Dying from his life-long drug habit, in a harrowing burst of creative energy, Bill Evans raged against ‘the dying of the light’ night after night in these relentless, probing, profound performances.
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060: The Bill Evans Trio, ‘Gloria’s Step’ from “Live at The Village Vanguard”
If I could take just one single piece of music to my desert island, it would be this.
Continue reading...041: Miles Davis, ‘It Never Entered My Mind’
Why did Miles Davis, a belligerent black ex-junkie, choose to reboot his career with white music of a rare, tender sweetness? Who cares?
Continue reading...057: Anita O’Day, ‘Tea for Two
Anita O’Day at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival–so cool, so hip, so talented. Take a gander. She’ll knock you out of your chair.
Continue reading...210: Tigran Hamasyan, ‘Drip’
Tigran’s website says he plays “atmospheric punk jazz improvisations fused with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia”. Me? My binge is in its sixth day and I still have no idea what I’m listening to. But I’m still listening.
Continue reading...045: Julie London, ‘Bye Bye, Blackbird’
How Julie London enticed Jeff into basshood
Continue reading...032: Duke Ellington, “Take the ‘A’ Train” (Billy Strayhorn)
When young Billy Strayhorn played for him backstage, the legendary Duke Ellington was very impressed: “I’d love to have you in my organization. I’ll call you.” But no call came, so Billy, literally hungry, took the chance of showing up at the Duke’s door. Not wanting to go empty-handed, he took the note the Duke had written: “Take the ‘A’ train…”
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