Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
Southern California Fires Hit the Jazz Community
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
Charles Mingus’ centennial year will see a bounty of new recordings — both historical offerings and ambitious new works inspired by his influence. The latter category includes a Mingus retrospective on Posi-Tone Records called Blue Moods–Myth & Wisdom, and no fewer than three releases on Sunnyside: an all-star tribute by bassist John Hébert to his hero featuring Tim Berne, Taylor Ho Bynum, Fred Hersch and Ches Smith; a tribute by clarinetist Harry Skoler that will feature Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, Johnathan Blake, Nicholas Payton and Jazzmeia Horn, with a string quartet; and one by Chicago bassist Ethan Philion’s Meditations on Mingus, a 10-piece ensemble.
Meanwhile, Resonance Records, curator of previously unreleased jazz recordings, has unearthed a three-LP (or three-CD) project more than 10 years in the works — Mingus: The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott’s. The unheard-until-now London club performance features Mingus’ 1972 touring sextet featuring Charles McPherson on alto saxophone, Bobby Jones on tenor saxophone, and three remarkable new members: John Foster on piano (and occasional vocals), Detroit drummer Roy Brooks and trumpeter Jon Faddis, then a 19-year-old phenom.
The music was recorded for release by Columbia Records, which stationed an eight-track mobile recording truck outside the London jazz landmark. But Columbia dropped its entire jazz roster, except for Miles Davis, in 1973. The album never came out.
The tapes, which were recorded with great fidelity, include songs where Mingus, cognizant of recording an important new album, asked to retake certain pieces. In an interview with DownBeat, label co-president Zev Feldman gave credit to album co-producer David Weiss for handling the edits that Mingus intended.
“David did this with a lot of skill,” Feldman said. “Mingus wanted to retake the endings. He was a producer himself. He knew that something could be a little bit better. He was committed to making these performances as great as they could be.” DB
Gerald and John Clayton at the family home in Altadena during a photo shoot for the June 2022 cover of DownBeat. The house was lost during the Los Angeles fires.
Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
“She said, ‘A lot of people are going to try and stop you,’” Sheryl Bailey recalls of the advice she received from jazz guitarist Emily Remler (1957–’90). “‘They’re going to say you slept with somebody, you’re a dyke, you’re this and that and the other. Don’t listen to them, and just keep playing.’”
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In the April 1982 issue of People magazine, under the heading “Lookout: A Guide To The Up and Coming,” jazz…
The Old Country: More From The Deer Head Inn arrives 30 years after ECM issued the Keith Jarret Trio live album At The Deer Head Inn.
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“The first recording I owned with Brazilian music on it was Wayne Shorter’s Native Dancer,” says Renee Rosnes. “And then I just started to go down the rabbit hole.”
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In her four-decade career, Renee Rosnes has been recognized as a singular voice, both as a jazz composer and a…
As Ted Nash, left, departs the alto saxophone chair for LCJO, Alexa Tarantino steps in as the band’s first female full-time member.
Mar 4, 2025 1:29 PM
If only because openings for JLCO’s 15 permanent positions appear about as frequently as sub-freezing days on the…
