Search results for "John LaPorta"

Charles Mingus: Stormy Weather (1954) (Rating: 86/100) posted in Music November 22, 07

Until the late 1940s, John LaPorta coulda been a contender. That's when he hooked up with Lennie Tristano. Talk about...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: STORMY WEATHER

Ethel Waters induced "Stormy Weather" in 1933 at the Cotton Club, an oasis of prosperity in Depression- era Harlem wh...

George Russell: All About Rosie (Rating: 98/100) posted in Music August 12, 08

George Russell's contribution to the 1957 Brandeis University Jazz Festival of the Arts is his masterpiece. Initially...

Charles Mingus: Eulogy for Rudy Williams (Rating: 92/100) posted in Music October 22, 07

A tribute to the late saxophonist of the Savoy Sultans, drowned shortly before the session in a summer swimming accid...

Woody Herman: Ebony Concerto (Rating: 96/100) posted in Music November 05, 07

Emigrating to the U.S. during World War II, the world's foremost composer found himself financially strapped. Gratefu...

Woody Herman: Apple Honey (Rating: 99/100) posted in Music November 16, 07

In the mid-1940s, Woody Herman's fire-breathing Thundering Herd was the most exciting big band in jazz. Sparked by th...

Woody Herman: Woodchopper's Ball (1946) (Rating: 94/100) posted in Music November 21, 07

Woody Herman's "Woodchopper's Ball" (1939) was a natural hit for the native of Wisconsin, which even today is nearly...

Woody Herman: Goosey Gander (Rating: 97/100) posted in Music November 23, 07

This track takes its name from a nursery rhyme, but don't let Woody Herman's First Herd anywhere near the nursery. Tr...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: JAZZ FOR THE BIRDS

It's only fitting. Since birds inspire us with their songs, composers return the favor, dedicating music in every gen...

Woody Herman (featuring Sonny Berman): Sidewalks of Cuba (Rating: 93/100) posted in Music November 28, 07

Sonny Berman was on the road as a jazz trumpeter at age sixteen and dead from a heroin overdose at 22. He worked wit...

This track review is included in: THE DOZENS: TWELVE TRUMPETERS YOU NEED TO KNOW ON A FIRST NAME BASIS

We all know about Dizzy & Miles, Louis & Wynton, Bix & Brownie. Some trumpeters are so famous, that even a single na...

LaPorta, John posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

LaPorta, John, clarinet, alto sax, composer, educator; b. Philadelphia, PA, 1 April 1 1920. LaPorta began studying cl...

Schuller, George (Alexander) posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Schuller, George (Alexander), drums, composer, arranger, producer; b. New York City, 29 December 1958. Schuller is...

Johnson, Dean (Douglas) posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Johnson, Dean (Douglas), bassist; b. Renton, WA, 12 September 1956. Grew up in Renton and Bellevue, WA, and also 5 ea...

Gertz, Bruce (David) posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Gertz, Bruce (David), bass; b. Providence, RI, 15 December 1952. He grew up in Cranston, RI. His parents Minnie (b. J...

Mitcheltree, Dennis posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Mitcheltree, Dennis, tenor and soprano saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, educator; b. Milwaukee, WI, 25 S...

La Barbera, Joseph (James) posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

La Barbera, Joseph (James), drums; b. Dansville, NY, 22 February 1948. La Barbera has enjoyed a long and varied caree...

Neville, Chris posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Neville, Chris, piano, organ, synthesizer; b. Boston, MA, 15 October 1955. He grew up in Boston and in West Bath, Mai...

Raberg, Bruno posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Raberg, Bruno, bass player, composer; b. Karlstad, Sweden, 13 July 1954. His father is Ingemar Raberg (b. 1920), and ...

Schachter, Ben (Benjamin A.) posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Schachter, Ben (Benjamin A.), saxophonist, composer; b. Camden, NJ, 7 October 1962. Grew up in suburban Philadelph...

Mingus, Charles (Charles Jr.) posted in Encyclopedia March 04, 08

Bassist, bandleader and composer Charles Mingus juggled an array of influences that ran from gospel and blues, throug...

Watts, Ernie (James Ernest) posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Watts, Ernie (James Ernest), soprano and tenor saxophones; b. Norfolk, VA, 23 October 1945. His mother's maiden name ...

Carlberg, Frank (Thomas) posted in Encyclopedia October 18, 07

Carlberg, Frank (Thomas), pianist, composer, educator, b. Helsinki, Finland, 7 February 1961.  Moved to Boston, ...

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