https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3pt4p1ZjrI Despite the four-deep horn section, Skunk Hollow Blues has a three-part counterpoint on the head, some solo space with simple riff backgrounds, and one of the gnarliest shout sections of the swing era, all at a tempo perfect for beginner dancers and written with utmost efficiency. Written by ...
Flying Lotus’s latest album, “You’re Dead!” is stunning. One of the best albums of music to be released this year. If you haven’t listened to it yet, get on it. Most of the tracks stuck with me in some way, but one that hit me hardest on the first pass ...
"Good artists borrow, great artists steal." This quote is often attributed to Igor Stravinsky, a composer who was heavily inspired by Duke Ellington's music and who's music Ellington himself was an admirer of. It's appropriate here not just because of the connection between the two composers, but because of the ...
Johnny Hodges was a major player of the swing era and was a key component in the establishment of the Duke Ellington sound. He was a master of the alto saxophone and had an incredibly distinct voice on it. I'll probably post more about Hodges in posts in the future, ...
