Numerology Live at Jazz Standard

Philly Joe Jones (1923-1985) carried his birthplace as part of his name throughout most of his jazz career in order to avoid confusion with the former Basie drummer star, Jo Jones, who was his first influence.

Revival: Live at Pookie's Pub is a thrilling previously unissued live recording of Elvin Jones’ quartet that captures the legendary drummer’s emergence as a bandleader at a little-known club in New York City where he had a weekly residency after leaving John Coltrane's band in the late 1960s. Featuring Joe Farrell on tenor saxophone, Billy Greene on piano, and Wilbur Little on bass, Revival was recorded between July 28-30, 1967, just two weeks after Coltrane died on July 17.

When I started work on Geyser last autumn I had decided I was done composing music that reflected the pain of the pandemic. This new piece was to be instead a celebration – of music, its welcome return and that unique atmosphere created by musicians when they meet to perform. Its mood was to be predominantly joyful and optimistic, while its title was a metaphor for the music’s underlying rhythmic energy, unleashed intermittently in ecstatic outbursts – like explosions of water and steam from a pressurised geothermal spring. (This idea of tension, boiling under the surface, is a theme I return to in a lot in my music.)

When my Producer and long-time friend Pat Philips Stratta called to tell me that I had received the 2023 Living Masters award from the SmallsLIVE Foundation, I felt so honored! I was particularly pleased because it also gave me the opportunity to play at Mezzrow for two nights and record a CD in the afternoon of day three. For the first time in many years, I chose to change my Trio format and go back to Piano, Bass and Drums. For the last 20 years, my trio was piano, bass and guitar inspired by the great trios of Nat King Cole and Oscar Peterson. That requires everything to be arranged and lots of rehearsals, and I’ve been living in Ojai, California for the last 30 years, so rehearsals are not easy. This occasion gave me the opportunity to come East, and just kick back and play with my long-time colleague, Jay Leonhart on bass, and a musician I deeply admire (new to my trio) Dennis Mackrel on drums. For repertoire, I decided to choose mostly historical jazz standards that I’ve always loved, but I couldn’t stay away from arranging or guitar totally, so I invited Guitarist Roni Ben-Hur to be my special guest.

First Complete, Authorized Release of alto sax giant’s 1972 Olympia performance transferred from the original tape reels recorded by the ORTF and housed in the INA (the Institut national de l'audiovisuel). Released by Elemental Music in cooperation with the Cannonball Adderley Estate and INA France. Includes an extensive booklet with rare photos; essays by acclaimed jazz author and historian BOB BLUMENTHAL and producer ZEV FELDMAN, plus testimonies by TIA FULLER, LOU DONALDSON & VINCENT HERRING, and a never before published 1983 NAT ADDERLEY interview.

When my Producer and long-time friend Pat Philips Stratta called to tell me that I had received the 2023 Living Masters award from the SmallsLIVE Foundation, I felt so honored! I was particularly pleased because it also gave me the opportunity to play at Mezzrow for two nights and record a CD in the afternoon of day three. For the first time in many years, I chose to change my Trio format and go back to Piano, Bass and Drums. For the last 20 years, my trio was piano, bass and guitar inspired by the great trios of Nat King Cole and Oscar Peterson. That requires everything to be arranged and lots of rehearsals, and I’ve been living in Ojai, California for the last 30 years, so rehearsals are not easy. This occasion gave me the opportunity to come East, and just kick back and play with my long-time colleague, Jay Leonhart on bass, and a musician I deeply admire (new to my trio) Dennis Mackrel on drums. For repertoire, I decided to choose mostly historical jazz standards that I’ve always loved, but I couldn’t stay away from arranging or guitar totally, so I invited Guitarist Roni Ben-Hur to be my special guest.