Author name: Thomas Cunniffe

100% Proof: The Complete Tubby Hayes Discography (by Simon Spillett & C. Tom Davis)

Book Reviews /

In a recording career that spanned 22 years, Tubby Hayes played on nearly 400 different sessions, including broadcast, film and studio appearances. The only job more Herculean than playing all of those sessions is cataloging them. Thomas Cunniffe reviews 100% Proof: The Complete Tubby Hayes Discography, compiled by two of Hayes’ most ardent researchers, Simon Spillett and C. Tom Davis.

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What A Wonderful World (by Ricky Riccardi)

Book Reviews /

The second half of Louis Armstrong’s career may be the most misunderstood in all of jazz history. In his new book, What A Wonderful World, author Ricky Riccardi attempts to correct the record. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the book.

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Why Jazz Happened (by Marc Myers)

Book Reviews /

Most jazz history books discuss how social and technological advances affected the music, but Marc Myers’ book, Why Jazz Happened turns that formula on its head, and offers an insightful look into the music business in the process. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the volume in this month’s Book Review.

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Timme Rosenkrantz and the Town Hall Concert (June 9, 1945)

Best of JHO, Sidetracks /

The June 9, 1945 Town Hall concert produced by Timme Rosenkrantz was ostensibly a celebration of small group swing, featuring Red Norvo, Gene Krupa, Bill Coleman, Teddy Wilson, Don Byas and Stuff Smith. However, there were elements of the newly emerging bebop style for anyone who was listening. Thomas Cunniffe discusses the music and tells of the concert’s fascinating back story in this month’s Sidetracks.

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Wes Montgomery: “In the Beginning” (Resonance 2014)

Retro Reviews /

While Wes Montgomery was not well-known in the jazz world before 1960, he had been a semi-professional musician in his home town of Indianapolis since 1944. Following on their acclaimed album Echoes of Indiana Avenue, Resonance Records has issued a new collection called In the Beginning which traces Montgomery’s playing back to 1949. Thomas Cunniffe offers his thoughts on the set in this Retro Review.

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Wes Montgomery: “Echoes of Indiana Avenue” (Resonance 2011)

Retro Reviews /

The legacies of many jazz legends have been enriched with posthumous releases. Resonance’s Echoes of Indiana Avenue is the first album of unissued Montgomery in a quarter-century, and as reviewer Thomas Cunniffe notes, the album has clues that more unissued Montgomery may still be forthcoming.

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The Jam Session: A Vocalist’s Confession

Sidetracks /

In this edition of our Sidetracks column, we introduce you to our newest writer, Nicky Schrire. A progressive jazz vocalist from South Africa, she now lives and works in New York. Here, she describes her experiences at a singers only jam session in the Big Apple.

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Manhattan Transfer/Take 6 Vocal Summit in Boulder (November 11, 2016)

Concert Reviews /

Back in 2011, the Manhattan Transfer and the New York Voices joined forces for a pair of concerts. The vocal summit concept was so successful (artistically and commercially) that several of today’s best vocal groups have staged these performances all over the world. One of these concerts, featuring the Manhattan Transfer and Take 6, finally came to Colorado, and Thomas Cunniffe was there. He details their combined performance at Macky Auditorium in Boulder.

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The Zen of Bennett (Sony Music/RPM/Netflix)

DVD Reviews /

There have been plenty of documentaries made about Tony Bennett, but the latest film on the singer, The Zen of Bennett, assumes that the viewers know his biography, and focuses instead on the philosophy that makes him such a compelling artist. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the DVD version.

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Tubby Hayes: “A Man in a Hurry” (Mono Media/Treatment/Proper)

DVD Reviews /

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Tubby Hayes’ birth, there’s been several new CD reissues, a long-awaited full-length biography and now a documentary on the British tenor sax giant. Hayes lived a fast and full life before his passing at the age of 38, which makes the documentary’s title, A Man in a Hurry all the more appropriate. Thomas Cunniffe offers his thoughts on the film in this month’s DVD review.

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Voices of Experience

CD Reviews /

The three veteran singers spotlighted in this month’s vocal CD reviews bring their wealth of personal and professional experiences to the music. Freddy Cole eclipses the shadow of his famous older brother Nat on the tribute album He Was the King; Barb Jungr offers a salve for the world with Shelter from the Storm, and the late Mark Murphy performs a stunning collection of Miles Davis standards on Live in Athens, Greece. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the discs.

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Vocal Potpourri

CD Reviews /

Vocalists from all over the globe highlight this month’s vocal CD reviews. Swiss vocalist Beat Kaestli offers a wide range of songs on his disc Live in Europe, Australian vocalist and pianist Sarah McKenzie draws from a rich set of vocal and instrumental influences on We Could Be Lovers and from here in the US, Kurt Elling joins Branford Marsalis for a brilliant collaboration on Upward Spiral. Thomas Cunniffe notes the highlights in his reviews.

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Vanessa Perea: “Soulful Days” (Zoho 201406)

CD Reviews /

New Jersey vocalist Vanessa Perea’s debut CD, Soulful Days is as remarkable for its understatement as it is for its musicality. This month, JHO reviewer Thomas Cunniffe focuses on this stunning album, and speculates that Perea could become jazz’s next major vocalist.

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Tribute Albums with a Difference

CD Reviews /

In their celebrations of George Gershwin and Bill Evans, pianist Ted Rosenthal and bassist Martin Wind offer tribute albums that present the music in new and surprising ways. According to reviewer Thomas Cunniffe, the surprises start with the instrumentation and get better from there.

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