Tonight s Jazz Feature is Part 2 of a regular annual tradition on The Jazz Show and highlights September s "back to school, back to work tradition". Basically a little enjoyable and fun music education with Maestro Bernstein explaining "What is Jazz". This is an easy and sometimes humorous explanation of what Jazz is and what Jazz isn t in terms that one doesn t need a music education to understand. Leonard Bernstein made it a life long effort to bring music to the people and to make the most complex music easy to understand. There is also a bit of unintentional humor in this recording made in 1956 and these bits will make today s person grin a little. However this is by and large an important document and always worth hearing again. Enjoy Maestro Bernstein and the many musicians involved in this project like Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Coleman Hawkins, Phil Woods, Miles Davis and John Coltrane and of course Maestro Leonard Bernstein..Leonard BernsteinWhat is Jazz
Tonight s Jazz Feature has become an annual tradition on The Jazz Show celebrating September and "back to work" and most importantly "back to school". Tonight the venerable voice of the alto saxophone, a composer and bandleader, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley narrates a brief history of Jazz. It was recorded in 1960 and ends there however Cannonball traces Jazz history through recordings available to the small label that recorded this album..Riverside Records. Adderley s delivery is clear and lucid reflecting his years as a high school teacher in Florida before launching his full time music career. This is still a valuable document even though the music has gone through some enormous changes since 1960. This recording traces the early history of the music through the 20 s to the 60 s. Enjoy this annual tradition and kudos to Julian Adderley as always.Julian "Cannonball" AdderleyAn Introduction to Jazz.Various examples of early JazzJulian "Cann
Our Jazz Feature takes you back to tan important center of Jazz action in New York in the mid-50`s. The Cafe Bohemia located in Greenwich Village. The band is the first group that master trumpeter Kenny Dorham put together. he called it ``The Jazz Prophets``. Kenny Dorham is one of the finest and original of the early Modern Jazz trumpeters. He came to maturity in the early 1950`s and was a charter member of Art Blakey`s Jazz Messengers. In 1956 he formed The Jazz Prophets. Sadly it was short-lived but made several fine recordings including this one. Kenny Dorham put together J.R. Monterose on tenor saxophone and a very young 19 year old Bobby Timmons on piano, Sam Jones is on bass and the tasty and swinging Arthur Edgehill is on drums. They play a variety of original and standard materiel in this set and are joined on the last tune, Dizzy Gillespie`s ``A Night in Tunisia`` by guitarist Kenny Burrell. All live at The Cafe Bohemia on May 31,1956. Kenny Dorham, tonight`s Jazz Feature art
The music of Thelonious Monk is tonight s Jazz Feature subject and a fine album from June of 1959 that spotlights the Monk working quartet with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist Sam Jones and the always swinging Arthur Taylor on drums. However there is a worthy addition to the Quartet which gives us the album title. That addition is cornetist Thad Jones who adds much musical spice to Monk s Quartet. If there is anyone who could have been added to Monk s working band it would be Thad. However this was a one shot recording date as Thad had a coveted position in the Count Basie Orchestra and had a little time off from Basie to do this date. The compositions are a mix of old and new all by Monk of course. Two new ones written for the date are "Played Twice" and "Jackie ing" and the older ones are "Straight, No Chaser", "Ask Me Now" and "I Mean You". Thad in this writer s opinion is the star of the date and adapts so well to Monk s
Tonight s Jazz Feature is one of those once in a while get-togethers by a group of musicians who don t normally play together gel into and iconic and wonderful recording date. Pianist John Lewis who was the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet was contracted to do a recording session and he chose some musicians who he had just heard and put them together in the studio and magically the cohesion and the musical chemistry worked beautifully and produced a classic. This is elegant understated Jazz which combines all the elements that are needed like, great solos, swing and feeling. The people involved are pianist John Lewis, bassist Percy Heath, drummer Chico Hamilton, guitarist Jim Hall and tenor saxophonist Bill Perkins. All in all an album worthy of the title: "Grand Encounter", tonight s Jazz Feature.John LewisGrand EncounterLove Me or Leave MeJohn LewisGrand EncounterI Can t Get StartedJohn LewisGrand EncounterEasy LivingJohn LewisGrand EncounterTwo Degrees East, Thr