He was considered one of the top “screech” trumpeters in Jazz, a style that was typified by a proclivity to spend an unfathomable amount of time playing in the upper registers of his instrument. But Maynard Ferguson was much more than just a screech trumpeter, he was also an educator and perhaps the most popular […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)” by Deodato
“Popcorn” by Hot Butter…”My Ding A Ling” by Chuck Berry…and this Tchaikovsky masterwork reconfigured for Jazz by Brazilian keyboardist Eumir Deodato were amongst the many left-field hits of 1972. This Grammy Award winning track was the standout hit from Deodato’s first album called “Prelude” which featured the stellar musicianship of Billy Cobham, Ron Carter, John […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Oleo” by Eric Dolphy
Today, I had the chance to play all three albums of Eric Dolphy’s Copenhagen concert from September, 1961. I haven’t played these recordings in many years and it was great to get reacquainted to the mastery of flute, saxophone and bass clarinet that was Eric Dolphy. The music has been released in all different ways […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Chick’s Tune” by Blue Mitchell
Trumpeter, Blue Mitchell crossed the line between jazz, pop and rock numerous times during his brief career recording straight-ahead Jazz records as a leader or as a sideman with Horace Silver, Jimmy Smith, Jackie McLean, Charlie Rouse, Cannonball Adderly, Grant Green and many others. He also toured and did session work with the likes of […]
Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “Yes And No” by Branford Marsalis
Before TV and Leno, there was Branford, brother of Wynton and young Turk on the saxophone. He was touring behind his 1988 album “Random Abstract” at the time of this recording and had Kenny Kirkland on piano, Bob Hurst on bass and powerhouse drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts along for the ride. Here they are tearing […]
Song of the Day by Eric Berman – “Skating” by Vince Guaraldi Trio from the album “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
Song of the Day by Eric Berman – “Skating” by Vince Guaraldi Trio from the album “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Christmas songs…I really don’t like most of them! However, there are some classics you can never really do without…The Ventures’ Christmas Album, John Fahey’s Christmas Album, The Phil Spector Christmas Album, Eugene Ormandy’s performance of […]
Song of the Day by Eric Berman – “The Nutcracker Suite” by Les Brown & His Band of Renown
Song of the Day by Eric Berman – “The Nutcracker Suite” by Les Brown & His Band of Renown The story of The Nutcracker was inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the King Of Mice and was presented to Russian composer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, by Marius Petipa who was maître de ballet of the […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Footprints” by Miles Davis Quintet
They were known as Miles Davis’ second great quintet featuring Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Wayne Shorter on sax and Tony Williams on drums, but to some, they were his most important lineup, featuring Miles surrounded by a talented group of musicians who were much younger than he was. The first great […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Bagpipe Blues” by Rufus Harley
Well, it is St. Patrick’s Day and the think I hate most about the holiday is the droning of bagpipes. To me, bagpipes are the most irritating instrument to listen to, especially when they are dragged out for police funerals…oh lordy, they make me wanna cringe! Yet it is the very nature of a droning […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Cloud Nine” by Mongo Santamaria
The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and originally recorded by The Temptations. This recording was released as a single back in 1969 by Cuban-born Latin Jazz percussionist, Mongo Santamaria and featuring some blazing sax work by Grant Reed. Mongo was most famous for his recording of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” and […]
