The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz fusion group led by drummer Tony Williams. The band was pivotal in the development of fusion and featured various noteworthy jazz and rock musicians throughout its history, including guitarists John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth, keyboardists Larry Young and Alan Pasqua, and bassists Jack Bruce and Ron Carter.
From their performance at Woodstock in 1969, here is Mountain with lead guitarist and vocalist Leslie West playing "Southbound Train". The band lineup is Leslie West on lead guitar and vocals, Felix Pappalardi on bass, Steve Knight on keyboards, and Corky Laing on drums.
"Sand" → "No Men In No Man's Land" → "Llama" from Phish's 9/1/2023 show at Dicks Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO. Directed by Trey Kerr.
Another Sunday Special this week.
The Miles Davis Septet was a groundbreaking ensemble led by the iconic trumpeter and composer Miles Davis. Davis, born on May 26, 1926, was already a jazz legend by the time he formed this septet. Known for his innovative approach to jazz and his ability to consistently reinvent his sound, Davis was at the forefront of every major jazz movement during his illustrious career. The septet's core lineup included some of the most influential jazz musicians of the era:
Miles Davis: The leader and driving force behind the ensemble, Davis was a virtuoso trumpeter and composer. His willingness to experiment with different styles and musical approaches would come to define the group's sound.
Wayne Shorter: A brilliant saxophonist and composer, Wayne Shorter brought a unique and adventurous voice to the septet's music. His compositions and improvisational prowess were integral to the group's success.
Herbie Hancock: A prodigious pianist and composer, Hancock's innovative harmonies and keyboard work added depth and complexity to the septet's repertoire.
Ron Carter: An exceptional bassist, Ron Carter's impeccable sense of time and rhythm provided a solid foundation for the group's music.
Tony Williams: A remarkable drummer known for his youthful energy and groundbreaking innovations in jazz drumming, Williams added a dynamic and forward-thinking dimension to the ensemble.
Frank Butler (replaced by George Coleman): Initially, Frank Butler played the drums, but he was later replaced by the talented saxophonist George Coleman, who brought his unique style to the group.
Victor Feldman (replaced by Harold Mabern): Victor Feldman played the piano but was eventually replaced by Harold Mabern, who continued to contribute to the septet's evolving sound.
The Miles Davis Septet was known for its pioneering work in modal jazz, as exemplified by the landmark album "Kind of Blue" released in 1959. This album redefined jazz and became one of the best-selling and most influential jazz recordings of all time. In the 1960s, the septet continued to innovate, incorporating elements of avant-garde jazz and free jazz into their music with albums like "E.S.P." and "Miles Smiles". "Freaky Deaky"was performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival on July 15th, 1984 at the Garden Pavillion.
From their August 31st, 2023, show at Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, here is yet another version of their tune "Carini".
From an appearance on the TopPop program in 1975, here are The Doobie Brothers with their hit song "Listen to The Music". The Doobie Brothers were very popular because of their vocal harmonies, and a three-guitar tandem. Harmonies for guitars and voices between Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Tom Johnston, and Patrick Simmons.
From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.
The Dizzy Gillespie Quintet:- Dizzy Gillespie, trumpet; Sahib Shihab, alto sax; Wade Legge, piano; Nelson Boyd, acoustic double bass; Charlie Persip, drums. Director: John Hubley.
From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.
Orrin Keepnews was an American jazz writer and record producer known for founding Riverside Records and Milestone Records, for freelance work, and for his work at other labels. Alfred McCoy Tyner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Grammy award winner.
Fly with the Wind is a 1976 album by jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, his ninth to be released on the Milestone label. It was recorded in January 1976 and features performances by Tyner with a trio, woodwinds and a full string section.The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states the album "...has plenty of memorable moments and is a surprising but logical success; Tyner's orchestral piano blended with the strings very well."
This is an episode from a series I produced in 2008, Orrin Keepnews.
From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack. Kenny Dorham was an important jazz musician for several reasons:
1. **Innovative Trumpeter**: As a trumpet player, Dorham was known for his distinctive and innovative style. He brought a unique lyrical sensitivity and melodic sense to his playing, with a sound that could be both forceful and understated. His contribution helped shape the direction of hard bop and bebop.
2. **Influential Composer**: Dorham was also a very gifted composer. His compositions, such as "Blue Bossa" and "Una Mas," have become standards in the jazz repertoire.
3. **Member of Pioneering Jazz Groups**: Dorham was a member of some of the most influential jazz groups of his era. He replaced Clifford Brown in Max Roach's band after Brown's death, and was a member of the original Jazz Messengers with Art Blakey. He also played with Charlie Parker's quintet and Dizzy Gillespie's big band.
4. **Educator and Mentor**: Dorham was also important as an educator and mentor to younger musicians. He taught at the Lenox School of Jazz in Massachusetts, and he was known for his ability to articulate complex musical ideas in a way that was accessible and meaningful to his students.
5. **Versatility**: He was known for his ability to excel in a variety of jazz styles, from hard bop to Afro-Cuban. This made him a sought-after collaborator and contributed to the enduring relevance of his work.
6. **Recording Artist**: Dorham's discography, both as a leader and as a sideman, is impressive and influential. His records are considered important documents in the history of jazz.
In all of these ways, Kenny Dorham made significant contributions to jazz music and its development during the mid-20th century. His work continues to inspire and influence musicians today.
From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.
Atlantis (Tyner) McCoy Tyner Quintet: McCoy Tyner - piano; Azar Lawrence - soprano & tenor saxophone; Antonio Guilherme de Souza Franco - percussion; Jooney Booth - bass; and Wilbert Fletcher - drums. Berlin Jazztage, 1974.
McCoy Tyner was a highly influential American jazz pianist known for his work as a member of the John Coltrane Quartet, as well as his own long, successful career as a bandleader and composer. Tyner passed away in 2020, but his contributions to jazz continue to be celebrated for several reasons:
1. **Innovation in Jazz**: Tyner was a pioneering figure in the development of jazz, particularly in the realm of modal jazz and post-bop. His playing pushed the boundaries of what was previously understood and accepted in the genre.
2. **Unique Style**: Tyner had a unique piano style characterized by his use of complex chords, an emphasis on the low end of the keyboard, and a percussive yet lyrical approach to improvisation. His use of fourths in constructing chords and voicings had a significant impact on the vocabulary of jazz piano.
3. **Collaboration with John Coltrane**: Tyner was a member of the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, one of the most revolutionary and studied groups in the history of jazz. Albums like "My Favorite Things," "A Love Supreme," and "Impressions" are considered seminal works in the jazz canon. His partnership with Coltrane significantly shaped the saxophonist's sound.
4. **Leadership and Composition**: Beyond his work with Coltrane, Tyner led his own groups and released numerous albums that stand as significant works in jazz. As a bandleader, he showcased a range of styles and was also a significant composer in his own right.
5. **Pedagogical Impact**: Tyner's techniques and compositions are widely studied in academic and practical music settings, making him an important figure for students and professionals alike.
6. **Awards and Recognition**: Tyner received multiple Grammy Awards and was a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, among other honors. His accomplishments were acknowledged both within the jazz community and by the broader world of arts and culture.
7. **Longevity and Influence**: Tyner's career spanned over five decades, during which he collaborated with a vast array of musicians and continued to evolve his style. His work has influenced a wide range of musicians, not only pianists but also other instrumentalists in the world of jazz and beyond.
8. **Cultural Impact**: Beyond just the music, Tyner, like many jazz greats, had an impact on broader discussions about race, culture, and artistic freedom. His music often transcended the standard limitations of genre or style to make broader cultural statements.
9. **Versatility**: While mainly known for his role in the development of modern jazz, Tyner was a versatile musician who was comfortable in various settings, including large ensembles, solo piano performances, and cross-genre collaborations.
In summary, McCoy Tyner's innovative techniques, extensive body of work, and long-lasting influence make him a key figure in the history of jazz music.
Another Sunday Special this week. From their 1976 concert in Holland which was released on recording and DVD way back in 2014 or so, here is Little Feat with "Rock and Roll Doctor" featuring the lineup that was the band from 1972-1979 including Lowell George on vocals, guitar, and harmonica, Paul Barrere on vocals and guitar, Bill Payne on keyboards and vocals, Kenny Gradney on bass, Richie Hayward on drums and backing vocals, and Sam Clayton on congas, percussion, and vocals.
Widespread Panic performs "Disco" live at @RedRocksCo, on June 25, 2023.
A combined Full Album and Full Concert Friday this week featuring the John Coltrane Quartet and the record "Coast to Coast".
Tracks 1 and 2 recorded at a television broadcast, "Jazz Casual TV Show", KQED TV Studio, San Francisco, CA, December 7, 1963. (misdated on the back cover as February 23, 1964) Track 3 recorded at "Half Note", New York City April 2, 1965. Lineup: Tenor Saxophone - John Coltrane Drums - Elvin Jones Bass - Jimmy Garrison Piano - McCoy Tyner Track list: 00:00:00 1. Alabama 00:06:20 2. Impressions 00:20:49 3. Creation
From the 1992 Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, here are The Brecker Brothers with "Sponge". The band lineup includes Michael Brecker on tenor saxophone, Randy Btecker on trumpet, Mike Stern on guitar, George Whitty on keyboards, James Genus on bass, and Dave Weckl on drums.
From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.
Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which contained satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial was followed by a posthumous pardon in 2003.
Bruce paved the way for counterculture-era comedians. His trial for obscenity was a landmark of freedom of speech in the United States. In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him third (behind Richard Pryor and George Carlin) on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.
Widespread Panic performs Warren Zevon's "Keep Me In Your Heart," dedicated to the memory of Bill Bass, live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on June 25, 2023.
Another Sunday Special this week. From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack. What Did Keith Jarrett Say to Miles Davis? Keith Jarrett played with Miles Davis in 1971, in a group that included Michael Henderson on bass, and sax man supreme Gary Bartz.
From a concert that took place on December 11th, 2002, here is the quartet of Billy Cobham on drums, the late, great Victor Bailey on drums, the late, great Hiram Bullock on guitar, and Tom Coster on keyboards, playing Cobham's composition "Stratus". Unfortunately, the video on this one ends before the song does.
Full Concert Friday this week is a Phish musical called Gamehendge that they performed on New Years' Eve, Sunday, December 31st, 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, to cap off the band's 40th anniversary.
"Gamehendge" from Phish's 12/31/2023 show at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER
LISA SHRIVER
PRODUCTION DESIGN
JASON ARDIZZONE-WEST
MUSIC DIRECTOR
JEFF TANSKI
SHOW WRITER
SARA WORDSWORTH
THEATRICAL LIGHTING DESIGN
ABIGAIL ROSEN HOLMES
COSTUME DESIGN
JEN CAPRIO
PUPPET DESIGN
SIMPLE MISCHIEF STUDIO
SPENCER LOTT & GRACE TOWNLEY
CO-CHOREOGRAPHER
REED LUPLAU
AERIAL CHOREOGRAPHY
5TH WALL STUDIO
GWENYTH LARSEN & WILLIAM MULHOLLAND
PROP DESIGN
ADDISON HEREEN
LAUREN PAGE RUSSELL
SOUND EFFECTS DESIGN
DAN SCOTT
VIDEO DESIGN
ALEX BASCO KOCH
LINE PRODUCER
SARAH ZEITLER
PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT
MEAGAN STRADER
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
JEFF MARKOWITZ
AERIAL COORDINATOR
KYLE BREEN
SCRIPT SUPERVISOR
RUSS KAPLAN
STAGE MANAGEMENT
PETER CHANG
CHRIS DECAMILLIS
SETH MELLMAN
JASON QUINN
CAST
GRANDMA: ANNIE GOLDEN
JIMMY: MITCHELL SINK
THE WOLF: JO EQUALITY LAMPERT
COLONEL FORBIN: JEFF WILLIAMS
RUTHERFORD: DANIEL GAYMON
TELA: REBECCA MAGAZINE
PERFORMERS
NAKIA ABRAM
DELPHI BORICH
ALYSSA DINKA
JON HOCHE
LEAH HOROWITZ
KODY JAURON
WILL JEWETT
YONI KALLAI
JUSTIN KEATS
GRAHAM KEEN
BRIANNA KIM
KOLTON KROUSE
MARKELLE LEIGH
GIUSEPPE LITTLE
ROWAN MAGEE
ANDRE MALCOLM
ALEJANDRA MATOS
JORDAN MCCASKILL
MICHAELA MCGOWAN
AISHA MITCHELL
JUSTICE MOORE
FREDERICODGAARD
BENJAMIN RIVERA
NICHOLAS RANAURO
MELODY ROSE
MIKEY RUIZ
LUCAS THOMPSON
KENDALL WALKER
ANDREW WOJTAL
ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION DESIGN
SEAN SANFORD
ASSOCIATE COSTUME DESIGN
HEATHER NEIL
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER
JENA VANELSLANDER
LIGHTING PROGRAMMER
MATTHEW PIERCY
LIGHTING
PETER SPADARO
MICHAEL CAMPBELL
ALISON ROBESON
TIM DONOVAN
GAFFER
TIM DONOVAN
VIDEO PROGRAMMER
STIVO ARNOCZY
MONITOR ENGINEER
BRIAN EVANS
AUDIO EFFECTS PROGRAMMER
JOSH ALLAMON
AUDIO
AMY BAMMARITO
JAMIE NELSON
ANDREW PUCCIO
TAIT
VINCE GALLEGOS
ANTHONY VITALE
JAMES EGMUND
SHANE EKIS
TIM ITALIANO
DAN NELSON
JORDAN PARTIER
FRANCESCA DECCO
JENNA MINNIG
ALEX SERRANO
AIRSTAGE
FABIAN BRAUN
DENNIS GUTOWSKY
ARTISTRY IN MOTION
JOE WOJCIK
IMAGE SFX
CHAD FREEMAN
KEVIN GERACI
ZACK LAWSON
TYLER MCKINNON
KELLY KAMP
WARDROBE DEPARTMENT
MOJO BLAIR
ERIC GORSUCH
SAM LANDY
NAKOMA LITAHNÍ
RACHEL NAVARRO
CAROLYN SMITH
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
SYDNEY DUBITSKY
DOMINIQUE FINKLEY
AUGUST GALLO
CITIZEN GALLO
STEPHEN HERNANDEZ
TRACY KETCHER
MIA SLADYK
PHISH
TREY ANASTASIO
JON FISHMAN
MIKE GORDON
PAGE MCCONNELL
DIRECTED BY
TREY KERR
LIGHTING DESIGN BY
CHRIS KURODA
FRONT OF HOUSE AUDIO MIXED BY
GARRY BROWN
LIVEPHISH MIX ENGINEER
VANCE POWELL
PRODUCED BY
JASON COLTON
PATRICK JORDAN
RICHARD GLASGOW
TREY KERR
A stirring cover of blues legend Otis Rush's song "Double Trouble" with Joe Bonamassa and His Band featuring Reese Wynans on keyboards, performed live at Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York in January, 2015.
The one and the only, the late, great Otis Redding performing his hit song "Try A Little Tenderness" from a performance live in Norway on April 7th, 1967.
From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.
Zores Mores (Mangelsdorff) Jaco Pastorius, bass; Albert Mangelsdorff, trombone; Alphonse Mouzon, drums. Live in Berlin, 1976
From his 2023 recording "Blues Deluxe Volume 2" here is Joe Bonamassa with "Lazy Poker Blues".
Another Sunday Special. From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.
Billy Taylor Solo Piano https://amzn.to/2PMOMh3 Billy Taylor and Gerry Mulligan Live https://amzn.to/2Rb3uid Billy Taylor Piano Transcriptions https://amzn.to/2q8KSEa Two Jazz piano masters make musical magic in a rare duo setting. Dr. Billy Taylor appeared on hundreds of jazz albums and wrote more than 300 tunes, including "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," which became an unofficial anthem of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. It was the theme music of the 1996 film "Ghosts of Mississippi. John Lewis was among the most conservative of bop pianists. His improvised melodies, played with a delicate touch, were usually simple and quiet. The accompaniments were correspondingly light, with Lewis's left hand often just grazing the keys to produce a barely audible sound. His method of accompanying soloists was similarly understated: rather than comping—punctuating the melody with irregularly placed chords—he often played simple countermelodies in octaves which combined with the solo and bass parts to form a polyphonic texture. Occasionally, Lewis played in a manner resembling the stride styles of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller, all the while retaining his light touch.
Full Concert Friday this week featuring The Band.
Opening for The Allman Brothers Band / New Orleans Jazz Fest ~ Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd jamming live together on the tune "Interstellar Overdrive".
From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.
Lady Be Good, Memories of You. Max Roach and Clifford Brown, 1955, Soupy Sales Show on ABC-TV.
Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car crash, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Spring", and "Daahoud" have become jazz standards.[5] Brown won the DownBeat magazine Critics' Poll for New Star of the Year in 1954; he was inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame in 1972.
Brown was influenced and encouraged by Fats Navarro. His first recordings were with R&B bandleader Chris Powell. He worked with Art Blakey, Tadd Dameron, Lionel Hampton and J. J. Johnson, before forming a band with Max Roach.
One of the most notable developments during Brown's period in New York was the formation of Art Blakey's Quintet, which would become the Jazz Messengers. Blakey formed the band with Brown, Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver, and Curley Russell, and recorded the quintet's first album live at the Birdland jazz club. During one of the rehearsal sessions, fellow trumpeter Miles Davis listened and joked about Clifford Brown's technical ability to play the trumpet. The live recording session ultimately spanned two days with multiple takes needed on only a couple of the tunes.
Max Roach's stature had grown as he recorded with a host of other emerging artists (including Bud Powell, Sonny Stitt, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk) and co-founded Debut, one of the first artist-owned labels, with Charles Mingus. The band's creation began when the two bandleaders rented a studio in California. With Brown able to, in addition to the trumpet, play the piano and drums, Roach and Brown were able to experiment with these instruments extensively at the studio. They settled upon the standard bebop quintet of trumpet, saxophone, piano, bass, and drums, with saxophone, piano, and bass players needed. With first choice Sonny Stitt choosing his own direction for his music, the bandleaders settled upon former Count Basie bassist George Morrow, unconventional pianist Carl Perkins, and tenor saxophone player Teddy Edwards as the first group, although this line-up was short-lived.[1] The group that had formed "sent shock waves throughout the jazz community" according to Sam Samuelson.
An early session of the Brown/Roach Quintet, featuring its new lineup, was titled Clifford Brown & Max Roach and featured several of Brown's new compositions. Samuelson referred to the album as a "nice gamut between boplicity and pleasant balladry". Other albums during the Brown/Roach collaboration included Brown and Roach, Inc. and Study in Brown.
The experiments in bop continued in the 1955 session Study in Brown, such as use of instrument sounds to mimic an inner-city environment in "Parisian Thoroughfare" and "international flavor" in "George's Dilemma". Jazz critic Scott Yanow referred to the album as "premiere early hard bop" and noted the quintet's "unlimited potential."
A 1955 live performance by Clifford Brown with Billy Root and Ziggy Vines, sometimes mistakenly thought to have been recorded just before Brown's death a year later, was released on tape in 1973. Following this live session, the group, with Blakey temporarily replacing Roach at one point following a car accident, toured, visiting Chicago and then Rhode Island for the Newport Jazz Festival. Roach returned for this performance and jam session at Newport.
In June 1956, Brown and Richie Powell embarked on a drive to Chicago for their next appearance. Powell's wife Nancy was at the wheel so that Clifford and Richie could sleep. While driving at night in the rain on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, west of Bedford, she is presumed to have lost control of the car, which went off the road, killing all three in the resulting crash. Brown is buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery, in Wilmington, Delaware.
Jazz historian Ira Gitler said of Brown, "l’m sorry I never got to know him better. Not that it necessarily follows that one who plays that beautifully is also a marvelous person, but I think one can discern in Clifford Brown’s case that the particular kind of extraordinary playing was linked to an equally special human being... Photographs of Clifford Brown reveal some of that inner self; the shots in which he is depicted in a playing attitude show his intensity, that utter concentration and total connection with his instrument.
In the 1990s, video from the TV program Soupy's On (starring comedian Soupy Sales, who was a big jazz fan and booked several top musical stars for his show) was discovered of Clifford Brown playing two tunes. This is the only video recording known to exist of Brown.[2]
"Rocket 88" was really the first ever rock & roll song that was composed and released in 1951 long before Billy Haley & The Comets released "Rock Around the Clock", Elvis Presley, and more. This tune (as the video states) is a combination of rhythm & blues, blues, and jazz.
Widespread Panic with their instrumental "Disco". "Disco" from the 13th installment of the Widespread Panic Archive multi-track series, Boone 1999. This track was released in August of 2023, digitally.
Recorded live on April 22nd, 1999, at the Varsity Gym at Appalachian State University, Boone 1999 is an electric show featuring an eclectic mix of songs across two sets, performed on an unassuming Thursday night in Boone, North Carolina. Learn more about the show: https://widespreadpanic.com/2023/08/1...
