Here's a lovely loping melody from jazz legend Benny Carter and His Orchestra. I love the patient phrasing, the ahead-of-its-time bebop phrasing of Benny's alto and the Ellingtonesque coloring on piano. This last note is no surprise, as Carter used to write arrangements for Ellington. One astute You Tuber posited that this song was an answer to Art Tatum's "Blues In B Flat," but I would beg to differ. Tatum's song was releasedin 1954 and this 78 I own was recorded in 1936. Still a clever play on words, though. Enjoy!
Benny Carter and his Orchestra
Scandal In A Flat
Vocalion
1936
FREEDOM JAZZ DANCE DUSTY GEMS
For my money, Don Byron is the man who dragged the clarinet kicking and screaming into the modern age. Until he came along, the instrument seemed to be beholden to only traditional jazz settings. His complete mastery of the instrument (no exaggeration) and intelligent approach to composition have made him the king of the licorice stick. Back in 1995, Byron created the brilliant "Music For Six Musicians," a disc with strong socio-political themes that was probably too inflammatory to get the attention it deserved then. Taking aim on news events of the time from the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings to the Rodney King beating, the recording vacillates from spoken word pieces to intricately constructed and memorable jazz. To commemorate Black History Month, here is two-piece track with spoken intro followed by music.
Don Byron
Uh-Oh, Change?/White History Month/Shelby Steele would be mowing your lawn
Music for Six Musicians
Nonesuch Records 1995
There's no sound in jazz - or any other music - quite like the crisp chords of Barney Kessel on guitar. A true pioneer of the modern jazz sound, Kessel cut his chops at Atomic Records and other seminal bebop labels in the 40s, he created the definitive sound for the jazz guitar in the 50s and went on to record many superb sessions for decades after that. I could go on forever, but here for your enjoyment is an example of the kind of mid-tempo swinger that made Barney Kessel so appealing to millions of jazz fans the world over.
Get the record wherever you can. It's available on CD at limited online stores, but I don't think it's available digitally yet. A wonderful set with the Monty Alexander Trio, recorded in 1987.
