The musical group 4-Sight and comments of its saxophonist, Ron Blake; How the members of the band were originally sidemen in trumpeter Roy Hargrove's band; Influences on the band's sound; Reissued albums; Others....
One of the founding members of the iconic rock band Chicago, James Pankow has cemented his place among the greatest jazz trombonists through his innovative approach to the instrument and his contributions to popular music. Renowned for his creativity as a composer and arranger, as well ...
It was a successful band, but it was not a happy one. Conceived as a democracy, the musicians now chafed at being regarded as mere sidemen for their singer, all the more so after it became apparent that that was what Harley himself required of them. By the time "Mr. Soft" gave Cockn...
With such sidemen as the future original members of the Modern Jazz Quartet (Milt Jackson, John Lewis, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke), James Moody, J.J. Johnson, Yusef Lateef, and even a young John Coltrane, Gillespies big band was a breeding ground for the new music. Dizzys beret, ...
Here are the top-20 Greatest Swing Jazz Musicians of All Time. Many of the musicians on this list were bandleaders as well as sidemen, creating some of the most innovative and improvisational music ever. Their passion for music drove the impact they had on dancers, performers, and shows lik...
compositions and a band leader at the peak of his powers, is the contributionof Birchall’s fellow band members. They perform withsuch unity and skill that the resulting recording is lifted to an even higher place than one may have imagined. This is especially noticeable with pianist Adam...
You know you’re a bad, bad woman when Prince and Stevie Wonder show up to play the sidemen for your award-show tribute. The two Hall of Famers supported Yolanda Adams for a sky-high performance of “Sweet Thing” and India.Arie for the molasses strut of “Tell Me Something Good,” ...
he had already made serious contributions to the jazz vanguard with saxophonist Jackie McLean and others. But his role in Davis' so-called Second Great Quintet was what made him a legend. Davis loved working with sidemen who weren't afraid to knock him around, and Williams, with his dizzying...
Besides fresh originals by the group members (three by Archer, and one each by Stewart and Clayton), the trio also has a floating pass at "13/14" by Jeremy Pelt as well as two separate passes at Nicolas Payton's "It Takes Two To Know One," of which the first is arguably superior,...
A strict disciplinarian, he ruled his troops like a martinet. Many sidemen disliked him and his music (“the coldest fish that ever lived,” said saxophonist Hal McIntyre), though some respected him (“a brilliant man, an honorable man,” according to cornetist Bobby Hackett). ...