Jaki Byard – Extraordinary Solo Jazz Piano!

Jaki Byard – Piano – (June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999)    2015 Update:I discovered the music of Jaki Byard in August of 2014 at that time the album The Late Show: An Evening with Jaki Byard: Live at the Keystone Korner, Vol. 3 , which had been released on Hightone in June was on the JazzWeek charts.The album is the third release that consists of live music from Jacki’s regular dates at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco, CA. . The music on the album was taken from performances from his appearance from 08/09/79 though 08/12/1979, So today ion the…

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“Into the Night” with Tony Rice and Friends

Tony Rice – Guitarist Extraordinaire – Born June 8, 1951!   Celebrating his birthday today, June 8th, in addtion to Boz Scaggs is the great musician Tony Rice. Tony was born just a few months before me in the year of 1951. Tony Rice is a great guitarist whose solo work and work with brother Larry, Chris Hillman and Herb Pederson (Rice,Rice,Hillman &Pedersen) appear in my library! Here’s some background for those of you who don’t know Tony. From Wikipedia: Tony Rice (born David Anthony Rice, June 8, 1951, Danville, Virginia) is an American acoustic guitarist and bluegrass musician. He…

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Haven – Kamelot – The Best of Progressive Metal

Haven – Kamelot  Progressive Metal from the United States   ****   The progressive rock album that has been playing on the iPhone over the last week or so is Haven from Kamelot. Kamelot is a progressive metal band from Tampa, Florida. If progressive metal is characterized by the following according to ProgArchives. a blend of heavy, guitar-oriented metal music enriched with compositional innovation and complex arrangements, usually expressed through diverse instrumentation and often (but not always) with odd-time signatures. Common, but not essential to define the movement, are the frequent use of keyboards, high-pitched vocals, concept lyrical themes and…

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Night and Day – Vincent Herring

Vincent Herring – Night and Day – A 2015 Favorite!   Back on May 12 I was excited to see that saxophonist Vincent Herring had released a new album titled Night and Day. Then I saw on the album cover who Herring had playing with him on the album and I was even more excited! The other members of this quintet include: Brandi Disterheft on bass, Joe Farnsworth on drums, pianist Mike LeDonne and trumpeter, Jeremy Pelt, Both Disterheft and Farnsworth played with Herring on his last album Uptown Shuffle. About Night and Day On Night and Day. Mike LeDonne replaces…

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Wallace Roney – Jazz Trumpet from Philadelphia!

Wallace Roney – Trumpet – Born May 25, 1960 – In Philadelphia.   Tomorrow May 26th is the great Miles Davis‘ birthday. Today is the  birthday of  the only trumpet player that he ever mentored Wallace Roney. Wallace was born in Philadelphia in 1960 So he is too young to have experienced 1960, which was the year that former Whiz Kids manager re Eddie Sawyer resigned as the hapless Phillies’ manager after a 9-4 opening day loss to the Reds and said.: “I’m 49 years old and I want to live to be 50.”  But I digress so it’s back to Wallace…

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Charles Earland – Jazz Organist

Charles Earland– Hammond B3 -(May 24, 1941 – December 11, 1999)   I browse the daily listing of jazz birthdays each day not only for whose birthday it is that particular day, but also to discover new music. Many times I select who I read about by the instrument they play. Other times I select someone with a foreign sounding name, figuring that will lead me to explorations of jazz music beyond America’s shores. Tunisian born Wajdi Cherif is a perfect example of this type of choice. I read about, and spent time listening to Charles Earland’s music this morning,…

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Intents and Purposes – Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet

Intents and Purposes – Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet meets 80s Jazz Fusion   One  of the albums that has been in my music rotation is Intents and Purposes for the Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet Rez Abassi is a jazz guitarist and rising star on the jazz scene.  He was voted #2 “Rising Star” guitarist in DownBeat magazine’s 2012’s esteemed Critic’s Poll, and #1 in 2013’s poll, Intents and Purposes is Abbasi tenth album and throughout  his career he has become best known for music that blends jazz with Indian music. On his first eight albums he has been both a…

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Spiritual Haven – Russell Suereth

Spiritual Haven – Relaxing ethnic instruments and rhythms blended with modern sounds This morning I was looking for music to serve as the soundtrack for my morning yoga routine. (routine 3 from Richard Hittleman) I made a stop at the Zone Music Reporter‘s Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart The album that caught my eye was the number 31 album Spiritual Haven by Russell Suereth. It sounded like an album that would make a good soundtrack for my yoga set, so  I gave it a quick listen,I liked what I heard, but for some reason I didn’t use it, I come back…

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Running with the Empirical Ghost of Lis er Stille

The Run…. So while Elizabeth conquered the Broad Street 10 miler yesterday, I conquered the RG Riverside half a ten miler on Saturday, running five miles for the first time this year!! I had set out to run a 4.2 mile course I call the Harper Loop. I have not run that course yet this year mainly because it has a long ascent up Pancoast Avenue and then another shorter ascent up Fairview to Harper. Followed by a descent and short ascent along Harper followed by a longer descent down Cranberry Lane.  I did well keeping a slower and steady…

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Andrea Brachfeld – Flutist, Composer, Educator

Andrea Brachfeld – Flute – Born May 3rd On this day May 3rd in the year ??? (Hum, we don’t really need to know that) flutist Andrea Brachfeld was born! From All About Jazz…. Flutist Andrea Brachfeld, is a graduate of The High School of Music and Art and Manhattan School of Music. Over these past 20 years she has recorded more than a dozen CD’s with many artists including, Africando, Noel Pointer, and Timbalaye. Her breakthrough performance as the flutist for the popular Latin band Charanga ’76, catapulted her into Salsa history and fame as the first female flutist…

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