Caring to Listen

What an incredible story.

“I saved jazz photography.”

Last Thursday, my phone rang. On the other end was a young woman who hurriedly began telling me a story, adding that a friend had suggested she contact me. The only words that stuck at the time were “photographs,” “Campbell” and “homeless.”

(via JazzWax and Nick Moy)

Filed under jazz photography

1 note &

November 9, 2012

Trumpeter Ted Curson RIP.

The musicians:

Ted Curson, trumpet,

Eric Dolphy, alto saxophone, bass clarinet

Booker Ervin, tenor saxophone

Charles Mingus, bass, piano

Dannie Richmond, drums.

Recorded at the Antibes Jazz Festival, Juan-les-Pins, 1960.

(Source: Spotify)

Filed under Ted Curson Charles Mingus jazz

3 notes &

October 21, 2012

The musicians:

Dizzy Gillespie, trumpet;

Don Byas, tenor saxophone;

Milt Jackson, vibraphone;

Al Haig, piano;

Ray Brown, bass;

J.C. Heard, drums.

(Source: Spotify)

Filed under music spotify jazz Dizzy Gillespie

1 note &

October 8, 2012

The rock-solid baritone saxophone of Pepper Adams opens this classic. It’s his birthday today.

The musicians:

Charles Mingus – bass
John Handy – alto saxophone
Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
Booker Ervin – tenor saxophone
Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone
Jimmy Knepper – trombone
Willie Dennis – trombone
Horace Parlan – piano
Dannie Richmond – drums

(Source: Spotify)

Filed under jazz Pepper Adams Charles Mingus

4 notes &

October 7, 2012

On the birthday of organist Larry Young.

Composition by Thelonious Monk.

With Elvin Jones on drums

(Source: Spotify)

Filed under music spotify jazz organ Larry Young Elvin Jones

7 notes &

September 23, 2012

On the birthday of John Coltrane, born September 23, 1926.

Naima, recorded July 27, 1965 in Antibes

The musicians:

John Coltrane - Tenor Saxophone
McCoy Tyner - Piano
Jimmy Garrison - Bass
Elvin Jones - Drums

I’ve previously re-blogged a version I like even better: if you haven’t seen it, check it out here.

Filed under jazz John Coltrane Naima music saxophone

37 notes &

September 19, 2012

358 Plays

Thelonious Monk

Crepuscule With Nellie

bainer:

Thelonious Monk - Crepescule with Nellie (1963)

From Thelonious Monk - The Life and Times of an American Original:

Monk had started composing a piece for Nellie just when she fell ill. He worked on it throughout the month of May [1957] between home and the Algonquin, and Nica [the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter] captured a “draft” of it on tape during one of Coltrane’s visits. Monk wanted to call it “Twilight with Nellie,” but the Baroness promptly suggested he use the French word for twilight: crepuscule. It became his obsession. He conceived of it as a through-composed piece—there would be no improvisation, no variation, just a concise arrangement. “Crepuscule with Nellie” was to be his concerto and he wanted it to be perfect. Driven to mania, he stayed up many nights wrestling with the song’s middle or bridge. He was desperate to finish the song because he feared he might lose his precious wife.

At the end, listen for producer Teo Macero’s “Yeah! That’s wild!”