Terri Lyne Carrington Presents Money Jungle at Dizzy’s
Fresh off of her Grammy-award winning ‘Mosaic Project,’ Terri Lyne Carrington went straight back into the studio to create another project of equal quality and substance. ‘Money Jungle’ was originally recorded in 1962 by Duke Ellington, Max Roach, and Charles Mingus. Just over 50 years later Carrington brings back the raw tension evoked by Ellington, Roach, and Mingus with her own trio filled out by Christian McBride and Gerald Clayton and featuring additional guests Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Tia Fuller, and more. Check out what Carrington had to say about the record before you see her perform it at Dizzy’s this week!
Terri Lyne Carrington Pays Homage to Duke Ellington
On February 5th, Terri Lyne Carrington will drop her homage to Duke Ellington to coincide with the 50th anniversary of their iconic 1963 Money Jungle album.The album features keyboardist Gerald Clayton and bassist Christian McBride who represent the historic trio.
1962: Our Favorite Recordings 50 Years Later
1962 was a pivotal year in jazz. The music was adapting and changing with the times, joining with other styles, switching instrumentations, and more. This showed both in the musicians of the time and the recordings that were made from the era. As we look back 50 years later and some of the masterpieces from 1962, we can’t help but highlight some amazing duos and collaborations that defined the era. Check out just a few of our favorites:
Joe Jackson Creates Tribute Album to Duke Ellington
Five-time Grammy nominee Joe Jackson has brought together a very different group of musicians to help him reinterpret 15 Duke Ellington tracks (compiled into 10 for the album) on his forthcoming tribute album entitled The Duke. “Ellington didn’t consider his own arrangements to be sacred,” Jackson notes. “He constantly reworked them, sometimes quite radically. So I think my approach is in the spirit of the man himself.”
Essentially Ellington Concert JALC
JALC will be presenting “Essentially Ellington” at Avery Fisher Hall on Sunday 5/6/12. “Essentially Ellington” starts with a competition for high school jazz bands and culminates in a concert featuring the jazz bands with special guest Wynton Marsalis.
Diz & Getz: A Meeting of the Minds
What we have here instead is a meeting of the minds—the talented youth and the burgeoning legend. Do I believe that a degree of competition existed between the two? Of course. A mastery of form cannot exist without the inherent desire to be greater than. But, this is a pairing that builds upon accentuation more so than aggravation. Dizzy Gillespie provided a platform for showcasing potential, and potential was given the name, Stan Getz.
Milt Jackson x Thelonious Monk on Wizard of The Vibes
Blue Note Records’ celestial compilation album, Wizard of the Vibes, pairing of virtuosic vibraphonist, Milt “Bags” Jackson coupled with the high priest of the keys, Thelonious Monk, is nothing short of musical magic. The aptly titled recording attests to the musical wizardry emblematic of this bonding of varying styles. Brewing in a cauldron of mesmerizing sounds Wizard of the Vibes display the beauty, clarity, and soothing grace of Milt Jackson’s nimble rattling of the bones juxtaposed with the spatial complexity signature to Monk’s revered chops.
The Revivalist | Friday Round Up! (4/16/12-4/20/12)
We know this week has passed you by too quickly and so we planned ahead and made you this week’s roundup! Here is what you missed…
Ellington x Coltrane: Short-Lived and Exceptional
When Duke Ellington connected with John Coltrane we were given what the philosopher Camus described as the most meaningful of relationships—that which is both short-lived and exceptional. Clocking in at just over thirty-five minutes, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane is a stolen moment from the songbook of music’s most important figures. Engaging the work is simple, by choice.
MdCL Drops CHURCH Vol. 4
As 2011 closes and we begin to recap the year’s events, check out Vol.4 of the CHURCH mixtape series. MdCL’s CHURCH is a monthly clubnite event held in LA and NYC as well as a corresponding mixtape series. Check below for the mixtape and a Revivalist exclusive list of MdCL’s Top 10 Influential Recordings.
Farewell Uncle Russell
“Uncle” Russell Garcia, arranger, composer, and musician died over the weekend at age 95. Garcia’s career was one of triumph and success as he navigated the Hollywood scene, composing for NBC, MGM, and Universal Studios among others after moving to California in search of a formal education in composition and musicianship. On the other side of the spectrum, Garcia collaborated with artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Stan Getz, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra and more.
George Duke: A History of Funk & Soul, Part I
Artists can’t be afraid to really touch on other subjects and comment on the orders and disorders of the day. I think that’s important. Let people know what you feel and keep it real. It doesn’t mean we’re only making flowers here. You have to talk about the dirt as well.
Abdullah Ibrahim: South Africa’s Native Son
The evolution of one of South Africa’s most significant artists is complex in theory and, at times, even seems to be contradictory. From Dollar Brand to Abdullah Ibrahim, his music maintained a humble dignity and yet irrevocably shaped the movement against an oppressive political system. His contributions to society go beyond an inclusion in the canon of music’s elite. Abdullah Ibrahim is where timeless art meets progressive politics.
The Infamous Jazz Shrines of Harlem
For an artist, there may be no greater barometer of excellence than the Apollo Theater. Since its formal inception in 1913, seemingly every great artist has had the opportunity to perform on the venue’s iconic stage. One of the Apollo Theater’s earliest showcased artists was a 17-year old Ella Fitzgerald, who gained notoriety through the famed amateur nights.
Thoughts on Billy Strayhorn
When people think of the rich artistic tradition of Pittsburgh many individuals may come to mind. Often, it is pianist Ahmad Jamal, whose simplistic, yet effective piano strokes found a home in hip-hop sampling. Perhaps they think of the iconic playwright August Wilson, whose works transcended racial barriers to receive worldwide acclaim. Presently, many, if not most recognize the city through the thematic chanting of “Black and Yellow” brought to us by the city’s up-and-coming rap presence, Wiz Khalifa. But when I reminisce over a city I call my own, I remember Billy Strayhorn.
Big Band’s Early Greats
One of the most incredible aspects of watching a Big Band perform is hearing songs take on different personalities and shades based on arrangement styles and bandleaders. Each Big Band has a distinct style that is a reflection of the bandleader, arranger and individual players involved. To get you all properly amped up for the Revive Da Live Big Band GURU Tribute show next week, we thought we would take a quick walk down memory lane to understand a bit of the history of the Big Band and its most famous early bandleaders.
Evolution of the Instrument: Piano
We are continuing our “Evolution Of An Instrument” series this week by taking a look at the evolving nature of jazz piano. The piano, which can be played as both a melodic, rhythmic and improvisational instrument, has been an integral part of jazz since the genre’s inception. In the early years of jazz, as the music migrated from New Orleans to Chicago to New York, each city’s players brought their merging of sounds and influences to the piano; ragtime from New Orleans, stride from Chicago, and swing from New York. Through swing grew the inventive sounds of bebop and hard bop and the creation of what we now call modern jazz. Pianists, who were also often bandleaders and composers, were at the heart of this transformation and led the way in creating new sounds, chordal ideas and improvisational melodic ideas.
