A personal OpEd on one of Sonny Rollins’ most classic melodies, and a reframed way to improvise within blues-infused modern jazz.
Tag: jazz
What Are Your Favorite “Mysterious” Songs, and Why?
On Episode 19 of our podcast, “Themes and Variation,” we chat with singer and trumpeter Rhys Tivey about songs with a veil of mystery…oooh!
Stravinsky & Jazz: Yes, Even Classical Music Is Influenced by Black American Forms
Stravinsky’s music and the music of Charlie Parker and John Coltrane have been compared to Cubism, is jazz the connector? We trace the influences.
How to Use a Jazz Turnaround in Your Pop or Folk Song
Borrowing a nifty couple of chord changes from the jazz world can really elevate your songwriting, no matter the genre or style.
Shoutin’ Out: A Crash Course on Blues Shouting
A closer look at the tradition of “blues shouting” in the early 1930s and ’40s, which helped inspire the creation of rock ‘n’ roll out of jazz and gospel.
On August 17, 1959, Miles Davis’ “Kind Of Blue” Was Released
A brief history of how Miles Davis’ 1959 classic “Kind Of Blue” came to be, and the album’s impacts on all kinds of musical communities.
A Brief-ish History of the Drum Kit
Got 10 minutes to learn about the history of the drum kit as we know it today? We talk about how individual drums, players, and genres helped the kit evolve.
Tredici Bacci’s Simon Hanes on Making Space for Magic to Happen (and the ’70s)
Simon Hanes of NYC’s Tredici Bacci and Guerilla Toss stops by to tell us about his new record, composing Italian funk tunes, and more!
Why Are There No Saxophones in Orchestras?
A quick historical deep dive on the journey of the saxophone from French military pride to jazz band spotlight, but never the symphonic orchestra.
The Lasting Legacy of the Slave Trade on American Music
Today is the UN International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade, we honor this day by charting the legacy of African diasporic music in America.