Jazz

Remembering Wayne Shorter: “Footprints” in Two Versions

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Wayne Shorter, the legendary American jazz saxophonist and composer, passed away last Thursday. He was 89. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Wayne Shorter joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1959 and became the band’s music director. In 1964, he became a member of Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet. Herbie Hancock remembered Shorter as the group’s “master writer,” and commented, “Wayne was one of the few people who brought music to Miles …

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“Then I’ll Be Tired of You”: Keith Jarrett, John Coltrane, Fats Waller

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In its original form, Then I’ll Be Tired of You is the quintessential catchy popular song from America’s jazz age. The composer Arthur Schwartz (1900-1984) wrote the song in 1934 with lyricist Yip Harburg. It was first recorded on August 9, 1934 by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra. The same year, the legendary jazz musician “Fats” Waller, exponent of the Harlem stride style of piano playing, made his own recording. Recordings by singers such …

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“The Colors of My Life”: Cy Coleman Trio

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Cy Coleman (1929-2004) was a jazz pianist and one of the great composers of the American musical theater. His Broadway musicals included Sweet Charity (1966), Barnum (1980), City of Angels (1989), and The Will Rogers Follies (1991). One of Coleman’s most enduring songs is The Colors of My Life from the circus-themed Barnum, based on the life of the brash nineteenth century showman, P.T. Barnum. The song, with lyrics by Michael Stewart, comes from a tender moment in the show’s …

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Remembering Grachan Moncur III

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Grachan Moncur III, the American jazz trombonist, passed away of cardiac arrest on June 3, his 85th birthday. Moncur was a pioneer of the free jazz movement which emerged in the late 1950s. Free jazz allowed for simultaneous collective improvisation within the group. This was in contrast to earlier more structured forms, such as bebop, in which a single solo line was heard over a chordal accompaniment. Additionally, free jazz absorbed influences …

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Jule Styne’s “I Fall in Love Too Easily,” The Keith Jarrett Trio

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Today marks the 116th anniversary of the birth of the great American songwriter, Jule Styne (1905-1994). Born in London, Styne grew up in Chicago, the son of Jewish Ukrainian immigrants. He was a child prodigy pianist, performing with the orchestras of Chicago and Detroit before age ten. Later, he played jazz, withdrawing from the concert stage because of the limitations of his small hands. He created the scores for some of the Broadway theater’s …

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Art Tatum: “Have You Met Miss Jones?”

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As the story goes, Vladimir Horowitz was once asked to name the greatest living pianist. “Art Tatum,” replied the Russian-American virtuoso without hesitation, adding, “If Art Tatum took up classical music seriously, I’d quit my job the next day.” The sentiment was echoed by Arthur Rubinstein, Arturo Toscanini, Sergei Rachmaninov, and others who flocked to Harlem clubs throughout the 1940s to experience Tatum’s unique artistry. According to one account, Horowitz worked on an …

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“Blues Walk”: From Lou Donaldson to Lincoln Center

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Blues Walk is the title track from a celebrated 1958 album by jazz alto saxophonist, Lou Donaldson. Known for a “soulful, bluesy approach,” Donaldson’s style of playing was heavily influenced by the bebop of Charlie Parker. The addition of conga drums, performed on the Blues Walk album by Ray Barretto, gave Lou Donaldson’s band a distinct sound. Later albums used an electric organ as a substitute for the piano. Here is a performance of Blues Walk featuring Wynton …

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