Julian “Cannonball” Adderley was such an uplifting force of nature. As a composer and bandleader he had a distinctive voice, but wow, as a saxophonist he was (to quote the title of one of his best-loved albums) somethin’ else. The way he combined gutbucket blues and the technical and theoretical mastery of Charlie Parker is…
Continue ReadingOctober 25, 2026 marks the centennial of Jimmy Heath, the great saxophonist, composer, and arranger (a true “triple threat,” as implied by one of the album titles below). While small in stature, he was huge in musical authority, all the more so when one considers the strength and courage required to get clean in the…
Continue ReadingI’m a few months late in acknowledging Melba Liston’s centennial, but it’s never too late to give this trailblazing musician her propers. Her work as a trombonist is underrepresented on recordings, at least in featured settings (she is heard quite a bit in big band settings) but remains noteworthy. Her work as a composer, arranger,…
Continue ReadingIt’s taken me a minute to gather my thoughts about Bob Weir’s passing. The Grateful Dead’s music is embedded in my DNA and Bobby was central to that. Before I’d ever heard of Robert Johnson or Willie Dixon I was hearing Bobby sing their tunes. Before I ever even knew what comping was, much less…
Continue ReadingSome great music came out this year, and while I allowed myself to be a little less prolific in my listening, I still plowed through more than an album per day on average. “Plowed through” makes it sound like a chore, which is unfair (even if not always 100% inaccurate) given how much genuine nourishment…
Continue ReadingI’m a few months late to acknowledge pianist/composer Mal Waldron’s centennial. His style, though initially rooted in bop and blues, was singular, and he was never a “star” per se, yet had a footprint in so much important music, including classic records by Abbey Lincoln, Charles Mingus, Jeanne Lee, Kenny Burrell, Gene Ammons, Max Roach,…
Continue ReadingI’m a few months late in acknowledging the great pianist Oscar Peterson’s centennial. It’s fascinating to me how controversial his non-controversial approach to music is in some circles. Nobody can deny that he is a major figure with Tatum-esque virtuosity and a distinctive conception that made him superlatively in-demand. That said virtuosity was often quite…
Continue ReadingI can safely say that the music of Steve Winwood (who I had the pleasure of hearing last night on the first stop of his brief U.S. tour) has had a huge impact on my development from his teenaged output (when he was still going by Stevie) to more recent live work. It’s difficult to…
Continue ReadingIf you’ve been a jazz fan over the last several decades, you have surely heard the brilliant drummer Jeff Hirshfield on something. I am looking very much forward to having my first opportunity to play with him as part of Jamie Baum’s visit to Resonant Motion’s Jazz Up Close series on September 11, and here…
Continue ReadingI’m thrilled that on September 11 (as part of Resonant Motion’s Jazz Up Close series) I will finally have the opportunity to play with flutist Jamie Baum, and better still to play some among her many lovely compositions. Over more than thirty years she has established a musical niche with her distinctive conception, and yet…
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