Jazz bassist and composer Ben Tucker has been killed in a strange and terrible accident. The truest tribute to any musician is his or her music. And, for all his accomplishments as a musician and businessman, Tucker was best known for writing the song “Comin’ Home Baby,” a wonderfully funky tune covered by jazz and […]
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Mulgrew Miller, Gone Too Soon
Posted May 29th, 2013 at 8:39 pm (UTC+0)
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Mulgrew Miller, one of the best and most prolific jazz pianists of his generation, has died of a stroke. Nate Chinen, in the New York Times, reports: “Mulgrew Miller, a jazz pianist whose soulful erudition, clarity of touch and rhythmic aplomb made him a fixture in the postbop mainstream for more than 30 years, died […]
The Big International Jazz Day Jam
Posted April 29th, 2013 at 9:00 pm (UTC+0)
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April 30th is International Jazz Day, a United Nations sponsored annual event being celebrated this year with an all-star concert in Istanbul, Turkey. Among the artists performing at the show will be pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Terrence Blanchard, and bassist/singer Esperanza Spalding. Also, there will be musicians from all over the world, […]
SOCK! POW! ZOK!
Posted April 18th, 2013 at 5:05 pm (UTC+0)
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By Eric Felten According to Variety, the superhero flicks lined up for this summer’s silly-film season are being scored with music that breaks the genre’s tired molds. I can’t say that I’m convinced. The sound of superhero soundtracks has for years been dominated by orchestral angst: Heroic, yes, but always drenched in a moody ambivalence […]
Tags: Batman, comic book, Count Basie, Hefti, movie music, Neal Hefti, Nelson Riddle, superhero, Superman Posted in Americana, Jazz
The Musician’s Life Can Be Taxing
Posted March 27th, 2013 at 2:34 pm (UTC+0)
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By Eric Felten Dionne Warwick, the multi-Grammy-winning artist who sold millions of records with hits such as “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Walk On By,” has filed for bankruptcy. She’s not only millions of dollars in debt, but almost all of it is owed to the government in taxes. According to Warwick publicist Kevin […]
End the Beguine
Posted March 22nd, 2013 at 10:13 pm (UTC+0)
by Eric Felten Ray McDonald notes the new entries from the world of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. Given how many classic recordings there are, no doubt one could argue over whether “Saturday Night Fever,” for instance, really belongs on the list. But permit me to quibble over a […]
Tags: Artie Shaw, Begin the Beguine, Jack Jenney, National Recording Registry, Stardust Posted in Uncategorized
Jazz and Poetry
Posted March 22nd, 2013 at 4:29 pm (UTC+0)
Poets, in particular, have been drawn to jazz, looking to capture its sound and feel in their phrases
Will They Ever Be Sophomores?
Posted March 11th, 2013 at 2:35 pm (UTC+0)
By Doug Levine The Four Freshmen are back. Actually, the vocal group that began on a small college campus 65 years ago never really went away. It was all the way back in 1948 that brothers Ross and Don Barbour, freshmen at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, started the group with Marvin Pruitt and Hal […]
When Music Meets Politics — Part 3
Posted March 8th, 2013 at 3:29 pm (UTC+0)
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Just the other day Katherine Cole told us about the squabble in Massachusetts over naming an official state rock song. She noted that Massachusetts already has a state song and an official state polka. Now, as the Wall Street Journal reports, the state next door, Connecticut, is scuffling over whether to have an official polka […]
The Bizarre Oscars Audio Mix
Posted February 25th, 2013 at 4:54 pm (UTC+0)
By Eric Felten More than a few have commented on just how strange it was that the live pit orchestra at the Oscars last night was performing not in the actual theater, but from down the road at Capitol Studios. As one might expect from Capitol (where such great — and great-sounding — recordings as […]
Tags: Adele, audio mix, Jennifer Hudson, Norah Jones, Oscars, Shirley Bassey Posted in Americana, Pop/Rock, Uncategorized
