Written by user on October 22, 2014
Papa Jo Jones was without a doubt one of the most influential figures in Jazz drumming. A member of Count Basie’s All-American Rhythm Section, he helped guide jazz drums towards incorporating brushes, keeping time with the hi-hat, and much, much more.
Modern Drummer did a nice feature on him, which you can read here. Additionally, when master drummer Michael Carvin came by our studios to record his wonderful series on the 26 rudiments of drumming, he took a brief break to …
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Written by user on October 10, 2014
Today marks the birthday of the legendary Thelonious Monk!
A few years ago, pianist Eric Reed helped us mark Monk’s birthday by sharing some of his favorite Monk albums, tunes, sidemen, and more. We’re re-posting them here, as Reed picked out some wonderful selections. Enjoy!
Pianist Eric Reed
Top 5 Favorite Monk Albums
1. Thelonious Monk Trio, (Prestige, 1952)
2. Monk, (Prestige, 1954)
3. The Prophet, (Vogue, 1954)
4. Two Hours With Thelonious, (Riverside, 1961)
5. Mulligan Meets Monk, (Riverside, 1957)
Thelonious Monk, 1947 (Photo: …
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Written by user on October 7, 2014
Beginning in the summer of 2015, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will begin a new summer residency in Castleton, Virginia, home of Lorin Maazel and the Castleton Festival. This two-week program, designed and instructed by Wynton Marsalis and a select team of faculty, will serve as a rigorous training institute for 42 of the most advanced and dedicated high school jazz students (grades 9-12). Students will apply by audition and participate in one of two big …
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Written by user on October 6, 2014
Earlier this year, we posted a list of recommended reading material on Jazz History, selected by our curator Phil Schaap. If you haven’t seen the list, you can check it out here.
You may have noticed that list stops at about 1940. We don’t want to leave out any styles, so here we go with our Reading List, Part 2!
1) Masters of Bebop: A Listener’s Guide by Ira Gitler
Gitler is a legend amongst Jazz authors, and in reading this book, it’s easy …
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Written by user on October 2, 2014
Johannesburg-based ensemble Uhadi (Photo: Ts’eliso Monaheng)
In 2014, South Africa celebrated 20 years of Democracy, and as a part of that, Jazz at Lincoln Center invited the Johannesburg-based ensemble Uhadi to perform at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.
While they were in town, they also recorded some educational videos with us covering some of the uniquely South African forms of Jazz.
These videos help to illustrate the ability of Jazz to work with other styles of the world, influence them, and be influenced …
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Written by user on September 29, 2014
Guitarist John McLaughlin’s resume reads like a Who’s Who of Jazz. Born in 1942, McLaughlin had joined drummer Tony Williams’ highly influential fusion group Lifetime, performed on Miles Davis’ seminal albums In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew (which also features a track named for him), Jack Johnson, and Live-Evil before he turned 30 (shortly after he turned 30, he also appeared on the influential Davis album On the Corner).
As if that were not enough, McLaughlin is also responsible for one of the most beloved jazz-rock ensembles of …
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Written by user on September 24, 2014
Photo: Hugo van Gelderen
John Coltrane would have celebrated his 88th birthday on the 23rd. His status as one of the most universally beloved, admired, and imitated jazz artists has held true for more than half a century. In 2012, Jazz at Lincoln Center hosted a John Coltrane festival, and in preparation for that, we asked several artists to discuss the impact of John Coltrane, as well as to list their favorite Trane albums. What resulted was a remarkable …
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Written by user on September 23, 2014
Today marks what would have been John Coltrane’s 88th birthday. In recognition, the extraordinary saxophonist Gary Bartz shares some of his thoughts about Trane:
“John Coltrane gave me an insight of how hard one needs to work in order to create music that has never been heard before. His work effort continues to inspire me. What a wonderful musical scientist he was. In order to compose music on the spot, one cannot leave any stone unturned. One lifetime is not long …
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Written by user on May 27, 2014
While many discographies exist that document the appearances of great jazz artists on recording sessions, they don’t all necessarily document whether a great artist is actually soloing on a given session. Consequently, if you are searching for examples of the beautiful solo work of, for example, altoist Hilton Jefferson (who was an inspiration to many great lead alto players of the big band era), you may find yourself combing through many recordings struggling to determine which moments feature his solo …
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Written by user on May 19, 2014
On May 9, the legendary trumpeter and bandleader Joe Wilder passed away at the age of 92. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy.
Shortly before he passed, Mr. Wilder witnessed the release of his biography, Softly, With Feeling: Joe Wilder and the Breaking of Barriers in American Music, a collaborative project undertaken with the scholar Ed Berger.
Ed Berger, who is also an instructor at our Swing University program, shares his thoughts on the passing of Mr. Wilder:
With Joe Wilder’s passing at …
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