jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: February 2013
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Hello There, Universe. Tuesday, February 19, 2013. The second chorus is a dialogue between the saxophones, riffing in harmony, and the solo trumpet of Cootie Williams. It could have been ordinary and predictable, but the three stop-time moments, where the rhythm section stops playing and the saxes sing out, are surprising and arresting. (What did the dancers do? Ellington's sax riffs are more varied than was usual for the time, and of course, Cootie Williams at his peak is exciting to hear. It's simple, ...
jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: March 2012
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Hello There, Universe. Sunday, March 18, 2012. The Legends of Jazz - Photos From an Album. Kind of washed out, but I scanned them, tweaked the color and contrast, and did some cropping to improve the layout of some. I thought they deserved to be seen, as presumably unpublished pictures of a group of jazzmen who, except for Barry Martyn, have all left us. Labels: Music I like. Subscribe to: Posts (Atom). 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra. Keith Leslie, Drummer/Composer. Rob Rushin, Guitarist.
jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: Tchicai
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Hello There, Universe. Monday, October 8, 2012. John Tchicai died yesterday. The Danish saxophonist, most strongly associated with free jazz, avant-garde, or whatever you want to call the more adventurous side of jazz, was 76. From the first time I heard Tchicai's music, some 35 years ago, I was transfixed - I had never heard anything like it. The record was Archie Shepp in Europe. The Delmark label's U.S. issue of the album also known as The New York Contemporary Five, Vol. 1. He returned to Europe in 1...
jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: July 2012
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Hello There, Universe. Sunday, July 29, 2012. I haven't added to this blog much lately, so I might as well post something different from my usual ramblings about music. You can click here. For a larger view of the map than Blogger will let me provide. I suggest taking a look at the larger picture - it will open in a new window. The black band shows the army retreating westward, away from Moscow. 10,000 of the original 422,000 men lived to cross the border back into Poland. Minard has included more tellin...
jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: February 2012
http://jeffcrompton.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html
Hello There, Universe. Saturday, February 18, 2012. This post is not intended to be self-promoting in any way. It was written in a spirit of gratified amazement. I play in a band called the 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra. It's led by the trumpet player Roger Ruzow, best known as a founding member of the Gold Sparkle Band. As the name implies, the band plays a fusion of jazz, klezmer, and Afropop. It's an unusual and interesting band; I very much enjoy being a part of it. Peace between Arabs and Jews is ...
jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: November 2011
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Hello There, Universe. Tuesday, November 8, 2011. This post is a rebuttal of sorts. As I write, I've got my copy of Bill Russell's American Music. By Mark Hazeldine open to page 100. This page represents the major source of information in print anywhere about Pittsburgh pianist George Hornsby. And I don't like what it says. Why haven't Hornsby's recordings been reissued? It's a shame that these excellent records have never been reissued, and probably won't be. So that interested listeners can hear th...
jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: Marian McPartland, RIP
http://jeffcrompton.blogspot.com/2013/08/marian-mcpartland-rip.html
Hello There, Universe. Wednesday, August 21, 2013. Marian McPartland, RIP. I haven't felt compelled to add to this blog for some time. But Marian McPartland died yesterday, and I have to pay tribute. We've lost a lot of jazz giants lately. Another great pianist, Cedar Walton, died just a day before Ms. McPartland; he was 79. But McPartland's contributions went much further than her piano playing; this is a loss which hits hard. She was part of Alec Wilder's "inner circle" - her taste and respect for melo...
jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: October 2014
http://jeffcrompton.blogspot.com/2014_10_01_archive.html
Hello There, Universe. Tuesday, October 21, 2014. St Louis Cemetery #2. Over a year since my last post. No apologies or explanations, but I now feel like adding to this blog again. So, with some residual trepidation, I finally walked through. This historic burying ground on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 8. I knew that several important New Orleans musicians were buried there, but I made several discoveries that surprised me. Paul Barbarin, Danny Barker, and Blue Lu Barker. Not every family who buri...
jeffcrompton.blogspot.com
Hello There, Universe: Braxton in Alabama; February, 2015
http://jeffcrompton.blogspot.com/2015/04/braxton-in-alabama-february-2015.html
Hello There, Universe. Thursday, April 9, 2015. Braxton in Alabama; February, 2015. The Percussion Ensemble plays Composition 174; Taylor Ho Bynum at the laptop. University of Alabama big band. Composition 58. Bynum conducting; Dewar, Noffsinger, and Braxton seated on left. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator. April 21, 2015 at 9:35 PM. Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom). 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra. Keith Leslie, Drummer/Composer. Rob Rushin, Guitarist. Stomp Off, Let's Go.
