Author: Daniel

Playlist Travis - It’s got the insane musicianship, but layered against a total beauteous little tune - frequently those cancel each other out. And it goes a lot of different places in style. The bassist is prominent and pretty herky jerky. Elephant Gym - “Witches” This will deserve further exploration. Bart - Boney M -… Continue reading Seshjawn Notes 8/28/23

Playlist Dan - Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet - “A November Afternoon” - A live gem from the Jazztet Mosaic collection. The tune is impeccable with both some beautiful Gil Evans-esque harmonies and interesting bass melodies, yet achieved in a small group. Art’s solo is a thing of beauty and that is why I played it,… Continue reading Seshjawn Notes 8/14/23

Playlist Matt - Charlie Ventura & His All Stars - “If I Had You” - Matt posed this as a “can you guess who it is?”. I couldn’t, very few Baritone players from the 30’s & 40’s stick out, or receive features, I knew this wasn’t Carney and it felt too early for the next… Continue reading Seshjawn Notes 7/31/23

Playlist The link to the event page for Seshjawn 7/31/23 Travis - Japanese psychPop… Cool and dreamy. Everything Travis plays has a certain sensibility of interesting layers that are distinctly recorded, regardless of style or substance. He should have his own radio show and be performing more than he does. His is a unique ear.… Continue reading Seshjawn Notes 7/17/23

The Message Before the Messengers: The origins of the name: The Jazz Messengers - 1955-1959 Bart Miltenberger and I did a deep dive into the early years of the Jazz Messengers and Art Blakey's leadership. We tried to answer our questions of where/when did Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers title assert itself? What are the modern signatures… Continue reading The Message Before the Messengers