Jazz Musicians

Howlin' Wolf from Wikipedia Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), better known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "no one could match [Howlin' Wolf] for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits." Many songs popularized by Burnett—such as "Smokestack Lightnin'," "Back Door Man" and "Spoonful"—have become standards of blues and blues rock. Les Paul from ... Read Full Story

from Wikipedia: Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and bandleader. Duke Ellington was known in his life as one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music. His reputation increased when he died including a special award citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board.[1] Ellington called his music "American Music" rather than jazz, and liked to describe those who impressed him as "beyond category."[2] These included many of the musicians who served with his orchestra, some of whom were considered among the giants of jazz and performed with Ellington's orchestra ... Read Full Story

Freddie Hubbard (on right wearing cap) with his "First Light" lyricist Catherine Whitney and Harry "Sweets" Edison another jazz trumpet legend Grammy-winning jazz musician Freddie Hubbard, whose style influenced a generation of trumpet players, has died at age 70. Hubbard's manager, David Weiss, says the musician died Monday at Sherman Oaks Hospital in Los Angeles. He had been hospitalized since suffering a heart attack last month. Although he had been in declining health in recent years, Hubbard continued to perform until just a few months ago. Known for both the intensity of his playing, as well as his melodic style, Hubbard's last concert was ... Read Full Story

I have been a fan of the live bands presented at the restaurant, The Chambers in Niles, Illinois ( 6881 N. Milwaukee Avenue) and one of the mainstays of music there was "Buddy Charles" (a.k.a. Charles J. Gries), jazz piano man of the Great American Songbook. A resident of Morton Grove, IL, 81-year-old "Buddy" passed away December 18th, 2008. He had been battling leukemia. I did not personally know him well but was a listener/fan in the crowd there from time to time when I found myself in town. Good live music is hard to come by these days including venues that host it, ... Read Full Story

By “showing up day after day,” Rosemary Clooney left a legacy of remarkable recordings including this one. As she sings in the eighteenth and final track — "I Get a Kick Out of You" -- in this remarkable collection from Acrobat Music, Rosemary Clooney opens with the lyrics, “My story is much too sad to be told.” Little did listeners tuning into these radio broadcasts realize that when it came to that particular phrase, she may as well have been referencing herself. And this is precisely because from her very first recording Rosemary Clooney possessed that innate gift that few singers have. Namely, she ... Read Full Story