Clik here to view.
Mr. P.C. - Paul Chambers
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Over the years, it seems to me that so much attention has been paid to Jimmy Blanton, Oscar Pettiford, Ray Brown, Charles Mingus, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Woody Herman by Steve Voce - Part 6
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Nobody does what Woody does as well as he does. If we could only figure out what it is he does . . .”- Phil Wilson, trombonist, Jazz...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tony Williams 1945-1997: The Unpredictable in Jazz Drumming - Revised and...
The following feature on drummer, bandleader and composer, Tony Williams has been revised to include below "A Lesson from Tony" sent to us from drummer Ed Soph who teaches at the University of North...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mingus, Balliett and Dinosaurs In The Morning [From The Archives]
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Mingus has never had a substantial following, and it is easy to see why: he courts only himself and his own genius. A one-man clique, he...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ted Gioia on Charles Mingus - "The History of Jazz"
“..., viewed cumulatively, Mingus's efforts from the late 1950s represent a landmark accomplishment. His mature style had now blossomed into full-fledged artistry, and was evident in the music's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pops - A Remembrance of Louis Armstrong by Milton Hinton
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.I’ve been around the Jazz world for 60 years.In that time and in that world, no one has been more revered than Louis Armstrong.The following...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Count Basie by Alun Morgan - Part 1
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.The writing of the esteemed British author and critic Alun Morgan featured earlier on these pages when we posted an interview he conducted...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bing Crosby Swinging On A Star The War Years 1940-46 by Gary Giddins: A Synopsis
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved."[Gary Giddins is] The best thing to happen to Bing Crosby since Bob Hope"- Wall Street Journal“[Bing Crosby] … is that amazing product of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Count Basie by Alun Morgan - Part 2
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.The editorial staff at JazzProfiles has been searching for a cogent and coherent treatment of Count Basie and his music; not surprisingly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ray McKinley - 1910-1995 - "Jazz Drumming As A Rhythmic Presence"
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Glenn Miller was worth a million dollars a year while he was alive (an estimate had it that during the early years of the Second World...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Count Basie by Alun Morgan - Part 3
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Born in Wales in 1928, Alun Morgan became a Jazz fan as a teenage and was an early devotee of the bebop movement. In the 1950s he began...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Miles and Coltrane - In the Beginning
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Lewis Porter’s John Coltrane: His Life and Music [Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1998] is considered by many in Jazz circles to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Charles Mingus 'Jazz in Detroit,' 1973 a new box set features nearly 4 hours...
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.November 2, 2018 Rolling Stone Magazine by Hank ShteamerReview: Charles Mingus’ ‘Jazz in Detroit’ Sheds Light on an Overlooked EraA hefty...
View ArticleClik here to view.
"‘Sophisticated Giant’ Review: Long Tall Tenor Man" by Clifford Thompson
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Dexter Gordon tastes like coarse rye bread, parsley and cellar-chilled vodka. The basic tastes, pure and strong. He is elementary but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Count Basie by Alun Morgan - Part 4
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Born in Wales in 1928, Alun Morgan became a Jazz fan as a teenage and was an early devotee of the bebop movement. In the 1950s he began...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mr. P. C. The Life and Music of Paul Chambers - Rob Palmer
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Jazz musicians are their music. Absent that, they're just people making a living, eating meals, paying bills — no different from cops or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Solo Jazz Piano at Maybeck Recital Hall: A Treasure Hunt Remembered
[C] Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved. "In 1989, JoAnne Brackeen was about to do a solo performance at Maybeck Hall, a small and exquisite location in Berkeley, California,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Billy Bauer - Plectrist
© - Steven A. Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“I began to know Billy Bauer in 1949 with Lennie Tristano's band. To me Billy is a great asset to a rhythm section: his time is strong and...
View Article