Great Live Moments - Milt Jackson

April 16, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: detroit hometown, dinah washington, ella fitzgerald, etta jones, gospel group, Jazz Alive, jazz concert series, jazz instrument, lady legends, lionel hampton, Listening Post, Live Music, mickey roker, mike ledonne, milt jackson, monumental contributions, music bags, pianist peter, red norvo, spirit of jazz, vibraharp, vibraphonist, wbgo

WBGO staffers have big love for vibraphonist Milt Jackson. Among the monumental contributions to jazz music, "Bags" turned a set of percussive steel bars into a more versatile jazz instrument. His was an altogether different sound for the vibraharp, sonically more warm and mellow than his predecessors, Lionel Hampton and Red Norvo. Milt Jackson made the vibes sing.

It's no wonder that Milt Jackson was himself a singer, a teenaged tenor in a gospel group, The Evangelist Singers, in his Detroit hometown. He loved the sound of the voice, and he accompanied many singers throughout his career. One of his last records was Sa Va Bella (For Lady Legends), a tribute to the leading ladies of jazz that Milt Jackson loved so much - Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Etta Jones.

WBGO recorded Milt Jackson's Quartet in the summer of 1996. The concert was part of the Oris Spirit of Jazz concert series (of which we are still proudly associated). Mike LeDonne is the pianist, Peter Washington the bassist, and Mickey Roker the drummer.

Listen to Milt Jackson's Sa Va Bella from the WBGO Archives.

© 2008 WBGO

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Great Live Moments - Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

April 15, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: brandford, dennis irwin, dick oatts, earl gardner, fourth anniversary, gary smulyan, gifted composers, jason jackson, Jazz Alive, joe mosello, Listening Post, Live Music, luis bonilla, max gordon, mel lewis orchestra, pit bands, ralph lalama, studio professionals, ted rosenthal, valentine s day, vanguard jazz orchestra, village vanguard, wbgo

Thad Jones and Mel Lewis created one of the most enduring rituals in New York. They started a big band in 1966, one that included some of the most gifted composers and improvisers in the city, many of whom were making their living as studio professionals or in Broadway pit bands. Max Gordon at the Village Vanguard booked them for three consecutive Monday evenings, and the rest is history. Both Jones and Lewis are gone, but the spirit of their music (as well as the original compositions and arrangements from their bands) continues with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

Every February, the VJO plays a weeklong showcase at the Vanguard. On the thirty fourth anniversary of the band, WBGO recorded the group on Monday night, of couse. As it happened, that was Valentine's Day, 2000.

We'll feature "Samba Con Getchu," a composition from Bob Brookmeyer, one of the early members of the Thad Jones - Mel Lewis Orchestra. The VJO included Jay Brandford, Ralph Lalama, Dick Oatts, Rich Perry, Gary Smulyan, Saxophones / Glenn Drewes, Earl Gardner, Joe Mosello, Scott Wendholt, Trumpets / Luis Bonilla, Jason Jackson, John Mosca, Douglas Purviance, Trombones / Ted Rosenthal, Piano / Dennis Irwin, Bass / John Riley, Drums

Listen to Samba Con Getchu from the WBGO Archives.

© 2008 WBGO

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Great Live Moments - Heath Brothers

April 10, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.

Add new comment | Filed under: art blakey, bud powell, clifford brown, dizzy gillespie, english toffee bar, heath brothers, horace silver, Jazz Alive, jazz family, jazz saxophonist, jimmy heath, Listening Post, Live Music, Masters, modern jazz quartet, new jersey performing arts, new jersey performing arts center, percy heath, prudential hall, sonny rollins, sweet basil, thelonious monk, tootie heath, Video, wbgo

The Heath brothers I have known are not confectioners who created an English toffee bar. They played jazz. Much sweeter than candy...

Saxophonist Jimmy Heath, drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath, and the late bassist/cellist Percy Heath were jazz family long before the Marsalis clan. Separately, the sum of their music making covers the totality of modern jazz - Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, the Modern Jazz Quartet. I could go on and on, but enough already! Together, the Heath Brothers were a cohesive jazz combo that brought their collective experience to the stage to form their own brand of brotherly jazz.

WBGO has recorded a number of Heath Brothers performances. They include a beautiful recording from New Jersey Performing Arts Center's Prudential Hall, as well as a club date at Iridium. And that's just during my seven year tenure at the station! In 1984, WBGO recorded The Heath Brothers on New Year's Eve. December 31, 1984 at Sweet Basil in New York. The pianist was Stanley Cowell.

Check out the Heath Brothers playing "Sleeves" from the WBGO Archives.
-Josh

PS While you're still here, watch this clip from Danny Sherr's award-winning video about the siblings, Brotherly Jazz.

© 2008 WBGO

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