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Radical, free and rebellious in attitude, jazz is out on the edge and always evolving. Ideal for music students new to the genre, this program introduces common musical elements of jazz, the origins of jazz in New Orleans, and the evolution of jazz music styles over the last century. A broad range of audio samples, historical footage and practical demonstrations are woven throughout this resource.
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The musical language and highly idiosyncratic style of Thelonious Monk-so avant-garde in its day-is in many ways still considered avant-garde today. This program seeks to understand Monk's innovative music by tracing the Harlem-born jazzman's career. His childhood debut as accompanist for a touring preacher, years of searching for his own style, gradual acceptance by the public who had neglected him, eventual critical acclaim as a musical genius,...
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A master of swing and scat with pop/jazz crossover appeal, Ella Fitzgerald could outsing just about anyone. Her 60-year career-launched at 17 when she won an amateur singing contest at the Apollo Theater-saw her rise from a life of poverty to become an enduring icon of American music. This program, an examination of Fitzgerald's captivating music within the context of her eventful life, amply illustrates why recordings of this beloved diva continue...
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Joe Lovano was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952, and began playing alto saxophone as a child. His father, tenor saxophonist Tony "Big T" Lovano, schooled young Joe in jazz dynamics and interpretation, and regularly exposed him to the live performances of international jazz artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Ammons, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. In this special set filmed for Solos The Jazz Sessions, Lovano uses a variety of horns and gongs to wind his...
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A pioneer of bebop and its first spin-off, Afro-Cuban jazz, Dizzy Gillespie-with his quick wit, puffed-out cheeks, and signature bent trumpet-was also a masterful showman who succeeded in making his complex music popular with his audiences. From his roots as a self-taught trombone-turned-trumpet player, to his legendary status as the cofounder of modern jazz, to his international travels as an ambassador of jazz, this program presents the dynamic...
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The word "prodigy" might have been coined expressly for Wynton Marsalis, who won Grammy Awards for both jazz and classical music at the age of 22. This stylishly produced program opens at Wynton's studio in New York City, where he talks about his philosophy, his compositional methods, and his laid-back yet demanding approach to working with other musicians. Halfway through, the program shifts to his swinging hometown of New Orleans, where he reflects...
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This 2008 film by George Manney is an intimate profile of the world's first jazz bagpipe player, Philadelphia musician Rufus Harley. The video interweaves a rare interview with Harley in his home together with insights, memories, and commentary from family, friends, and celebrated musicians-including Kenneth Gamble, Laurie Anderson, Stephen Caldwell, Joel Dorn, Odean Pope, Byard Lancaster, Tommy Conwell, Robert "Stewkey" Antoni, Charlie Gracie, David...
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This film presents the creation of jazz throughout the U.S. south and its emergence in the north as a commodity. The following jazz artists are featured: Charles Mingus; Charlie Parker; Chick Corea; Count Basie; Dave Brubeck; Dizzy Gillespie; Duke Ellington; Earl 'Fatha' Hines; Louis Armstrong; Miles Davis; Hoagy Carmichael.
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Paying homage to the East coast and to some of the most important musicians who have spent a major part of their career there, this collection of live performances ranges from clubs to festivals to TV studio engagements. Artists include John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and more.
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This program examines frameworks in which jazz musicians improvise and looks at the interrelationship between songwriter and improviser. Courtney Pine uses his percussion-heavy "Jazz Step," based on 12-bar blues, as a jumping-off point to discuss how a small group interacts when improvising as well as matters of technique such as riffs, three-chord progressions, and blues scales. Django Bates works within a big band context to dig into the dynamics...
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With his unique and recognizable style, pianist Matthew Shipp worked and recorded vigorously during the 1990s, creating music in which free jazz and modern classical intertwine. His recording of a number of duets with a variety of musicians includes, the legendary Roscoe Mitchell and violinist Mat Maneri. This set for Solos: The Jazz Sessions demonstrates his prolific and respected voice in creative music.
13) Dr. Billy Taylor
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Dr. Billy Taylor has done as much as any living musician to advance the acceptance of jazz as the indigenous American art form. A classically trained composer and pianist, Taylor may be the most persuasive music educator in the United States. At the piano, Taylor traces with wit and charm his creative development and growing youthful awareness of the jazz form in enlarging musical boundaries. For Taylor, jazz is life and he makes clear its influence...
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In this program, African jazz musician Edmund "Ntemi" Piliso traces the roots of African jazz from the days of apartheid in 1940s Alexandra Township. With musical performances throughout highlighting the various eras, Piliso moves through the days of pennywhistle jive groups hustling change on streetcorners, to the sounds of marabi-a bittersweet fusion of American jazz and the restless rhythm of an uprooted tribal culture. The latter sound, lost for...
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Guitarist John Abercrombie combines bop and free jazz stylistic elements with electronics utilizing phase shifters, guitar synthesizers and the good old volume pedal. What has kept his playing fresh is his refusal to be chained to these digital devices. In this Solos: The Jazz Sessions set, Abercrombie demonstrates a deft hand at music and technology.
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This film from Iván Acosta documents Candido's contribution to the world of American jazz, Latin jazz, and Cuban music. Through conversations, performances and testimonies, Candido: Hands of Fire captivates the audience from start to finish. Considered to be one of the greatest Cuban percussionists to come to the United States, Candido Camero has played with legends such as Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Graciela, Tito Rodriguez, Bobby...
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Paying homage to the West coast and to some of the most important musicians who have spent a major part of their career there, this collection of live performances ranges from clubs to festivals to TV studio engagements. Artists include Art Pepper, Zoot Sims, Chet Baker, Phineas Newborn Trio, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Shelly Manne Quintet and Wes Montgomery.
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This 1952 recording includes two performances of Duke Ellington and his orchestra-from January 7 and August 12-featuring 12 of his signature pieces, including "Sophisticated Lady," "Caravan," "The Mooch," "VP's Boogie," "Solitude," "Mood Indigo," "The Hawk Talks," "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," "Bli-Blip," "Flamingo," "Hot Chocolate," ("Cottontail") and "C Jam Blues.
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This classic of experimental underground filmmaking by Phill Niblock features rare and exclusive footage, photos, and recordings of pianist Sun Ra and the members of his Solar Arkestra. Shot in the 1960s, when the Arkestra was based in New York, the film was produced using a unique negative process and ultra-tight close-ups on the moving hands and mouths of the musicians. The result is a virtually abstract music film, mastered from a new print in...
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Cyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music. Since arriving in the U.S. in 1980, Baptista has emerged as one of the premier percussionists in the country. His mastery of Brazilian percussion and the many instruments he creates himself, have catapulted him into world renown. In this special set of solo performances, Cyro pulls out all the stops, a unique and brilliant...