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A Video Tribute to Oscar Brown, Jr.

Posted in The Jazz Continues..., Video Vault with tags , , on November 11, 2011 by curtjazz

Oscar Brown, Jr. (1926 – 2005)

This piece was originally intended as a birthday tribute to Oscar Brown, Jr. I couldn’t move fast enough to get it out last month, but the tracks were too good to languish in the draft file, so here it is a month later.

Many know Mr. Brown for “But I Was Cool”, one of his lighter pieces, which achieved some fame when a deodorant company used it (with Brown’s vocals) to advertise their product.

Oscar Brown was the natural predecessor to Gil Scott-Heron and other spoken word music poets. He composed over 1,000 songs, at least a dozen plays and recorded 12 albums, including the classic “Sin and Soul”; during his lifetime. He was also a political activist, who ran for the Illinois State Legislature and Congress.

I usually keep the text to a minimum during these video tribute posts and this one will be no exception, so here now are some great performances by a legendary griot.

Let’s start with this terrific overview:

Here he adds a heartfelt touch to Bobby Timmons’ “Dat Dere”

“The Snake” – with that irresistible refrain

And one of his best, IMHO, “Mr. Kicks”

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My Halloween Jazz – A Few Treats (but no “Tricks”)

Posted in The Jazz Continues..., Video Vault with tags , , , , , on October 28, 2011 by curtjazz

Though I admit to not being a big Halloween person, our friends at NPR’s A Blog Supreme, inspired me with a great post yesterday on Halloween Jazz.

I thought of four more tracks that I’ve always had a fondness for that fit well with the season. Some have an obvious connection and some are a bit of a stretch, but I hope that you’ll dig ’em all.

Happy Halloween!!!

 It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is number two in my book of Charlie Brown specials, behind A Charlie Brown Christmas. However Vince Guaraldi’s score for …Pumpkin is as good as his immortal work on the Christmas special, though it doesn’t get as much ink. “The Great Pumpkin Waltz” is as warm and inviting as hot cider on a chilly fall evening.

Lambert, Hendricks and Ross were making an obvious grab for a seasonal single with “Halloween Spooks”. It’s not the best of their work, but it still swings and includes some of their trademark wit.  The clip created by TurnipGirl13, includes some great shots of seasonal pumpkin carving.

I was quite surprised to find that there was no clip already on YouTube for Philly Joe Jones’ “Blues for Dracula”, so I made my own.  Philly Joe does a great Bela Lugosi impersonation standing in for his friend Lenny Bruce, whose standup routine inspired the monologue. Bruce was also supposed to do the monologue on the song, but schedules didn’t work out.  Nice solo work by Julian Priester on trombone, Johnny Griffin on tenor and Tommy Flanagan on piano are additional highlights.

Our last track is “Spooky” by Stanley Turrentine. An instrumental version of the old pop hit for Classics IV. It was a filler track on a late ’60’s Turrentine date for Blue Note. This kind of groove was right in Stan’s wheelhouse and he is all over it.

Where To Find the Tracks

“The Great Pumpkin Waltz “- CD – Charlie Brown’s Holiday Hits (Vince Guaraldi); mp3 also available

“Halloween Spooks” – CD – Hottest New Group in Jazz (Lambert, Hendricks and Ross)

“Blues for Dracula” – CD – Blues for Dracula (Philly Joe Jones); mp3 also available

“Spooky” – CD – The Lost Grooves “67 – ’70 (Blue Note Artists)

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Birthday Video Tribute – Anita O’Day

Posted in The Jazz Continues..., Video Vault with tags , , , on October 18, 2011 by curtjazz

Anita O’Day was so cool, that she was hot.

In my book, she’s up there with Sarah, Ella, Billie, Nina and Carmen. Like those ladies, she was an original. You can recognize her within three notes. And her way of bending a long note (purportedly necessitated by a botched tonsillectomy), was pure artistry; others imitated it but they could never duplicate it.

Her life story is the stuff of a Hollywood movie. A great documentary has already been made, but man, a writer could have a field day on her without even having to bend the facts!

I asked myself, what made Anita O’Day so amazing? Then it hit me – like Wynton and Esperanza, Anita was born on October 18, which is also my birthday.

Here are a few familiar and not so familiar tracks from the great lady. Including, the unforgettable part of her set from Newport ’58 that was included in Jazz On A Summer’s Day. 

After watching, you may understand how I feel.

Happy Birthday Anita, wherever you are…

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Birthday Video Tribute – Wynton Marsalis

Posted in The Jazz Continues..., Video Vault with tags , , on October 18, 2011 by curtjazz

He’s arguably the most well-known and controversial jazz musician to come on the scene since 1980. He’s revered by many and reviled by almost as many.

He’s Wynton Marsalis – prodigiously gifted, passionate about the music and never at a loss for words. Today he is 50 years old.

Say what you want about him, but I can remember a time when some of the greatest jazz musicians ever to walk the earth were making disco records in order make a payday.

A lot of that changed when Wynton came on the scene  (with the full faith and credit of the Columbia Records publicity machine behind him). Suddenly, “real” jazz was cool and marketable again. Was it retro? Yeah; but it had heart and soul. And someone of my age was out there standing up for the jazz tradition.

Within a few short years, those who had loved Wynton passionately in 1982, had turned on him with a vengeance, but he has kept going, in spite of the haters.

He helped make straight ahead jazz relevant again, at a time when it was in danger of disappearing completely and we’re born on the same day, one year apart. Those are two reasons why I dig Wynton.

Here are a few performances from over the years, in tribute to “E. Skain Dankworth”.

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Birthday Video Tribute – Esperanza Spalding

Posted in The Jazz Continues..., Video Vault with tags , on October 18, 2011 by curtjazz

I’ve always dug Esperanza Spalding for her music. Now that I’ve found that we share the same birthday, I dig her even more.

She’s been called “the future of jazz”, “The Beyoncé of Jazz”, “jazz’s savior” “the coolest guest ever on my show” (by a leering David Letterman) and many other heady things.

I choose to call her a damn good musician, with a bright future and leave it at that…

One more thing I call her – the reigning Grammy “Best New Artist” (I’m still a little giddy over that one!)

Here are a few samples of her art. After viewing, feel free to attach the superlative of your choice…

Happy Birthday, Ms. Spalding!

Esperanza Spalding performs “Overjoyed” at the White House – Before the President and Stevie Wonder

Esperanza Spalding performs “I Know You Know” from her breakout album ‘Esperanza’

With her trio, at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony

Finally, on the very hip “Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul”

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A Birthday Video Tribute to Ray Charles

Posted in In Memoriam, The Jazz Continues..., Video Vault with tags , , , on September 23, 2011 by curtjazz

Though John Coltrane gets most of the birthday ink today, Ray Charles Robinson was also born on this day, in 1930; four years after Trane.

Both were born in the South, both spent seminal portions of their careers recording for Atlantic Records and both were major influences on countless numbers of artists.

Just think; wouldn’t a Coltrane – Ray Charles record date have been something?

Happy 81st birth anniversary to “The Genius”, Ray Charles.

Here are some great video clips of Brother Ray in his prime, “makin’ it do what it do, baby!”

“I Believe to My Soul” – performed live at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival

“Let The Good Times Roll” – also from Newport 1960

“What’d I Say” – from the mid ’60’s 

Ray blows the alto sax on this clip from a 1963 Brazilian Concert!

“In the Evening, When the Sun Goes Down” –  Ray stretches out a bit on the 88’s…

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A Birthday Video Tribute to John Coltrane

Posted in In Memoriam, The Jazz Continues..., Video Vault with tags , , , on September 23, 2011 by curtjazz

Today, John William Coltrane would have been 85 years old.

His face is on my personal “Mount Rushmore of Jazz”, so I admit to zero objectivity about him.

Like Miles, much has been written about him, but limited video footage exists. So here are a few fine examples of the art of “The Greatest of All Time”. I hope that you dig them as much as I do.

“Afro Blue” from Ralph J. Gleason’s legendary ‘Jazz Casual’ TV series

From the same program, the still haunting “Alabama”

“Impressions” 

“My Favorite Things” – 1965 on a cold August night in Belgium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kPXw6YaCEY

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Gil Scott-Heron (1949 – 2011) – A Video Tribute

Posted in In Memoriam, Video Vault with tags on May 27, 2011 by curtjazz

Though I knew that Gil Scott-Heron had been battling various health problems the last few years, hearing of his death a few minutes ago still was a shock. It hit like a ton of bricks.

I first heard Gil Scott-Heron in my early teens as “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” burst into my darkened room as I listened to WBLS overnight. His words have occupied rent-free space in my brain ever since.

He was once of the most memorable, creative, stunning and misunderstood artists I ever heard.

Here are five of his works of art that meant the most to me.

You are free at last!

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

The Bottle

Johannesburg

Whitey on the Moon

Pieces of a Man

Plus there was “B-Movie” a Reagan-era classic. I couldn’t embed it, but see it on YouTube by clicking below:

B-Movie – Gil Scott-Heron

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A Birthday Video Tribute to Miles Davis

Posted in In Memoriam, The Jazz Continues..., Uncategorized, Video Vault with tags , , on May 26, 2011 by curtjazz

Today is the 85th Anniversary of Miles Dewey Davis’ birth.

People who are far more learned than I claim to be, have spilled much ink over this man and his influence on jazz, on music and on our society as a whole. So I won’t spill much more.

I’ll just say that Miles was/is THE greatest of all time. You can argue about that if you want, but you’ll do it by yourself. My mind is made up.

Here are a few video clips to celebrate by. I hope you dig ’em!

(The music starts at around 00:58. Stay with it. It’s 100 times hipper than anything on TV today!)

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Mother’s Day…Dinah’s Biggest Fan

Posted in In Memoriam, The Jazz Continues..., Video Vault with tags , , on May 7, 2011 by curtjazz

My mother loved life and lived it joyously.  She loved to be around people, she loved to laugh and though she didn’t do it very well, she loved to sing. I still remember the sound of Mom’s singing voice as she was in the kitchen or at her sewing machine.  However, even when I was a child, her singing sounded unusual to me. It was a bit affected and nasal.  It sounded nothing like her speaking voice.  I often wondered, but never asked, where in the world did it come from?

I also knew from an early age that my mom was a fan of Dinah Washington. Though Mom was not a big LP buyer, I noticed that there were three Dinah Washington albums in the storage side of the stereo console; more than any other artist.  Mom also spoke often of hearing Dinah live back when she lived in Chicago.  I never bothered to listen to those records – they belonged to my parents, so they had to be corny.  Besides, one of them was a “Memorial Album”, so this Dinah lady was dead. Why should I listen?

Mom died of breast cancer when I was 28.  I was a nascent jazz fan by then, but I was yet to develop the love for the classic female vocalists (Sarah, Ella, Billie, Anita, etc.), that I now possess.  Not too long after Mom’s death, I was on a therapeutic Tower Records run, with a good friend, Mike, who was/is a big fan of vocalists. One of the things he picked up was a 2-LP Dinah Verve Collection.

We got back to his place to have a few beers and listen to our spoils. The first thing he dropped on the turntable was the Dinah album. After the brief swinging horn line she began to sing:

“If they asked me; I could write a book…”

I stopped talking and I listened intently. All at once it hit me.  That was the sound that Mom was looking for, but never quite achieved.  Consciously, or not, each time my mother sang, she was paying tribute to her favorite vocalist: “Miss D”.

From that night on, Dinah Washington became  my favorite jazz vocalist.  The others are all great in their own way, but Dinah – well, she’s special…

Happy Mother’s Day y’all.

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