Tonight on the program`s Jazz Feature is the music of Charles Mingus. It`s an important album in the Mingus recorded legacy and it was his initial album for the Impulse label. It was called ``The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady`` Mingus considered this one of his finest documents. It is a suite of music played by an 11 piece ensemble with some incredible solos by all involved like alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano and soprano and baritone saxophonist Jerome Richardson and trombonist Quentin Jackson and others. It is an intense that covers the gamut of emotions from anger, despair to hope. Mingus looms large as a pianist, bassist and composer of this work and he was given full control of the music, editing and sequencing. It`s his show and he made the best of it. Tonight`s jazz feature: Mr. Charles Mingus!Charles MingusThe Black Saint and The Sinner LadyTrack A Solo DancerCharles MingusThe Black Saint and the Sinner LadyTrack B Duet Solo DancersCharles MingusThe Black Saint and The Sinne
Tonight s Jazz Feature focuses on one of the pioneers of Modern Jazz: Earl Rudolph Powell: known as Bud Powell. Powell brought the modern style of Jazz piano to the fore and he is as much of a musical genius as Charlie Parker. Powell became the all pervasive influence on Jazz piano that continues to this day. Tonight s Jazz Feature is his final record for Blue Note Records a label that captured some of his best playing over the years. Powell was set to move to Europe and he entered the studio to do this recording before he left. It was done just after Christmas in 1958 and captures him playing a program of original compositions with Paul Chambers on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. Powel is in great form and displays his genius and his creativity on this disc. The album is a great send off to several more creative years overseas. Tonight s Jazz Feature Bud Powell s "The Scene Changes".Bud PowellThe Scene ChangesCleopatra s DreamBud PowellThe Scene ChangesDuid DeedBud PowellTh
Tonight`s Jazz Feature can be deemed a classic. It was the second album under Sonny Rollins` name since his return to the Jazz scene in late 1955 as a new member of the legendary band, the Max Roach/Clifford Brown Quintet. It was decided by Rollins and Prestige Records owner that Sonny could record with the Max Roach/Clifford Brown group with musical choices by Rollins and with Rollins` name on the album title. Hence ``Sonny Rollins Plus 4``. Sonny picked 3 standard tunes that were not part of the Roach/Brown repertoire and wrote two original compositions that entered into that band`s repertoire. ``Valse Hot`` and ``Pent-Up House`` were the two intriguing Rollins` originals and the other 3 standards were quite obscure as Rollins always liked odd and lesser known tunes. Sad to say this turned out to be the very last studio recording by the Roach/Brown band. It was recorded on March 22, 1956 and Brown and pianist Richard Powell were killed in an auto crash in June of 1956. The trauma rev
Tonight is a concert presentation of the "Second Great Gerry Mulligan Quartet" before a rapt and enthusiastic French audience in Paris in June 1954. The first edition of the Mulligan pianoless Quartet had trumpeter Chet Baker on the front line with baritone saxophonist Mulligan and was one of the most popular and talked about combos of it s time. Due to a variety of circumstances the Baker & Mulligan Quartet ended and after a time Mulligan reassembled the group with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer on the front line with Mulligan plus a new rhythm section with the great Red Mitchell on bass and the shamefully underrated drum master Frank Isola. They were booked to play in Paris and were welcomed like a liberating army. Both Mulligan and Brookmeyer were also great composers along with being two of the leading voices on their horns so it was a perfect fit. These concert recordings are tonight s Jazz Feature and demonstrate how fresh and new this band still sounds after
Tonight`s Jazz Feature is a kind of meeting between east and west. The leader is the great tenor saxophonist Harold Land and he is paired with trumpeter Joe Gordon who had moved to Los Angeles from Boston and guitarist Wes Montgomery who was living for a time in San Francisco. Those three made up the western contingent. The eastern group consists of Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Louis Hayes on drums who all were Cannonball Adderley`s rhythm section and one of the best. This adds up to a solid straight-ahead Jazz record date. It was recorded at The Jazz Workshop, San Francisco`s leading Jazz club on a night when it was closed, The venue was chosen for it`s good acoustics. The album consists of 3 new Harold Land tunes, Wes Montgomery`s famous `West Coast Blues` (the title track) a ballad by Billie Holiday called `Don`t Explain` and a Charlie Parker tune. All in all a good record date with lots of inspired moments. All recorded in May of 1960 and tonight`s Jazz Feature.Haro