Articles by Larry Slater
Musicians on Miles
by Larry Slater
Miles Davis would have been 100 years old in May of 2026. He was in the forefront of jazz for over 40 years, and though he's been gone for decades, his impact on musicians continues to this day. In this hour, you'll hear jazz musicians discuss the Miles Davis recordings that helped shape their music. The hour features commentary from trumpeter Jon Faddis on “'Round About Midnight," and trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah on “It Never ...
Continue ReadingThe Legacy of Billy Strayhorn: the Unknown Strayhorn
by Larry Slater
Billy Strayhorn ranks in the top tier of jazz composers, along with Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus and Jelly Roll Morton.Strayhorn wrote at least one piece a week during the thirty years he worked with Duke Ellington. That was more than the Ellington Orchestra could handle, especially since Duke himself composed constantly. Choices had to be made and thus many pieces fell by the wayside. Among those ill-fated scores were some of the finest works Strayhorn ever ...
Continue ReadingThe Legacy of Billy Strayhorn, part III: Such Sweet Thunder and The Far East Suite
by Larry Slater
Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington recorded a number of musical suites in the 50s and 60s. The Shakespearean Suite “Such Suite Thunder" ranks up there with the greatest Ellington recordings. “The Far East Suite" was another important collaboration and highpoint in the Ellington discography. The band's famous reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, was all Strayhorn. Ellington's last commercial success, “Satin Doll," was written by Strayhorn.This is the third installment of Strayhorn interpretations with modern jazz takes on Strayhorn compositions. ...
Continue ReadingThe Legacy of Billy Strayhorn, part II: Lotus Blossom, Raincheck and some less well known tunes from the Strayhorn songbook.
by Larry Slater
Billy Strayhorn spent his career as Duke Ellington's “composing and arranging partner" but it wasn't until relatively recently that his remarkable contribution to jazz was fully appreciated. When Strayhorn's tunes began making their appearance in the early '40s, other musicians took notice. Gerry Mulligan said, “I was part of a small community of very young musicians and arrangers. When Strayhorn came on the scene, he just blew us away because he was doing very complicated, sophisticated things, and they didn't ...
Continue ReadingThe Legacy of Billy Strayhorn, part I: Lush Life, Take the A Train and more
by Larry Slater
Billy Strayhorn had one of the most unusual careers in jazz. Today his genius as a composer of jazz and song is uniformly acknowledged, but that was not the case during his lifetime. Strayhorn spent his entire career as in Duke Ellington's words, “his composing and arranging partner."Many of his most famous creations were often attributed to Ellington, and Strayhorn rarely sought the limelight. It wasn't until several decades after his death in 1967 that jazz writers and ...
Continue ReadingPlays Duke, Part III: More contemporary covers of Ellington's best loved tunes.
by Larry Slater
Duke Ellington's legacy lives on today largely through his compositions, and musicians from around the globe continue to embrace his music, finding new ways to re-interpret his songs.In this hour, you'll hear some immortal selections from the Ellington canon, including “Cotton Tail," “Solitude," “In A Sentimental Mood," “Come Sunday," “Reflections in D," and “The Feeling of Jazz."Featured artists include Emmet Cohen, Wes Montgomery, the gypsy jazz guitarist Angelo DeBarre, Shai Maestro, Sean Jones, Delfeayo Marsalis, Enrico ...
Continue ReadingPlays Duke, part II: Contemporary Covers of Ellingtonia from the Swing Era
by Larry Slater
Duke Ellington always said his orchestra was his instrument, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra was at the peak of its power and popularity in the 1930s and 40s. Many famous Ellington masterpieces were penned during this era; “It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me," “I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good,""Sophisticated Lady," I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart" and “Warm Valley" are just a few ...
Continue ReadingPlays Duke: Contemporary Covers of Early Ellington Classics
by Larry Slater
Duke Ellington is unquestionably the most important and prolific jazz composer. He composed over 1,500 tunes and quite a few have become both jazz standards and part of Americana. Even folks who don't listen to jazz know Ellington tunes like “ It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," “Mood Indigo" and “Caravan."Ellington waxed his first recordings in 1923 . Remarkably, quite a number of Ellington compositions from his early period remain popular with jazz ...
Continue ReadingThe Symphonic Ellington
by Larry Slater
Pianist Ethan Iverson wrote, “Every Ellington record I've ever heard has a unique ambience. Thick harmonic complexity sits deep inside blues and swing. There are larger Ellington compositions where he is stretching the form and apparently putting his hat into the ring as a great composer."In this hour, you'll hear Duke Ellington's most impressive symphonic works. “The Harlem Suite" was originally commissioned by Arturo Toscanini and was performed by both the Ellington Orchestra and symphony orchestras. “A New ...
Continue ReadingThe Duke Ellington Collaborations
by Larry Slater
Miles Davis once said, “I think all the musicians in jazz should get together on one certain day and get down on their knees and thank Duke."Duke Ellington often remarked that the Ellington Orchestra was his instrument, but occasionally Duke stepped out of his role as maestro to collaborate with jazz artists in different musical settings. There were rare instances when he shared the limelight with one of the band's musicians, like Johnny Hodges and Ray Nance.
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