Not long ago I wrote about the man who called himself the “inventor of jazz” Jelly Roll Morton.  Well, there isn’t any video of him that I can find, but you can still listen to his music at YouTube.  Click right HERE and hear one of his classic compositions, performed in 1926. 

How about some footage, in black and white, of the great Thelonius Monk performing his classic piece “Blue Monk?’  Well, yeah, you can find that by clicking right HERE.

The only thing missing from that Monk piece is the names of his side men, which is something most jazz fans like to know.  It was once told to me that were you to buy all of Miles Davis’ CDs and then buy at least one album from each of his side men, you would have a truly solid and outstanding jazz collection.

Want to see what Earl “Fatha” Hines looked like?  How about hearing him play in Berlin in 1965?  Well, you can do that by clicking right HERE. 

By clicking HERE you can check out a performance of Julian “Cannonball” Adderly recorded in 1964 for BBC television.

OK, I think that should keep you satisfied for now.  Will I post more?  Probably, I will post more later this week.  I am just having too much fun not only finding these recordings, but watching them and listening to them. 

Is it possible for someone to reach the end of YouTube?  Probably not, but it will sure be fun to try.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge

Before he decided to tackle WWII, in fact, many years before, he decided to create a documentary about Jazz.  He caught a bit of flack for it at the time.  Why?  Some accused him of spending too much time worrying about Louis Armstrong and not enough time on other jazz musicians that jazz fans felt were important.

I just know the documentary was fascinating.  I also know that he released multiple CDs with some of the best jazz music you are likely to find in conjunction with the DVD and the release of the movie.  Some of those early Louis Armstrong recordings I talked about?  Yeah, you’ll find them there.

He even has a cool website that you can find right here.  It has all kinds of information about the documentary and about some of the most influential and important jazz albums around.  Finally, there is a really cool section about using jazz to teach kids.

Yes, kids.  The same kids that are probably, right now, bugging you about mortgaging your home to buy Hannah Montana tickets from a ticket broker, might actually appreciate jazz.  Just check it out.

So, get the CDs and check out the DVDs and save up for it if it’s a little out of your price range now.  Do not fear the documentary.  Enjoy it.

Post from: Jazz & Blues Lounge