Archives: May 2024

• More late May recording anniversaries

  We're continuing to add songs to celebrate their recording anniversaries. Cecil McBee's Paradox is now available; it was recorded on May 29, 1980 on McCoy Tyner's album "Quartets 4X4." This was Cecil's and McCoy's first recording together; the song is well suited to McCoy's signature style.

  Blue, by Marc Seales, has two anniversaries in late May. Marc played it on his album "American Songs, Vol. 2", recorded on May 26 and 27, 2012. On May 31, 2019, he performed this song in his New Stories trio, with guest Ernie Watts, at the Ballard Jazz Festival to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1999 album "Speakin' Out." We have three quartet condensed scores that reflect the 1999, 2012, and 2019 recordings.

• Ryan Kisor's The Dream

  More from Ryan's album "The Dream": his Bert's Blues, a fun blues head, and Minor Ordeal, inspired by the trumpeter Booker Little.

• Clifford Brown's LaRue

  Try your own interpretation of Clifford Brown's moving song written for his soon-to-be wife, LaRue. First recorded by Kenny Dorham, it's a inspiring and emotional work. LaRue's story of its beginnings is recounted by Don Sickler.

• More Hank Mobley, always fun to play!

  Check out a few of Hank's songs from his "Far Away Lands" recording to liven up your gigs this summer.
  A Dab Of This And That
  The Hippity Hop
  No Argument

• May 19, Bass Day!

  Don Sickler: May 19 is an important "Bass Day" as you will see. This year, first of all, it's Cecil McBee's 89th birthday: please check out five of his marvelous compositions from his "Unspoken" album.

  On May 19, 1957, Paul Chambers recorded his Paul Chambers Quintet album: bass players will now have the opportunity to check out his complete bass lines PLUS bass solos from this recording of his compositions Beauteous and The Hand Of Love.

  I did a quick look to see what's already up on jazzleadsheets from May 19, and immediately found bassist Percy Heath on "When Farmer Met Gryce", and bassist Al McKibbon with composer/pianist Freddie Redd.

  Then I started looking for recordings done on May 19 in my publishing files along with recordings that were made by Rudy Van Gelder in his Hackensack and Englewood Cliffs studios as well as his remote recordings. I'm now determined to create a separate Bassist May 19 page. So far my research has found the following bassists recording music we are involved with on May 19: More Percy Heath, Charles Mingus, Tommy Potter, more Paul Chambers, Gene Taylor, Ron Carter, George Duvivier, Bob Cranshaw, Steve Swallow, George Mraz, Jimmy Woode and the list goes on.

  Also, check out Daryl Johns' amazing "Tribute to Paul Chambers," multiple bass arrangements by myself, recorded by Rudy in Englewood Cliffs, with a fun video of Daryl as he recorded Tempo di Max, at a "Max Roach" tempo.

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