venerdì 22 maggio 2015

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers 1963 Sanremo

Repost  for replacing video



In 1963 Art Blakey arrived in Italy to partecipate at 8th International Jazz Festival in Sanremo with his Jazz Messengers including Freddie Hubbard: trumpet, Wayne Shorter: sax, Curtis Fuller: trombone, Cedar Walton:piano, Reggie Workman: bass, one of his best line-up. We want to remember this event with the following video, in which you can see the whole concert, about one hour of exciting music.





martedì 13 agosto 2013

Jazz in Italy: Erroll Garner trio Live in Turin (1971)


After a long absence we come back with a gorgeous concert performed more than 40 years ago by one of the most influential pianist of the past century: Erroll Garner (1921-1977).



In the evening of May 7, 1971, in Turin (Italy) the pianist presented himself with his most usual format: the classic piano trio, completed with a conga player: Ernest McCarty, jr., bass; Jimmie Smith, drums; Josè Mangual, congas.
The program was particularly engaging with some classic standards of the repertoire of the pianist, including a particular analysis (three tracks) of his masterpiece Misty, in total nine tracks welcomed with ovations by an enthusiastic pubblic,


01. The Shadow of Your Smile 4:42 
02. The Girl From Ipanema 5:40 
03. Misty 4:24 
04. There Will Never Be Another You 2:46 
05. Misty #2 2:16 
06. Variations on ”Misty” 1:39 
07. Yesterday 5:19 
08. I’ll Remember April 4:06 
09. Tell It Like It Is 4:38 


Shown below the opening track



The second track was an exciting Bossa Nova


The extraordinary popularity of Garner induced some critics to consider his music not strictly jazz ,but more akin with popular music. An unaccetable opinion considering Garner's musical work as in the following track where we can appreciate some variations on Misty



Finally this live performance give us one of the best moments of the late phase of his career, that will end after few years.

giovedì 11 ottobre 2012

Remembering Art Blakey: Live in Sanremo - Italy (1963)


Today was Art Blakey's birthday, he was born  october 11, 1919 and died october 16, 1990, just five days after his seventyfirst anniversary.
In 1963 he arrived in Italy to partecipate at 8th International Jazz Festival in Sanremo with his Jazz Messengers including Freddie Hubbard: trumpet, Wayne Shorter: sax, Curtis Fuller: trombone, Cedar Walton:piano, Reggie Workman: bass, one of his best line-up.
We want to remember him with the following video, in which you can see the whole concert, about one hour of exciting music.



mercoledì 18 luglio 2012

Jazz Live in Europe: Chet Baker in Oslo (1983)

In august 1983 Chet Baker had some concerts in Oslo (Norway) supported by the Norwegian pianist Per Husby and his trio. Two of those sets were published posthumously  in a rare CD some years after.



Chet plays some long solos and he never seems to get tired or run out of ideas. In addition of some his favorite tunes of Hal Galper and Tad Dameon he does some nice playing on the standard Polka Dots and Moonbeams, a tune he didn't play much in those years.


The recording quality is not excellent, for a lot of talking and other noises, but the Chet performance lives them down.

giovedì 17 maggio 2012

Jazz Live in Italy: Remembering Jackie McLean on his birthday.


The alto saxophonist Jackie McLean was born in New York May 17, 1931 and died March 31, 2006. We want to remember him here in his last exibition in Italy at Umbria Jazz 2004, with a quintet including his son René, a good hard bop tenor saxophonist, Alan Palmer: piano, Nat Reeves: bass, Eric McPherson: drums. 
In the first two videos they play the classic standard of Thelonious Monk 'Round Midnight.





In the following two we can listen to a composition of Jackie McLean The Rhythm of the Earth



martedì 8 maggio 2012

Jazz Live in Italy: Jimmy Giuffre Trio in Rome (1959)


During his european tour, organized in 1959 by Norman Granz, Jimmy Giuffre (1921-2008) had with his unusual trio a concert in Rome, june 19, at Teatro Adriano.


We can show here the most part of that exibition with a young Jim Hall, guitar and Buddy Clark, bass.
The first "tema" was a composition of John Lewis taken by the repertory of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Before an introduction of the concert, in a good italian, by Norman Granz.


The second tune is the well known composition of Giuffre: Four Brothers, famous for the four saxes arrangement, that he made for the Woody Herman orchestra.


The following tune is a composition of Jim Hall: Careful


The new tune is another original composition by Giuffre: Princess


A new one original composition by Giuffre: The Little Melody


The exibition was concluded with Time Machine by Giuffre


For that I know the Trio with Buddy Clark never was recorded in studio, so those videos are the only existing attestation.

domenica 15 aprile 2012

Jazz Live in Europe: The Jazztet at Jazz Baltica 1997: an Historical Revival.



In Salzau (Germany) during the Jazz Baltica Festival, 1997 June 14th, the program put together again, about 35 years after, Art Farmer (1928 - 1999) and Benny Golson (1929) leaders of an historical group “The Jazztet” that, during his three years of existence (1959-62), was, along with The Jazz Messengers of Art Blakey and the Horace Silver qintet, the definitive hard bop combo.


In that occasion some other famous musicians play along with them as Milt Jackson (1923-1999), N-H. Ø. Pedersen (1946-2005), Kenny Kirkland (1955-1998), Toots Thielemans (1922), ecc..
In the following video we can appreciate the best known I Remember Clifford, inevitable performance in a concert with his author Benny Golson.


Also the following video is a famous tune composed by Golson Whisper Not 


In the next video we can listen to the classic tune of Milt Jackson Bags Groove in a special performance with Toots Thielemans as guest


The following tune, also composed by Milt Jackson, S.K.J. is performed by the pianist Kenny Kirkland who in that evening took the place that in the original combo was of McCoy Tyner


This last video presents a classic tune Afternoon in Paris composed by John Lewis for the Modern Jazz Quartet,  here rappresented by Milt Jackson



A very interesting evening in which we can see a page of history of jazz.

sabato 25 febbraio 2012

Zoot Sims in Sweden with Red Mitchell (1984)

Zoot Sims (1925-1985) "was one of a group of tenor saxophonists born in the mid-1920s whose early professional experience came in big bands and who idolized Lester Young. The basic jazz skills of most of these reedmen were developed by the time they had reached their early twenties. But their styles flowered in the bebop atmosphere in which jazz matured so dramatically following World War II." (Steven A. Cerra - Jazz Profiles, march 20, 2009).
He was well known as one of the Woody Herman's Four Brothers (with Stan Getz, Herbie Steward and Serge Chaloff).


He played with many stars as Count Basie, Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Art Pepper, Jim Hall, Hank Mobley and many others.
His career was struck down by a cancer at only 59 years.


Few months before his death he was in Sweden and, in a private house, with Red Mitchell at bass and Rude Gustafsson at guitar (porbably the householder) recorded the following rare videos. They play some classics standards, in which we can appreciate the sensibillity of Sims. 









These are, probably, the last video images of the artist.

mercoledì 8 febbraio 2012

Jazz Live in Europe: Oscar Peterson and Count Basie Together in Prague (1974)


In november 1974 Oscar Peterson was in concert at Prague Jazz Festival, and after some takes in solo and in duo with N-H. Ø. Pedersen, as the following exciting Mack the Knife


he invited Count Basie, who had to play after with his orchestra, to joint him on stage.
They played, with a rhythm session (Pedersen, Freddie Green and Skeets Marsh), the following three tracks,







What can we say? Only invite you to enjoy these two fantastic jazz masters.

mercoledì 1 febbraio 2012

Jazz Live in Europe: Enrico Rava quintet at Sibiu Jazz Festival (Romania) 2007

The well known italian jazz trumpet player Enrico Rava with some of the most interesting italian jazz players: Gianluca Petrella (tbn), Andrea Pozza (piano), Rosario Bonaccorso (bs) and Emanuele Maniscalco caught during the Sibiu Jazz Festival in Romania in summer 2007


In the following video you can see the whole concert in a good quality.

domenica 22 gennaio 2012

Jazz Live in Italy: Charles Mingus quintet at Umbria Jazz 1974



Umbria Jazz is the most important and well known Italian Jazz Festival, that next year will reach its 40th anniversary.
1974 was the second year of life and program was rich and ambitious, spread on different towns 


and including many important artists as Gerry Mulligan with Mariam McPartland, Keith Jarett, Horace Silver presenting two hopeful young artists: Tom Harrell and Bob Berg, Antony Braxton, Sam Rivers, Sonny Stitt, the Big bands of Gil Evans and of Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, and Charles Mingus New Group.
This last group was a kind of All Stars, with the leader, playing bass, there were George Adams (ten. sax), Hamiet Bluiett (bar. sax) Don Pullen (piano) and Dannie Richmond (drm).
In the following video it's possible to appreciate the central nucleus of a gorgeous concert of this group, performed in Todi on july 28, 1974 (not 1975 as wrongly written on video; the town is clearly Todi and in 1975 Mingus had only one date in Perugia with a little different group).


The three themes played were:
  1. Flowers for a Lady (aka Angry Reds)
  2. Devil Blues (aka Stormy and Funky Blues)
  3. Opus 3 (aka Squeezed Strings)

This about half an hour of exciting music, in front of an enthusiastic pubblic, is a great page of jazz played by five excellent musicians. Unfortunatly only one of them, Hamiet Bluiett, is still in life today.

mercoledì 18 gennaio 2012

Jazz Live in Europe: Woody Herman in Antibes (Cote d'Azur - France 1965)

An interesting rare recording of Woody Herman and his Swinging Herd taken in Antibes (Cote d'Azur-France) during his European tournée of 1965.



Woody Herman - "Live in Antibes"
28 July, 1965 

Woody Herman (cl, s.alto); 
Bill Chase, Don Rader, Gerald Lamy, Dusko Gojkovic, Robert Shew (tp); 
Ron Myers, Don Doane, Henry Southall (tb); 
Sal Nistico, Andy Mc Ghee, Gary Klein (ts); 
Tom Anastas (bs); 
Nat Pierce (p); Antony Leonardi (b); Ronnie Zito (dm)

Tracks
1. Blue Flame (J. Noble)  0'45 
2. The Preacher (H. Silver)  4'30 
3. Wailling In The World (G. Roland)  3'57 
4. Hallelujah Time (O. Peterson)  3'21 
5. Satin Doll (Elington/Strayhorn)  3'43 
6. Somewhere (L. Bernstein)  4'24 
7. Four Brothers (J. Giuffre)  3'32 
8. Early Autumn (R. Burns)  4'08 
9. Medley:  
- - Rose Room (Williams/Hickman) 
- - In A Mellowtone (Ellington/Gabler)
- - Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Ellington/Russell) 6'18 
10. 23 Red (B. Chase)  3'37 
11. Northwest Passage (Herman/Jackson/Burns) 6'07 
12. Watermelon Man (H. Hancock)  7'39 
13. I Remember Cliford (B. Golson) 5'40
14. Caldonia (F. Moore) 6'35
15. Blue Flame (J. Noble) 0'57

mercoledì 4 gennaio 2012

Jazz Live in Italy: The Giants of Jazz in Milano (1971)

At the beginning of the 70s the producer George Wein had the opportunity to put together some of the main stars of the Bebop era: Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Kay Winding, Thelonious Monk, Al McKibbon and Art Blakey. The group was named The Giants of Jazz  and for about one year had a successful tournée around the world. 
On 1971, october 20, played at Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milano. 



Personnel
Dizzy Gillespie (tr)
Kay Winding (tbn)
Sonny Stitt (sax a)
Thelonious Monk (piano)
Al McKibbon (bs)
Art Blakey (drm)

tracks
01. I Mean You (T. Monk)  11'48
02. 'Round Midnight (T. Monk) 08'05
03. Tour de Force (D. Gillespie) 13'22
04. Tin Tin Teo (Chano Pozo-Gil Fuller) 09'58
05. Lover Man (Ramirez-Davis-Sherman) 04'29
06. Woody'n You (D. Gillespie) 9'36
07. Don't Blame Me (Jimmy McHugh-Dorothy Fields) 03'39
08. Night in Tunisia (D. Gillespie-F. Paparelli) 7'47

The following video was taken in Holland during the same tournée 


lunedì 2 gennaio 2012

Jazz Live in Europe: Max Roach quintet feat. Abbey Lincoln in Paris 1964

A rare concert of the Max Roach quintet with the voice of Abbey Lincoln, at that time wife of Roach, performed in Paris on January 18, during the European tournée of 1964.
This exibition in front of an enthusiastic pubblic make, at that time, a great stir. Here we have only the fist part of that evening. In the second part was presented a new version of the Freedom Now Suite.  



Personnel

Clifford Jordan (sax t)
Coleridge T. Perkins (piano)
Eddie Kahn (bs)
Max Roach (drm)
Abbey Lincoln (voc. in *)

Tracks
1. This Night Mountain (Max Roach) 13'15
2. Ceciliana (Max Roach) 6'10
3. Mop Mop (Dalmerious-Williams) 5'45
4. Jordu (Duke Jordan) 6'25
5. Sophisticated Lady (Ellington-Mills) 6'15
6. Who Will You Buy? (Lionel Bart) 2'25 *
7. Love for Sale (Cole Porter) 4'10 *
8. Long as You are Living (Brown- Priester- Turrentine) 5'45 *

In the following video, taken in Belgium, during the same tournée, the group plays Driva Man from the Freedom Now Suite.

sabato 3 dicembre 2011

Jazz in Italy: Wingy Manone & Roman New Orleans Jazz Band (1975)


At last I'm here again with an interesting rare record of the italo-american trumpeter, singer and band leader Wingy Manone (1900 – 1982), realized in Rome (Italy) in 1975 during his last tournée in Europe. With him one of the most important italian traditional jazz group: the Roman New Orleans Jazz Band.




Despite his 75 years his music is still fresh and cheerful, as you can notice listening to his hit Isle of Capri.
The Roman New Orleans Jazz Band give his contribution playing with particular drive following Manone with excellent adherence to his style.

Link





martedì 4 ottobre 2011

Jazz Live in Europe: Tribute to Miles Davis (Juan-les-Pins France July 2011)

Remembering the 20th Death's Anniversary of Miles Davis three famous "davisians": Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Marcus Miller put them together with Sean Jones (trumpet) and Sean Rickman (drums) for an exciting commemoration of the music of Miles during the 51st Festival Jazz a Juan in Côte d'Azur (France) last july.



This interesting concerts are now available on web in 2 CD (bootleg) of very good quality.

2jazz-juan-2011


Track Listing

CD 1
1. Applause [0:18]
2. Walkin’/ Little One/All Blues /Directions /Shh /Peaceful[30:52]
3. Short FM Announcer Break [0:25]
4. In a Silent Way [2:37]
5. In a Silent Way, cont./ Water Babies/ Someday My Prince Will Come /Footprints [28:12]
6. Band Introduction by Marcus [2:48]


CD 2
1. Fran Dance / Jean Pierre ?(a bit like Jean Pierre, but…different) [15:23]
2. Orbits/ Dr. Jekyl [8:52]
3. FM Announcer [0:23]
4. Time After Time / Sketches of Spain /It’s About That Time [6:28]
5. Tutu [15:11]
6. FM Outro [0:26]

Personnel

Marcus Miller (director, bass clarinet, bass);
Wayne Shorter (saxophone);
Sean Jones (trumpet);
Herbie Hancock (piano, keyboard);
Sean Rickman (drums)




sabato 10 settembre 2011

Jazz Live in Europe: David Murray Cuban Ensemble in Tour.

David Murray and his Cuban Ensemble are traveling 'round Europe with his original project Nat King Cole in Espanol, a personal reading of musics taken from two albums that the singer recorded in Spanish and Portuguese in 1958 and 1962, performing melodies from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. From the project was also taken in 2010 an intesting album.


Cover Murray

Last december at Salle Pleyel in Paris he had as special guest the old cuban singer Omara Portuondo in an exclusive exibition. Here some videos of that evening








In july Murray performed an interesting concert at wonderful Teatro Romano in Verona, and the jazz blogger INCOSTANT SOL posted an unissued recording of that concert that you can find here.

mercoledì 10 agosto 2011

Italian Jazz: Aldo Romano, Danilo Rea, Rosario Bonaccorso Live in France (2011)

Three italian great artists together for an excellent concert July 22, 2011 at Jazz Festival in Porquerolles (France). In the program the group is presented as "The Italian Jazz Dream Team".


The drummer Aldo Romano is well known for his collaboration with many international jazz stars as Dexter Gordon, Michel Petrucciani, Johnny Griffin, Keith Jarrett and many others.


Here you can see his Flower Power Trio with the french pianist Baptiste Trotignon and Rosario Bonaccorso at Festival of Jazz & Wine of Peace in Cormons (Italy), 2010, Octobet 22.



Danilo Rea is one of the best italian jazz pianists and played with Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, Joe Scofield and many others.

In the following video a solo piano concert at Umbria Jazz 2008


The bassist Rosario Bonaccorso well known also out of Italy played with Pat Metheny, Elvin Jones, Benny Golson and others.

In the following video you can appreciate him also as leader of his quartet with Andy Gravish (tr), Andrea Pozza (piano) and Nicola Angelucci (drm).



Here below the link to see the whole concert

mercoledì 3 agosto 2011

"Estate" the most well known italian jazz standard


The italian piano player, singer and composer Bruno Martino wrote the pop song "Estate" (Summer) with text of Bruno Brighetti in 1960.


In the following video the original version.


The brasilian singer Joao Gilberto, during a tournée in Italy heard it and decided to include the song in his repertoire and also recorded it in italian.



From that moment the song became famous and was played and sung by many important jazz artists as Chet Baker, here "At Capolinea" (Milan-Italy) 1983 with Nicola Stilo (fl), Diane Varvra (s. sax), Michel Grailler (pf), Riccardo Dal Frà (bs), Leo Mitchel (drm).



Michel Petrucciani, at Umbria Jazz Perugia-Italy in 1995



Shirley Horn and many others.



After 50 years this song is played and recorded by many artists all over the world. Here a french version of Claude Nougaro



and an italian version by the jazz trumpet player Fabrizio Bosso and the singer and piano player Sergio Cammeriere.


venerdì 15 luglio 2011

Jazz in Italy: Phil Woods meets the italian Big Bang orchestra (1988)

In July 1988, during Umbria Jazz Festival, Phil Woods was playing in a club and the Big Bang orchestra directed by Mario Raja, including some of the best young italian jazz players, had a concert at Morlacchi Theatre the 15th evening. Thanks to Paolo Piangiarelli, of Philology Records, the day after Phil accepted to be guest for the fist album of the orchestra.






Personnel:
Phil Woods (clarinet, alto saxophone);
Marco Rinalduzzi (guitar);
Giancarlo Maurino (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone);
Mario Raja (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone);
Maurizio Giammarco (tenor saxophone);
Roberto Ottini (baritone saxophone);
Flavio Boltro, Marco Tamburini, Paolo Fresu (trumpet, flugelhorn);
Danilo Terenzi, Hal Crook, Roberto Rossi (trombone);
Danilo Rea (keyboards);
Enzo Pietropaoli (bass)
Roberto Gatto (drums).