Message from the Louis Armstrong House Museum. The LAHM and the Armstrong archives at Queens are my two favourite stops whenever I’m in New York. Moreover, Michael hired the very excellent Ricky Riccardi. JazzLouis Armstronglouis armstrong houseMichael CogswellRicky Riccardi
Stay tuned for this forthcoming book, a follow up to the superb What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years. The book’s webpage is here. JazzLouis ArmstrongmusicRicky Riccardi
I’ve always had a soft spot for Herb Alpert’s artistry across styles so I’m looking forward to this. Shame about the naff cover though. funkHerb AlpertJazzmusicpopstrumpet
Good to see Doreen &c. featured in the latest issue of OffBeat. I’ve spoken to her several times when I’ve come across her cnr. Royal and St. Peter. As she says, she is typically asked “‘What do you have new?’ So we try to do an album every year.” This article sheds much light on Doreen’s…
The maestro — born on this day. I pretty much have all of his back catalogue going back to the 50s. bluegrassbluesCajunClarence “Gatemouth” Browncountryfiddlefunk zydekoguitarJazzLouisianaSwingtexas
Released today. OffBeat interview. Branford MarsalisJazznew orleanssaxophone
I had the pleasure of seeing maestros Mike Garson and Earl Slick in a relatively intimate hall (less than a thousand capacity) from two yards away. What a treat to see up close the skill of the original musicians of two of the most challenging and memorable of instrumental pieces. Needless to say, one of…
This is my favourite stop whenever I’m in NYC (Corona) — the house and garden gives off a profoundly calming vibe (in person it is very intimate and not as large as one might presume). Here is master biographer, archivist and blogger Ricky Riccardi leading the tour and moreover explaining how he came to be the…
It was the Jazz funeral opening scene in Live and Let Die that so captivated me, a kid living a world away — the dirge, the sashay, the exuberance — a love affair that has never dimmed. Thus I’m very pleased to learn about this crowd-funded work-in-progress City of a Million Dreams (H/T OffBeat). I’d imagine…
Born on this day: the king of country-swing-blues-jazz. See The Guardian obit and AllMusic entry. It was good to see his longtime pianist Joe Krown on WWOZ yesterday. bluesClarence “Gatemouth” BrowncountryfiddleguitarJazzJoe KrownLouisianamusicSwing
