The eleventh of Jon Turney’s weekly selection (introduced HERE), a memorable excursion into Afro-American history. Clifford Thornton, multi-instrumentalist, composer, radical intellectual, led the final release credited to the co-operative Jazz Composers’ Orchestra, and it’s a great one. The multiple African [...]
Ornette Coleman said he thought of himself as a composer first, a player second. And, at a level only matched by Monk, the catalogue he left offers rich possibilities for all comers. Full of wonderful melody, the Coleman book is [...]
The tenth of Jon Turney’s weekly selection (introduced HERE), a salute to a great Ellingtonian. This is Mingus’ great, late quintet, in a recording that stands among his best work. His indispensable drummer, Dannie Richmond, had come back, encouraged by [...]
The ninth of Jon Turney’s weekly selection (introduced HERE), sees Thelonius Monk getting a rhythmic refresher from a dazzling pianist. This isn’t purely a study in rhythm but rhythm is at the heart of the project. Danilo Perez loved Monk [...]
