The new CD from Camille Thurman, Waiting for the Sunrise, her fourth as leader, is a winner! Backed by a stellar ensemble including guitarist Jack Wilkins, bassist Cecil McBee, drummer Steve Williams and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, the multi-talented Thurman explores an intriguing range of songs as both vocalist and tenor saxophonist. She is clearly an up-and-coming… Read more
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Discoveries
Discographies are never complete. They are always works in progress as new sessions and corrections to existing ones come along, sometimes months or even years after the original publication date. A recent example of this phenomenon occurred when my friend and collaborator Lynne Mueller brought to my attention an Art Farmer CD in her collection… Read more
Birth of the Cool Legacy: Comments
My post on The Miles Davis Birth of the Cool sessions prompted some fascinating emails to the Jazz West Coast Yahoo Group from some really knowledgeable people. I am excerpting some of their comments here. From Gordon Jack (July 19, 2018): When I interviewed Gerry Mulligan for my book Fifties Jazz Talk he told me,… Read more
The Birth of the Cool Legacy, Part 1: Miles Davis
Trumpeter and 1984 NEA Jazz Master Miles Davis (1926-1991) was a life-long innovator with an uncanny ability to discover and employ talented band members, many of whom would themselves go on to fame and fortune. He was always pushing the envelope and encouraging his sidemen to do the same. As a result, his recordings have substantially… Read more
Wes Montgomery
I have begun work on a comprehensive Wes Montgomery discography that will deal with some errors and omissions in the information currently available regarding the guitarist’s recorded history. This is something of a departure from my general focus which involves artists in need of greater recognition and acclaim. One of the most influential and respected… Read more
Stanley the Steamer 1955
A Brief Return of Dexter Gordon Nineteen fifty-five was the year that the 12-inch LP became the preferred format for issuing jazz recordings and the beginning of a decade-long period that produced some of the most revered and influential albums in the history of this music. It was also the year in which bebop would… Read more