Jazz on Reddit :: Best Albums Since 1970

Over the years, I have dipped my toe into the Website Reddit, but recently I found some great jazz resources there and recommend that other fans of jazz take a look at the site.

Reddit is much like an online bulletin board, and often people ask questions that others on Reddit attempt to answer. One example is the following question from a year ago:

Imagine I love jazz and I went into a coma in 1970. I came out this morning. What are the most important albums of the last forty years that I need to listen to right away?

The answers to this question, provided by Reddit users, include albums by several of the artists featured on this blog, like the following:

• Berlin '88 by Cecil Taylor. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Changes One by Charles Mingus. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Disco 3000 by Sun Ra. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Headhunters by Herbie Hancock. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• The Inner Mounting Flame by John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• On The Corner by Miles Davis. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Performance (Quartet) 1979 by Anthony Braxton. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Red Clay by Freddie Hubbard. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Science Fiction by Ornette Coleman. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Sweetnighter by Weather Report. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Several of the lists include perceptive comments about the albums being recommended, such as this annotation to John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra's The Inner Mounting Flame:  

It's kind of cliched now, but this is the best shred-jazz record ever. McLaughlin is at his best on this, Tony Williams' "Emergency" (which doesn't count because it was released in the late 60s), and on Miles' stuff from this period. Essential listening.

Speaking of The Inner Mounting Flame, here's one of the cuts from that album, "Awakening":

Reddit has some great resources for jazz fans.  Just go to the site and search for "jazz."  Good things will happen.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 18 June 2015

Ornette Coleman: More sites remember the late jazz icon Ornette Coleman. These include:

• Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches
• In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond
• JazzWax
• medici.tv
• No Sound Left Behind — Part One and Part Two
• The Paris Review
• The Wall Street Journal
• Zeal Jazz & Cabaret News & Reviews

John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter: The 19th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards have been announced. Winners include:

• Best Liner Notes of the Year: John Coltrane, Offering: Live at Temple, U(Resonance)by Ashley Kahn. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Keyboards player of the Year: Chick Corea.
• Historical Record of the Year: Miles Davis, Miles at the Fillmore: Miles Davis Bootleg Series Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Book of the Year: Herbie Hancock: Possibilities by Herbie Hancock, with Lisa Dickey. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)
• Midsize Ensemble of the Year: Wayne Shorter Quartet.

Miles Davis: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the town of Alton will unveil a statue of Miles Davis in September.

Bill Evans: According to JazzTimes, the Concord Music Group will reissue The Complete Fantasy Recordings of Bill Evans as a nine-CD box set in July.

Erroll Garner: On June 15, his birthday, Erroll Garner was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Erroll Garner: At The New York Times, Nate Chinen writes about the upcoming reissue of Erroll Garner’s 1955 Concert by the Sea. JazzTimes also notes this release.

Erroll Garner: According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Erroll Garner's professional materials have been donated to the University of Pittsburgh Library System.

Thelonious Monk: At JazzWax, Marc Myers discusses the newly re-released Thelonious Monk box set, The Complete Riverside Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: Tim Niland reviews the Sun Ra release, Oblique Parallax, at Music and More. (Purchase the MP3 version from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: Tim Niland reviews the Sun Ra release, Planets Of Life Or Death: Amiens '73, at Music and More. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 12 June 2015

Ornette Coleman: The great saxophonist and jazz innovator Ornette Coleman passed away on June 11. Among those covering his death are:

• All About Jazz
• Capital Public Radio
• The Daily Beast
• Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches
• Do the Math
• The Free Jazz Collective
• The Guardian
• Jazz Beyond Jazz
• The Jazzcat
• JazzTimes
• JazzWax
• The New York Times
• The Ottawa Citizen
• Perfect Sounds
• Rolling Stone
• Steve Wallace
• uDiscover Music
• The Wall Street Journal
• The Washington Post

Ornette Coleman: The Wall Street Journal shares five clips that show Ornette Coleman's "musical versatility."

Ornette Coleman: New Jazz United shares a clip of Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden performing "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." (The song is available on the album, Soapsuds Soapsuds, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Ornette Coleman: Open Culture shares a clip of Lou Reed collaborating with Ornette Coleman.

Bud Powell: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Bud Powell Quintet playing "Frantic Fancies (Take 6)." (The song is available on the box set, The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: New Jazz United shares a clip of Sun Ra and His Arkestra playing "The Sun Man Speaks."

Sonny Rollins: New Jazz United shares a clip of the Sonny Rollins Quartet playing "You Do Something to Me." (The song is available on the album, The Bridge, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 3 June 2015

Louis Armstrong: Untapped Cities discusses the Louis Armstrong Museum's tapes of Louis Armstrong talking about being busted for smoking pot,.

Ornette Coleman: According to Rolling Stone and Capital Public Radio, Ornette Coleman has filed a lawsuit claiming that he did not authorize the release of the 2014 album, New Vocabulary.

Bill Evans: At The Wall Street Journal, author Megan Marshall discusses Bill Evans's recording of "Some Other Time." (The song is available on the album, The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Benny Goodman: On May 30, his birthday, Benny Goodman was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Keith Jarrett: KeithJarrett.org shares several emails about events associated with Keith Jarrett's 70th birthday.

Charlie Parker: At All About Jazz, Victor L. Schermer interviews Daniel Schnyder, the composer of the opera, "Charlie Parker's Yardbird."

Sun Ra: Open Culture shares an audio clip of Sun Ra's 1971 lecture at the University of California at Berkeley on "The Power of Words."

Sonny Rollins: At WNPR, Sonny Rollins discusses his life and his goals.

Sonny Rollins: Phil Freeman discusses the Sonny Rollins album, Our Man in Jazz, at Burning Ambulance. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Art Tatum: New Jazz United shares a clip of Art Tatum and Roy Eldridge playing "Night and Day." (The song is available on the album, Art Tatum-Roy Eldridge Quartet, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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RIP, Sun Ra (1914-1993)

Jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount) died on May 30, 1993, in Birmingham, Alabama, just 8 days after his 79th birthday. His death was attributed to stroke and pneumonia. He was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham.

Jazz critic Scott Yanow said that "Of all the jazz musicians, Sun Ra was probably the most controversial," primarily because of Sun Ra's eclectic music, unorthodox lifestyle, and claims that he was of the "Angel Race" and that he was from Saturn. Ra himself said, "I write about whatever I hear, whenever the spirit hits me to write.""

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons describes Sun Ra's Arkestra as "a band of high contrast in which driving riffs, free soloing, sensuous orchestration, and atonal collective blowing spin like the vanes of a pinwheel."


Lyons recommends Sun Ra's album, Live at Montreux (Inner City). The album is available on CD from Amazon.com.

Sun Ra and His Arkestra play "Paradise" from their Sound of Joy album here:

Robert
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Recent Links :: 26 May 2015

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi recounts the 1965 interview with Armstrong that was conducted by Dan Morgenstern and Jack Bradley.

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses Louis Armstrong's album, Louie and the Dukes of Dixieland. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: New Jazz United shares a clip of John Coltrane with the Red Garland Quintet playing "Undecided." (The song is available on the album, All Mornin' Long, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: Ian Patterson reviews Victor Svorinich's book, Listen To This: Miles Davis and Bitches Brew, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: New Jazz United shares a clip of Miles Davis performing "My Ship." (The song is available on the album, Miles Ahead, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: On May 26, his birthday, Miles Davis was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Miles Davis: According to JazzTimes, the official Miles Davis Website has been revamped.

Duke Ellington: Peter Hum interviews jazz pianist Nancy Walker on the appeal of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn at The Ottawa Citizen.

James P. Johnson: According to JazzTimes, Jazz at Lincoln Center has announced its 2015 Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame inductees, one of whom is pianist James P. Johnson.

Wes Montgomery: At Mother Jones, Jon Young reviews the album, In the Beginning, by Wes Montgomery. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: On his birthday, May 22, Sun Ra was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 22 May 2015

John Coltrane, Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, K. Shackelford reviews the play, "Miles & Coltrane: Blue."

Keith Jarrett: At All About Jazz, Karl Ackermann reviews the Keith Jarrett album, Creation. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: According to JazzTimes and All About Jazz, John Mclaughlin will release a new album, entitled "Black Light," this fall.

Thelonious Monk: At The New Yorker, Richard Brody reviews the new Thelonious Monk box set, The Complete Riverside Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: According to Billboard, Minimal Group will release a new series of remastered, reissued, and unreleased recordings by Sun Ra this fall.

Sun Ra: At Pitchfork, Andy Beta discusses Sun Ra and his 1974 science-fiction film, "Space Is the Place." (Purchase the CD/DVD/book from Birdman Records.)

Wayne Shorter: Ben Ratliff reviews Wayne Shorter's May concert at Lincoln Center at The New York Times.

Wayne Shorter: Natalie Weiner interviews Wayne Shorter for Billboard.

Bessie Smith: NPR's All Things Considered interviews Queen Latifah about her role as Bessie Smith in the HBO movie, "Bessie."

Bessie Smith: At The Daily Beast, Ted Gioia discusses the career of Bessie Smith.

Fats Waller: On May 21, his birthday, Fats Waller was the Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Robert
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Happy Birthday, Sun Ra

Jazz composer, bandleader, and pianist Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, 1914-1993) was born on May 22, 1914, in Birmingham, Alabama. Jazz critic Scott Yanow said that "Of all the jazz musicians, Sun Ra was probably the most controversial," primarily because of Sun Ra's eclectic music, unorthodox lifestyle, and claims that he was of the "Angel Race" and that he was from Saturn.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons describes Sun Ra's Arkestra as "a band of high contrast in which driving riffs, free soloing, sensuous orchestration, and atonal collective blowing spin like the vanes of a pinwheel."


Len Lyons recommends Sun Ra's album, Live at Montreux (Inner City). The album is available on CD from Amazon.com.

Sun Ra and His Arkestra play "Of the Other Tomorrow" from that album here:

Robert
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Recent Links :: 7 April 2015

Chick Corea: Yamaha features a video of Chick Corea discussing his piano playing.

Miles Davis: The In the Groove podcast looks at Miles Davis's development of fusion.

Miles Davis: As part of the "Building a Jazz Library" series at All About Jazz, the staff list the best Miles Davis albums.

Billie Holiday: At The New Yorker, Richard Brody reviews John Szwed’s new book, Billie Holiday: The Musician and the Myth. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Billie Holiday: Gary G. Vercelli remembers Billie Holiday at Capital Public Radio.

Billie Holiday: Open Culture shares four videos of Billie Holiday on April 7, the 100th anniversary of her birthday.

Wes Montgomery: At Take the "A" Train, Ehsan Khoshbakht quotes rock guitar legend Pete Townshend on Wes Montgomery.

Jaco Pastorius: According to Rolling Stone, Metallica's bass player, Robert Trujillo, is producing a documentary about the life of the late jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius.

Sun Ra: An article on Afrofuturism by Ashley Clark in The Guardian calls Sun Ra "a key player" for his only feature film, "Space is the Place." (Purchase the DVD from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 4 April 2015

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses Louis Armstrong's March 1940 recording of "You've Got Me, Voodoo'd" and "Hep Cats' Ball." (The songs are available on the album, The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions 1935-46 , which can be purchased from Mosaic Records.)

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi talks about the night Louis Armstrong and His All Stars played a dance at the University of Kansas student union, just after Kansas had lost in the NCAA basketball championship game.

Louis Armstrong: At Jazz Lives, Michael Steinman discusses the connections between trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton and Louis Armstrong.

Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock: At All About Jazz, Harry S. Pariser reviews the Chick Corea-Herbie Hancock concert at Berkeley in March.

Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins: In the Dark shares a 1962 letter from Sonny Rollins to Coleman Hawkins.

Thelonious Monk: As part of Capital Public Radio's "Falling Love Supreme" series, James McGrew talks about Thelonious Monk's album, Genius of Modern Music, Volume One. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Charlie Parker: According to JazzTimes, Opera Philadelphia will present the world premiere of "Charlie Parker’s Yardbird," an opera based on the life of Charlie Parker in June.

Sonny Rollins: According to Marc Myers in his Weekend Wax Bits, Sonny Rollins will receive an honorary degree from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford in Connecticut in May.

Sun Ra: Stefan Wood reviews the Sun Ra album, My Way is the Spaceways, at The Free Jazz Collective. (Purchase the album in vinyl from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 11 March 2015

Bix Beiderbecke : On March 10, his birthday, Bix Beiderbecke was Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Ornette Coleman: At Jazz Beyond Jazz, Howard Mandel reviews the June 2014 concert in Ornette Coleman's honor, at which the saxophonist performed.

Ornette Coleman: On March 9, his birthday, Ornette Coleman was Jazz Musician of the Day at All About Jazz.

Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor: At the Detroit MetroTimes, Mike McGonigal shares photos and videos of Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor.

John Coltrane: Jon Young provides a quick review of John Coltrane's album, So Many Things: The European Tour 1961, at Mother Jones. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: St. Louis Jazz Notes discusses Miles Davis's album, Birth of the Cool. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Thelonious Monk: As part of the "Building a Jazz Library" series at All About Jazz, Chris M. Slawecki lists the best Thelonious Monk albums.

Sun Ra: At Gapplegate Music Review, Grego Applegate Edwards reviews the Sun Ra reissue, It's After the End of the World. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 21 January 2015

Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong looks at the January 1925 recording session with Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith.

Miles Davis: At The Free Jazz Collective, Ed Pettersen reviews the Miles Davis Quintet's album, All of You: The Last Tour 1960. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Duke Ellington: The Jazz Line reports that New York’s highest court, the State Court of Appeals, has denied Duke Ellington‘s heirs the right to retry a lawsuit against EMI Music Publishing.

Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter: JazzTimes shares the results of its 2014 Readers' Poll. Winners include:

• Best book: Herbie Hancock: Possibilities by Herbie Hancock with Lisa Dickey (Viking). (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)
• Best composer: Wayne Shorter.

Billie Holiday: At In These Times, Johann Hari recounts Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, and his "war" on Billie Holiday. The same story is told at Politico.

Charlie Parker: Open Culture discusses Ode to a Highflying Bird, Rolling Stone's drummer Charlie Watts's children’s book about Charlie Parker. (Purchase the book from AbeBooks.)

Sun Ra: At The Free Jazz Collective, Martin Schray discusses the Sun Ra album, Sign of the Myth. (Purchase the album in vinyl from Amazon.com.)

Bessie Smith: The Jazz Line reports that Queen Latifah "had no idea who Bessie Smith was" when she was approached about playing the singer in a biopic.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 2 January 2015

Anthony Braxton: Craig Premo lists his favorite jazz releases of 2014 at Improvised. These include:

• Anthony Braxton, Trio (New Haven) 2013, among his top 10. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Anthony Braxton, 12 Duets (DCWM) 2012, among his second 10. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis, Miles at the Fillmore: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3, among reissues. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: At Dusted in Exile, Derek Taylor recaps 2014 by listing some of his favorite releases, including John Coltrane, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Oscar Peterson: At the KCRW Music Blog, Bo Leibowitz lists his top albums of 2014, including:

• John Coltrane, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Chick Corea, Trilogy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Oscar Peterson and Ben Webster, During This Time. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Chick Corea: Mike Stratton lists his top 12 jazz releases of 2014, including Chick Corea's Trilogy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Chick Corea, Miles Davis: Larry Reni Thomas lists his top 10 jazz releases of 2014 at Jazz Corner, including:

• Chick Corea, Trilogy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Miles Davis, The Original Mono Recordings. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, C. Michael Bailey reviews the latest album to document Miles Davis's 1960 European tour, All of You: The Last Tour. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At ChicagoReader.com, Peter Margasak lists his favorite jazz albums of 2014. Among the best archival albums, he includes Miles at the Fillmore — Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Herbie Hancock: At All About Jazz, Chuck Schultz reviews Herbie Hancock's memoir, Possibilities and interviews the artist. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: Will Layman and John Garratt list the best jazz releases of 2014 at PopMatters and include John McLaughlin's The Boston Record. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Bud Powell: Chris Mosey reviews the Bud Powell album, Bouncing with Bud, at All About Jazz. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: Hubert on the Air lists the best jazz albums of 2014 and includes Sun Ra's In the Orbit of Ra. Chris Monsen includes the album among his favorite jazz reissues at Perfect Sounds. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sonny Rollins: Tom Hull lists his favorite jazz albums of 2014, including Sonny Rollins, Road Shows: Volume 3. I Dig Jazz also listed the album among its top 10 jazz albums of the year. Curt's Jazz Cafe also reviews the album as part of its list of the best jazz albums of 2014. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 26 December 2014

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses Louis Armstrong's 1971 recording of "The Night Before Christmas."

Louis Armstrong: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong discusses an article about Louis Armstrong's time in the Colored Waifs Home in New Orleans between 1910 and 1913.

Count Basie: At The Telegraph, Ivan Hewett reviews the Warner Jazz release, Count Basie: Original Album Series. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: At The Paris Review, Sam Stephenson talks about Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins’s 1975 book, Coltrane: A Biography. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: The Wondering Sound staff list their 25 top jazz albums of 2014, including John Coltrane's Offering: Live at Temple University (honorable mention). (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins: At Blu Notes, Larry Blumenfeld lists the best jazz releases of 2014, including:

• John Coltrane, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Sonny Rollins, Road Shows: Volume 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins: At the San Jose Mercury News, Richard Scheinin lists his top 10 jazz CDs of 2014, including:

• Chick Corea, Trilogy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Vol. 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Charlie Parker: New Jazz United shares a video of the Charlie Parker Quintet playing "White Christmas." (The song is available on the album, Complete Royal Roost Broadcasts, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: At Perfect Sound Forever, Kris Needs provides the third installment of his "ultimate guide" to Sun Ra's music.

Sun Ra: Open Culture shares a 1976 Sun Ra Christmas radio broadcast.

Wayne Shorter: According to JazzTimes, Wayne Shorter will receive a 2015 Grammy Special Merit Award.

Robert
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Recent Links :: 29 November 2014

Anthony Braxton: New Jazz United shares a video of Anthony Braxton's 1970 piece, "To Pianist Cecil Taylor." (The song is available on the album, For Alto, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

John Coltrane: At Blu Notes, Larry Blumenfeld lists his 10 favorite jazz albums of the year. Among them is John Coltrane's Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: New Jazz United shares a video of Miles Davis's "Seven Steps to Heaven." (The song is available on the album, Seven Steps to Heaven, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Keith Jarrett: At All About Jazz, John Kelman reviews the album, Hamburg '72, by Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

John McLaughlin: At All About Jazz, Ian Patterson reviews the November 2014 concert by John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension at London's Royal Festival Hall.

Sun Ra: New Jazz United shares a video of Sun Ra's version of "My Favorite Things" from 1978. (The song is available on the album, New Steps, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Art Tatum: New Jazz United shares a video of Art Tatum's "The Man I Love." (The song is available on the album, Piano Starts Here, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Cecil Taylor: New Jazz United shares a video of Ceil Taylor's "Just Friends" from 1958. (The song is available on the album, Hard Driving Jazz, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 14 November 2014

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses the Louis Armstrong recording of "Tiger Rag" from the November 7, 1934, Paris session.

Louis Armstrong: At All About Jazz, C. Andrew Hovan reviews the new Mosaic release, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars: Complete Newport 1956 & 1958. (Purchase the album from Mosaic Records.)

Count Basie: At Take the "A" Train, Ehsan Khoshbakht shares a video of an interview with Count Basie during his first tour of Sweden in 1962.

John Coltrane: Richard Brody writes about the John Coltrane album, Offering: Live at Temple University, at The New Yorker.

Duke Ellington: Ehsan Khoshbakht shares a video from Duke Ellington's first trip to Finland in February 1963 at Take the "A" Train.

Herbie Hancock: At The International Review of Music, Bonnie Perkinson writes about a November 2014 conversation between Herbie Hancock and music critic Don Heckman.

Charlie Parker: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Mosaic Records has released a nine-disc box set, The Complete Dial Modern Jazz Sessions, which includes all of Charlie Parker’s sessions for Dial from 1946-47. (Purchase the album from Mosaic Records.)

Sun Ra: At Music and More, Tim Niland reviews the Sun Ra album, My Brother the Wind, Volume 1. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Horace Silver: Marc Myers shares several videos of Horace Silver at JazzWax.

Weather Report: John Fordham reviews the Weather Report album, Forecast: Tomorrow, at The Guardian. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 7 November 2014

Louis Armstrong: For Halloween, Open Culture shares a video of Louis Armstrong performing "Skeleton in the Closet."

Louis Armstrong: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi writes about Armstrong's Paris recordings for the Brunswick label.

Miles Davis: According to Jeff Tamarkin at JazzTimes, Stephen Davis has published a new book, Miles Davis/1973: “My Ego Only Needs a Good Rhythm Section”, which is based on the author’s two-day interview with Miles Davis in March 1973. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At StereoGum, Phil Freeman ranks the 29 Miles Davis albums from worst ("Blue Moods") to best ("On the Corner").

Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk: At The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy, Thelonious Monk III discusses the relationship between his father and Miles Davis.

Herbie Hancock: At the Los Angeles Times, Chris Barton discusses Herbie Hancock's memoir, Possibilities. (Purchase the book from Amazon.com.)

Bud Powell: New Jazz United shares a video of Bud Powell's "Un Poco Loco." (The song is available on the album, The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 1, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: New Jazz United shares a video of Sun Ra's "Friendly Galaxy." (The song is available on the album, Secrets of the Sun, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 14 October 2014

Art Blakey: On October 11, his birthday, Art Blakey was Jazz Musician Of The Day at All About Jazz.

John Coltrane: At All About Jazz, Chris M. Slawecki reviews John Coltrane's album, Offering: Live at Temple University. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis, Bud Powell: At NextBop.com, Ben Gray discusses covers of the Bud Powell/Miles Davis composition "Hallucinations" (also known as "Budo"). ("Hallucinations" is available on the album, The Genius of Bud Powell, which can be purchased from Amazon.com. "Budo" is available on the album, Birth of the Cool, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Bill Evans: At JazzTimes, Jeff Tamarkin reports that Concord Music Group is reissuing Bill Evans’s The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961, as a vinyl box set. (Pre-order the album from Amazon.com.)

Coleman Hawkins: Open Culture looks at the 75th anniversary of Coleman Hawkins's recording of "Body and Soul."

Thelonious Monk: On October 10, his birthday, Thelonious Monk was Jazz Musician Of The Day at All About Jazz.

Thelonious Monk: At The Notes You Don't Play, Peter Blasevick shares an interview with Thelonious Monk's son, T.S. Monk, about his father.

Bud Powell: David Brent Johnson has an excellent two-part piece on Bud Powell's life: Part 1 and Part 2.

Sun Ra: At Music and More, Tim Niland reviews two new releases of Sun Ra's music: Secrets of the Sun and Atlantis. (Purchase the albums from Amazon.com: Secrets of the Sun and Atlantis.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 9 October 2014

Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday: At The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Ricky Riccardi discusses Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday's only recording session.

John Coltrane: New Jazz United shares a clip of John Coltrane performing "Say It (Over and Over Again)." (The song is available on the album, Ballads, which can be purchased from Amazon.com.)

Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner: Jerry Jazz Musician asked several jazz musicians and critics to list their three or four favorite jazz albums of the 1960s. There are too many albums to list here, but to take just one example, critic John Goodman listed:

• Chick Corea, Now He Sings, Now He Sobs. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Bill Evans, Waltz for Debbie. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• Thelonious Monk, Live at the It Club. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)
• McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: Kris Needs has a two-part guide to the albums of Sun Ra at Perfect Sound Forever: Part I and Part II.

Sun Ra: At The Free Jazz Collective, Martin Schray has a multi-part article on Sun Ra, including a review of the album, Sun Ra Arkestra: Live in Ulm 1992. Part 1; Part 2; and Part 3. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Robert
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Recent Links :: 20 June 2014

Louis Armstrong: Marc Myers has an interview with John Douglas Thompson, who plays Louis Armstrong in the off-Broadway play, "Satchmo at the Waldorf," and playwright Terry Teachout at The Wall Street Journal.

George Benson: At ContemporaryJazz.com, John Hilderbrand touts the new George Benson autobiography, which comes out on July 8. (Pre-order the book from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At All About Jazz, Marc Davis reviews two recent releases, Miles Davis, Volume 1 And 2 -- Blue Note 1501 And 1502. (Purchase Volume 1 and from Amazon.com.)

Miles Davis: At ContemporaryJazz.com, John Hilderbrand discusses how to help Don Cheadle with his Miles Davis film.

Keith Jarrett: At The Ottawa Citizen, Peter Hum reviews the Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden CD, Last Dance. (Purchase the album from Amazon.com.)

Sun Ra: At BBC Radio 4, Jez Nelson recounts the time in June 1990 when he met Sun Ra and includes audios of interviews with the legendary band leader.

Horace Silver: Horace Silver's death on June 28 was covered by The Guardian, The International Review of Music, JazzTimes, Jazz Truth, JazzWax, The Los Angeles Times, and The Ottawa Citizen.

Robert
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