Insight in Jazz

In July of 1960, in protest against what they considered the failings of the jazz scene and the accelerating commercialization of the annual Newport Jazz Festival, Charles Mingus and Max Roach staged their own "rebel" festival at nearby Cliff Walk Manner, RI. The rebels set up their own tents for sleeping, built their own stage, handled advertising, promotion, ticket taking and MC duties. By all accounts the concert was wholly inspired and a peaceful affair. Meanwhile, what was supposed to be an alternative festival turned out to be the only one in town. Unable to disperse an intoxicated mob of young people seeking access to the sold-out show at Freebody Park, the actual Newport Jazz Festival ended abruptly in a full scale riot. Despite the fact that these sessions were held in the studio, the music reflects the high-spirited freedom of the best jazz played at the original setting with nearly all of it improvised during the recording. Of particular note is the Booker Little track "Cliff Walk," which features both Max Roach and Jo Jones, two of the greatest jazz drummers ever, trading off. The LP includes extraordinary liner notes written by Hentoff himself, giving a context and insight that adds to the experience of hearing these magnificent performances. This recording is remastered by legendary mastering engineer, Bernie Grundman.

The story of jazz for the general reader as it has never been told before, from the inside out: a comprehensive, eloquent, scrupulously researched page-turner. In this vivid history of jazz, a respected critic and a leading scholar capture the excitement of America’s unique music with intellectual bite, unprecedented insight, and the passion of unabashed fans. They explain what jazz is, where it came from, and who created it and why, all within the broader context of American life and culture. Emphasizing its African American roots, Jazz traces the history of the music over the last hundred years. From ragtime and blues to the international craze for swing, from the heated protests of the avant-garde to the radical diversity of today’s artists, Jazz describes the travails and triumphs of musical innovators struggling for work, respect, and cultural acceptance set against the backdrop of American history, commerce, and politics. With vibrant photographs by legendary jazz chronicler Herman Leonard, Jazz is also an arresting visual history of a century of music.

'Liquid Spirit' marks Gregory Porter’s Blue Note Records debut, which arrives on the heels of two critically acclaimed indie label albums that quickly propelled Porter to the upper echelon of contemporary male jazz singers and earned him two GRAMMY nominations. Don Was, President of Blue Note, encouraged Porter to stay true to his artistic vision. “I firmly consider myself a jazz singer but I enjoy blues, southern soul, and gospel,” Porter says, “Those elements make their way inside my music. And I’ve always heard them in jazz.”

Great artists can’t help but respond to the world around them, absorbing the tensions, angst and joys vibrating throughout society. At the same time, musicians provide energy for the necessary struggle, “washing away the dust of everyday life,” as drum legend Art Blakey said, describing jazz’s transformative power. This double duty is at the core of pianist Laszlo Gardony's new solo album Serious Play. He created most of the music spontaneously in the studio, with a few soulful reimaginations of beloved standards added, providing a potent reminder that the longtime Berklee College of Music professor is one of jazz’s most emotionally trenchant and melodically inventive solo piano practitioners. His 12th album and 9th recording for Sunnyside, Serious Play is slated for release on July 14, 2017.

Colin Curtis is back! with another finely curated selection of the best Jazz Dance Fusion records he could find.

This is a set with the Modern Jazz Quartet. The choice of material and its order of appearance approximates a set you might hear if you were listening to the group at one of America’s leading jazz rooms. All the pieces display different use of contrapuntal technique. The record features works, "Ralph's New Blues" which starts off the set, "All of You" from Cole Porter's musical Silk Stockings, and Sigmund Romberg's "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" from New Moon. Originally recorded in 1955, the six song set has been remastered by Concord's original engineer Rudy Van Gelder.