Word: ellington
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...than pure razzle-dazzle. Equipped with a degree in classical piano from the Parisian conservatory Lycee Lamartine, which he topped off with a year of jazz studies at Boston's rigorous Berklee College of Music, Terrasson mixes a thorough knowledge of the jazz canon--from Cole Porter to Duke Ellington to Miles Davis--with a rich harmonic sense and a carefully reined iconoclasm. On his debut album, Jacky Terrasson (Blue Note), he squeezes fresh insight and nuance out of fossilized tunes like My Funny Valentine, Bye Bye Blackbird and Porter's I Love Paris by accelerating the tempos, throwing...
...Jewish heritage. Douglas applies the word to the polyglot nature of the new culture, which was profoundly influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. Writers like Langston Hughes who settled in and around Strivers Row in Upper Manhattan gave distinctive voice to the aspirations of American blacks. "Aframerican" musicians like Duke Ellington entertained white audiences at Harlem's Cotton Club with an exotic new idiom, jazz, that became one of America's enduring gifts to the world...
Conveying images of the modern African-American experience through music is an idea as old as jazz itself. Recent years have seen a diminishing of the cold, hard appraisal of reality that marked the work of such greats as Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Jackie McLean. Geri Allen continues and updates this tradition of combining passionate music with commentary on the world around...
When it came time to lead his own band, Bellson went on to follow in the Duke's footsteps; he has continued to do so. "I try to do what Ellington did," he confesses, adding "If I get an idea to write a solo vehicle for someone in the band, I write a solo vehicle." The groups with which Bellson has played all over the country feature many up-and-coming musicians; he has often played with youth orchestras and colleges, and he even expressed interest in coming to Harvard sometime the next year. Bellson says his involvement with young...
...developed as an artist, Bellson has expanded his roster of roles as bandleader and small group player to include a now constant occupation as composer. In his earlier years, groups led by Harry James, Count Basic and Duke Ellington performed his work. Recently, he has added classical premieres to his list of achievements. When asked about his influences, Bellson said, "I listen to everybody...to find what's current, what's going on." As recent musical inspirations, Bellson cited funk, swing and Jamaican music...