The St Thomas Story - Sonny Rollins | Jazz Video Guy | Origin of His Classic Composition

 

From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.

Sonny Rollins explains the origin of his classic composition, Saint Thomas.  The Caribbean music played at home there was al there was all kinds of music played at home I mean there was uh as I mentioned to you before uh fratzwaller I heard him when I was really small on the radio or something but there was all kinds of music at home we used to have this piano with the piano rolls and those guys people I guess like james p johnson you know would be playing those piano roles there was a lot of we had the radio there was all sorts of music on the radio we used to listen every sunday there was a couple of programs uh on called wings over jordan which was a gospel show that came on every sunday morning and that was it for the you know everybody in the community uh wings over jordan uh people of my uh vintage would uh know very well whatever when once I met name uh so there was a lot of music there was a music from a to z my first memories of caribbean music was I think when my mother took me someplace that and the band was there and they were playing uh, that's one i remember that very well because i was sort of a young baby almost and uh it was something a local right around the house or someplace near a house or something so i i recall that very distinctly that uh that i heard that then probably my mother used to sing that i think my mother used to sing that uh you know this this this was sort of a saint saint thomas song as you know later i made my arrangement of it uh was often uh credited as being the the composersly it was it's an adaptation of that uh traditional saint as melodies there was a records i think my mother had some um calypso records also around the house you know so i've heard i heard some of those also well i remember the names of some of these guys i remember i called the lord invader and then i remember a guy called attila the hun then i remember a guy called um because the duke of iron who i later actually saw performing you know at uh park palace so there were a couple of names or those names like that were you know quite colorful if we we might say so i remember those.

The Band & Eric Clapton "Further On Up The Road"

 

This week's Sunday Special.

Happy 80th Birthday to Eric Clapton!

From "The Last Waltz" the Martin Scorsese documentary concert movie of The Band's final concert, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California, on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, here is The Band with Eric Clapton jamming on "Further on Up the Road".  The whole movie is great and so is the entire concert which I have posted here, which is separate from the movie.  If you have a chance and you have not heard or seen any of The Last Waltz, I highly encourage you to check it out.  This is truly musical history.  

Kenny Burrell "Lover Man"

 

From Legends of Jazz Guitar- Volume 2

featuring Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Grant Green & Charlie Byrd

Titles include: BARNEY KESSEL, KENNY BURRELL & GRANT GREEN Blue Mist WES MONTGOMERY Full House, 'Round Midnight JOE PASS Original Blues In A, Prelude To A Kiss KENNY BURRELL Lover Man, My Ship BARNEY KESSEL BBC Blues CHARLIE BYRD Jitterbug Waltz and Isn't It A Lovely Day?

Illinois Jacquet, Dexter Gordon, Arnett Cobb, Buddy Tate & Budd Johnson Live • World of Jazz

 

Full Concert Friday this week once again via World of Jazz on YouTube.

Tenor Saxophone Battle, North Sea Jazz Festival 15 July 1979

The world's greatest tenor saxophone players: Illinois Jacquet, Dexter Gordon, Arnett Cobb, Buddy Tate and Budd Johnson perform a sensational and memorable tenor sax battle live on the stage of the North Sea Jazz Festival 1979

They are accompanied by:

Hank Jones, piano,
Gene Ramey, bass
Gus Johnson, drums

Repertoire played a.o.:

Lady Be Good
Love Affair
In The Still Of The Night
She Got It
Satin Doll
Flying Home
Alone Together

This concert took place on Sunday 15 July 1979, Prins Willem Alexander Hall, Congresgebouw, The Hague, The Netherlands

Free "The Stealer"

 

Free, from a rare television performance, circa 1970, of their song "The Stealer".  Free, were a rock and roll quartet featuring Paul Rodgers on lead vocals, who also played piano and both lead and rhythm guitar with the band, lead guitarist Paul Kossoff, Andy Fraser on bass, as well as keyboards and rhythm guitar, and drummer, percussionist, and vocalist, Simon Kirke.  

"Come and Go Blues" Tedeschi Trucks Band covers the Allmans

 

The Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks Band, Featuring Gabe Dixon on vocals, performs the Allman Brothers' "Come and Go Blues" on 10/1/2024 at the MGM Fenway in Boston, MA.  Brought to you by Less Than Face Productions.  Audio by Casey C.  An appropriate tribute to the Allman Brothers Band on the 56th anniversary of the bands' founding.  Although, this version of "Come & Go Blues" echoes the one recorded by the band on their 1973 "Brothers & Sisters" record.

Take the A Train - Clark Terry's Big Bad Band

 

From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.  Take the A Train - Clark Terry's Big Bad Band - Live in Norway, 1974.

Phish "Either Edge"/"Piper"

 

From their July 30th, 2024, show at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, here is Phish with the medley of their songs "Either Edge" and "Piper".  Again, the band is Trey Anastasio on guitar and vocals, Page McConnell on keyboards and vocals, Mike Gordon on bass and vocals, and Jon Fishman on drums and vocals.  

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers "Blues For The Lost Days"

 

More memories of the late, great John Mayall, from his 70th birthday concert in 2003, here is his song "Blues For The Lost Days".

70th Birthday Concert Liverpool, England on 19 July 2003

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers [Blues for the lost days]

John Mayall - Piano, Guitar, Harmonica and Vocals. Buddy Whittington - Guitar and Vocals. Joe Yuele - Drums. Hank Van Sickle - Bass Guitar. Tom Canning - Organ and Piano. 

Etta James - Down By The Riverside - Showbizzquiz Gala-uitzending - 18/12/1982 • World of Jazz

 

Etta James (1938 - 2012) was an American Jazz-, blues-, gospel and R&Bsinger.  Our younger friends will absolutely remember her version of “I just wanna make love to you”, that was used for a Coca-Cola commercial. And Avicii processed one of her songs in his hit “Levels”. She recorded “there’s something on your mind” with the legendary Blues guitarist B.B. King, but long therefore she was already known worldwide. It started with her recording of “At last”, a song played for the first time by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, in the movie ‘Orchestra White” from 1941. 

In 1994 she was rewarded with a Grammy, for her album “Mystery lady”, inspired on the music of Billy Holiday. Another Grammy award followed 10 years later for het blues album “Let’s Roll”. In 2003 she was granted the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Supersax and LA Voices live at the North Sea Jazz Festival • 09-07-1988 • World of Jazz

 

Full Concert Friday this week.  

Supersax was a jazz group created in 1972 by saxophonist Med Flory and bassist Buddy Clark, in tribute to iconic bebop saxophonist Charlie Parker. The group's music consisted of harmonized arrangements of Charlie Parker improvisations played by a saxophone section (2 altos, 2 tenors, and a baritone), rhythm section (bass, piano and drums), and a brass instrument (trombone or trumpet).

Supersax are: 

• Med Flory — Lead Alto Sax

• Lanny Morgan — 2nd Alto Sax

• Ray Reed — 1st Tenor Sax

• Jay Migliori — 2nd Tenor Sax

• Absent: Jack Nimitz — Baritone Sax

Rhythm Section: 

• Lou Levy — Piano 

• Monty Budwig — Bass 

• Lawrence Marable — Drums

• Steve Hufstetter - Trumpet

The L.A. Voices are: 

• Sue Raney — Lead 

• Melissa Mackay — Alto 

• John Bahler — Tenor 

• Michael Redmond Jr. — Baritone

• Med Flory — Bass

Repertoire played by Supersax:

‘Just Friends’ (Charlie Parker)

‘A Night In Tunesia’ (Dizzy Gillespie)

‘Moose The Mooch’ (Charlie Parker)

Recorded by AVRO Television on 9 July 1988 at the Congresgebouw, The Hague, The Netherlands.

Ramsey Lewis "Sun Goddess"

 

From 1975, here is a live performance on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert of Ramsey Lewis playing his tune, "Sun Goddess" which he originally recorded alongside the members of Earth, Wind, & Fire.  

Herbie Hancock's 1994 PBS Interview with Charlie Rose

 

From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.

Herbie Hancock is a pivotal figure in the world of jazz and contemporary music for several reasons:

1. **Innovative Jazz Musician**: Hancock is renowned for his work as a pianist and composer, particularly in the realms of jazz. He was a member of the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s, where he helped to redefine the role of the rhythm section and contributed significantly to the development of post-bop jazz.

2. **Fusion Pioneer**: In the 1970s, Hancock was instrumental in the jazz fusion movement, which blended elements of jazz, rock, and funk. His album "Head Hunters" (1973) is one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time and features the hit single "Chameleon."

3. **Electronic Music Innovator**: Hancock embraced electronic instruments and technology early in his career. His use of synthesizers and electronic keyboards expanded the sonic possibilities of jazz and influenced many musicians in various genres.

4. **Cross-Genre Collaborations**: Hancock has collaborated with artists across different genres, from jazz to classical, pop, and hip-hop. His ability to adapt and innovate has kept him relevant in the music industry for decades.

5. **Cultural Impact**: Hancock's music has had a profound impact on popular culture. His song "Rockit," from the album "Future Shock" (1983), was a pioneering track in the hip-hop and electronic music scenes, featuring one of the first music videos to showcase breakdancing and innovative visual effects.

6. **Awards and Recognition**: Over his career, Hancock has received numerous awards, including multiple Grammy Awards. In 2007, his album "River: The Joni Letters" won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making him one of the few jazz musicians to receive this honor.

7. **Educator and Advocate**: Beyond his performance career, Hancock is an advocate for music education and cultural exchange. He serves as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and promotes the arts as a tool for peace and understanding.

Herbie Hancock's contributions have shaped the direction of modern music and inspired countless musicians and listeners worldwide.

Phish "Simple" (revisited)

 

Revisiting Phish's tune "Simple".  "Simple" from Phish's 7/27/2024 show at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI.

Phish - "Most Events Aren't Planned" | Mohegan Sun | 07/24/24 | Relix

 

Wishing everyone a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!  To celebrate, here is some good music.  

A snippet of Phish performing "Most Events Aren't Planned" at Mohegan Sun on 07/24/24.

Video: Peter Shapiro

Groovin' High - Billy Taylor

 

This week's Sunday Special.  From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.

Groovin' High (Gilespie) From The Subject is Jazz, 1958, Billy's groundbreaking TV series. Gilbert Seldes is asking the questions and trying to analyze the music. The band includes Tony Scott on clarinet, Doc Severinsen on trumpet, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Ed Safranski on bass, Mundell Lowe on guitar and Osie Johnson on drums.

John Mayall w Mick Taylor 1968 FRENCH TV.

 

Check out this footage of the late, great John Mayall playing with his band, The Bluesbreakers, on French television, circa 1968 with Mick Taylor on lead guitar.  The music world lost John Mayall on July 22nd, 2024, at the age of 90.  He lived a long, full, musical life. His music and his contribution to the blues, will live forever.  Rest In Peace, John Mayall, a keyboardist, blues harp harmonica player, and singer.  Of course, his band, the Bluesbreakers also featured some of the greatest guitarists the world has ever known.  Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, and others including lesser-known names such as Mark Almond, Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, Buddy Whittington, Carolyn Wonderland, and Melvin Taylor.  

Tribute to John Coltrane (Live 1987 Full)

 

Full Concert Friday this week.

Tribute to John Coltrane (Live 1987) 

Wayne Shorter
Dave Liebman
Richie Beirach
Eddie Gomez
Jack DeJohnette

1. Mr. PC
2. After the Rain
3. India/Impressions

Mel Tormé - Tribute to Gene Krupa - 13/03/1976 • World of Jazz

 

Mel Tormé (USA, 1925 - 1999) is one of the most versatile jazz artists ever. He composed and arranged songs, he was a drummer as well as a movie and tv-show actor. Long ago he starred in sitcoms with Judy Garland and Lucille Ball, more recent in the popular series Night Court and Seinfeld. But he became really famous with his special voice. He was rewarded the nickname “Velvet Fog”, because of his high tenor and smooth style of singing. And singing that was what he did. 200 concerts a year was no problem for him. And he had his radio shows and his own tv-show in the '50’s. 

In our archives, we found a performance of Mel in the famous Dutch programme Music All In, recorded 19-03-1976. Host Pim Jacobs accompanied him on piano at several songs, and the big orchestra was conducted by the great Rogier van Otterloo, known as composer from box office movie soundtracks like “Soldier of Orange”. It’s widely known that Tormé wasn’t a big fan of rock and roll music, which he once called “three tone manure”, but although he loved classic music, he also liked some pop songs. In this "tribute to Gene Krupa", we' see him givng a big drum solo, as a real tribute.

Such irony that this is being shared today, March 13th, 2025, on the 49th anniversary of the performance.

Phish - 7/26/2024 - My Friend, My Friend → Brian & Robert (4K HDR)

 

"My Friend, My Friend" → "Brian & Robert" from Phish's 7/26/2024 show at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI. 

Phish - 7/24/2024 - Mike's Song → With → Weekapaug Groove (4K HDR)

 

"Mike's Song" → "With" → "Weekapaug Groove" from Phish's 7/24/2024 show at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT.

Raphael Wressnig & Igor Prado - Ain't no Love in the Heart of the City (LIVE)

 

From New Orleans-style funk to soul and rhythm & blues, Wressnig’s percussive and greasy Hammond sounds conjure dynamic, high-voltage music. Old- school and new-school rendezvous in his style and his sound combines an authentic soul & blues vibe and a “lowdown” feel with a contemporary funk edge for a unique listening experience. Together with the Brazilian guitar master Igor Prado he shows the bright potential of soul, blues and funk in a modern world and will give the audience a new way to experience these old genres. They confidently bring out the pyrotechnic power and mightiness of an organ-driven band. They captured a high energy live performance from last October. “LIVE” is a unique document that revisits some of the material from the acclaimed studio album “Groove & Good Times” and some of the best stuff from their songbook. Raphael Wressnig - Hammond B-3 organ Igor Prado - guitars Yuri Prado - drums, percussion Raphael Wressnig & Igor Prado - LIVE Vinyl LP: PEC 2141-2 CD: PEC 2141-1 Pepper Cake Records/ZYX-Music Order, stream, listen: https://zyxdance.lnk.to/Live Produced by Raphael Wressnig Mixed & Mastered by Igor Prado Video by Valentina Morianz Thanks to Orpheum Graz ©2023 All rights reserved. Press: „Oh yes, Raphael plays a dynamic brand of B-3, his passion commensurate with his technique and his creative intelligence. He's a high-voltage dynamo but also a musician of surprising delicacy and self-reflection. Call him one of the finest blues/funk/jazz B-3 operators anywhere.“ (DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE) „Igor Prado is a high-class guitarist. No wonder the Brazilian was nominated for a blues-music-award in the United States!“ (ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE) “It’s a true organ trio effort smeared in fat and grease - no fakery. Uncommonly adept at the art of nailing down funk rhythms, this international threesome infuses groove music with elements of jazz, blues, R&B, soul and gospel as if they’d found the Holy Grail to be the early-1970s, cross-genre funk of Jimmy McGriff. Suggestive of McGriff, but with a modern approach, Wressnig changes the tones and drawbar setting throughout a song and deals from a deck of Jimmy Smith-inspired R&B lines, hooks and licks.The fortyish Graz resident displays tremendous spirit and keen musical intellect as he accentuates the natural beauty of the Hammond” (DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE)

One For Us! Roy Haynes, Gary Peacock, and Michel Petrucciani @ Mt Fuji 1988

 

This week's Sunday Special.  From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.  The trio of Michel Petrucciani on piano, Gary Peacock on upright bass, and Roy Haynes on drums, performing at the 1988 Mount Fuji Jazz Festival in Fuji, Japan.  

Phish - 7/20/2024 - No Men In No Man's Land → Monsters (4K HDR)

 

"No Men In No Man's Land → Monsters" from Phish's 7/20/2024 show at Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA.

"Monsters" sounds like it is/was a fairly new piece that was being road test on last summer's tour, another wild, cascading instrumental jam intro that turns into a lyrical landscape.  Fascinating stuff.  You just never know what Trey, Page, Mike, and John are going to come up with.  Hence, Phish's staying power for 40+ years.  

Phish "Hey Stranger"

 

"Hey Stranger", from Phish's 7/19/2024 show at Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA.

Joe Bonamassa "Drive"

 

From his CD/DVD compilation "Live at The Sydney Opera House" in Sydney, Australia, here is Joe Bonamassa with his ballad, "Drive".  

Monty Alexander Trio - Battle Hymn Of The Republic - 11/06/1976 • World of Jazz

 

Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander (born 6 June 1944) is a jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was a regular guest at the North Sea Jazz Festival. In this footage that we found in the archives; he performs in the dutch tv-show "Music All In". 

Is Stevie Wonder A Jazz Singer

 

From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack.  "Jazz Video Guy" poses the question.  Is Stevie Wonder a jazz singer?  Read the comments from fans of his YouTube page, to find out, and watch/listen to the performance to make up your own mind on this one.  Definitely a very open-ended question.  

Whisper Not - Benny Golson and McCoy Tyner

 

From Bret "Jazz Video Guy" Primack. 

Whisper Not (Golson) Benny Golson, tenor saxophone; McCoy Tyner, piano; Avery Sharpe, bass and Aaron Scott on drums. Jazz in Marciac 1997

Milly Scott - (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 - 16/03/1979 • World of Jazz

 

Dutch singer Milly Scott (1933) gained a lot of popularity in her country the Netherlands, in the middel sixties, when she starred at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1966 with the song Fernando & Filippo. It was the first time Holland sent an exotic song, Scott being from Surinam origine to the festival.

In the ‘50s she worked five years in Sweden, where she sang with great artists like Quincy Jones, Judy Garland and Gerry Mulligan. Then she returned to Holland, to perform jazz songs in several tv-shows. She had two shows of her own: “Scott in de Roos”, and “Hello Milly”. She was invited three times at the North Sea Jazz festival. The clip we found in our archives shows Milly in the Dutch tv-programme “Voor de vuist weg” in 1979. She sings “Route 66”, a classic from 1946, about the famous road between Chicago and L.A.

Buddy Rich Big Band - Birdland - 15/07/1978 • World of Jazz

 

Line up:

Buddy Rich (Drums)
Tom Warrington (Bass guitar)
Bob Kaye (Piano)
John Marshall, Mike McGovern, Mark Ohlsen, Chuck Schmidt (Trumpets)
Dale Kirkland, Glenn Franke, George Moran (Trombones)
Steve Marcus, Gary Pribeck, Chuck Wilson, Andy Fusco, Greg Smith (Saxes)

Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.

Rich was born in Manhattan, New York, to Jewish vaudevillians Bess (Skolnik) and Robert Rich.:6 His talent for rhythm was first noted by his father, who saw that Buddy could keep a steady beat with spoons at the age of one. He began playing drums in vaudeville when he was 18 months old, billed as "Traps the Drum Wonder." At the peak of Rich's childhood career, he was reportedly the second-highest paid child entertainer in the world (after Jackie Coogan). At 11 he was performing as a bandleader. He received no formal drum instruction and went so far as to claim that instruction would only degrade his musical talent. He also never admitted to practicing, claiming to play the drums only during performances and was not known to read music. He expressed great admiration for, and was influenced by, the playing of Chick Webb, Gene Krupa, Dave Tough, and Jo Jones, among others.

Rich first played jazz with a major group in 1937 with Joe Marsala and guitarist Jack Lemaire. He then played with Bunny Berigan (1938) and Artie Shaw (1939), and even instructed a 14-year-old Mel Brooks in drumming for a short period when playing for Shaw. At 21, Rich participated in his first major recording with the Vic Schoen Orchestra (the band that backed the Andrews Sisters).In 1938, he was also hired to play in Tommy Dorsey's orchestra where he met and performed with Frank Sinatra. In 1942, Rich left the Dorsey band to join the United States Marine Corps. He rejoined the Dorsey group after leaving the Marines two years later. In 1946, Rich formed his own band with financial support from Sinatra and continued to lead different groups on and off until the early fifties.

The Buddy Rich Big Band in the 1940s In addition to Tommy Dorsey (1939–42, 1945, 1954–55), Rich also played with Benny Carter (1942), Harry James (1953-56–62, 1964, 1965), Les Brown, Charlie Ventura, and Jazz at the Philharmonic, as well as leading his own band and performing with all-star groups. In the early fifties Rich played with Dorsey and began to perform with trumpeter Harry James, an association which lasted until 1966. In 1966, Rich left James to develop a new big band. For most of the period from 1966 until his death, he led successful big bands in an era when the popularity of big bands had waned from their 1930s and 1940s peak. In this later period, Rich continued to play clubs and stated in multiple interviews that the great majority of his big band's performances were at high schools, colleges and universities, with club performances done to a much lesser degree. Rich also served as the session drummer for many recordings, where his playing was often much more understated than in his own big-band performances. Especially notable were Rich's sessions for the late-career comeback recordings of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, on which he worked with pianist Oscar Peterson and his famous trio featuring bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis.