Nat Hentoff: Great American Hero
Sean MurphySpiderman, I suppose, came first. Six or seven, comic book in hand, convinced there was no one cooler, no one more righteous, no one else I’d rather be. After a…
Coltrane: Ascent
First there's the solo by Jimmy Garrison; actually it's a soliloquy, as eloquent and convincing --urgent yet calm in its confidence-- as any extended statement on bass by anyone in…
John Coltrane at 90
For those whose definition of genius is either too encompassing or excessively narrow, John Coltrane poses no problems: there isn’t anyone who knows anything about music (in general) and jazz…
10 for NYC by 10, on 9/11
New York City would be unimaginable without jazz, and vice versa. Here then is a tribute for --and by-- several musicians who help define and celebrate the cultural mecca of…
Bobby Hutcherson: Thanks for the Good Vibes
Bobby Hutcherson was not just a major, and positive force for good in the jazz idiom, he was a genuine innovator. Before him, the vibraphone was largely considered a novelty…
ALL HAIL THE KING: Happy Birthday, Chazz!
Today would have been (and, still is) Charles Mingus’s 94th birthday. I’ve written about him often and I’ll continue to write about him, not only because he is one of…
Orrin Keepnews: Hero for America’s Music (Revisited)
Orrin Keepnews frequently talked about jazz the way war veterans will talk about experiences on the front lines. There were at least two reasons for this. One, it was never…
Where the Hell is Shafi Hadi?: A Poem (Revisited)
(*Saxophone player Shafi Hadi, born Curtis Porter, is best-known for his association with jazz legend Charles Mingus, and played on the seminal recording Mingus Ah Um, from 1959. He dropped…
Ask The Ages: Revisiting Sonny Sharrock’s Masterful Swan Song
The name alone is epic: Sonny Sharrock. I won't resist the urge, because I can't, to pick a low-hanging pun and opine that Sonny put the rock back in jazz.…
Victory and Sorrow: Bright Moments from Three Masters (Revisited)
HOW TO TALK ABOUT JAZZ MUSIC? Well, perhaps it’s better to determine how not to talk about jazz music. Hearing is believing. That’s all there is to it. And if…