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
Duke Ellington Orchestra Duke Ellington called his music “American Music” rather than jazz, and described those who impressed him as “beyond category.” He is widely considered one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music … Continue reading
Tenor saxophonist and flutist Charles Lloyd was born March 15, 1938 in Memphis, TN. Lloyd recieved his first saxophone at age 9, and his childhood teachers included pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr. and saxophonist Irvin Reason. was voted Down Beat’s “Jazz Artist of the Year” in … Continue reading
Remember Shakti is a quintet which combines elements of traditional Indian music with elements of jazz. The band Remember Shakti consists of English guitarist John McLaughlin, and Zakir Hussain (tabla), U. Srinivas (deceased) (mandolin), Shankar Mahadevan (vocals), and V. Selvaganesh (kanjira, … Continue reading
Ornette Coleman, the man who changed jazz in 1959. Saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer Randall Denard Ornette Coleman was born March 9, 1930 in Fort Worth, Texas. Coleman is one of the giants who not only has created a vast body of work, … Continue reading
A night of explorations: Miles in ’73 Dave Liebman is featured in this excerpt from a live performance of the Miles Davis band in 1973. Liebman is on flute and sax. With Peter Cosey, Reggie Lucas, Michael Henderson, Al Foster, and James Mtume Forman. Calypso … Continue reading
Guitarist Larry Eugene Carlton was born March 2, 1948 in Torrance, California. When he was six years old, Carlton began studying guitar with Slim Edwards. Larry Carlton’s own musical story began in Southern California. He picked up his first guitar when he … Continue reading
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Ralph Towner was born in Chehalis, WA in 1940, moved to Oregon at age five and grew up there. He began to improvise at the piano at age four, imitating recordings from the WW II era. … Continue reading
Willie Dixon. It would be very difficult to name a single person that had more influence on popular music in the latter half of the 20th century than this man. William James “Willie” Dixon (July 1, 1915 – January 29, … Continue reading
Miles Davis & Keith Jarrett burn the funk down. The Charles Lloyd Quartet with Jarrett, Ron McClure and DeJohnette came to an end in 1968, after the recording of Soundtrack, because of disputes over money as well as artistic differences. Jarrett … Continue reading