Oct 23, 2024 10:10 AM
In Memoriam: Claire Daly, 1958–2024
Claire Daly often signed her correspondences with “Love and Low Notes.”
The baritone saxophonist, who died Oct.…
A live Alice Coltrane recording from 1972 marks a turning point in her music.
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)Ella Fitzgerald, Ella In Rome: The Birthday Concert (1988)
Recorded in 1958 on her 41st birthday, Fitzgerald’s performance runs through a batch of standards just as she was entering a particularly verdant period of her career. Funneling “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” through Louis Armstrong was both a playful nod to the past and a profound exhibition of the bandleader’s skills as an entertainer.
Jimmy Smith, Root Down Live! (1972)
There are a lot of Jimmy Smith albums out there. And while he remains one of the most lauded organists of his—or any—generation, some of the studio dates are pretty staid. Root Down Live!, though, finds the bandleader working out what’s ostensibly a funk band, one so instantly groovy, the Beastie Boys co-opted the title track for a 1995 EP of the same name.
Joe Henderson Quintet, At The Lighthouse (1970)
The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California, has hosted more than its share of notable recordings. Henderson’s group here straddles bop and a relatively sedate fusion ideal, with George Cables contributing some definitive electric keys. A front line of Henderson and trumpeter/flugelhornist Woody Shaw, though, is pretty unbeatable.
Claire Daly, right, performs with tenor saxophonist George Garzone at Dizzy’s in 2023.
Oct 23, 2024 10:10 AM
Claire Daly often signed her correspondences with “Love and Low Notes.”
The baritone saxophonist, who died Oct.…
Benny Golson soaks in the music during a late-career performance at Chicago’s Jazz Showcase.
Sep 24, 2024 12:02 PM
Benny Golson, one of the greatest composers and saxophonists of the bebop era, passed away Saturday, Sept. 21, at his…
Quincy Jones’ gifts transcended jazz, but jazz was his first love.
Nov 5, 2024 1:00 AM
Quincy Delight Jones Jr., musician, bandleader, composer and producer, died in his home in Bel Air, California, on…
McNeil’s virtuosity as a player was unimpeachable and his imagination as an improviser was vast.
Oct 2, 2024 11:35 AM
John McNeil, a trumpeter, composer and educator who built an accomplished and progressive career in jazz despite a…
John McLaughlin likened his love for the guitar to the emotion he expressed 71 years ago upon receiving his first one. “It’s the same to this day,” he said.
Nov 7, 2024 2:17 PM
In the aftermath of World War II, the deprivations felt throughout the United Kingdom were particularly acute in John…
