Jan 21, 2020
The passing of Jimmy Heath this past weekend at the age of 93 means that we have not just lost a great sax player and composer, but that one of the few living links to the birth of modern jazz is gone. Nicknamed "Little Bird" because of his technical abilities that recalled those of Charlie Parker, Heath played in big...
Jan 21, 2020
Jazz at Lincoln Center has spent much of the past three years aggresively attempting to expand their reach in the world of jazz. While it is already the home of one of the finest collection of musicians on the planet, via it’s label Blue Engine Records there have been new studio and live recordings as well as...
Jan 20, 2020
More than thirty years after the Rolling Stones’ Mobile Recording Studio recorded the show at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, fans of the late, great Buddy Rich are finally getting a chance to hear Just in Time; The Final Recording. Rich is leading a big band composed of many of the leading lights of his final...
Jan 19, 2020
Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph.
This is triumphant music.
Modern jazz has continued in this tradition,...
Jan 1, 2020
Most years, this first Straight No Chaser posting is of "Let's Start the New Year Right" by Irving Berlin, sung by that great crooner (and underrated influence on all jazz singers), Bing Crosby.
But 2020 is not going to be a normal year. It may well be the most important year of my lifetime here in the USA,. A...