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A Portrait of Bud Powell As Drawn from the Jazz Literature
© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.As you read through these pieces about Bud, please keep in mind that whether you agree or disagree with them, these authors have...
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Johnny Mercer - By Gene Lees Part 1
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Mercer was a successful jazz singer with a distinctive, engaging style; he cultivated a relaxed manner of delivery, which emphasized his...
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Donte's Jazz Club - Two Remembrances
© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.From time-to-time, conversations among my Jazz buddies turns to Donte’s Jazz club and this usually brings forth a whole host of...
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Martial Solal: The Early Years [From the Archives with Additions]
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Martial Solal has always gone his own way, along a straight and rising path which compels respect: some forty years without ever...
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"KENNY CLARKE: Dropping Bombs on Paris" by Mike Zwerin
© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.The late Paris-based jazz musician and International Herald Tribune writer Mike Zwerin posted a 41-week series entitled Sons of...
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The Clark Terry - Bob Brookmeyer Quintet and The Power of Positive Swinging
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.It is true that at the Half Note, the staff refers to Terry and Brookmeyer as "Mumbles and Grumbles.""Mumbles" is the title of a widely...
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Dan Morgenstern 1929-2024 R.I.P.
This gets to the heart of so much meanspirited commentary that the music could do without and why many of us who write about Jazz appreciatively loved Dan so much."Jazz Jerry: How did you begin your...
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"Branford Marsalis: Waltzing with the Devil" by Mike Zwerin
© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.The late Paris-based jazz musician and International Herald Tribune writer Mike Zwerin posted a 41-week series entitled Sons of...
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Sonny and John: The Rollins-Coltrane Prestige Recordings
© Introduction. Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Sonny Rollins' longevity as a performer coupled with the discovery and recent Impulse! release of John Coltrane's Both...
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Open Letter to JazzProfiles Fans.
© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.As you may have noticed, I am posting very little new content to the blog.The main reason why I am reducing my presence on the blog...
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Jazz West Coast Reader. Volume 1- Paperback and eBook
© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.The first volume of the Jazz West Coast Reader is now available as a paperback and an eBook exclusively on Amazon.com.My thanks to...
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The Dublin Concert - Louis Stewart and Jim Hall
© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.LIVIA RECORDS - Press ReleaseLouis Stewart with Jim HallTHE DUBLIN CONCERTUnique 1982 Live Recording of 2 Guitar Masters with 16...
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The Jazztet - Hard Bop at Its Refined Best
© Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Benny Golson passed away on September 21, 2024. I am reposting this piece in his memory.“The Jazztet was formed in 1959, and evolved...
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Tadd Dameron - A Career Overview
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“... Dameron is a much underrated performer who stands at the fulcrum of modern Jazz, midway between Swing and Bebop. Combining the...
View ArticleFrankie And Johnny - Bob Cooper and Company
Working on the Bob Cooper chapter in the 2nd Volume of my Jazz West Coast Reader. Besides being a first-rate tenor saxophonist, Bob was also an accomplished arranger. Checkout the use of triplets on...
View ArticleChet Baker - Love Nest (1997 Remaster)
Pianist Russ Freeman who co-led a quartet with Chet during the mid-1950’s expressed what a lot of us felt while listening to Chet Baker:"Chet struck me as a giant player, then. You listen to the album...
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Bob Gordon – Baritone Blues - Gordon Jack
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Bob Gordon, another sideman on the [Clifford] Brown sessions for Pacific Jazz, also might have made a major impact on West Coast jazz...
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