Historical Dictionary of Jazz. John S. Davis

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition in 2007, the same year he recorded his debut album, Prelude . . . to Cora (2008, Fresh Sound New Talent). He moved back to New York City and performed with jazz artists Vijay Iyer, Esperanza Spalding, and Jason Moran. After signing with the Blue Note label, Akinmusire recorded the album When the Heart Emerges Glistening (2011), featuring his quintet. He won the North Sea Jazz Festival’s Paul Acket Award in 2014. Most recently, he has delved into classical and hip-hop styles. Akinmusire has recorded five albums as leader and collaborated on another 32. He was named the winner in the 2018 DownBeat magazine International Critics Poll in the category of trumpet.

      AKIYOSHI, TOSHIKO (1929–)

      Originally from Japan, Akiyoshi made a name for herself in the world of jazz through her work as pianist, arranger, and composer. Discovered in 1952 by pianist Oscar Peterson while he was on a tour of Japan, Akiyoshi recorded with Peterson’s own rhythm section of Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and J. C. Heard on her first release, titled Toshiko’s Piano. Upon moving to the United States in 1956 to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Akiyoshi began learning the art of arranging and composition. Along with her husband Lew Tabackin, Akiyoshi formed a big band in the Los Angeles area in 1973. Using Akiyoshi’s compositions and arrangements for the group, the Toshiko Akiyoshi–Lew Tabackin Big Band would hold a strong presence in the jazz world by 1980. After moving to New York City in 1982, the band was started up once again and continued touring, recording, and performing regularly, all the while driven by the energetic writing and conducting of Akiyoshi. She has been the recipient of multiple Grammy nominations and DownBeat Critics Poll awards, and in 2007 she was honored with the title of NEA Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Although her big band no longer performs or records, she continues to appear as a pianist and guest bandleader. Notable recordings: Toshiko Akiyoshi–Lew Tabackin Big Band (1974–1976, Novus) and Carnegie Hall Concert (1991, Columbia).

      ALBAM, MANNY (1922–2001)

      Albam started in the music world as a baritone saxophonist but quickly gained a reputation as a standout arranger in New York. His work was performed by jazz big bands led by Don Joseph, Bob Chester, Georgie Auld, Sam Donahue, Charlie Barnet, and Jerry Wald. In the 1950s, he elected to stop performing and focused his efforts on composition and leading ensembles for the next two decades. Many prominent musicians were attracted to Albam’s works, which were featured by groups led by Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. Albam released one title under his name during this time, The Jazz Greats of Our Time (1957, MCA), which featured top-flight soloists. Albam is not heard on the album but is instead featured as a conductor/arranger for most of the material. He also explored classical music and composed several works, including his “Concerto for Trombone and Strings.”

      Albam became a more active educator in 1964, teaching at Glassboro State College, where he served as a faculty member for the next three decades. He further expanded his compositional skills into developing long, large-scale jazz pieces in addition to working on scores for several movies and television shows. He succumbed to cancer in 2001.

      ALBUM

      A reference to a collection of recorded songs based around a common theme or idea. Originally used in reference to several 78 rpm recordings that made up a long classical work, such as a symphony, the word was later used to define recordings that lasted longer than 30 minutes. In the 1960s, the idea of “album artists” was founded by rock groups like the Moody Blues, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin, who created recordings around a central theme that featured no singular material. Jazz recordings like Miles Davis’s Sketches of Spain (1960, Columbia) and Porgy & Bess (1958, Columbia) were constructed with the album idea. See also RECORD LABEL.

      ALEXANDER, MONTGOMERY BERNARD “MONTY” (1944–)

      Inspired by Nat “King” Cole, Louis Armstrong, and calypso music from his native Jamaica, Alexander began studying jazz piano at the age of 14. After moving to the United States in 1961, Alexander struggled at first to find steady work in Miami and then Las Vegas until heard by Jilly Rizzo, a club owner and friend of Frank Sinatra. After being hired to perform in Rizzo’s club (sometimes accompanying Sinatra), he soon met vibraphonist Milt Jackson. This encounter was important as Jackson referred Alexander to bassist Ray Brown, who invited him to join his trio. Alexander soon relocated to New York and saw his career quickly take shape. He was a regular performer at Minton’s Playhouse with both Jackson and Brown and was featured on several recordings made by both.

      Alexander led his own groups from 1974 onward, with the first group featuring John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton. This group recorded Alexander’s first album, Live! Montreux Alexander (1976, Verve). Alexander enjoyed trying to capture the feel of his native Jamaica by using steel drums and other Caribbean percussion on several albums he would record over the next few decades. Alexander maintained a steady touring and recording career throughout the 1980s and 1990s while also performing with jazz legends including Barney Kessel, Johnny Griffin, Shelly Manne, and Marshal Royal. In 2000, he was given the title Commander in the Order of Distinction for outstanding services to Jamaica as a worldwide music ambassador. In 2008, Alexander was the featured pianist on the Tony Bennett Christmas album as part of the Count Basie Orchestra, filling the chair of Basie. He served as director of two major works featured at Jazz at Lincoln Center (Lords of the West Indies and Harlem Kingston Express). He received a Grammy nomination in 2012 for Best Reggae Album. In 2018, Alexander received an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies.

      ALI, RASHIED (1935–2009)

      Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a musical family, Ali began his musical training at an early age, as he was surrounded by music. His mother had sung with Jimmie Lunceford, and his brother, Muhammed, was a drummer with Albert Ayler. Ali was born Robert Patterson Jr. but elected to change his name to Rashied Ali when his father, Robert Patterson Sr., converted to Islam and also took the name Rashied Ali. He studied with Philly Joe Jones after serving in the military, where he played with military bands during the Korean War.

      After moving to New York in 1963, Ali quickly found work playing drums with Bill Dixon, Paul Bley, Pharoah Sanders, and Alice Coltrane before replacing Elvin Jones as drummer in John Coltrane’s group in 1965. A pioneer of free jazz drumming, Ali can be heard on Coltrane’s album Meditations (1965, Impulse!) and Interstellar Space (1967, Impulse!) recorded before Coltrane’s death. Although a very prominent performer, Ali did not record very much until later in his life. In the 1980s, he formed the group Phalanx, which featured James “Blood” Ulmer on guitar, Sirone on bass, and George Adams on tenor saxophone. Ali experimented with much new music and incorporated the use of multimedia in two groups, the Gift of the Eagle and Cosmic Legends, and recorded several albums with groups that included Henry Grimes and Marilyn Crispell. In 2009, Ali died in a New York hospital due to a sudden heart attack.

      ALLEN, GERI (1957–2017)

      Allen, born in Pontiac, Michigan, was a pianist and educator who studied under the mentorship of Marcus Belgrave while СКАЧАТЬ