Posts Tagged: charlie parker
Dexter Gordon: Body and Soul
Dexter Gordon’s website sums up his importance in one line. He was, it says, “the first musician to translate the language of Bebop to the tenor saxophone.”
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More Jay McShann
This morning, the site featured the great Big Joe Turner. One of the clips featured Jay McShann along with Turner. Here is more McShann.
Kansas City has a special place in jazz history:
Only in Kansas City did jazz continue to flourish. At one time, there were more than 100 night clubs, dance halls and vaudeville houses in Kansas City regularly featuring jazz music. Legends like Count Basie, Andy Kirk, Joe Turner, Hot Lips Page and Jay McShann all played in Kansas City. A saxophone player named Charlie Parker began his ascent to fame here in his hometown in the 1930s.
That’s quite a list. The person who posted the above guesses the McShann clip above is from about 1980.
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Coleman Hawkins: Jumpin’ with Symphony Sid
This clip, from the television program Jazz Party, is more than eight minutes long — but the climax is cut off. No matter, it’s great. The start is nice and informal, and the camera moves around quite a bit for a 1950s video. That adds a nice dimension. Hawkins takes his solo starting at about the 3:10 mark. The notes at YouTube identify all the players. In addition to Hawkins, they include Charlie Shavers, J.C. Higginbotham, Lester Young, Pee Wee Russell, Willie “The Lion” Smith, Sonny Greer and others.
The subject of the song — Symphony Sid — was Sid Torin (originally Tarnopol), a radio DJ who was instrumental (no pun intended) in introducing jazz to a mass audience.
Coleman Hawkins also can be seen playing tenor sax on a Stoned, apparently improvising with Charlie Parker in 1950, in a bluesy mode in South of France Blues, Centerpiece, Body and Soul and Dickie’s Dream. Of special note is the guitarist in the South of France Blues clip. He apparently is Mikey Baker.
Here is Coleman’s bio and a discography.
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George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Leonard Bernstein’s performance of George Gershwin’s piece, which premiered on February 12, 1924, is in two sections. The continuation is here. Here is Gerswhin’s own version.
Gershwin’s version of I’ve Got Rhythm – here is a snippet — is rowdier than I thought it would be. For good measure, here is Charlie Parker’s take on the piece.
George and lyricist brother Ira Gerswhin have a site. George’s bio is part of an American Master’s profile.
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