Birelli

So, you think you're a pretty hot guitarist .... you're maybe 28, 32, you've been playing for almost 20 years, you've been in bands. Then you learn that a kid down the street plays guitar. You suggest that he bring his guitar over so you can "jam." You try not to be condescending, but hey, that's hard to do when you're a local guitar legend.

The kid shows up. He's sixteen, and here's how he plays, with his friend Philip Catherine.

The Story of Jazz Guitar, on All About Jazz

Short but good, with some excellent videos embedded. Here's the ToC with links:

1. The Beginnings: Blind Lemon Jefferson
2. Eddie Lang / Eddie Durham / Lonnie Johnson
3. Django Reinhardt / Charlie Christian / Tiny Grimes
4. Herb Ellis / Barney Kessel / Charlie Byrd
5. Wes Montgomery / Kenny Burrell / Joe Pass / Jim Hall
6. George Benson
7. John McLaughlin / John Scofield / Mike Stern

Ben Ratliff's Top Ten Jazz Albums Since 2002

Andrew Hill: "Time Lines"
Gonzalo Rubalcaba: "Avatar"
Jason Moran: "Modernistic"
Guillermo Klein: "Filtros"
Maria Schneider: "Cerulean Skies"
Wayne Shorter Quartet: "Beyond the Sound Barrier"
Rudresh Mahanthappa: "Kinsmen"
Ravi Coltrane: "In Flux"
Miguel Zenón: "Jibaro"
Branford Marsalis: "Braggtown"

Link to article on nyt.com (subscription likely to be required).

Link to Ratliff's book, The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings.

Kurt Rosenwinkel Live at the Village Vanguard -

Downloads gratis, thanks to Kurt and NPR:

Link

p.s. almost 2 1/2 hours of fantastic music at 192 kbps or higher

A Beautiful Untitled Chord Improvisation by Kurt Rosenwinkel

Mr. Rhythm

Film: Let Yourself Go - The Lives of Fred Hersch

The New Yorker Fred Hersch is one of the best pianists and composers of contemporary Jazz. His musical work is remarkable, and so is his way of life.

Hersch, now 53 years old, has been HIV positive for twenty years. His disease progressed to AIDS only a few years ago. He was one of the first Jazz musicians who 1994 publicly came out as gay and HIV-positive.

Openly and well-humoured, he speaks on this DVD about his life, his career with all its ups and downs and about his music - the vital force that empowers him to live with his illness.

Filmmaker Katja Duregger has followed Fred Hersch over a period of two years. She shot much of the material by herself, which enabled her to produce a very intimate and moving portrait of this exceptional musician.

Continue reading ...

AllMusic’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2008

The first ten:




Azymuth - Butterfly




Brian Blade Fellowship - Season of Changes




Anthony Braxton - Beyond Quantum




James Carter - Present Tense






Francisco Mora Catlett - Outerzone




Gerald Cleaver - Gerald Cleaver’s Detroit




Bill Dixon/Exploding Star Orchestra - Bill Dixon with Exploding Star Orchestra




Dave Douglas & Keystone - Moonshine





Lisle Ellis - Sucker Punch Requiem




Kenny Garrett - Sketches of MD

Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2008, Fred Kaplan on Slate

Full article with links and sounds sample, here.

Sonny Rollins' Road Shows, Vol. 1

Shirley Horn, Live at the 1994 Monterey Jazz Festival

Frank Kimbrough's Air

Rudresh Mahanthappa's Kinsmen

Carla Bley Big Band's Appearing Nightly

Paul Bley's About Time

David Murray and Mal Waldron's Silence

Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson's Two Men With the Blues

Steven Bernstein's Diaspora Suite

Jeff Gauthier's House of Return

NPR's Gary Walker - The Year In Jazz: Best CDs Of 2008

For album covers, links, descriptions and sound samples, click here.

David "Fathead" Newman
Album: Diamondhead

Chick Corea/Gary Burton
Album: New Crystal Silence

Pat Metheny Trio
Album: Day Trip

Steve Turre
Album: Rainbow People

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Album: Monday Night Live At The Village Vanguard

Anat Cohen
Album: Notes from the Village

Dave Holland Sextet
Album: Pass It On

SF Jazz Collective
Album: Live 2008: 5th Annual Concert Tour

The Stryker/Slagle Band
Album: Scene

Dick Oatts
Album: Gratitude