Pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer Herbert Jeffrey “Herbie” Hancock was born April 12, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois. Hancock’s classical piano training started at age 7 and at eleven he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 26 in D Major with the … Continue reading
https://youtu.be/i1NZfNVI6BU Tenor Saxophone Battle, North Sea Jazz Festival 15 July 1979 The worlds greatest tenor saxophone players: Illinois Jacquet, Dexter Gordon, Arnett Cobb, Buddy Tate and Budd Johnson perform a sensational and memorable tenor sax battle live on the stage … Continue reading
September 16 Coincidentally enough, two of the greatest practitioners of jazz on the classical guitar were born on this date. In addition to this similarity both Byrd and Klugh were noted for styles that used latin rhythms extensively. Happy Birthday, … Continue reading
This week, in celebration of the birth of creative genius John Coltrane, we focus on Trane’s Interstellar Space. Coltrane recorded this masterpiece in 1967, the year of his death, and Impulse! Records released it in September 1974. Plainly Astounding In a … Continue reading
The world lost a genius musician when Michael Brecker passed on. He has been sorely missed. While performing at the Mount Fuji Jazz Festival in 2004, Brecker experienced a sharp pain in his back. Shortly thereafter in 2005, he was … Continue reading
John McLaughlin (born 4 January 1942 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England), also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is among the most advancing musicians on the planet today. John has been cited as an influence by a number of prominent musicians. In 2010, guitarist Jeff … Continue reading
Mike Stern is a down-to-earth, happy-go-lucky inspiration to us all, musicians and otherwise. Born on January 10th 1953, Stern has long been a shining example of one of the hardest working musicians of his generation. After attending Berklee College of … Continue reading
For more Larry Carlton music, click the image. Larry Carlton built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and ’80s for acts such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. He has participated in thousands of recording sessions, recorded on hundreds of albums … Continue reading
No, this isn’t an unreleased recording of Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. One of the great tragedies in modern music was the potential recording session between the Electric Gypsy and the Prince of Darkness. Davis said in his 1990 autobiography that … Continue reading
1964 was a great year for cutting-edge jazz records like Albert Ayler’s Spiritual Unity, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and Andrew Hill’s Point of Departure. But none sounds as far ahead of its time as Eric Dolphy’s masterpiece Out to … Continue reading