music. He joined the Navy in
1942 and fought in the battle of Saipan; in 1946 he became a
professional musician in New York.

While working for his father’s advertising agency, he studied at the
Manhattan School of Music, where John Lewis, later of the Modern Jazz
Quartet, was a fellow student. In 1950 he took private lessons with
Wilson. By the early 1950s he was performing regularly with the
clarinetist Tony Scott’s group at Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem and
making a string of records with Mr. Scott, including “Music After
Midnight” and “Jazz for G.I.’s.”

For several years in the mid-’50s, Mr. Katz played in the house rhythm
section at the Cafe Bohemia in the West Village with the bassist Oscar
Pettiford and the drummer Kenny Clarke, backing Miles Davis, among
others. He also toured with the popular twin-trombone band led by J.
J. Johnson and Kai Winding and played with the trumpeter Kenny
Dorham’s Jazz Prophets.

His old friend Lewis helped Mr. Katz secure a record deal with
Atlantic in 1958, which resulted in the album “Piano and Pen.” Through
the ’50s and ‘60s he appeared frequently as a sideman, on records by
the vocalist Carmen McRae, the saxophonist Sonny Rollins and others.
Starting in the late ’60s, two of his most frequent collaborators were
the trumpeter Roy Eldridge and the saxophonist Lee Konitz — brilliant
players on opposite chronological sides of bebop, jazz’s great
stylistic divide.

In 1966 Mr. Katz and the veteran record producer Orrin Keepnews
founded the jazz label Milestone. Staying with the company until the
early ’70s, he produced records by Mr. Konitz and others, as well as
“Alone Together,” a highly regarded duet album by the guitarist Jim
Hall and the bassist Ron Carter.

Beginning in the middle ‘80s Mr. Katz worked with the American Jazz
Orchestra, a repertory ensemble directed by Lewis, and the saxophonist
Loren Schoenberg’s big band. From the ’80s onward he taught at the New
School, the Manhattan School of Music and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Mr. Katz was also among a select group of jazz musicians who wrote
well about their art. His astute essays about Davis and Tatum in The
Jazz Review, published in 1959 and 1960, led to other writings, for
books and album liner notes. He received Grammy Award nominations for
the notes he wrote for “Jazz Piano: A Smithsonian Collection” (1990)
and “The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio” (1993).

Mr. Katz’s first marriage, to the former Edith Shapiro, ended in
divorce. He is survived by his wife, the former Joan Seifer, as well
as four sons — Jamie and Frank, of Manhattan; Jeffrey, of Washington;
and Ivan, of Brooklyn — and two grandchildren.

Spending a night with Miles : Yes we can!

This night from 23.30 on you have the opportunity to spend a night with Miles. Look at the marvelous program here.

Having connected my radio and my pc i must be able to record it all in FM quality.... I'll try to post the different parts the coming days - weeks as MP3.

Have fun!

Sonny Rollins to Perform Benefit Concert for Pete Seeger's Clearwate

Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and his band will perform a special benefit concert for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater on Sunday, December 6, 2009 at the Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, NY. The concert will begin at 2:00 pm.

Rollins's performance in Tarrytown on behalf of Pete Seeger's Clearwater will mark the first time the renowned environmental organization has ever hosted a benefit concert dedicated solely to jazz, and is also the first time that the saxophonist has performed a fund-raiser for any cause. The concert, to be presented by Jazz Forum Arts, is Rollins's only 2009 New York area appearance.

Performing with Sonny Rollins will be his working band: Clifton Anderson, trombone; Bobby Broom, guitar; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Kobie Watkins, drums; and Victor See-Yuen, percussion. Tickets for the concert range from $75 to $100; a limited number of premium tickets (which include a reception with Rollins) are also available. For information and ticket purchases, visit www.tarrytownmusichall.org or call 877-840-0457. The theater is located at 13 Main Street, Tarrytown.

In 1998 Sonny Rollins, for years an ardent environmentalist, released an album called Global Warming, which included songs such as "Echo-Side Blue," "Mother Nature's Blues," "Clear-Cut Boogie," and the title track, which he frequently performs to this day. The CD package contained a poem by Rollins, reading in part: "We got to stop assumin' / We can just go on consumin' . . . Live light on the planet, sister and brother / 'Cause if we kill it, there ain't no other / Not that much time left neither."

"My views have changed a little bit since then," says Rollins. "I still agree that people should be more aware of the environment and their own personal habits--like throwing stuff out of the window. Overall I see the environmental crisis less as 'us versus them' and more as part of the big picture. It's okay in a way. But people still have to take action. It doesn't affect what we should be doing. It's more of a moral question. Being against the environment is being against yourself and your neighbor."

Rollins has resided since 1972 in an old farmhouse in Columbia County, New York, in the Hudson River Valley. He eagerly accepted the opportunity to lend his talents for an organization founded in 1969 by another Hudson Valley musical icon and environmentalist. "Pete Seeger and I have the same heroes and beliefs," says Rollins. "We are in the same family. He is my brother."

Presently in the midst of an eight-city European tour--which takes in Groningen, Toulouse, Paris, Milan, Zagreb, Salzburg, Rome, and London--Rollins is also scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC on 12/2. While in Salzburg (11/8), he will be awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class. The award is one of Austria's highest honors, given to leading international figures for distinguished achievements. The only other American artists who have received this recognition are Frank Sinatra and Jessye Norman.

John Le Carré

John Le Carré left his publisher Hodder. Read more about it in John Sutherlands article for The Guardian.

Saint-Exupéry

Le Figaro publishes today in his 'Livres'annex an article and a preview of a book on the heritage of the famous writer.You can read it here and here.

RIP Stacey Rowles

Got this from another list :

"Stacey Rowles, daughter of another jazz giant - pianist Jimmy Rowles - passed away yfriday october 30th at the age of 54. To me she was a highly underrated musician and a very original and entertaining singer to boot. RIP Lady Stacey."

Further information i got says she was victim of a head on car accident.

We Want Miles Expo

So we went on thursday to Paris, let me share my impressions with you :

*(this may contain spoilers for those of you who will visit it in the future)*

general oberservations :
- negative : a) no english catalogue available, it MIGHT become available SOMEWHERE in November, not able to order by internet;
b) the poster of the expo : not available wedon't have an agreement with the photographer YET
c) you get at the entrance some earphones (no not the MD designed ones - shoud have been cool though to see everyone with those ones) which had to be used at certain point during the parcours to listen at mainly the well known music (All Blues, etc.) but at each point there are only four contacts to branch your earphones so a waiting line is easily formed
so yes it's a real french organisation ;-)

- then the positive observations who do prevail :
The expo is build on a chronological base and takes place on two floors. The main color which is used is BLACK (i thought otherwise seeing the pictures taken by George Cole). The MUSIC is omnipresent, everywhere where you pass

The main facts of Miles' life and music are of course known to most of us so what was most interesting for me where some smalle items on display :
- a (to me unknown) picture of the Billy Eckstine orchestra during a concert;

- a lot of pictures of the Paris 1949 concerts

- an original record from that 1949 concert (by Miles with TADD DAMERON) wheron the french radio recorded directly the broadcast

- a recipe from the Ascenseur pour l'échafaud session where Miles signed he received payments for the recording session :
"Received ....

Miles Davis
Motherfucker"

- a letter from Teo to Columbia for the FDK album :
"Miles lets me know he want all titles on the album mentioned in french; HELP, anybody here speaks french?"

- at various places big screens where are shown : extracts of Ascenseur pour l'échafaud, a concert extract with the 2nd quintet, isle of wight festival and a special theatre where the july 1991 La Villete show is shown. Although we know the music, it's a very nice experience to see and hear it on a 5 by 5 meter screen and changes from the usual television screen experience...

- if memory is correct at least 4 trumpets used by Miles are shown as well as a saxophone by Trane used by him in the 50's. The drums photographed by George Cole are an assembly of parts of Philly Joe Jones drums as well as those from Tony Williams.

- a short movie from 1971 filmed at the place of John Lennons manager , Miles and Betty were invited by John Lennon to share the afternoon with them at the party, you see Miles playin' basketball.

- another short movie where you see Miles boxing

- then a real treasure filmed in 1972 by a Japanese guy Teppei Okuchi (?) during a recording session(s) for On The Corner and Big Fun where you see how Miles direct the members of the band, explain to Al Foster to what kind of rhythm he wants... it's about 10 minutes or so (haven't checked onmy watch)

- then a lot of video's are available from the period 1980 -1991 (saturday night live, publicity clips, tutu, etc.) as well as drums, guitar, the pancartes he used with the first name of the musicians, the jacket he wore for the cover of You're under arrest, the Villette 1991 concert etc., also a film taken in 63 in paris upon Miles arrival in Paris at the train station with wife and kids (must be in july before the Antibes concert)

- covering all periods original charts are shown beginning with the BOTC period "Rouge" where the various parts of each instrument are shown, then indeed the charts of various compostions of the sities, ESP ( For Miles - Wayne), Dolores, Capricorn, Little One, Pinocchio... AND
one very curious chart from the 1962 sextet period of Miles with Jay Jay and Hank Mobley, probably a composition by Jay Jay and the parts of JJ, Miles and Hank are shown a track which was never played later by Miles (don't remember the title of it, Ersch or Eric J if you go try to memorize of write down the title please)
although i can't read any music at all, i found these charts very interesting to look and try to read the instrcutions written on it ...

That's about it, it took us a good 2 hours but we didn't listen to all music and videos available so you can spend easily a well spent afternoon at the expo.

Passez la nuit avec Wayne Shorter

Ce soir il faut à nouveau écouter France Musique à partir d'une heure le matin. il y aura du beau monde qui est invité et apparement il y aura un interview avec Mr. Shorter. Espérons que la traduction ne gache pas la voix of the man himself ;-)

Je ne serai pas dans la possibilité de l'enregistrer car on est à Paris pour voir et entendre à la Salle Pleyel le quartet de Wayne Shorter.

We Want Miles : here we come!!!

Tomorrow we're of to Paris for the 'We Want Miles' expo. I'll post again this weekend and will as well try to publish some pictures.

RIP Sirone

Just heard that Sirone passed away. I found this on the NPR website :

"Sirone, 'Revolutionary' Bassist, Dies
by Lars Gotrich

The world has lost another tie to the original New Thing jazz: bassist and composer Norris Jones, better known as Sirone, has died in Berlin, Germany. He was 69.

Sirone recorded with Cecil Taylor, Charles Gayle and Phalanx, a group featuring George Adams (tenor sax), James Blood Ulmer (guitar) and Rashied Ali (drums). (Ali also passed away recently, in August.) But to me, his greatest work was in the Revolutionary Ensemble.

Formed in 1971, Revolutionary Ensemble was a somewhat odd trio. Fiery jazz groups were customarily featured face-peeling saxophones, not violins. Yet Leroy Jenkins (violin), Sirone (bass) and Jerome Cooper (drums) forged one of the most innovative groups of its time.

"The trio almost epitomized that much-maligned year in jazz," jazz critic Kevin Whitehead said in his 2005 Fresh Air review of The Revolutionary Ensemble's And Now.... "It was a time of re-thinking the available possibilities, when new instrumental combinations and new ways of sorting out ensemble roles became common."

Last winter, I made my yearly pilgrimage to Low Yo Yo Stuff in Atlanta, Ga. while visiting my parents for the holidays. The store always has a great stock of free jazz vinyl, but the one group that came up over and over again in fingering through the LPs was Revolutionary Ensemble. Picking up the trio's debut, Vietnam, the owner got really excited and had me put it on the store's speaker system.

Listening again today as I did in that Atlanta strip mall, it's clear from the outset that Jenkins, Sirone and Cooper were onto something radical. They intersected chamber music, backwoods hoedowns and free improvisation in a way that called out to new thinking. It also happened to be an extraordinarily good time.

Sirone, in particular, is a wonder even at this early stage in his career. He almost never walks a scale, but when he does, fragments are seared in rapid-fire plucks. Sirone mostly disarmed with his bow. He could be as light as Jenkins' playful violin, mimicking his Appalachian-style explorations. But when drummer Jerome Cooper lit the fire, Sirone equalled him in force, hitting the bow to the strings in a tangible, grab-you-by-the-shirt kind of way. It's thrilling. Despite the LP's intentioned protest against the Vietnam War, the call for musical and political change still resonates through a new era."

Sonny Rollins : Another Interview

Here's another interview with Sonny Rollins :

Vancouver Jazz Fest: Sonny Rollins' life-long search for excellence

By Marke Andrews, Vancouver Sun
June 26, 2009

VANCOUVER - Saxophonist Sonny Rollins doesn't take the Orpheum stage until 8 p.m. Monday, but he's told the venue that he needs the dressing room by mid-afternoon.

That's because he wants to practise for three hours before he takes the stage. And, if things go the way they did when he appeared here two years ago, he'll practise for another hour after the concert.

At 78, the man many consider the greatest living tenor saxophonist still feels he has room to improve. There's a famous Youtube clip of trombonist Clifton Anderson, who is Rollins's nephew, talking about wanting to quit music because his best solo was eclipsed by what his uncle did on the horn.

Rollins told him that at his stage in life, he has to play at a high level because he never knows when it will be his last chance to perform.

When asked about this, the saxophonist says he's not familiar with the clip - Rollins belongs to the generation that doesn't sit at a computer - but that the advice sums up his philosophy about performing.

"I feel every moment in life is precious, because you never know if it's going to be your last moment on Earth," he says over the phone from his home, a 150-year-old farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley. "I just gave that advice to a young student of mine the other day. I told him, `You have to play your absolute utmost, your absolute best, because just think if that becomes the last time you play.'"

This philosophy also explains why Rollins, who really has nothing to prove to the world, practises so much.

"I guess if you have no real interest in what you do and you just work until you retire and you're glad to get away from your job, which may be the case for the majority of people, you'd want to stay away from the office as much as possible," says Rollins. "My case is quite different. Music is a life-long pursuit. I'm still at it and I'm still trying to learn it all, which I'm sure is impossible. I'm trying to get closer to what I know I can do.

"My modus operandi is extensive preparation, and then when we're in the moment at a concert I don't have to think about my preparation," he says. "You can't improvise and think at the same time. I've tried it. I've tried to remember certain passages that I wanted to include, and it never works out because by the time I think of it the moment is gone."

Rollins has more than 70 recordings as a leader, a sizeable volume of work. However, the modest musician downplays the significance of his recorded legacy.

"I've been fortunate to outlive a lot of my contemporaries, and I had more opportunities for recording," says Rollins, who has taken a number of lengthy sabbaticals from recording and performing. "I guess it's a body of work, but it's certainly nothing I take pride in necessarily, because I feel there is more to be done.

"I've been recording since 1948, so it doesn't seem like that many albums."

At an age when many would slow down, Rollins has been accelerating his activities. Part of the reason for this was the 2004 of his wife of 40 years, Lucille.

"Since my wife is no longer here with me, I've sort of made a change in my life," Rollins says. "I asked my agent to get me more work, because I'm more lonely now. I'm working on my music, and as long as I'm healthy I want to try to compose and get some of this music out."

The sextet Rollins brings to the Orpheum Monday includes Clifton Anderson on trombone, Bobby Broom on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, Kobie Watkins on drums and Victor Y. See Yuen on percussion.

We Want Miles : update

George Cole was present on the opening night and published a brief review as well as pictures from the expo. You can get a look on his website.
Enjoy!

Sonny Rollins Interview

Jazz St. Louis podcast features interview with Sonny Rollins :
Jazz St. Louis has just put online a new interview in their ongoing series of podcasts, one that featurs a conversation between legendary tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford.
You can download the 24-minute podcast or listen to an online stream here.

Bob Gordon - Jazz West Coast

This message appeared on the jazzwest-coast list recently :

"Bob Gordon has graciously consented to allow *JazzProfiles to publish on its
website the 11 chapters from his long, out-of-print work - **Jazz West
Coast: The **Los Angeles** Jazz Scene of the 1950’s *[London: Quartet Books
Ltd., 1986].
Since the original work did not include color photos or album covers, we
will take some time to research and add these in a judicial manner so as not
to detract from Bob's narrative.
The chapters will run intermittently and not consecutively to allow for
other features of interest to be posted in keeping with the ecumenical
spirit of the site concerning all-things-Jazz.
Each chapter will be developed as a Word Document with thumbnail inserts of
photos and album covers before being brought up on the site.
Since it is difficult to download text directly from JazzProfiles, once each
chapter is developed into a Word Document, it can be sent as an e-mail
attachment for those of you who wish to keep a manuscript copy of the text.
Send me an e-mail and I will reply with a copy of the chapter attached.
The copyright Gods permitting, we will also try to form each group of
graphics into a video with an audio track that is representative of each
chapter's theme so as to enhance the experience of reading of Bob's text.
I hope to have the first chapter up on the site by the end of October;
beginning of November.
Other than what I have outlined above, any suggestions or recommendations
about how best to approach this project are always welcome.
If you are a fan of West Coast Jazz and haven't had the opportunity to read
Bob's book, you're gonna love it.
Kind regards,
Steve"

So soon you have one more reason to check out the jazzprofiles blog. I do have the book already on the shelf for a long time but never read it, it might happen soon though.

We Want Miles

Newspapers aswell as national public radio are quite present when it comes to the Miles Davis expo at la Cité de la Musique. Le Monde, Le Figaro and even La Croix have articles. What's remarkable is the fact that Libération, despite they are a privileged partner of the expo haven't published anything yet, or i must have missed it.
France musique broadcasted live from the Cité friday evening for the daily Magazine as well as the Open Jazz Program which i both captured and are available in MP3 format.
Enjoy!

Miles Davis lived here

From the LA TIMES :

This 1983 Buff and Hensman contemporary on the west end of Malibu was a beachfront hangout for the jazz legend.

By Dinah Eng

October 11, 2009

Ocean views and a bountiful flower and vegetable garden create a peaceful setting for this 1983 Buff and Hensman beachfront house at the west end of Malibu that once was home to jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis.

Conrad Buff III and Donald Hensman are credited with helping to define "ultra-cool" in contemporary-style homes during the 1950s and 1960s, with modern designs that embraced the Southern California lifestyle. They designed homes for many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka and Steve McQueen.

"Buff and Hensman did the initial design of this house in 1963, but it wasn't built until 1983," says Martha Lefkovits, an interior designer who owns the home with husband Norman, an avid fisherman. The pair wanted a house on the beach. "To me, this is the most pastoral place in the United States."

Houses in the neighborhood, west of Leo Carrillo State Beach, have direct access to the ocean.

The front door opens to a two-story skylighted and tiled entryway with a dramatic staircase along one wall. The entry leads to a living room and dining room with picture-window views of the ocean. The kitchen features a granite center island and opens to a walkway leading to a small greenhouse.

Behind the kitchen is a three-quarter bath with shower, an office with built-in bookshelves, a laundry room and a two-car garage.

Upstairs are a master bedroom with fireplace, a pair of walk-in closets with skylights, and French doors that open to a balcony with an ocean view. The master bathroom includes a spa tub and oversize shower.

A carpeted hallway leads to another bedroom with sliding-glass doors to a balcony. A shared bathroom connects to a third bedroom, also with an ocean view. Farther down the hallway, a fourth bedroom has its own bathroom. Completing the floor is a redwood-lined room, used as an art studio, that was originally a sauna.

A patio is near a garden filled with flowers, vegetables and herbs. A winding brick pathway leads down the hillside to a patio deck and beach cabana, outfitted with running water, refrigerator, camp stove and television. The path continues down to the waves.

ROIO Of The Week : Keith Jarrett solo in Tokyo 1984

This week's Roio is recording of Keith Jarrett playing solo, it's taken from a Japanese 6-DVD set of which 4 DVD's now have been issued on ECM.
Enjoy, it's at moments as bein' in heaven...




Keith Jarrett solo
Kan-i Hoken Hall, Tokyo
January 25, 1984
sound : B (there's something with the piano's sound, don't know what, haven't seen the dvd)

01 Tokyo '84 #1
02 Tokyo '84 #2
03 Over The Rainbow (encore #1)
04 Tokyo '84 encore #2
TT 90 MIN

DownBeat October 2009

I received this week the october issue of Down Beat. There's some great post in the 'chords and discords' section by a certain Jack Whitlinger living in Apollo, Penn.

He writes :
"Thi will be an unpopular statement in the jazz community, but i have always felt that Miles Davis was overrated as a trumpeter and jazz innovator. Davis never had the technical ability of a Dizzy Gillespie or Wynton Marsalis and he never invented any new type of jazz, as Gillespie and Charlie Parker did with bop. While many jazz critics have touted Davis's "Kind Of Blue" as the best record of all time, I think the recording is mostly a dirge. If a dozen or so of today's top jazz trumpet players had to be pitted against Davis in his prime, they would have blown him away."

You are a funny man mister Whitlinger but i think you still have a way to go concerning jazzstudies. Or otherwise come over to Paris from next week on and visit the "We want Miles" expo at la Cité de la Music.

Irving Penn R.I.P.

Mr. Penn took the famous pictures of Miles Davis which were used on the Tutu album. The NYT obituary can be found here.

A Reggae Interpretation of Kind of Blue

In the spring of 1981 a group of reggae studio musicians from Jamaica gathered in New York City under the direction of Jeremy Taylor, a music professor at NYU at that time. The result was this Reggae Interpretation of Kind of Blue.

Though he was primarily regarded as a world-class Jazz musician and educator, Taylor had taken several trips to Jamaica to study reggae music with some of the best performers in the world. In his 1979 book, “A Space Between” Taylor wrote, “My first trip to Jamaica (May 1977) was the most eye-opening musical experience of my life. I met so many incredible players who had been brushed off by the snobby musical establishment at institutions such as the ones I was affiliated with. They showed more musicality, taste, and rhythmic comprehension than some of the most revered musicians in the states. I knew that I had to find a way to showcase their unparalleled talent in a different medium in order for some of my colleagues to fully understand and learn from it.” This statement served as the basic concept behind this album. Taylor took the most loved, well-known modern jazz album of all time and put it in the hands of reggae musicians. It was in this context that he felt his contemporaries would be able to fully understand what it was he saw in these players.

Unfortunately, weeks after directing the sessions Taylor passed away in his Paris hotel room while on a speaking tour of Europe. A final mix of the album was never made and it was never released. Collectors have long spoken of this album and in the late 80s lo-fi cassette tapes of rough mixes circulated. No official release was ever issued until now.

In early 2009, Secret Stash Records began working with the Taylor estate to finally release this album. After creating final mixes, dub versions of all the songs were also made by Secret Stash producers. Now for the first time ever, this highly sought-after album is available. This vinyl-only release is a must have for any record collector.

TRACK LIST:

SIDE A
01. So What
02. Freddie Freeloader
03. Blue In Green
04. All Blues
05. Flamenco Sketches

SIDE A
01. So What (Dub)
02. Freddie Freeloader (Dub)
03. Blue In Green (Dub)
04. All Blues (Dub)
05. Flamenco Sketches (Dub)

ROIO of the week : Roberta Gambarini at Vienne 2009

This week's ROIO is a rather short one but nevertheless a blessing for your ears. Roberta Gambarini à Vienne joining the Roy Hargrove Big band. Hopefully the complete concert will be broadcasted later on.
For now enjoy this short appetise !


Roberta Gambarini & Roy Hargrove Big Band
Vienne, Théâtre Antique
02.07.2009
France Inter Live Broadcast
FM-)CASS-)HD-)FLAC


1. Everytime We Say Goodbye 6:02
2. Something Happens To Me 2:09
3. Interview 8:17

Keith Jarrett Interview

Timesonline published an interview with Keith Jarret, quite curious aboput the upcoming release... But for now the article here!

A Quote by René Magritte

What do you think of this one ?

"Mon seul désir est de m'enrichir de nouvelles pensées exaltantes" -
"All that i desire is to be enriched by intensely exciting new thoughts".
René Magritte

Scott LaFaro

New Release From Legendary Jazz Bassist Scott LaFaro
Pieces of Jade is a collection of rare recordings from one of jazz's most revered bassists. The album includes five selections recorded in New York City during 1961 that showcase LaFaro with pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca and a practice session with Bill Evans. Available now on CD and MP3 from Resonance Records.