Jazz & Blues Lounge

I am declaring this Mingus Monday. I have no idea why other than I was rooting around online for some cool jazz to listen to and came across some of Charles and his and from 1975 which you will see below. He was playing live at Montreux at the time and playing his classic “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.” I don’t even know what a Pork Pie Hat is, but I like the music.
For me, my all-time favorite Charles Mingus tune is called “Haitian Fight Song.” You will be hard-pressed to find a tune that builds …read more

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OK, ok, ok, I admit, this is my most recent obsession. I raved about Cassie Taylor last week along with my raves about her father and his band. The fact is, all of that is true. I simply cannot stress enough how much you should run out and see Otis Taylor performing live and do it soon.
Of course, at this point, I might be drifting into stalker territory. I can’t help it. I would love to tell you that I contacted Cassie via her MySpace page and she has agreed to be interviewed …read more

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One of the key deaths in January of 2008 I seemed to have missed was the death of legendary jazz bassist, Earl May. He is a name that may not jump immediately to the minds of the casual jazz listener, but he is one of those guys every jazz musician wants. You know, every genre of music has people like that. These are the guys who just want to play because they want to play and are happy to sit in the background while the bigger, flashier guys stand out front.
Earl was one of those guys. You can find more …read more

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