Legendary jazz pianist Sun Ra was born 100 years ago today in Birmingham, Alabama. Or maybe not. As Ra said of himself in 1998, “I’m a psychic being, and you …
Jazz
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One of the great legends of vocal jazz, Sarah Vaughan, was born 90 years ago today. Nicknamed “Sassy” for her personality and “The Divine One” for her voice, she had …
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Violinist Papa John Creach began performing in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 1970s, when he took the stage with the Jefferson Airplane, that larger audiences were able to …
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He was one of the first to incorporate world music into traditional jazz.
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In 2013, the music world saw many losses: musicians representing a wide variety of genres, from rock to reggae, classical to country, blues to Bollywood and beyond. They made our …
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Jazz great Carmen McRae once remarked, “There’s really only one jazz singer – only one: Betty Carter” …
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For decades, Louis Prima stayed on top by playing the music that was trendy and cool…
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“…He would put that horn in his mouth and make the most astonishingly honest music… and it would sink right to the middle of you.” –Dave Matthews on LeRoi Moore
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In the 1940s, no self-respecting jukebox would have been complete without at least a few records by Louis Jordan…
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Count Basie’s brand of swing was nice and easy – like cutting butter.