Though I enjoy all genres of music, jazz is what I always come home to and enjoy the most. I have a blog dedicated to sax players Sax Appeal. This blog is for all the of the other jazz musicians I enjoy listening to that can not be left out of being mentioned.
Ahmad Jamal has been around for a while and I'm a little ashamed to admit I'm just learning about him. American jazz pianist, he was one of Miles Davis' favorite pianists. That's all I'm going to write. Check out the links and check out the videos below.
Brian Simpson, pianist, has played for greats like Janet Jackson and Dave Koz. His solo career was launced with the CD All Is Good released in 2006. There is an excellent review on Brian Simpson at http://www.jazzmonthly.com.
Check him out playing It's All Good that was number 1 in the U.S. for a month.
Whenever you enter the realm of jazz one of the names guaranteed to be seen or heard is pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. From his biography on http://www.monkzon.com"
With the arrival Thelonious Sphere Monk, modern music—let alone modern culture--simply hasn’t been the same. Recognized as one of the most inventive pianists of any musical genre, Monk achieved a startlingly original sound that even his most devoted followers have been unable to successfully imitate. His musical vision was both ahead of its time and deeply rooted in tradition, spanning the entire history of the music from the “stride” masters of James P. Johnson and Willie “the Lion” Smith to the tonal freedom and kinetics of the “avant garde.” And he shares with Edward “Duke” Ellington the distinction of being one of the century’s greatest American composers. At the same time, his commitment to originality in all aspects of life—in fashion, in his creative use of language and economy of words, in his biting humor, even in the way he danced away from the piano—has led fans and detractors alike to call him “eccentric,” “mad” or even “taciturn.” Consequently, Monk has become perhaps the most talked about and least understood artist in the history of jazz.
I love this first clip because it shows what a great pianist he was. Again, I take nothing away from his talent. The man was damn good. Take a listen and
Passing along something I learned today - I'd never heard of Jelly Roll Morton until I ran across a link to him from Syncopate's blog over on Stumbleupon. Thank you Symcopate for the intro.
Jelly Roll Morton, pianist, composer and bandleader, is claimed by some to be the first composer of jazz. How can I not do a post on someone that may very well be the first jazz composer? There is an excellent bio of him on Wikepedia and it's amazing to me that they have so much information him considering he was born over a Century ago. Please click over and read a little of it. You may not have to remember it but if anyone ever mentions the name Jelly Roll Morton, you'll know who they're talking about. And who knows? One day you may find yourself in a conversation about jazz. Name drop this one and show 'um you know a little somethin' too (smile).
Oscar Peterson, winner of seven Grammy awards, is another from the era of what I call old jazz or classic jazz. He is another musician I am familiar with because my father used to listen to him. I don't have a lot of info to pass along that you can read on the website links above. Just passing along the name and some music to listen to starting with a clip from a documentary.
Pianist Ramsey Lewis is a jazz legend and he's still a big voice in jazz as you can see if you check out the biography on his website. He's recorded over 80 albums and has five gold records. I'm equally impressed by The Ramsey Lewis Foundation which "offers youth a hand through music".
Les McCaan is a well know name in jazz and has played with most of jazz's best. This jazz pianist and vocalist IS one of jazz's best. His song "Compared to What" went platinum in the late 60's and isn't amazing that I remember that song so well as a pre-teen.
Les McCaan is also a painter working in water colors. Talk about talented. A collection of his work can be found on his web site along with a great biography.
I'm an advocate for buying what you listen to. Show an artist you like them by buying their music. Here's how I see it. You like an actor. A movie comes out and you go see the movie or you rent it, buy it or all of the above. They know they are a success by ticket sales. How does a musician or singer know they're a success? By record sales. Sure, maybe by the sold out concerts, but how often do we get to see them in concert compared to how often we see movies? If you can spend $18.00 to go see a movie (ticket, popcorn & drink), I think you can pay $15-18 for a cd.... can't you? And now you can pay for and download just one or two of your favorite songs. A couple of bucks for music that lasts a lifetime.
