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The Clayton Brothers: John and Jeff [From the Archives]
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Have you ever noticed how approachable most Jazz musicians are?It’s a quality that I find to be very admirable, especially in view of the fact...
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"The Excitable Roy Eldridge" by Gary Giddins
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.The editorial staff at JazzProfiles wouldn’t dream of denying Gary Giddins his “Challah and butter,” but we hope he won’t mind too much if we...
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"The Great Herb Geller"
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Another true professional is Herb Geller. He has that special sound of the older altoists like Benny Carter. But the lines and the phrasing...
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Theodore "Fats" Navarro: 1923-1950 - A Career Retrospective [From the Archives]
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Fats was a spectacular musician because, in a time when cats arrived on the scene with nothing, he came on with everything: he could...
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Hank Jones - The Elite
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.My how time flies.It seems like only yesterday that I was off to Tower Records in the North Beach area of San Francisco to check out the latest...
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James Moody
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.A Moody AfternoonReflections on DizzyGene LeesJazzletterOctober 2005“Of all the musicians in Dizzy Gillespie's life - and the list of those he...
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Coleman Hawkins by Dan Morgenstern
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Coleman Hawkins was a legend in his own time: revered by younger musicians, who were amazed and delighted at his ability to remain receptive...
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Miles at The Movies, April 1, 2016 - “Miles Ahead"
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“What's a labor of love? Take a look at what Don Cheadle does in Miles Ahead. Not only does he act the hell out of the role of the late jazz...
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Baby Dodds by George Wettling
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Jazz drumming has on occasion been referred to as The Engine Room with the obvious implication that the drummer powers the music.Of course,...
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Gary McFarland: New Writer in Town by Martin Williams
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.The following essay appeared in the March 1, 1962 edition of Down Beat and was written by the distinguished Jazz critic and author Martin...
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Kenny Dorham by Gene Feehan
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.By 1962 when the following article was written, trumpeter Kenny Dorham had been an active jazz musician for more than two decades and one of...
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"Big Band Jazz - Look to the Colleges" by Stan Kenton
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“My satisfaction comes from this. When I was a kid, there were so many things you wondered about that you couldn't possibly get from your music...
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The Singers Unlimited - Part 1
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“... when … [The Singers Unlimited] came into being [in 1967], it numbered four singers, Bonnie Herman at the top of the harmony, Len Dresslar...
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The Singers Unlimited - Part 2
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Through overdubbing, they could have as many voices as they wanted, in effect a large choral group with the four of them singing multiple...
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The Singers Unlimited - Part 3
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.How do you turn a fantasy into a reality?How do you take a multi-talented vocal Jazz group and produce fourteen [14] state of the art...
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The Singers Unlimited - Part 4
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Our revels now are ended. These our actors. As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air.... We are such stuff as...
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More Mulligan - A Career Overview [From the Archives]
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved“And Gerry Mulligan lived through almost the entire history of jazz. It is against that background that he should be understood.”- Gene Lees The...
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Henry "Red" Allen by Martin Williams
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.There are two things that are important about the following feature.The first is that it is about Henry “Red” Allen, who, among all of the...
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Terry Gibbs' Big Band - "Vamp 'Till Ready" by John Tynan
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“The Gibbs bands combined the high-energy swing of Lionel Hampton with the sophistication of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis outfits (Mel Lewis...
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The Glenn Miller Years - Part 1
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“... no artist should ever be evaluated other than by his intention. And Glenn Miller had no intention of leading a jazz band, despite the...
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