Recorded in 1955 for producer Tom Wilson s short-lived Boston-based label Transition Records, Byrd s Eye View was trumpeter Donald Byrd s first issued recording as a leader. The date presented Byrd at the helm of what was then the current line-up of The Jazz Messengers with tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Horace Silver, bassist…
Release Date: 11 15 2024 NEA Jazz Master Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. is one of finest saxophonists of his generation. His resume includes long associations with Terrance Blanchard and Art Blakey throughout the 1980s. But the foundation of Harrison s music, and it’s the soul of his music, comes from his lifelong participation in…
Recorded in 1956 for producer Tom Wilson s short-lived Boston-based label Transition Records, Watkins At Large was the first of only two albums that the great bassist Doug Watkins would make as a leader. The Detroit native had moved to New York and begun to garner recognition for his contributions to the Art Blakey-Horace Silver…
Duke Ellington Johnny Hodges – Back To Back (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series) Several times in his career, star alto-saxophone soloist Johnny Hodges struck out on his own, only to return each time to Duke Ellington s band. Critic Michael Ullman suggested that the blues classics chosen for this program may have been neutral ground, where…
Release Date: 11 22 2024 Blue Note MVP Duke Pearson was a versatile presence on the label from the late 1950s thru the early 1970s, contributing in myriad ways to numerous classic albums as a pianist, bandleader, sideman, composer, arranger, and producer. After recording a pair of trio albums as a leader for Blue Note…
Nina Simone – Nina s Back Recorded in 1985 after a break from recording and time spent living in Barbados and Liberia, Nina s Back features a rejuvenated Nina Simone reaching out to a wider musical audience. Featuring a number of memorable Simone compositions, the band includes horns and backup singers for a unique recording…