Hard Boppin with Mulgrew Miller
There’s always time to kick back, relax, and take in some good classic-style jazz. Mulgrew Miller is an amazing pianist (as you’ll hear). He is a veteran of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and has gone on to success as a…
Beautiful Piece of Brass
I first heard this version of In the Still of Night on Vin Scelsas show on Sirius (Sunday Night Idiots Delight). Ive always been a fan of the 1956 original, recorded by the Five Satins and written by leader Fred…
Brother Jack and Young George
During the month of July 1964, Hammond B-3 whiz Jack McDuff was in a New York studio with tenor sax player Red Holloway, Joe Dukes on drums, and a 21 year old George Benson on guitar. The tracks they recorded…
Piano Man: Now That’s a Wet Suit
Reading the story today about the “Piano Man” inspired me to showcase some quality piano work tonight. Did you all see this? A man shows up in a suit, soaking wet, on the Isle of Sheppey in the UK. He…
Mo’ Madhouse w/ Prince, Eric Leeds and Vanity
This tune starts with a young lady’s moans of erotic pleasure. Did I get your attention? Good. It’s an outtake of a song called “Vibrator” featuring the desire of my teen years (and beyond) – Vanity. The vocals were, uh…
The Genius of Miles
I listened to sides 3/4 of Miles Davis‘ ‘Bitches Brew’ on the way home from work today. Windows down, volume way up… it had been a while since I took a listen to this groundbreaking album, and I felt compelled…
Charlie Hunter’s 8 String Funk
Every time I listen to this live track, or any Charlie Hunter song in general, I’m amazed that all of the sounds are emanating from one guitar. Charlie is a Bay Area master of his custom-made 8-string guitar. He plays…
We’re Gettin’ Root Down
Since I just took off the Jimmy Smith track from last week, I feel obligated to include another JS gem. As I mentioned before, I didn’t find out about the greatness of Jimmy Smith until last year. Little did I…
It’s a Madhouse In Here
It was fun being a Prince fanatic in the 80’s. You’d get a great new album every year, and interspersed in there would be his 12″ maxi-single releases. Most would have an extended version of the album track, as well…
RIP Jimmy Smith
I didn’t discover Jimmy Smith until within the past year when I pulled out an old Blue Note Jazz Sampler that I had stashed away for years. Jimmy was a master of the Hammond B3 organ, and a pioneer of…
