Jazz History Tag Archive

Alice Coltrane’s Historic Carnegie Hall Performance to be released in Full

In a significant archival release, the jazz community is poised to witness Alice Coltrane’s 1971 performance at Carnegie Hall, a landmark event that has been shrouded in...

All-Female Ensembles & Their Importance in Today’s Jazz Scene

The growing number of all-female ensembles in today’s jazz world is something that has been greatly admired by many female (and male) musicians in the business. The overwhelming...

The day the Queen met Duke

In October 1958, Duke Ellington performed at the Leeds Music Festival, sharing the billing with other stars of the jazz world such as Humphrey Littleton, Cleo Laine and Johnny...

A Foreigner’s Guide to Polish Jazz

Yesterday I happened to be speaking with a colleague who is quite familiar with the current Polish jazz scene. I mentioned the article below, first published here some 7 years...

Forgotten Jazz Orchestras: Billy Eckstine

In the years between 1939 and 1945, three different but somewhat related styles of music grew out of swing: rhythm and blues, spearheaded by Louis Jordan, the early-1940s Lionel...

Bird 100! The Centennial Celebration Of Jazz Pioneer Charlie Parker Continues.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Charlie Parker’s birth. It’s impossible to imagine the evolution of jazz and modern music in general without the indelible influence...

A Great Day in Prague: 101 Czech Jazz Musicians

Since last year Prague has had posters everywhere reminding Czech citizens of the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution; “30 Years of Freedom,” state the posters showing a...

Book Review – The History of European Jazz – (Equinox, 2018)

 The History of European Jazz: the Music, Musicians and Audience in Context, edited by Francesco Martinelli (Equinox, 2018) On a recent visit to Istanbul, in Europe’s most...

Bill Evans | An insight into a Genius.

In October 1966, not long after Eddie Gomez joined the Bill Evans Trio, Evans and Gomez made a brief trip to Scandinavia for a series of concerts before returning back to New York...

Jazz, made in Italy – Anna Harwell Celenza’s superb new book!

Anna Harwell Celenza’s book “Jazz Italian Style” published by CUP (Cambridge University Press) was published earlier this year and I was hooked.  I need to clarify: this is...

Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair, by Nina Simone

Nina Simone is one of the best interpreters in popular music. She wrote over 40 songs, including some of her best such as Mississippi Goddam and Four Women. However throughout her...