Black History Month

Meanwhile, back at Metropolis Books, we decided to salute Black History month with a little bit of jazz. (Gee, what a stretch!)

Tenor Madness!

“Tenor Madness” is the name of the only recording Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane made together. I thought I’d link them again because they’re both the subject of this entry and music service offerings.

Sonny Rollins (see www.sonnyrollins.com to subscribe to his newsletter entitled “Newk’s Time”) is the subject of a new interview on MTV’s Urge network. In it, he discusses his new record label Doxy and colleagues like Miles Davis and Don Cherry. Click here to access.


John Coltrane is the subject of a weekly series of podcasts entitled “The Traneumentary.” There are some audio interviews from him, past collaborators like Jimmy Cobb and McCoy Tyner and people he’s influenced (Terrence Blanchard, Joe Lovano, amongst others). There’s also an associated blog; see www.traneumentary.blogspot.com for information.

All of this is free, so enjoy!

Ella Fitzgerald

A couple of months ago, I wrote an entry that said it was time for some more jazz-themed stamps. Well, I guess there was one in the pipeline while I was writing that. A stamp featuring the great Ella Fitzgerald debuted a couple of weeks ago. When I went to the post office shortly after they were released to pick up a couple of sheets, they told me they had quickly sold out them! A tribute to the continuing popularity of the First Lady of Song….

Speaking of tributes, there is a new Verve CD featuring music associated with Ella Fitzgerald. The cast of singers is pretty diverse. But rather than list them, see the video and find out for yourself.

New Music !

One of the great things about the Internet is the ease it allows for finding new information. This is especially cool when it comes to finding out about new releases or reissues. My favorite record company (Mosaic Records – www.mosaicrecords.com) announced a new set of Prestige CDs in their latest newsletter.

They’re part of the Rudy Van Gelder series of recordings remastered by the man himself. It’s amazing to think that the earliest of these recordings date from 1956 and RVG is still active. Although the sound was never bad on these, the new series sounds great.

The titles – "Traneing In" (John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio), "4, 5 and 6" (Jackie McLean), "Cookin’" (Miles Davis Quintet), "El Hombre" (Pat Martino), and "Plus Four" (Sonny Rollins). Quite a lineup; great music by great musicians!