On April 22, two jazz greats — both bass players — celebrated birthdays. The day marked the ninety-seventh and eighty-fourth anniversaries of the...
Tag - Duke Ellington
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The Daily Music Break’s first video chat features Jeff Claassen, a trumpet player and Associate Professor of Harmony at the Berklee School of Music. Jeff...
Jazz drummer Louie Bellson was born on this day in 1924. His full (long) given name suggests that he was born in Italy. Not so. Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco...
Johnny Hodges was a giant. Here is some of his profile at the Encyclopedia Britannica: Hodges played lead alto in Ellington’s sax section; his melody lines...
Please take The Daily Music Break’s first one-question snap poll. Comment below as well, if you care to.
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The long and important life of Marian McPartland ended last week on Long Island, where the British native had lived for many years. McPartland was an important...
New Orleans has a genius for producing great food and great trumpet and cornet players. Indeed, Louis Armstrong — who Wynton Marsalis pays homage to...
This site celebrates Joe Pass. AllMusic does its usual nice job of profiling the great and iconic The jazz guitarist: Joe Pass did the near-impossible. He was...
Stevie Wonder needs no introduction. His bio may not be well known by all but his most ardent fans, however. Here is how the version at Encyclopedia Britannica...
Reading Music
The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.
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Here are some books to check out.
Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.
What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.
The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").
David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.