Not all West Coast jazz of the 1950s was shaded by the relaxed influences of the Los Angeles suburbs and the Pacific Ocean. Black jazz artists brought their own artistic perspectives to the studios and clubs, forged through migration from the South and Southwest, living in the Watts and South Central sections, and trying to stand out as musicians in a city with heightened segregation and racism. Among the finest black jazz musicians in Los Angeles in the 1950s was tenor saxophonist Harold Land. Born in Houston, his family moved to San Diego, Ca., when he was a child. His first recording as ..read more

Coming this Saturday, April 20, for Record Store Day, is a new three-LP set by Sonny Rollins—Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings. Released by Resonance Records—the nonprofit label co-led by George Klabin and Zev Feldman—the album features for the first time all of the known recordings by the Sonny Rollins Trio performed while on tour in Europe between March 2 and 11 in 1959. The CD and digital formats will follow on April 25. Having listened to all three formats, the sound is sterling. The trio featured Sonny on tenor saxophone, Henry Grimes on bass and three different drummer ..read more

This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed Kyle MacLachlan for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Kyle is in a new futuristic series called Fallout. [Photo above of Kyle MacLachlan in Fallout by JoJo Whilden/Prime Video] Here's the trailer... And here he is with James Corden... A special thanks to WPIX hosts Dan and Hazel and producer Marcia for having me on their morning show live last week to talk about my book, Anatomy of 55 More Songs. Go here... What I'm watching. Last week... Who is Erin Carter? (2003)—British crime thriller about a British-born schoo ..read more

For those in the know, Johnny Alf has long been thought of as the father of the bossa nova. Whether that statement is completely accurate or whether he was merely a significant influence has been hotly debated over the years. Even if the Brazilian singer-songwriter wasn't the bossa's earliest pure exponent, his softly romantic, Johnny Mathis-like vocal style, his jazzy sense of swing and his rich melodies certainly held sway over many of the artists who would become identified with the bossa nova movement, such as João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Carlos Lyra, and others. The recording t ..read more

In early 2008, just months after I started JazzWax, I listened to Yusef Lateef's 1968 album The Golden Flute and fell in love with it. So much so that I wanted to interview him. But when I went to his site, I came face to face with a black-and-white photo of Yusef set under an ominous sky. Yusef seemed to be put out, glaring at the lens (photo below). Daunting, for sure, but I called him anyway. We spent an hour on the phone, and Yusef turned out to be a warm and lovely guy, nothing like the image in the photo. Which is true of most jazz greats. The cool detachment is really part of the mus ..read more

Record Store Day is coming on April 20. In celebration of vinyl retailers who spin music in their stores, answer music questions authoritatively and were instrumental in helping to launch the LP revival of the past 10 years, record labels are releasing special vinyl releases this year that are available only at your friendly neighborhood retailer on the 20th. After that date, you'll have to turn to the aftermarket for them. I'll be featuring some of my favorites leading up to the 20th. At your local record store, look for two Cannonball Adderley double-LPs of previously unissued music from ..read more

So many jazz orchestral albums today are long-winded and devoid of swing. There are interminable suites, spoken narration, solos that last too long and songs without much of a musical story to tell or sell. And then there's the Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra. Based in Los Angeles, the 18-piece band is comprised of the city's best studio musicians and has recorded five albums since 2000. Their new one, Flying Colors (Summit), is first-rate and returns to the jazz orchestra's roots. Gary, a trumpeter, composer, arranger and conductor, grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and studied music and psychology at Ob ..read more

Sunday, April 14, will mark the 100th anniversary of Shorty Rogers' birth. The trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer and arranger who was a founding father of West Coast jazz died in 1994 from melanoma at age 70. [Photo above of Shorty Rogers] Today, in advanced celebration of Rogers' contribution to jazz, I've assembled 10 of my favorite clips plus three bonus clips: Here's one of Rogers' first recorded arrangements of Heads Up for Woody Herman's Woodchoppers combo performed in March 1946 at Carnegie Hall. The Woodchoppers featured Sonny Berman (tp), Bill Harris (tb), Woody Herman (cl), Flip P ..read more

n In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed actor Giancarlo Esposito for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Giancarlo pops everywhere now. In addition to major roles in Kaleidoscope, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and The Gentlemen, he currently stars in AMC’s crime-drama series Parish. [Photo above of Giancarlo Esposito in Parish by Eliot Brasseaux/AMC] Here he is in The Gentlemen... And here's the trailer for Parish... What I'm watching. Last week... Ripley (2024)—A psychological thriller series based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 crime novel The Talented M ..read more

In late June 1960, Charles Mingus had one of his famous faux meltdowns. Miffed at George Wein's Newport Jazz Festival over an ad listing him as one of the performers (rather than the center of the universe), Mingus demanded a raise from his agreed-upon $700 to $5,000, a fee he'd heard Benny Goodman was receiving. When Wein explained that the $5,000 for Goodman was for the clarinetist and his 17-piece band plus blues singer Jimmy Rushing, who were performing for the entire evening, Mingus found himself face to face with the truth. Rather than admit he had jumped the gun, he used his stalemate ..read more