Jazz fans expect (and receive) great music from certain veteran musicians. That is certainly the case with Jimmy Cobb, Fred Hersch and Sonny Rollins. Thomas Cunniffe reviews three superb new releases from these jazz giants in this month’s instrumental CD reviews.
Dependable Excellence Read More »
Although he had appeared on records since the early 1960s, Charles Lloyd was still developing his sound and finding his audience in 1965. A new 2-disc set, Manhattan Stories includes contrasting live sets from Judson Hall and Slug’s featuring Lloyd, Gábor Szabó, Ron Carter and Pete La Roca. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the set, noting how well these two sets play off each other, and how one selection points to Lloyd’s eventual direction.
Charles Lloyd: “Manhattan Stories” (Resonance 2016) Read More »
Filling an important gap in Charles Mingus’ discography, the new Mosaic 7-CD set The Jazz Workshop Concerts collects five concerts from 1964-1965 originally produced for issue on Mingus’ own label. The album includes over two hours of newly released music, including three very different versions of Meditations on Integration. Thomas Cunniffe offers details in this Retro Review.
Charles Mingus: “The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65” (Mosaic 253) Read More »
Mosaic’s new collection of Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars includes over 11 hours of live performances spread over 9 CDs. Co-Producer and annotator Ricky Riccardi has long held that Armstrong’s later recordings are as important as his early works, and reviewer Thomas Cunniffe states that the music in this Mosaic set validates Riccardi’s arguments. This expanded Retro Review offers a detailed look at the music in this outstanding collection.
Louis Armstrong: “Columbia & RCA Victor Live Recordings” (Mosaic 257) Read More »
Nearly 60 years after his death, Clifford Brown is still regarded as one of the greatest trumpeters in jazz history. For the past two decades, Don Glanden has researched Brown’s life and music, and interviewed many of Brown’s friends and colleagues. The results have been gathered into a new documentary, Brownie Speaks, and as reviewer (and longtime Brownie fan) Thomas Cunniffe writes, the film is loaded with new information about Brown’s life and career.
Brownie Speaks! (Glanden Productions) Read More »
Don’t look now, but the Boswell Sisters are currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. A recent gathering in New Orleans featured tribute groups from all over the globe, and a new documentary on the Boswells is due to air on PBS in 2015. Unfortunately, none of the sisters are still alive to take part, but Vet Boswell’s granddaughter, Kyla Titus, has just self-published a new biography, Boswell Legacy that clears up many of the mysteries surrounding the sister’s personal and professional histories. Thomas Cunniffe reviews this long-overdue book.
The Boswell Legacy (by Kyla Titus) Read More »
Every year, we lose more of the great jazz masters, and predictably, the tribute albums turn up within the next year. While many of these tribute albums are well-made, they are ultimately too late. This month, Thomas Cunniffe examines three albums which celebrate living musicians, and notes that on two of the CDs, the honorees perform alongside their admiring colleagues.
Celebrating the Living Read More »
By all indications, it shouldn’t have been that special: just a run-out concert by the Erroll Garner Trio in a small California coastal town on the off-night of a nightclub engagement in San Francisco. Yet, on September 19. 1955, Erroll Garner’s concert in Carmel-by-the-Sea was recorded by a young Army DJ, and subsequently issued by Columbia. To celebrate the album’s 60th anniversary, the complete concert is being issued for the first time. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe tells the story behind Concert by the Sea and notes that the remastered and restored sound is better than any previous issues.
Erroll Garner: The Complete “Concert by the Sea” (Columbia/Legacy 20842) Read More »
It’s always good to be a fan of Count Basie and Lester Young, but with the concurrent releases of Mosaic’s 8-CD box set Classic 1936-1947 Studio Sessions and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s second volume of Bill Savory recordings (focused entirely on Basie and Young from 1938-1940), the artistry of these great musicians can be understood in greater detail than ever before. In this extended Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe notes that the highly inclusive Mosaic set allows listeners to compare recordings that were made for competing record companies, and Savory’s radio broadcasts capture the band live at New York’s Famous Door, Boston’s Southland Ballroom and Chicago’s Panther Room.
Count Basie and Lester Young: Live and in the Studio Read More »
In the Thirties and Forties, a young radio engineer named Bill Savory captured broadcast performances of Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller, and many others. Up until this year, a double-disc set of Goodman airchecks were the only parts of Savory’s collection available to the general public. However, this fall Loren Schoenberg and the National Jazz Museum of Harlem released the first in a series of digital albums featuring highlights from the Savory archive. As Thomas Cunniffe notes in this Retro Review, the recordings make us reconsider our knowledge of these great jazz icons.
National Jazz Museum of Harlem Savory Collection, Vol. 1 (Apple download) Read More »
At the beginning of Bruce Spiegel’s documentary, “Time Remembered”, Chuck Israels says that he is constantly asked “What was Bill Evans really like?” Israels, who spent five years as Evans’ bassist, shakes his head and replies “Damned if I know”. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the DVD, which attempts to uncover some of the mysteries surrounding this iconic musician.
Bill Evans: Time Remembered (Reel House download/DVD) Read More »
The modern-day discoveries of unreleased recordings keep jazz history an ongoing endeavor. Historians like Loren Schoenberg (of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem) and Zev Feldman (of Resonance Records and other independent companies) have discovered unissued recordings that have changed our perspective on the artists. This month, Thomas Cunniffe reviews the third volume of the Bill Savory Collection and Thelonious Monk’s film score for Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960.
Fred Astaire may not have been a fan of his own singing voice, but Norman Granz was, and in 1952, he called up Astaire to propose a 4-LP set commemorating his career. Astaire turned him down, but after his son reminded him of the JATP concert recordings they listened to at home, Astaire changed his mind. A new double CD reissue of The Astaire Story has just been released, and Thomas Cunniffe details the music and backstory of this timeless recording.
Fred Astaire: “The Astaire Story” (Verve 26605) Read More »
At the age of 90, Bill Holman is as active as ever, leading his LA-based big band, fulfilling commissions for new compositions and arrangements, and (in the near future) being the subject of a new documentary. Conversations with Bill Holman is the result of a week-long series of interviews conducted by Holman’s friend and colleague, Bill Dobbins. In his review, Thomas Cunniffe notes that most of the material is easily accessible to the average educated jazz fan, but that the reader should come in with knowledge of Holman’s famous scores.
Conversations with Bill Holman (edited by Bill Dobbins) Read More »