Have you ever heard a life story that was too powerful to believe? Below you can find five biographical documentaries that challenged the truth and caused controversy and disbelief among the public. Amy 2015 / Asif Kapadia (director) “A sad, stark study of a public life and death” is how The Guardian describes this raw and controversial … Continue reading Music Documentaries You Must See to Believe
John Coltrane started his musical journey in 1949 under the spell of Charlie Parker and later Dizzy Gillespie. In 1954, he joined The Miles Davis Quintet where he was encouraged to think more harmonically. During the second half of the nineteen-fifties, he rehearsed extensively with Thelonious Monk. By 1959 Coltrane mastered the skills to compose … Continue reading Spotlight on Coltrane: 5 Diverse Albums
The second half of the nineteen-fifties defined John Coltrane’s career and helped him come into prominence as a musician and arranger. Underlined is the time as a member in Miles Davis’ First Great Quintet and later sextet, and the period working aside Thelonious Monk. Many recordings featuring Trane‘s support on the tenor saxophone got listed as … Continue reading John Coltrane’s Soultrane
Ever since its birth, jazz music has continuously evolved into various subgenres. The American record label Blue Note Records, which got established in 1939, played a significant role in this evolution. The company is a landmark in jazz music and has an extensive song catalog that includes many acclaimed jazz standards. Their new release Re:imagined … Continue reading A Collective of Musicians Re:imagined the Blue Note Catalogue
Trumpeter Lee Morgan was only 19 years old when he led the recording of his Blue Note original album titled The Cooker. The album is a demonstration of Morgan’s early bop-oriented influence and contains improvisation that communicates to the listener. He is playing with a kind of youthful enthusiasm and spontaneity. Morgan plays exceptionally well … Continue reading Youthful Enthusiasm: The Cooker by Lee Morgan
John Coltrane’s masterpiece, Giant Steps, turned sixty in 2020 and this was celebrated with an anniversary deluxe edition LP. Let’s have a brief look at how the album came to life and how Coltrane developed, personally and musically, before being able to compose one of the most influential jazz albums of all time. John Coltrane … Continue reading John Coltrane’s Giant Steps
In 1968, the sixteen-year-old Danny Scher invited Thelonious Monk and his quartet to play a benefit concert at his high school in Palo Alto, California. The concert got recorded and now, more than 50 years later, the music was released. Palo Alto is a live recorded concert featuring Charlie Rouse on the tenor saxophone, Larry … Continue reading Thelonious Monk At His Best – Palo Alto
It’s not an easy task to capture the life of jazz titans like John Coltrane or Miles Davis into a ninety minutes cut. There is a lot of ground to cover before you’re able to give the audience a peek into their minds. Some directors and screenwriters managed to provide us with the best possible … Continue reading Five Biographical Documentaries Of Jazz Titans
Pixar’s new animated movie Soul, directed by Pete Docter (Up) and Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami), is a unique collaboration between filmmakers and musicians. Pixar Animation Studios has delivered a long list of outstanding movies. They stand out when it comes to building authentic characters, something they have been doing since the release of their first … Continue reading How Pixar Portrays Jazz in Their New Movie ‘Soul’
My record collection is growing every day and what attracts me to purchasing an album apart from the music is the sleeve design. For this article, I dove into my collection and hand-picked my favorite jazz covers. Giant Steps – John Coltrane 1960 / Atlantic 1311 / Marvin Israel (design) / Lee Friedlander (photo) The … Continue reading Jazz Album Cover Designs That Inspire – Part 1
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