The Godfather of Soul. James Brown was born to lose. He refused to accept that fate. By the time he was in his 30s, James Brown was more than a dominant musical voice: he was an outstanding African-American personality, period. … Continue reading
Marion “Little Walter” Jacobs was born on May 1, 1930, in Marksville, Louisiana. He left home at 12, eventually landing in Chicago in 1947. By 1949, he began recording with Muddy Waters. The first person to play an amplified harmonica in 1951, he split from the … Continue reading
Herbie Hancock Trio plays Newport 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 Chicago … Continue reading
McKinley Morganfield “Muddy Waters” was born April, 4 in 1913 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. At 30, Muddy Waters moved to Chicago where he began the long process of transforming and electrifying American popular music. These twenty-two tracks were recorded by Alan Lomax in Mississippi in the early … Continue reading
“Master of the Telecaster” Albert Collins sings a blues about one woman’s foolish false allegations during a late ’80s show in Austin, Texas. There has never been and may never be again a bluesman quite like Albert Collins. “The Master Of The Telecaster” … Continue reading
Michael Brecker: March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007 Michael Brecker Day: Saxophonist and composer Michael Brecker was born on March 29, 1949 in Philadelphia, PA. Michael was the brother of trumpeter Randy Brecker. For most of the ‘70s, the two led the highly regarded … Continue reading
Cecil Taylor: Free Improvisation #3 Pianist and poet Cecil Percival Taylor was born March 25, 1929 in New York City. Cecil Taylor started learning piano when he was 6, and continued his studies at the New York College of Music and the New … Continue reading
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Hancock toured with his V.S.O.P. quintet, which featured all the members of the 1960s Davis quintet except Davis, who was replaced by trumpeter Hubbard. There was constant speculation that one day Davis would … Continue reading
Miles Davis plays New Rhumba with his quintet and the Gil Evans Orchestra. Between 1941 and 1948, Gil Evans worked as an arranger for the Claude Thornhill Orchestra. Evans’ modest basement apartment behind a New York City Chinese laundry soon became … Continue reading
Take Five, George Benson Happy Birthday, George Benson! Guitarist and singer-songwriter George Benson was born March 22, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Benson gave his first concert on ukelele when he was 7, and at age 8 he started playing guitar in nightclubs. He was 10 when … Continue reading