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Jazz ♫ Music only | In the now, or recently, or that you love...
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Ralph_Cramden
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Second installment of, the occasional, Twofer Tuesday, to feature jazz saxophone duo albums, either recent or historical. Collaborations of alto saxophonists Charlie Marinaro and Sadao Watanabe were discussed upstream in this thread, here.
Today’s post is on saxophone collaborations with the world’s greatest living tenor saxophonist, Sonny Rollins. Unsurprisingly, the list is short. Who is gonna go toe to toe with Sonny Rollins, after all?
What should have been the most magnificent tenor sax combo ever recorded, with John Coltrane, of course, was just one song, on Sonny’s 1956 album Tenor Madness. The 12 minute title tune is all that was hoped for, but that was it. No concert duos ever, either. 4 quartet songs filled the album.
Sonny Rollins Quartet, Tenor Madness, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Gillespie/Stitt/Rollins in 1957 gave us Sonny Side Up. That is Dizzy/Sonny/Sonny on trumpet/tenor/tenor. AllMusic described the album as "one of the most exciting 'jam session' records in the jazz catalog. ...both a highly enjoyable jazz set and something of an approximation of the music's once-revered live cutting session". Sonny squared, so to speak.
Gillespie/Stitt/Rollins, Sonny Side Up, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Sonny Meets Hawk! was released in 1963. AllMusic said “Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins each virtually defined the tenor saxophone for his respective generation. To hear the two of them interacting freely is a deliciously exciting experience. Hawkins is able to cut loose like never before. Sometimes the two collide, locking horns and wrestling happily without holding back.” Sonny is on the right channel, and the Hawk left, supposedly.
Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Meets Hawk!, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
BTW, I really only explored Sonny’s discography for this, so I take no responsibility for accuracy, based on 23 minutes of interwebs research. Please add/correct anything necessary. [Oct. update: I found s'more. Don't know if I'll get a chance to update.]
All 3 albums are really good, btw. The video is just Sonny in a trio from 1959, with nice sound. Please enjoy Sonny Rollins, with a sax partner.
Today’s post is on saxophone collaborations with the world’s greatest living tenor saxophonist, Sonny Rollins. Unsurprisingly, the list is short. Who is gonna go toe to toe with Sonny Rollins, after all?
What should have been the most magnificent tenor sax combo ever recorded, with John Coltrane, of course, was just one song, on Sonny’s 1956 album Tenor Madness. The 12 minute title tune is all that was hoped for, but that was it. No concert duos ever, either. 4 quartet songs filled the album.
Sonny Rollins Quartet, Tenor Madness, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Gillespie/Stitt/Rollins in 1957 gave us Sonny Side Up. That is Dizzy/Sonny/Sonny on trumpet/tenor/tenor. AllMusic described the album as "one of the most exciting 'jam session' records in the jazz catalog. ...both a highly enjoyable jazz set and something of an approximation of the music's once-revered live cutting session". Sonny squared, so to speak.
Gillespie/Stitt/Rollins, Sonny Side Up, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Sonny Meets Hawk! was released in 1963. AllMusic said “Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins each virtually defined the tenor saxophone for his respective generation. To hear the two of them interacting freely is a deliciously exciting experience. Hawkins is able to cut loose like never before. Sometimes the two collide, locking horns and wrestling happily without holding back.” Sonny is on the right channel, and the Hawk left, supposedly.
Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Meets Hawk!, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
BTW, I really only explored Sonny’s discography for this, so I take no responsibility for accuracy, based on 23 minutes of interwebs research. Please add/correct anything necessary. [Oct. update: I found s'more. Don't know if I'll get a chance to update.]
All 3 albums are really good, btw. The video is just Sonny in a trio from 1959, with nice sound. Please enjoy Sonny Rollins, with a sax partner.
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Your suggestions are awesome, folks!
Since 1 January, if a suggestion had a horn player, I tried to find and listen. The keepers are on a Spotify playlist that is currently @ 253 songs, 27 hours, and I'm guessing ~27 albums (cuz Spotify can't track that in a playlist?)
And the month of March just began!
Just finished Wycliffe Gordon's 2000 release, The Search, listen to Leroy Vinegar's, Leroy Walks!, from 1957, as I type, and wind down to Matthew Halsall's 2022 album Changing Earth.
65 year spread! That's Jazz...
Since 1 January, if a suggestion had a horn player, I tried to find and listen. The keepers are on a Spotify playlist that is currently @ 253 songs, 27 hours, and I'm guessing ~27 albums (cuz Spotify can't track that in a playlist?)
And the month of March just began!
Just finished Wycliffe Gordon's 2000 release, The Search, listen to Leroy Vinegar's, Leroy Walks!, from 1957, as I type, and wind down to Matthew Halsall's 2022 album Changing Earth.
65 year spread! That's Jazz...
Last edited:
Ralph_Cramden
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Ralph_Cramden
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Ralph_Cramden
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This is a nice jazz/classical fusion. From AllAboutJazz: "Music on the delightful Blues & Bach: The Music Of John Lewis was written by Lewis for the Modern Jazz Quartet.
Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi leads his trio, while Michele Corcella: conducts 10 players; 5 strings; 4 woodwinds; 1 brass; arranges.
The orchestrations bring new facets to the familiar compositions and are as light on their feet as the source material, while Pieranunzi's trio, collectively and as soloists, keeps the music foursquare in the realm of creative jazz." Skillful piano play, especially.
Pierunzi has been active in Italy/Europe since 1975, led over 80 albums, and has recorded with them all. The YouTube clip below is a well-done montage of a 2018 concert performance of this material with a larger orchestra. Please enjoy a classical jazz take on MJQ, who themselves were a classical take on jazz.
Enrico Pierunzi, Blues & Bach: The Music Of John Lewis, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Pianist Enrico Pieranunzi leads his trio, while Michele Corcella: conducts 10 players; 5 strings; 4 woodwinds; 1 brass; arranges.
The orchestrations bring new facets to the familiar compositions and are as light on their feet as the source material, while Pieranunzi's trio, collectively and as soloists, keeps the music foursquare in the realm of creative jazz." Skillful piano play, especially.
Pierunzi has been active in Italy/Europe since 1975, led over 80 albums, and has recorded with them all. The YouTube clip below is a well-done montage of a 2018 concert performance of this material with a larger orchestra. Please enjoy a classical jazz take on MJQ, who themselves were a classical take on jazz.
Enrico Pierunzi, Blues & Bach: The Music Of John Lewis, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
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Ralph_Cramden
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Ralph_Cramden
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Ralph_Cramden
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Ralph_Cramden
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The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis, salutes pianist/big band composer/arranger Toshiko Akiyoshi, with her tenor saxophonist/flutist husband, Lew Tabackin, on March 10 & 11.
The March 10 show will be live-streamed at 8 pm EDT, through the JALC JazzLive monthly subscription program ($10 mo/100 yr), and will be available VOD through March 16. Not a shill for JazzLive, just letting you know about a cool event.
Her recording career from 1954 to 1971 was ~20 albums as a small group leader, plus as a sessionist and with Mingus, in Japan and NYC. From 1959 to 1967 she was married to alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, and their daughter is Monday Michiru, who achieved fame as a vocalist/flutist.
From arts.gov: "She moved to Los Angeles in 1972 with her husband, saxophonist/flutist Lew Tabackin, formed the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin, and began exploring Japanese themes in her compositions and arrangements, mixing them with the strong jazz base in her music.
In 1982, the couple returned to New York, where Akiyoshi re-formed her band with New York musicians. Her big bands recorded 22 albums, and earned 14 Grammy Award nominations. Akiyoshi is the first woman ever to place first in the Best Arranger and Composer category in the DownBeat Readers' Poll."
Her last recording with her big band was 2003, and she has pursued solo and small group projects since.
Sadly, the big band albums of the 70s through 90s barely made it to digital, appear to be unavailable to stream, and are available only as pricey used CDs. Used vinyl appears to be abundant, however.
Video clips are rare also, but the posted 90s tune has decent sound. YouTube and Spotify links are provided to a 2007 album with the SWR Big Band, a 2008 duet album with Lew, and a 1995 solo album, which she said was always her preferred format. The last 2003 big band concert was recorded and is available, but the sound disappoints.
Please enjoy one of my favorite jazz artists, as I saw her big band often during her LA period. Maybe tune in for a tribute show as well.
Toshiko Akiyoshi & the SWR Big Band, Let Freedom Swing, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin, Vintage: Duke Ellington Songbook, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Toshiko Akiyoshi, Toshiko Akiyoshi At Maybeck, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
The March 10 show will be live-streamed at 8 pm EDT, through the JALC JazzLive monthly subscription program ($10 mo/100 yr), and will be available VOD through March 16. Not a shill for JazzLive, just letting you know about a cool event.
Her recording career from 1954 to 1971 was ~20 albums as a small group leader, plus as a sessionist and with Mingus, in Japan and NYC. From 1959 to 1967 she was married to alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, and their daughter is Monday Michiru, who achieved fame as a vocalist/flutist.
From arts.gov: "She moved to Los Angeles in 1972 with her husband, saxophonist/flutist Lew Tabackin, formed the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin, and began exploring Japanese themes in her compositions and arrangements, mixing them with the strong jazz base in her music.
In 1982, the couple returned to New York, where Akiyoshi re-formed her band with New York musicians. Her big bands recorded 22 albums, and earned 14 Grammy Award nominations. Akiyoshi is the first woman ever to place first in the Best Arranger and Composer category in the DownBeat Readers' Poll."
Her last recording with her big band was 2003, and she has pursued solo and small group projects since.
Sadly, the big band albums of the 70s through 90s barely made it to digital, appear to be unavailable to stream, and are available only as pricey used CDs. Used vinyl appears to be abundant, however.
Video clips are rare also, but the posted 90s tune has decent sound. YouTube and Spotify links are provided to a 2007 album with the SWR Big Band, a 2008 duet album with Lew, and a 1995 solo album, which she said was always her preferred format. The last 2003 big band concert was recorded and is available, but the sound disappoints.
Please enjoy one of my favorite jazz artists, as I saw her big band often during her LA period. Maybe tune in for a tribute show as well.
Toshiko Akiyoshi & the SWR Big Band, Let Freedom Swing, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin, Vintage: Duke Ellington Songbook, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
Toshiko Akiyoshi, Toshiko Akiyoshi At Maybeck, full album: YouTube link. Spotify link.
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Ralph_Cramden
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Gospel Trane, by Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger
from the album Force Majeure
intlanthem.bandcamp.com
notsodeadlizard
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Some people find this album depressing, not me.
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