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!

Alice Coltrane

A lot has been going in the last few months. Work (reviews!) and the new book store have kept me really busy. Hence, the lack of a post since December 4th.

Unfortunately, since I last posted, we lost Alice Coltrane. I had planned to use this poster from a 1982 concert some time ago, but it fell victim to the hiatus.

This concert featured the three sons of John and Alice Coltrane - John, Jr. on bass and Ravi and Oran on saxes. They were all just teenagers at the time, so their playing wasn't quite mature yet. John, Jr. stole the show (maybe because he was the eldest). Tragically, just one week after this concert, he was killed in an automobile accident. He was two weeks shy of his 18th birthday. Oran and especially Ravi have since gone on to great heights in music.

Alice Coltrane, another giant of music, gone from the scene but represented by a great legacy.

Metropolis Books

A totally self-serving non-jazz related blog entry: After lots of sweat equity, Metropolis Books opened its doors for the first time on Friday, December 1st. Already, we’ve received press from the Downtown News, with more ready to follow. It all looks very promising. Visit us in person at 440 S. Main Street or at our website at www.MetropolisBooksLA.com. Thanks!

‘Tis the Season

...to break out the Christmas jazz CDs! This is the time of year when we pull out the CDs from storage that are geared for the holidays. Our favorites include:

Blue Yule – Sometimes the blues and Christmas go together like grits and eggs. Lightnin’ Hopkins and Sonny Boy Williamson (singing about "Santy Claw") are some of the folks who provide a look at a non-Hallmark view of Christmas.

A Concord Christmas – We bought this one for Rosemary Clooney’s version of "Christmas Time is Here." It’ll have you crying in your eggnog.

Jingle Bell Jazz – this is one I owned in LP form for many years. My favorites are Duke Ellington’s "Jingle Bells" and Dexter Gordon’s "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." But not to be missed is Miles Davis and Bob Dorough’s "Blue Xmas." To say it’s a cynical view of the holiday season would be an understatement.

What a Wonderful Christmas – It’s Satchmo. What else needs to be said?

A Charlie Brown Christmas – this is the soundtrack from what is now a holiday tradition. (I remember when it first aired!) The original music was composed by pianist Vince Guaraldi and played by his trio. This year, there’s a newly remastered version out, with four new bonus tracks. "Christmas Time is Here" has since become a holiday standard and "Linus and Lucy" an all-around favorite.

Kenny Burrell's 75th Birthday Celebration

Guitar legend and educator Kenny Burrell turned 75 on July 31st of this year. He’s had a nearly 30 year association with UCLA as a performing artist, professor and now, head of the jazz studies program. (The photos were taken at a concert on May 19, 1979 in front on UCLA’s Janss Steps. In addition to Kenny, the group featured Teddy Edwards-tenor sax, Ernie Andrews-vocals, Art Hillary-piano, John B. Williams-bass, and Sherman Ferguson-drums.)

This Saturday, December 2nd, Kenny’s 75th birthday is being celebrated at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus with a concert. Featured artists include Pat Metheny, The Gerald Wilson Orchestra, The Jazz Heritage All-Stars, The Kenny Burrell Trio, Russell Malone, Lalo Schifrin, Jeff Clayton, Hubert Laws and some very special surprise guests! Go to http://www.uclalive.org/event.asp?Event_ID=366 for more information.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KENNY !!!!

Sonny Rollins/Metropolis Books!

I’ve been busy lately trying to get our bookstore put together (see the next paragraph). While Julie and I were putting together bookcases, I happened to hear a Sonny Rollins song on local radio station KKJZ that was new to me. The announcer confirmed what I had suspected; Sonny has a new CD out! It’s entitled Sonny, Please. A couple of days later, I went to Tower Records and then Borders to find it; no luck. Then I tried to get it online at Amazon. Again, no luck. It took going to Sonny’s website to find out that he had started his own record label, Doxy Records. The album, his first studio recording in five years, is only available through his website. I think it’s great when an artist takes control of their business like that. Please support them! (I can’t wait for it to arrive!)

A Shameless Plug: My wife and I are in the process of opening an independent bookstore that will serve downtown Los Angeles (440 S. Main, between 4th and 5th). Oddly enough, no one else is serving this market. It will be called Metropolis Books. I have a place marker of a website here. We’re hoping to open early in December. Wish us luck!

Art Tatum 1909-1956

One of the things that made Phil Woods celebration of 75 years of life so notable is that so many jazz musicians don’t get to log that many years. 50 years ago on this date, Art Tatum passed away in Los Angeles at age 47. Some would say he was the greatest pianist ever, without including the qualifier "jazz." Classical greats like Rubinstein and Horowitz were fans. Unfortunately, there are not very many visual examples of Tatum in action. But through the magic of You Tube, you can watch him play Humoresque and Yesterdays. (Notice the economy of movement; he’s very efficient.)

The picture is from one of my favorite Tatum albums. It features him with the great Ben Webster in a sublime program of standards. If you don’t have it, you should get it!

Phil Woods Celebrates his Diamond Anniversary

Why the internet is a truly wonderful thing: "WGBH 89.7FM's Jazz From Studio Four host Steve Schwartz celebrates the 75th birthday of alto saxophonist Phil Woods (born Nov. 2, 1931) with a four-hour retrospective of his ongoing career, which began more than 50 years ago. One of the true masters of the bop vocabulary, Woods has played with an impressive array of artists—touring and recording with jazz legends Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and Benny Goodman and playing on pop albums by Billy Joel, Carly Simon and Steely Dan."

When is this thing happening?
Friday, November 3, 8pm—Midnight (EST)

How can I hear it, I'm not in Boston?
Streaming LIVE worldwide from WGBH Studios in Boston at wgbh.org/jazz.

The picture on the left is a screen capture of Mr. Woods with David Sanborn and his band from the Night Music show. It was a great show that aired in the late 80s at an ungodly hour. The time slot and the music ensured that it was seen by no one. It featured interesting groupings (one performance had Carla Bley and Bootsy Collins) and I still have some of the videotapes I made from it. When I get the time, I’m going to upload them to YouTube. I’ll post a note when I get there.

Happy Birthday, Phil !!