PODCAST · music
Jazz Legends
by Jazz Legends
Conversations about the all-time jazz legends from local jazz legends Gunnar Biggs, Keith Bishop, Joey Carano, Leonard Thompson, and Bob Weller. Soak in their stories and expertise as they prep for their Sunday night shows at St. Michael’s-by-the-Sea in Carlsbad, California.
Episodes
-
Billy Strayhorn (Round 3)
Pianist, Composer/Arranger Billy Strayhorn (born Nov 29, 1915) is often more or less dismissed as Duke Ellington’s alter ego, but he was so much no more than that. He was a true musical genius in his own right. Jazz pianist Fred Hersch wrote of Strayhorn, "He was a quadruple threat: a great...
-
Ron Carter & Oscar Pettiford
This week we feature the music of two of the most important bassists in jazz: Ron Carter (born May 4, 1937) and Oscar Pettiford (born Sept 30, 1922). Both musicians advanced the technical possibilities of their instrument in jazz and contributed to its acceptance as a solo voice in the music.…
more -
John Scofield
Guitarist John Scofield (born December 26, 1951) first rose to prominence as a member of Miles Davis’ band, but he had a number of good credits prior to the three and a half years he spent with Davis, including stints with Chet Baker, Hal Galper, Charles Mingus, Billy Cobham, and George Duke. His...
-
Jim Hall
Guitarist/composer Jim Hall (born December 4, 1940) is one of the most influential exponents of his instrument. His recordings with Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Paul Desmond, and many others, in addition to his recordings as a leader, have influenced whole generations of guitarists. His tasteful,...
-
Gerry Mulligan (Round 2)
Saxophonist/composer Gerry Mulligan (born April 6, 1927) is perhaps the best-known baritone saxophonist in jazz. His mastery of this cumbersome instrument is legendary, but he also has recorded as a pianist, on clarinet, and on soprano and tenor saxophone. He is a prolific composer and arranger…
more -
Tom Harrell (Round 3)
Trumpeter/composer Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) has overcome daunting physical and mental obstacles to become one of the most important musicians of his generation. Heavily medicated to deal with his bipolar disorder, he still maintains a busy performing, recording, and composing schedule....
-
The Incomparable Sonny Rollins
Saxophonist Sonny Rollins (born Sept 7, 1930) is universally considered one of the most creative musicians the music has produced. Throughout his long recording career he produced over 60 albums as a leader, was awarded a lifetime Grammy award and the Kennedy Center award in 2011. A number of his...
-
Rube Bloom & Isham Jones
Neither Rube Bloom (born April 24, 1902) or Isham Jones (born January 31, 1894) are what we would today consider well-known songwriters, but their contributions to the great American songbook are still loved and performed regularly. These early twentieth century contemporaries are responsible for...
-
Lee Konitz
Saxophonist Lee Konitz (born Oct 13, 1927) is perhaps the best known of the Lennie Tristano disciples. He and Warne Marsh continued to follow Tristano’s musical path, essentially eschewing most of the innovations of bebop to follow a more abstract and more cerebral approach to the music. First...
-
John Coltrane's Phrasing & Emotional Weight
John Coltrane (born Sept 23, 1926) is easily one of a handful of the most important and influential musicians that jazz has produced. His harmonic and rhythmic innovations have influenced every generation of jazz musicians since he first rose to prominence with the bands of Miles Davis and...
-
Eric Dolphy & Booker Little
Saxophonist / multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy (born June 20, 1928) and trumpeter Booker Little (born April 2, 1938) were frequent collaborators near the end of their all too brief careers. After establishing himself with the Chico Hamilton group, he went on to perform with John Coltrane and...
-
Bird & Diz
Saxophonist Charlie Parker (nicknamed Yardbird or Bird) (born Aug 29, 1920) and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (nicknamed Diz) (born Oct 21, 1917) are two of the most innovative musical minds of the twentieth century. Dizzy was often quoted that he and Parker were two halves of the same heart.…
more -
Wayne Shorter (Round 3)
Saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter (born Aug 25, 1933) is one of the most influential and prolific performers and composer in jazz. His time with the bands of Art Blakey and Mikes Davis firmly established him as one of the most original voices on his instrument, and provided a platform for his...
-
Kenny Werner
Pianist/composer Kenny Werner (born Nov 19, 1951) has been leading his own trios since 1981. He played with the Mel Lewis Orchestra in the early 1980s and was encouraged by Lewis and Bob Brookmeyer to compose for the band, which led to him composing for many European radio bands. He played duo…
more -
Oregon
Oregon was a jazz and world music group started in 1970, featuring multiple woodwind artist Paul McCandless, guitarist/pianist Ralph Towner, bassist Glenn Moore, and percussionist Collin Walcott. The personnel remained stable for decades, with the percussion chair changing once or twice, but…
more -
Writing Original Tunes
Everyone in the group writes original music, some of which has been played publicly in the past and some which will be premiered this week. In this episode, the guys discuss what it's like to write their own original tunes.
-
Michael Brecker
Saxophonist/composer Michael Brecker (born March 29, 1949) was one of the most recorded saxophonists of all time. Over his four-decade career he appeared on over 900 recordings as a leader and sideman and received fifteen Grammys. His virtuoso saxophone technique and soulful expressiveness made…
more -
Carla Bley
Pianist, organist, composer, and bandleader Carla Bley (born May 11, 1936) considered herself primarily a composer, saying she was 99% composer and 1% pianist. She associated herself with the avant guard movement, allying herself with musicians like Charlie Haden, Michael Mantler, and others in…
more -
Burton Lane
Composer and lyricist Burton Lane (born Feb 2, 1912) is perhaps best remembered as the composer of the hit Broadway shows "Finian’s Rainbow" and "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever", but he had a long and distinguished career writing for films and the stage, and his tunes are much loved vehicles...
-
Richie Bierach
Pianist and composer Richie Beirach (born May 23, 1947) made hundreds of recordings, both as a leader of his own groups, and as part of a long-standing duo with saxophonist Dave Liebman. He taught jazz piano in Leipzig, Germany at the University of Music and Theater and lived in Germany up to his...
-
Keith Jarrett
Pianist /composer Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) has had a long and distinguished career performing with his own groups, making a succession of solo piano recordings, and playing with the bands of Miles Davis, Art Blakey and Charles Lloyd. In recent years he has been sidelined by the effects of…
more -
Matt Dennis
Singer/songwriter/pianist Matt Dennis (born Feb 11, 1914), while not exactly a household name, wrote some of the most enduring gems of the Great American Songbook. "Angel Eyes", "Everything Happens to Me", "Let’s Get Away from it All", "The Night We Called it a Day", and "Violets for Your Furs"…
more -
Vincent Youmans
Songwriter Vincent Youmans (born Sept 7, 1898) was one of the leading Broadway composers of his day, and collaborated with most of the top lyricists of his generation. While he is only credited with around 100 tunes, 18 of them are recognized as standard songs, many of which have been embraced by...
-
Ivan Lins
Brazilian singer/songwriter Ivan Lins (born June 16, 1945), has been active for over fifty years. His composition 'Love Dance', a hit in 1989, is one of the most recorded songs in contemporary music. He has won several Latin Grammy awards and his tunes have been recorded by myriad artists, a...
-
Bobby Hutcherson
Vibraphonist / composer Bobby Hutcherson (born January 27, 1941), was inspired to take up the vibraphone at the age of twelve after hearing Milt Jackson, and became the inspiration for younger musicians like Joe Locke, Stefon Harris, and Steve Nelson. He recorded for Blue Note records from 1963…
more -
Michel Legrand
Pianist/composer Michel Legrand (born Feb 24, 1932) is credited with composing over 200 film and television scores. He was active in the jazz world for most of his life. A musical milestone was his recording "Legrand Jazz" which released in 1958 and featured luminaries like Miles Davis, John...
-
Count Basie
William “Count” Basie, (born August 21, 1904) was a pianist, organist and composer who lead one of the greatest big bands of all time for 50 years. The band still performs hundreds of dates throughout the world to this day. Over the years, a procession of jazz giants have passed through the band:...
-
Jimmy McHugh
Songwriter Jimmy McHugh (born July 10, 1894) was one of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s through the 1950s, credited with over 500 songs. His songs have long been favorites of jazz musicians for their interesting harmonic and melodic content. The tunes "On the Sunny Side of the…
more -
Bud Powell
Pianist, composer Bud Powell (born September 7, 1924) was one of the primary innovators of bebop. His prodigious technique and strong sense of swing placed him head and shoulders above all his contemporaries. His struggles with mental issues sadly affected his career, particularly later in life.
-
Academy Award-Winning Songs
Since even before the advent of “talkies” music has been an integral part of motion pictures. Even small cinemas often had a pianist or organist who contributed musical accompaniment to the action on screen, but with the advent of sound, the music composed and synchronized with the action on…
more -
Victor Young
Victor Young, born in Chicago (August 8, 1899), started playing the violin at the age of six and was sent to live with his grandfather in Poland when he was ten. He attended the Warsaw Conservatory, and while still a teenager, embarked on a career as a concert violinist with the Warsaw...
-
Ray Noble
Ray Noble, born Dec 17th, 1903, was a British big band leader responsible for composing a number of songs that have become standards. Jazz musicians have long played his tune Cherokee, with its bridge that traverses a number of far-flung key centers foreign to the tune’s home key, but he is also...
-
Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw (born Dec 24, 1944) was one of the most influential and prolifically virtuostic trumpet players and jazz composers of the twentieth century. In his brief career (he died at the young age of 44) he was pivotal in applying many of the harmonic and technical innovations of saxophonist…
more -
Season 3 Mardi Gras Kick-off
The Jazz Evensong Quintet continues its tradition of kicking off a new season with a celebration of traditional jazz. New Orleans is widely considered the birthplace of jazz music, and this style is still universally admired and practiced throughout the world. Devotees of such artists as Louis...
-
Jazz Family Christmas
Music is an integral part of any Christmas celebration and over the years, jazz musicians and popular songwriters have contributed their art to celebrate the season. The repertoire includes traditional carols done up in jazz style as well as Great American Songbook tunes written especially for…
more -
McCoy Tyner (Round 2)
Pianist McCoy Tyner ( born December 11, 1938) is perhaps best remembered for his association as the youngest member of the John Coltrane Quartet, but his long career as a band leader in his own right eclipses even that of his association with the legendary saxophonist. He was an NEA Jazz Master…
more -
Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond (Round 2)
Pianist Dave Brubeck (born December 6, 1920) and saxophonist Paul Desmond (born November 25, 1924), along with bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello, formed one of the most popular jazz quartets ever assembled. They were responsible for over 60 albums, and Desmond’s composition “Take…
more -
Billy Strayhorn (Round 2)
While often overshadowed by his association with his longtime employer and collaborator Duke Ellington, composer/arranger and pianist Billy Strayhorn (born November 29, 1915) was no less a genius in his own right. In a life cut short by cancer at the age of 51, he produced a huge catalog of...
-
Hoagy Carmichael
Songwriter Hoagy Carmichael (born November 22, 1899) is one of the best-loved and most prolific of the Great American Songbook composers. He is responsible for several hundred songs, including fifty that achieved hit record status. His timeless compositions, Stardust, Georgia on my Mind, Skylark…
more -
Phil Woods (Round 2)
Saxophonist Phil Woods (born November 2, 1931) was much more than just another alto saxophonist who followed in the footsteps of the great Charlie Parker. Throughout his career, he carved his own path, continuing to develop his own voice on the instrument, as well as his voice as a prolific...
-
Clifford Brown
Before his life was tragically ended by an automobile accident at the age of 25, trumpeter Clifford Brown (born October 30, 1930) set the jazz world ablaze with his seemingly effortless mastery of his instrument and incendiary playing. His trailblazing quintet with drummer Max Roach and...
-
Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
Saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker (born August 29, 1920) and trumpeter John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie (born October 21, 1917) together revolutionized jazz music with their harmonic and rhythmic innovations. Both virtuosos on their respective instruments, they basically set the standard for…
more -
Thelonious Monk (Round 2)
Pianist / composer Thelonius Sphere Monk (born October 10, 1917), often referred to as the 'High Priest of Bebop', was one of the founders of the musical movement, alongside Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie at Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem. His idiosyncratic piano style and compositions are so...
-
Bill Evans (Round 2)
Pianist/composer Bill Evans (born August 16, 1929) remains one of the most influential jazz pianists to this day, some 45 years after his death. His introspective, impressionistic use of harmony, and his unique touch and piano sound have shaped the concept of all players who have come after him.…
more -
Nat and Cannonball Adderley
Saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley (born September 15, 1928) and his cornet-playing brother Nat (born November 25, 1931) co-led a popular jazz combo for many years in the 1960s and 70s. While Nat composed much of the music for the group, Cannonball’s galvanic, pyrotechnic alto saxophone...
-
The Spiritual Force of John Coltrane
Saxophonist and composer John Coltrane (born September 23, 1926) remains one of the most revered and influential musicians of all time across genres. The spiritual force of his music speaks to people who aren’t even jazz aficionados, but has been an overwhelming influence on all of us who play…
more -
Kenny Dorham
Trumpeter / composer Kenny Dorham (born August 30, 1924) is hardly a household name, but one would be hard pressed to name a musician held in as high regard by other jazz musicians. He played at a consistently high level throughout a career that included stints with Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Art...
-
Sonny Rollins' 95th Birthday
Saxophonist Sonny Rollins turns 95 this Sunday, and the Jazz Evensong Quintet honors this milestone by programming an afternoon of his compositions. Widely recognized as the greatest improviser of all time, his well of inspiration sometimes seems bottomless, and he refuses to fall back on licks…
more -
Jerome Kern
Jerome Kern (born January 27, 1885) was one of the most beloved and prolific of the Great American Songbook composers. While he wasn’t especially fond of jazz music himself, many of his compositions have been embraced by jazz musicians because of their strong, original harmonic and melodic…
more -
Wayne Shorter (Round 2)
Saxophonist / composer Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) has cast an oversized shadow on jazz since he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1959. Soon becoming the primary composer for that group, and upon joining Miles Davis’ second great quintet in 1964, he soon filled that role with Miles...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Conversations about the all-time jazz legends from local jazz legends Gunnar Biggs, Keith Bishop, Joey Carano, Leonard Thompson, and Bob Weller. Soak in their stories and expertise as they prep for their Sunday night shows at St. Michael’s-by-the-Sea in Carlsbad, California.
HOSTED BY
Jazz Legends
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Jazz Legends have?
Jazz Legends currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Jazz Legends about?
Conversations about the all-time jazz legends from local jazz legends Gunnar Biggs, Keith Bishop, Joey Carano, Leonard Thompson, and Bob Weller. Soak in their stories and expertise as they prep for their Sunday night shows at St. Michael’s-by-the-Sea in Carlsbad, California.
How often does Jazz Legends release new episodes?
Jazz Legends has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Jazz Legends?
You can listen to Jazz Legends on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Jazz Legends?
Jazz Legends is created and hosted by Jazz Legends.
URL copied to clipboard!