Education Articles
In the world of jazz there has always been a channel of influence, a school of “thought” so to speak or a lineage. These elements have shaped the development of composition, arranging, and most importantly in jazz, improvisation and stylistic approach. Licks (improvised lines or phrases unique to a certain style or musician), along with ideas and sounds,...
In 1936 Chick Webb, whose very popular band featured a young Ella Fitzgerald as vocalist, hired a young musician from Brinkley, Arkansas to play lead alto in his saxophone section. His name was Louis Jordan. It wasn’t long before he was singing duets with Ella and had his own featured numbers as well. In 1938,...
Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe By Jeff Peckham Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, two icons of their respective fields, shared an unlikely yet profound friendship. Their connection highlights the power of interracial bonds and the influence of individuals in challenging societal norms. In the jazz world, and popular music, Ella Fitzgerald is considered the “First...
By Bernie Brink This month marks the 60th anniversary of a landmark John Coltrane recording, his album-length suite, A Love Supreme. Arguably Coltrane’s greatest album, A Love Supreme was hailed by contemporary critics as one of the most important jazz albums of the decade and has since outsold most of his other recordings. Today, it...
By Bernie Brink Each year, the holidays, the solstice, and the season elicit themes of reflection and nostalgia. Those themes are certainly reflected in our favorite holiday music: “It’s that time of year when the world falls in love,” which has us “dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know,”...
By Bernie Brink This month, we mourn the passing of a giant of American music, Quincy Jones. Today, he is best known as a major record producer, the mastermind behind countless hit albums by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Donny Hathaway, Michael Jackson, and more. But many do not realize that Quincy Jones...
By Bernie Brink One of jazz’s longest-running traditions is arguably also one of its most misunderstood idioms. From the music’s inception, vocalists have related melody and improvisation through the practice of scatting, vocal improvisation using nonsense syllables, wordless vocables, or without words or syllables entirely. At its heart, scatting is a technique intended to mimic...
By Bernie Brink Jazz is often referred to as “the original American art form” because much of its development was geographically confined. But in many ways, jazz is truly a global music, drawing from many sounds and cultures across the world. In observing Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th – October 15th, it’s not an...
By Bernie Brink Every August begins the slow decline of summer and, for many, marks the return to school. This summer, go “back to school” with a quintessential jazz album, School Days by bassist Stanley Clarke. First released in 1976, School Days appeared at the height of the jazz fusion movement amongst a cadre of...
By Bernie Brink This month marks the 70th anniversary of one of the nation’s most-esteemed and longest-running jazz events, the Newport Jazz Festival. Though it has operated in different locations and under different guises throughout its storied history, it has presented top-flight jazz every summer since 1954. Its reputation for premiere jazz performances also makes...