June 5 - 9
Bop Guitar Icons of the 50s and 60s: Tal Farlow, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell and more
Charlie Christian and Oscar Moore both helped define the role of the guitar in small combo jazz performance. Some would argue it was Christian who introduced the electric guitar to jazz improvisation. Following these innovations, guitarists like Barney Kessel, Tal Farlow, Wes Montgomery, Mary Osborne, Kenny Burrell and Grant Green all contributed to the instrument's place in modern jazz throughout the 50s and 60s. We'll hear select recordings from these six-string masters and discuss their influence on today's guitar players.
June 12 - 16
The Many Sides of Pianist and Composer Chick Corea
Chick Corea has been one of the most significant jazzmen since the '60s. Not content at any time to rest on his laurels, he has been involved in quite a few important musical projects, and his musical curiosity has never dimmed. A masterful pianist who, along with Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett, was one of the top stylists to emerge after Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner, Corea is also one of the few electric keyboardists to be quite individual and recognizable on synthesizers. In addition, he has composed several jazz standards, including "Spain," "La Fiesta," and "Windows."
June 19 - 23
The Enigmatic Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy was a true original with his own distinctive styles on alto, flute, and bass clarinet. His music fell into the "avant-garde" category yet he did not discard chordal improvisation altogether (although the relationship of his notes to the chords was often pretty abstract). While most of the other "free jazz" players sounded very serious in their playing, Dolphy's solos often came across as ecstatic and exuberant. His improvisations utilized very wide intervals, a variety of nonmusical speechlike sounds, and its own logic. Although the alto was his main axe, Dolphy was the first flutist to move beyond bop (influencing James Newton) and he largely introduced the bass clarinet to jazz as a solo instrument. He was also one of the first (after Coleman Hawkins) to record unaccompanied horn solos, preceding Anthony Braxton by five years.
June 26 - 30
The Art of the Ballad
Since the beginnings of recorded jazz, ballads have taken a necessary spot in the presentation of musical sets both in-studio and on stage. Not just there to lighten the load, ballads represent the cool, gentle and romantic side of some of the world's most respected musicians. Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and John Coltrane all wailed on their respective horns through driving improvisation, but they were also keenly adept at delivering a gorgeous ballad. We'll hear those moments captured from some of the most significant ballad recordings ever made in jazz.
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