Riley Ben King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) was known professionally as B.B. King, B.B. meaning “Blues Boy”.
In this recording from 1992 we see him playing in the pleasant, cozy studio of the famous dutch “TROS TV Show”. His interaction with the audience is great.
B.B. King was one of the most famous rhythm-and-blues artists of all time, who most of the time played on Gibson guitars, which he all called “Lucille”. Being an American blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer, King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists like Eric Clapton and Keith Richards.
King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and is considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues". In this clip we mean to recognize Caleb Emphrey Jr. on drums, James Bolden on trumpet, Melvin Jackson on sax, and Leon Warren on guitar.
“SWING”, written in capitals: The Deep River Quartet. Dutch close harmony group, that played swing, jazz, soul, blues and more. In this clip we see founder, bass vocals (and contrabass player) Sybrandus ‘Siebe’ Finck, 1st tenor vocals Dick Rietveld, 2nd tenor vocals Kees Hendriks, and baritone vocals and guitar, Wout Bijker. They were inspired by “The Ink Spots”, “The Golden Gate Quartet” and “The Mills Brothers”, and in the ‘90’s they were extremely popular in the Netherlands and abroad. At the “Platengala” at 13-10-1984 in the AHOY concert center in Rotterdam, they brought a very swinging version of “Mr. Paganini”, written by Sam Coslow, that became a key song for Ella Fitzgerald. The Deep River Quartet performed from 1971 - 2014.
It's time for yet another Sunday Special, continuing the theme of celebrating and looking at the jazz piano playing of Dr. Billy Taylor. From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack. A couple of excerpts from Dr. Billy Taylor and Ramsey Lewis and a videotape or program called "Counterpoint" playing both jazz and blues influenced tunes alike. As I have said, you cannot have jazz without blues. The two genres and styles really go together.
Dave Liebman’s Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony and Melody
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Dave Liebman Teaches and Plays
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Dave Liebman - How to Approach Standards Chromatically
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David Liebman performs the classic standard, via the influence of John Jazz Video Guy Recommends
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John Coltrane - His Life and Music
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Michael Brecker - Ode to a Tenor Titan
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Saxophone Colossus - The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins
https://amzn.to/3CDQ5JK with Vic Juris on Guitar, Tony Marino on bass, Jamey Haddad on drums.
This week's Sunday Special post. Savoy Brown performing their song "Tell Mama" on The Midnight Special music television show, in 1973. The tune was recorded and released on their 1971 record "Street Corner Talking". The band lineup is:
Kim Simmonds: lead & rhythm guitars, & lead vocals
Paul Raymond: rhythm guitar, keyboards, & background vocals
A live television performance on ABC network circa 1997 featuring Pat Metheny on acoustic guitar, the late, great David Sanborn on alto saxophone, and the late, great Charlie Haden on double bass.
The date; December 18, 1999. The place: Birdland, New York City. The group: The Saxophone Summit. The composition: All Blues. The soloist: Michael Brecker. Phil Markowitz, piano; Rufus Reid, bass and the great Billy Hart on drums.
Song For My Father (Silver), Montreux '96 featuring the Horace Silver Septet: Ron Stout, trumpet; Steve Baxter, trombone; Doug Webb, tenor sax; Phil Vieux, baritone sax; Horace Silver, piano; Bob Maize, acoustic double bass; Harold Mason, drums.
December 18, 1999, Birdland, The Saxophone Summit play John Jazz Video Guy Recommends
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John Coltrane - His Life and Music
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Michael Brecker - Ode to a Tenor Titan
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Saxophone Colossus - The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins
https://amzn.to/3CDQ5JK's Locomotion. Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman formed the Saxophone Summit in 1999 to explore the various styles of John Jazz Video Guy Recommends
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John Coltrane - His Life and Music
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Michael Brecker - Ode to a Tenor Titan
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Saxophone Colossus - The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins
https://amzn.to/3CDQ5JK. With Phil Markowitz, piano; Rufus Reid, bass; and the incredible Billy Hart on drums.
Note: I will post the complete version when I find it.
By the way, I think I have posted the complete version of this concert. If you go back through the archives in the sidebar menu on the right side of the blog page, you should be able to find it, or type into the search box, Birdland 1999 saxophone summit or something along those lines.
This week's Sunday Special. From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.
Live from Mr. Kelly's in Osaka, Japan on March 31, 2023. Dreamweaver (Bartley) Patrick Bartley - Alto Sax; May Inoue - Guitar; Takafumi Suenaga - Piano/Keyboards; Yuji Ito - Bass; Hiro Kimura - Drums
On December 18, 1999, during the intermission between sets of the Saxophone Summit Live at Birdland, the webcast on GMN, I interviewed Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman. We lost the intro, but here's what survived. Grover Washington, Jr. passed away the day before so my first question was about Grover. Many thanks to Louis Gerrits for the color correction.
Saxophone Summit Live at Birdland, 1999, featuring Michael Brecker, David Liebman and Joe Lovano with Phil Markowitz, Rufus Reid and Billy Hart Jazz Tenor Piano Bass Drums
Dave Liebman’s Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony and Melody
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Dave Liebman Teaches and Plays
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Dave Liebman - How to Approach Standards Chromatically
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The saxophonist David Liebman has all the credentials of a major eminence in modern jazz. In the 1960's he worshiped at the altar of John.
Jazz Video Guy Recommends
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John Coltrane - His Life and Music
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Michael Brecker - Ode to a Tenor Titan
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Saxophone Colossus - The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins
https://amzn.to/3CDQ5JK; in the 1970s he toured with Miles Davis. He has led a handful of fine ensembles through the years, and toiled as a sideman in many others. Among fellow saxophonists and fellow educators, his reputation is ironclad.
http://www.jazzvideoguy.tv presents the remarkable saxophonist David Liebman, performing "Sun King."
For more Lieb, please visit: http://www.davidliebman.com
Beirut (Loeb, Brecker, Mainieri, Erskine, Bailey), Live in Japan 1986, Mike Mainieri (vibes), Michael Brecker (EWI)), Mike Stern (guitar).Darryl Jones (bass), Steve Smith (drums)
Dave Liebman’s Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony and Melody
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Dave Liebman Teaches and Plays
https://amzn.to/2q3Ygcr
Dave Liebman - How to Approach Standards Chromatically
https://amzn.to/2S278MJ
David Liebman - Soprano Saxophone, Joey Calderazzo - Piano, Dave Holland - Bass, Jack DeJohnette - Drums
David Liebman was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 4, 1946. He began classical piano lessons at the age of nine and saxophone by twelve. His interest in jazz was sparked by seeing John Coltrane perform live in New York City clubs such as Birdland, the Village Vanguard and the Half Note.
Throughout high school and college, Liebman pursued his jazz interest by studying with Joe Allard, Lennie Tristano and Charles Lloyd. Upon graduation from New York University (with a degree in American History), he began to seriously devote himself to the full-time pursuit of being a jazz artist.
In the early 1970s, Liebman took the leading role (as President) in organizing several dozen musicians into a cooperative, Free Life Communication which became an integral part of the fertile New York "loft" jazz scene in the early 1970s and was funded by The New York State Council of the Arts and the Space for Innovative Development.
After one year spent with Ten Wheel Drive, one of the early jazz fusion groups, Liebman secured the saxophone/flute position with the group of John Coltrane's drummer, Elvin Jones. Within two years, Liebman reached the zenith of his apprenticeship period when Miles Davis hired him. These years, 1970-74, were filled with tours, recordings and the incredible experience gained by being on the band stand with two masters of jazz. At the same time, Liebman began exploring his own music-first in the Open Sky Trio with Bob Moses and then with pianist Richie Beirach in the group Lookout Farm. This group recorded for the German based ECM label as well as A&M Records while touring the U.S., Canada, India, Japan and Europe. Lookout Farm was awarded the number one position in the category "Group Deserving of Wider Recognition"in the 1976 Downbeat Magazine's International Critics' Poll.
In 1977, Liebman did a world tour with pianist Chick Corea followed up the next year by the formation of the David Liebman Quintet with John Scofield, Kenny Kirkland and Terumasa Hino as featured sidemen. After several world tours and recordings by the quintet over three years, he reunited with Richard Beirach. They began performing and recording as a duo, as well as creating the group Quest in 1981. Beginning with bassist George Mraz and drummer Al Foster, the group solidified when Ron McClure and Billy Hart joined in 1984. Through 1991, Quest recorded seven CDs, toured extensively and did many workshops with students worldwide.
Liebman's present group formed in 1991 includes guitarist Vic Juris, bassist Tony Marino and drummer Marko Marcinko. With these musicians he has pursued an eclectic direction in recording projects that has ranged from jazz standards to Puccini arias, original adaptations from the John Coltrane and Miles Davis repertoires, original compositions in styles ranging from world music to fusion, always maintaining a repertoire that balances the past, present and future.
Over the past several decades, Liebman has often been featured with top European musicians such as Joachim Kuhn, Daniel Humair, Paolo Fresu, Jon Christensen, Bobo Stenson and in the World View Trio with Austrian drummer Wolfgang Reisenger and French bassist Jean-Paul Celea. His reputation in Europe has led to big band and radio orchestra performances, such as with the WDR in Koln, Germany, the Metropole Orchestra of the Netherlands and the new music Klang Forum in Vienna, Austria playing music specially commissioned to feature Liebman's unique soprano saxophone style. He has consistently placed among the top finalists in the Downbeat Critics' Poll since 1973 in the Soprano Saxophone category. As of the present, David Liebman has been featured on nearly 300 recordings, of which he has been the leader and/or co-leader on nearly 100. Well over 200 original compositions have been recorded. His artistic output has ranged from straight ahead classic jazz to chamber music; from fusion to avant garde.
For all things Lieb, please visit: http://www.davidliebman.com
The Saxophone Summit LIve at Birdland, December 18, 1999.
Michael Brecker, David Liebman, Joe Lovano - Saxophones
Phil Markowitz - Piano
Rufus Reid - Bass
Billy Hart - Drums
