Jazz

Wes Montgomery

Since Wes Montgomery passed nearly 47 years ago (June 15,1968) there has been very little “new and unheard” material released. But there is a “new” Wes Montgomery recording released this month. “In The Beginning” is now available on Resonance Records. It is a two CD set which is also available on 3 vinyl discs as well. When Buddy Montgomery (brother […]

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Wayne Shorter

There is a long list of musicians who have turned my head but among those at the top of that list is certainly Wayne Shorter. Though it may not be apparent at first blush, he has influenced me tremendously as a composer. The almost “Webern-like” compression of his forms and highly efficient use of space and harmony is wonderful and

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Paul Desmond

I have been listening a lot to Paul Desmond  (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) again lately. I have always admired his skill and phrasing as an improvisor. Guitarist Jim Hall said that he could improvise melodies that were better than the tune he was playing on and I think that is true. He also

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Dreams

I have pretty much been in a band of one kind or another since I was twelve years old.That is an absolute fact. Consequently, I have played with many players over the past 50 years. My dreams at night often center around scenes that involve rehearsals or that moment right before performance on stage. In these dreams, I am with

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Thieves and Poets (John Mc Laughlin)

I have always thought that John Mc Laughlin (the guitarist and composer and not the somewhat “right” political commentator) was of legendary status. I am especially keen on Mc Laughlin’s acoustic guitar work. His early 1980’s albums like Belo Horizonte and Music Spoken Here are great records. But his 2003 record Thieves and Poets contains the three movement title track

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