Happy birthday Nina Simone

The mighty, beautiful, glorious Nina…

Donald Byrd (Dec 1932 – Feb 2013)

Billie Holiday, 1958

“Somebody once said we never know what is enough until we know what’s more than enough” – Billie Holiday

(Photographed at the d’Orly airport, Paris, by Jean-Pierre Leloir)

Thelonious Monk

“I say, play your own way. Don’t play what the public wants. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you’re doing. Even if it does take them fifteen, twenty years.”                      - Thelonious Monk

Billie Holiday – Stormy Weather

Herbie Hancock – Fat Mama

Because it’s Saturday morning…

Sonny Rollins

Miles Davis Blind Listening Test

This is a really interesting interview with a typically frank and pugnacious Miles Davis (via Noise Made Me Do It)

Down Beat Magazine interviewed Miles Davis in 1964 and asked him for his opinion on some music via a blind listening test, and checked his ability to pick out other musicians based on the way they played.

Now, Miles Davis wasn’t known for listening to just about anything – he was very selective in what he spent his time listening to, so he’s definitely got some opinions.

On Les McCann-Jazz Crusaders, “All Blues” (Wayne Henderson, trombone; Wilton Felder, tenor saxophone; Joe Sample, piano; McCann, electric piano; Miles Davis, composer):

What’s that supposed to be? That ain’t nothin’. They don’t know what to do with it – you either play it bluesy or you play on the scale. You don’t just play flat notes. I didn’t write it to play flat notes on – you know, like minor thirds. Either you play a whole chord against it, or else . . . but don’t try to play it like you’d play, ah, Walkin’ the Dog. You know what I mean?

That trombone player – trombone ain’t supposed to sound like that. This is 1964, not 1924. Maybe if the piano player had played it by himself, something would have happened.

Rate it? How can I rate that?

On Terry Clark, “Cielito Lindo” (Clark Terry: trumpet; Hank Jones, piano; Kenny Burrell, guitar):

Clark Terry, right? You know, I’ve always liked Clark. But this is a sad record. Why do they make records like that? With the guitar in the way, and that sad fucking piano player. He didn’t do nothing for the rhythm section – didn’t you hear it get jumbled up? All they needed was a bass and Terry.

That’s what’s fucking up music, you know. Record companies. They make too many sad records, man.

A Child’s Introduction to Jazz, by Cannonball Adderley

Every single thing about this is beautiful. A Child’s Introduction to Jazz by Cannonball Adderley 

(…but perfect for all ages.)

Highlighting “the major styles” it is educational, laid back, beautifully narrated, and features legendary jazz figures such as Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Sidney Bechet, Thelonious Monk and Cannonball himself.

(via the Aladdin’s cave that is  Open Culture)

Billie Holiday

“Sometimes it’s worse to win a fight than to lose.” – Billie Holiday