Upcoming Clifford Brown Symposium and Concert Series
October 15, 2008
Clifford Brown passed over the rainbow at an early age in a year before I was born. His life was cut very short but his music remains and thankfully lives on. If you have not had the privilege to hear the magic he created with his horn, please give a listen to the MP3 I’ve inserted here. Of course, if you can attend the Symposium entitled, ‘Brownie Speaks’ which is being held in the Philadelphia area October 30th through November 1st, by all means please do!
[Read more]
Watch out Trumpets, the Cornets are making a comeback!
October 12, 2008
Cornets! What the heck is a cornet? Sounds like some kind of flying saucer!
Just kidding. But until I came across Dennis Gonzales’ video a few weeks ago, I hadn’t thought about cornets since High School, some thirty plus years ago! I also forgot about the pretty sound you can produce on them. Well, it started me to thinking I needed to add a cornet to my arsenal. In the process I came across a real gem that I wanted to share with you all.
There’s this guy named Nick DeCarlis, who started to play as a kid, quit, and later, while in college, taught himself how to play. Well, since that time, he’s become a collector/restorer, gifted cornet player and avid promoter of jazz music. There is some really neat stuff on his web page ‘vintagecornets’, including an article and photos of cornets with two bells. I have placed some of the links to Nick’s sites below. Check these sites out and find out what the ‘Cornet Conspiracy’ is all about. Also, if you haven’t listened to the Dennis Gonzales video, please do!
TD
http://www.pocketcornets.com/index.html
http://www.decadesign.com/scptest/classicjazzbrochure.pdf
Bill Chase – Jazz Rocks!
September 10, 2008
Jazz Rocks!!
This has always been one of my favorite jazz genres. I mean it was the first sort of rock I heard. Although my mother was a very capable singer with a beautiful voice, the music available in the household was fairly limited, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole. Soft stuff, you know. No Elvis or Beatles or anything close. When I started playing the trumpet, I gravitated to the trumpet records by Louis Armstrong, Al Hirt, and of course the old ‘Echoes of an Era’ Maynard Ferguson Orchestra stuff. So, when my friends showed up one day with the Bill Chase ‘Pure Music’ album, I was completely blown away. Mind you, I was all of 12 years old at the time. To this day, that is still one of my favorites. Although, I now find myself listening to Bill Chase’s ‘Ennea’ album more than the others. Strange what age will do to you! I mean if you want a practice work out, start transcribing and playing some of that stuff. Four highly skilled trumpet players playing just absolutely amazing. Songs like Poseidon and Zeus. Oh yeah!
[Read more]
Video – Kenny Dorham
August 30, 2008
Happy Birthday to Kenny Dorham
August 30, 2008
McKinley Howard Dorham, aka Kenny Dorham
August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972.
Trumpet Dude salutes one of the best today, Happy Birthday Kenny! Yes, Kenny Dorham was one of the best voices to ever travel the trajectories of a trumpet. While his playing voice was incredible, he never received the accolades he should have from the jazz establishment, always overshadowed by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro. Perhaps this is simply because he didn’t have a flamboyant personality like the others. I can only speculate, but in fact, he was referred to as ‘quiet Kenny.’ Regardless, his playing has stood the test of time and is now considered some of the best and a must listen for any aspiring jazz trumpeter today. I myself had not heard of Kenny until trumpeter Dave Scott turned me on to him some years ago, asserting that Kenny was his favorite. To this day, I am utterly amazed and challenged by the music that Kenny composed in his improvisations.
[Read more]
Jazz Sculptures by Ed Dwight
August 25, 2008
I recently had the privilege to view some incredible art pieces whose subject was jazz and its artists. Yes, this is not only art with jazz being the subject; this is fine art and sculpture produced by a man named Ed Dwight. Mr. Dwight has done some very interesting things in his life, including being an experimental test pilot and the first African American astronaut trainee. However, for many years now he has focused his direction on fine art and sculpture projects. Dwight began his art career in 1976 and has become one of most prolific and insightful sculptors in America today.
This series, “Jazz: An American Art Form” is quite incredible and should be viewed if possible. In this series, Ed depicts the evolution of jazz music from its roots in Africa to the contemporary jazz superstars of the jazz era, and focuses on this style as a pure American musical idiom. Various works from the Jazz series are on display at major galleries and museums throughout the U.S. The series has received critical acceptance internationally. The complete series consists of over 70 works focusing on the African tribal contributions, and also includes such great jazz performers as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, “Satchmo” Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman.
For information about Mr. Dwight or if you wish to purchase some of these fine productions, go to http://www.eddwight.com/galleries/jazz/index.htm#
Happy Birthday Art Farmer!
August 20, 2008
Happy Birthday Art Farmer!
Arthur Stewart Farmer, August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999.
I would like to say a special Happy Birthday to one of my personal mentors, Art Farmer. Art began performing as a jazz trumpeter in the 1940’s and 50’s. He, along with Clark Terry, was influential in bringing the flugelhorn into the sounds of jazz. He also later played what I just learned was called a Flumpet, a combination trumpet and flugelhorn designed for him by David Monette.
[Read more]
Jazz Improv Books by Jerry Bergonzi
August 17, 2008
I have just added several outstanding books on jazz improvisation by Jerry Bergonzi to the Trumpet Superstore. I think they are superb and highly recommend them to you. Jerry Bergonzi is an internationally recognized jazz performer, composer, author and educator.
[Read more]
Roy Hargrove Quintet, ‘Earfood’
August 12, 2008
You’ve all heard of ‘eye candy,’ well this one is most assuredly not just ‘Earfood’ it’s candy for the ears!
Roy’s goal on this project was “to have a recording that is steeped in tradition and sophistication, while maintaining a sense of melodic simplicity.” He truly achieved that goal and then some. Roy Hargrove, one of the ‘young lions’ to arrive on the scene in the late eighties and early nineties, is continuing to do very nice things. With a style most closely aligned with Lee Morgan, Roy knows how to sound like a ‘badboy’. This compilation is masterful, taking post-bop to the next level. Roy has beautiful and warm ballad ability and demonstrates that here as well.
|
The tracks are:
1. I’m Not So Sure |
Mathias Eick
August 12, 2008
Recently I came across an upcoming jazz player, trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, Mathias Eick. Mathias was the 2007 Recipient of the International Jazz Award for new talent. I was impressed with his style and sound. The Guardian aptly described his playing as, “silky un-brass like sound…an undulating groove landscape.”
Mathias has previously worked with the divergent likes of Chick Corea and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra to Norwegian psychedelic rock band Motorpsycho.
[Read more]
