John Taylor

With this session, recorded in the summer of 1957, John Coltrane came out from behind the harmonic safety net of a three-horn frontline to focus on his own imposing gifts as an improviser. As the only horn on 'Traneing In', the young tenor giant revels in the spotlight, demonstrating some of the hard-won lessons from his long apprenticeship with Thelonious Monk's group that very summer at New York's Five Spot club.

As is often the case with an artist as prolific as John Coltrane, not every release can be considered as essential. Black Pearls seems a bit ambiguous when placed in a more historical context. It was only three days later that Coltrane participated not as a leader, but rather a member, of the Miles Davis Sextet that recorded "Stella By Starlight" and "On Green Dolphin Street." There is an obvious disparity between these three mostly improvised and lengthy jams and the Davis session. This is in no way to insinuate that Coltrane's performance is anything less than par. Black Pearls indeed captures Coltrane at the height of perfecting the intense volley that would garner the name "sheets of sound."

Earlier in the year the Royal Academy announced a new Jazz Prize to be awarded to a music graduate demonstrating "excellence in both performance and composition." The name of the prize? It is named after someone befitting such a rare honour: The Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize. An elder statesman of UK jazz (following his move here from his native Canada in 1952), Wheeler s exemplary career continues apace.

Benny Joy, (real name Benjamin Eidson), was born in Atlanta, Georgia on November 5, 1935 and was an American Rockabilly artist most known for his work in the 1950s. Joy wrote and recorded many of his own compositions e.g. 'Crash The Party', 'Cold, Cold Woman', 'She Cryed For Me' and 'Dark Angel'. Recording artists like Marty Robbins, Jackie Wilson, Charlie Rich, Burl Ives, Debbie Reynolds, Johnny Rivers and Carl Smith have recorded his songs. Among Rockabilly collectors Joy's recording of 'Rollin' The Juke Box Rock' is well known. Joy's band was one of the first American rockabilly ensembles to tour Europe. Benny Joy died in 1988.

Chip Taylor (born January 1, 1940 in New York City) is the stage name of American songwriter James Wesley Voight. His brothers are actor Jon Voight and geologist Barry Voight. He is the uncle of actress Angelina Jolie and actor James Haven.

Chip Taylor, the writer of "Wild Thing" and "Angel of the Morning," abandoned his musical career in the '80s to take up professional gambling. Returning in the '90s, he has taken a stripped-down, rootsy approach across a series of sharp releases. This largely acoustic outing of duets with singer-fiddler Carrie Rodriguez proves again that his hiatus hasn't hurt his songwriting: "Sweet Tequila Blues," "Him Who Saved Me," and the title tune stand with his best work–and up to anyone else's. His calling out for musicians to solo, and the playful comfort exhibited with Ms. Rodriguez, lend an air of casualness to the proceedings, but make no mistake, Let's Leave This Town is a passionate, finely crafted record. "Back porch" music is one of life's joys, and the intimacy of a musician or group of musicians performing for a small circle of friends and family is magical in a way that is hard to capture on disc. Kudos to Chip Taylor as producer for making you feel that he and Ms. Rodriguez are performing these fine songs just for you and yours.

Fearless is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.