In the Groove

Bassist Paul Chambers

Mike Lambert — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 23:43:41 +0000

The 80th anniversary of the birth of Paul Chambers is Wednesday and we will celebrate on In The Groove with tracks from three of his Blue Note recordings.

Chambers was with the Miles Davis Quintet from 1955 to 1963. We’ll also listen to one of his most notable performances “So What” from the Miles Davis classic Kind Of Blue session. It opens with a familiar brief duet featuring Chambers and pianist Bill Evans.

Here is a first rate video of Davis’ “So What” (with Wynton Kelly on piano) and also a performance of “Walkin’” from a European tour evening featuring John Coltrane when Davis was out because of illness.

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A Bronx Tale…

Mike Lambert — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 03:25:10 +0000

High spirited music and dancing in this one hour video. “From Mambo To Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale” beautifully presented by filmmaker Henry Chalfant. On In The Groove this week in the second hour we listen to a couple of Jerry Gonzalez tracks that take some of that earlier Bronx Latin Jazz spirit and combines it with the music of Monk.

Hope you enjoy the video and this week’s show! (h/t Jazz On The Tube)

As tracks are played they are listed in the right column of the ITG Blog.
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Lady Day’s Centennial

Mike Lambert — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 23:44:22 +0000

Billie Holiday‘s centennial was Tuesday. This week In The Groove will celebrate by listening to a few of the recordings she made for the Commodore and Decca labels, when her voice was at its strongest.

Last week’s show spotlights some of her delightful earlier recordings with Teddy Wilson’s all-star groups and later when she lead her own sessions, often including Lester Young. Next week on the show I will feature a few of her most mature and emotional performances: the “Lady In Autumn” era on Norman Granz’s Verve label.

Tom Reney, host of WFCR’s Jazz à la Mode, has a beautiful but concise post this week filled with well chosen photos, video clips, observations, and some of the best links to recent articles and books about this legendary jazz artist. You can listen on demand to Reney’s three hour Billie Holiday retrospective here until April 14.

Read the article…

Photo: Billie Holiday at Olympia Theatre, Paris, November 1958 © Jean-Claude Bernath

Pianist and Composer Freddie Redd

Mike Lambert — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 01:12:13 +0000

Freddie Redd is a hard-bop pianist and composer who is now in his mid 80′s. In his earlier days he played with the Jive Bombers, who later recorded “Bad Boy.”** I mention that because every week Bobby Bishop features “Bad Boy” as the opening to KUSP’s Monday evening jazz show “B In The Night.”
Through the years Freddie Redd worked with Tina Brooks, Paul Chambers, Howard McGhee, Lou Donaldson, Benny Bailey, and Charles Mingus. There is a video of Redd in performance below; he completed a European tour in 2013.
The jazz critic Scott Yanow says that Redd “found his greatest fame when he wrote the music for the play The Connection. He acted and played in the landmark show in New York, London, and Paris, was in the film, and recorded the music for Blue Note…” Jackie McLean was also in this 1959 show about musician junkies, in the movie, and on the soundtrack. This week we listen to a selection from that recording and another from a 1985 recording by Redd. (photo by Francis Wolff/Alfred Lion Collection)

** “Bad Boy” I am surprised to see was originally titled “Brown Gal” and was composed and recorded by Lil’ Armstrong in 1936.

As tracks are played they are listed in the right column of the ITG Blog.
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Paul Desmond

Mike Lambert — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 00:52:33 +0000

This week In The Groove celebrates the 90th anniversary of alto saxophonist Paul Desmond‘s birth which was yesterday. Some good live performance videos are below, including a rare musical short of the Dave Brubeck Quartet filmed by Gjon Mili around 1954.

Yesterday Doug Ramsey posted some thoughts on Desmond, and here is selection from Ramsey’s book on Desmond which is titled “Take Five.” Ramsey also recommends The Sound Of A Dry Martini, Paul Conley’s classic NPR profile of Paul Desmond.

As tracks are played they are listed in the right column of the ITG Blog.
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Duke Jordan: “No Hay Problema”

Mike Lambert — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:45:37 +0000

“Although he had a long career, Duke Jordan will always be best known for being pianist with Charlie Parker’s classic 1947 quintet” according to jazz critic Scott Yanow. On this week’s show we listen to Jordan with Parker, to Jordan’s later trio recordings, and to a couple of his classic compositions “No Problem (No Hay Problema)” and “Jordu.”

Also on the show new selections by Chick Corea, James Farm, Ahmad Jamal, and Lisa Ferraro, as well as recordings by Don Byron, Nellie Lutcher, and by Jimmy Lunceford and his Orchestra.

As tracks are played they are listed in the right column of the ITG Blog.
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Pianist/Composer George Wallington

Mike Lambert — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 00:43:12 +0000

George Wallington was born 90 years ago this last Monday. Critic Scott Yanow says that Wallington was one of the first and best bop pianists. He played with the who’s who of bop during 1946-1952, including Charlie Parker, Serge Chaloff, Allan Eager, Kai Winding, Terry Gibbs, Brew Moore, Al Cohn, Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, and Red Rodney. That’s before he gave it all up and retired to work in his family’s air-conditioning business.

This week we listen to some of his recordings and to his composition “Godchild” which was one of the Birth Of The Cool selections. Also on the ITG show: Karrin Allyson, Jonah Jones, Jimmie Noone’s Apex Club Orchestra, new discs by the Chick Corea Trio, and by Charlie Haden & Jim Hall.

And a Halloween Treat–Philly Joe Jones’ Blues For Dracula.

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Here’s Warne Marsh, Lee Konitz and Billy Taylor in 1958 playing “Godchild.”
The host’s intro alone is worth a watch. Deep, man.

Eddie Harris

Mike Lambert — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 23:38:22 +0000

Monday was the 80th anniversary of the birth of tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris. He had a lot of success (including a hit recording of “Exodus,” the first jazz recording to be certified gold, and of course including the album Swiss Movement with Les McCann) and he had a career with many ups and downs.

ITG is spotlighting a few of his recordings this week, and here are some clips from that classic Montreux Jazz Festival performance in 1969. If nothing else, check out the video below of comments by songwriter Eugene McDaniels. He’s a charmer.

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Abdullah Ibrahim’s 80th Birthday

Mike Lambert — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 22:21:00 +0000

Here are a couple of clips from an interview which Abdullah Ibrahim gave before next week’s Carnegie Hall concert “UBUNTU: Music and Arts of South Africa.”
In the second hour of In The Groove this week we listen to a few of Ibrahim’s pieces, including the first selection, “Dollar’s Dance,” which is on his 1963 recording Duke Ellington Presents The Dollar Brand Trio.
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As tracks are played they are listed in the right column of the ITG Blog.
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Bouncing With Bud

Mike Lambert — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 00:16:09 +0000

Here are some rather rare videos of Bud Powell in performance. There is also a clip of Sonny Rollins remembering the seminal bop composer and pianist. The 90th anniversary of Bud Powell‘s birth is Saturday. “Bouncing With Bud” and other selections are heard on “In The Groove” this week. Also on the show, selections by Sonny Rollins, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Grant Green, Ct. Basie, and Mary Stallings.

As tracks are played they are listed in the right column of the ITG Blog.
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