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The Evolution of the Don Ellis Orchestra - Part 3
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved."DON ELLIS IS AN ADVENTURE"“ELLIS IS the only jazz big band leader to both emerge and endure in the last twenty years.The newest version (of...
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East & West - The New West Quartet [Gunther, Pinheiro, Cavalli, Pedroso]...
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Guitarist Ricardo Pineiro and bassist Massimo Cavalli’s work was not “new” to me as I previously reviewed the Triplicity CD they made with...
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A Compilation of Writings About the Music of Bob Graettinger
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved."Gerry Mulligan's writing for Kenton bespoke of relaxed swing and intimacy in tune with the baritone saxophonist cool aesthetic; Bob...
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More Mobley - A Slice Of The Top - The John Litweiler Notes
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.My thanks to Bob Blumenthal for hipping me to the notes by John Litweiler to Hank Mobley’s 1979 A Slice of the Top Blue Note LP [33582] which...
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Bill Perkins Obituary - Steve Voce
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.BILL PERKINS has been the subject of three previous posts on these pages, including a lengthy interview that Steve Voce prepared for...
View ArticleToots Thielemans With The George Shearing Quintet
Stick with this as you'll have a hard time believing your ears after the 1:17 minute mark. The tune is "The Man I Love."
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Resonance Records Samplers
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“I met the wonderful graphic artist Takao Fujioka on my first trip to Japan in 2014. After some days in Tokyo hosted by eminent jazz executive,...
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Road Show: Stan Kenton and His Orchestra with June Christy and The Four Freshmen
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.Stan, June, and the Freshmen were in top swinging form when they reached Purdue University—midway through their five-week cross - country tour....
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Listening to Prestige with Tad Richards
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Tad Richards will strike a nerve with all of us who were privileged to have lived through the beginnings of bebop, and with those who have...
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Harry Bäcklund: 1936 - 1978 - "I Remember You"
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.West Coast Jazz or Jazz on the West Coast, the style of Jazz that existed primarily in California from about 1945 - 1965, and the majority of...
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The Evolution of the Don Ellis Orchestra - Part 4
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“Don Ellis is often associated with Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, and Cecil Taylor as a proponent of the avant-garde jazz of the late 1950s...
View ArticleWonder Struck
George's quintet in a Latin groove is always a treat especially when Armando Peraza [conga] and Willie Bobo [timbales] are in the group.
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Conte Candoli [1927-2001] - Steve Voce Obituary for The Independent
© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.“... Conte first and foremost shows a knack for constructing long phrases with a variety of rhythmic twists and turns; unlike most players, who...
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