10 for NYC by 10, on 9/11
Sean MurphyNew 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 our known universe.…
The Shape of Jazz That Came…(Revisited)
1959 was a watershed year for jazz music (arguably the greatest single year for jazz in all history–which is saying a lot). Here’s a taste: Miles Davis Kind of Blue,…
Miles: Still The Baddest (and Meanest) MF on the Planet
Lots of Miles in the sky lately. Just saw this hilarious (and oddly moving) story online today from the great old days when, in no particular order, Davis was alive, certain…
Beauty is a Rare Thing: Celebrating International Jazz Day
All hope is not lost. At least enough people are still making --and listening to-- jazz that we can even attempt to initiate what hopefully becomes an ongoing occasion. In…
Bill Evans: The Definitive Bill Evans on Riverside and Fantasy
The way the piano was played, like almost everything else in jazz, changed during the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. With a new crop of young virtuosos churning out one…
No One Has Ever Done Anything as Well as John Coltrane Played the Saxophone (Revisited)
The question isn’t, really, about who might be interested in this documentary; it is about who might not be. For fans who already know everything, or those indifferent to jazz…
Honeycrisps are Back
And they are back, BIG! The taste of autumn is in the air, and in my mouth.
The Shock Heard ‘Round the World: ‘Bitches Brew’ Turns 40
Shortly before his death in 1991, Miles Davis remarked “You don’t change music, music changes you.” While that statement is unassailable regarding the vast majority of artists, no matter how…
The Shape of Jazz That Came…
1959 was a watershed year for jazz music (arguably the greatest single year for jazz in all history–which is saying a lot). Here’s a taste: Miles Davis Kind of Blue,…
The Spanish Caravan
Congratulations to a very worthy and deserving Spain for securing their first World Cup title. Condolences to the Dutch, who did not exactly do their Clockwork Orange-era compatriots especially proud…