Jazz Music Blog

Lucky Thompson plays Tenderly

Since posting this blog entry on Lucky Thompson and Don Byas last year, I've discovered footage of Thompson playing "Tenderly

Dick Nash, Bred in the Bone New Englander

Among the Bay State’s renowned jazz native sons are Ted and Dick Nash of Somervi

Carmen McRae sings 'Round Midnight

Today is Carmen McRae’s 93^rd birthday anniversary, and here she is si

The Muddy Waters Centennial

Today's centennial of Muddy Waters's birth reminds me of something about Louis Armstrong. About 25 years ago, documents surfaced that disproved Armstrong’s claim of a birth date of July 4, 19

Rare film of Booker Little

Wow! Here’s rare footage of trumpeter Booker Little with the Max Roach Quintet on the Stars of Jazz television show in 1958.

Alberta Hunter: Timeless Classic Blues

Here’s some delightful footage of Alberta Hunter singing “My Handy Man” in a 1981 performance filmed at the Smithsonian. That’s Gerald Cook, her music

Thad Jones's 90th

Moments after I’d posted this morning’s blog touting Chick Webb as the Battle of the Bands champ at the Savoy Ballroom, I spotted some great footage of the Thad Jones-Mel Orchestra under a banner r

Chick Webb: The Savoy King

Chick Webb's early death has tended to obscure the status he enjoyed among his peers during his lifetime.

Ben Webster

Today is Ben Webster’s 104^th birthday anniversary. Webster came to fame with Duke Ellington, but the tenor saxophone was a later addition to Duke’s tonal palette as trumpets, tromb

Marian McPartland's 95th

Below is the blog entry I posted on Marian McPartland a year ago. Today is her 95th birthday, and as this small world would have it, I sat next to Huey, the producer of the McP

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2013

Let's begin today's wearing of the green with Bob Wilber (here under the photo of Louis Armstrong that graces the rear wall of Smalls Jazz Club) and Ehud Asherie performing "Struttin' With Some Bar

Charles Lloyd

Today is Charles Lloyd’s 75^thbirthday. He's celebrating the milestone with a concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art tonight, and he’ll be at

Dameronia on NPR

I wrote about the new Tadd Dameron biography here on February 21, his 96th birthday anniversary, and featured his music that night in Jazz a la M

George Coleman: Memphis Modes

Today is George Coleman's 78th birthday. We'll hear the Memphis native in tonight's Jazz a la Mode.

Ellington in Zurich

Bill Cosby brought a copy of Duke Ellington at Newport to play before his benefit for New England Public Radio on Saturday night at Symphony Hall in Springfield. It was quite a thril

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