Displaying items by tag: Jazz

The drummer is the backbone to any band, from jazz to rock, for they are the ones that make the melody pulsate, the harmony throb and the bass notes dance. Without a good drummer then the band is no good, it is that simple.

I am a fan of hats, I probably have too many, after all, I only have one head. But for me, a good chapeau can make a person stand out in a crowd. It can elevate their style, and can help a person exude a confidence that is admirable. Now, I am talking about real style. Not just a functional thing to put on one’s head to protect yourself from whatever a person feels their noggin needs protection from.

November 8, 1956 was a very busy day for Billie Holiday. She was making the rounds on television and radio to promote her book and upcoming November 10th concert at Carnegie Hall, which would become a huge success. She appeared on Mike Wallace's Night Beat television program on ABC, Steve Allen's Tonight Show on NBC, and in this video, on Tex McCleary's Peacock Alley on NBC.

Documentary showing how drab post-war Britain was enlivened by the trad-jazz scene, which ballooned into our first mass youth culture, with thousands of young people dancing the night away in dimly light underground clubs, from Soho's infamous Cy Laurie Club to The Cavern Club in Liverpool.

The name seersucker is said to originate from the Persian words shîr and shakar, which translates to “milk and sugar”. This most likely references the smooth and bumpy texture of the fabric, as well as evidencing the origin and popularity of the fabric in the Middle East - just like the popularity of the Madras fabric during the British Colonial era.

Tubby Hayes – The Life Behind The Tenor, is a brilliant, and insightful limited edition book, that takes a closer look at the life of the British Jazz icon, Tubby Hayes. It has recently been published by Mono Media Books and is limited to one hundred copies.

Blues shouters were blues singers, usually men, capable of singing unamplified with a band. Their voice projected fervour and energy and got audiences to their feet, driven by the power of the music.

The talented and suave Modernist beat poet that is Jason Disley, has produced a collection of poems, Beat To A Pulp, to add to his increasing body of work.

On the 7th February this year Albert Finney passed away after a suffering a chest infection. Finney was described in the media as a powerhouse of the acting profession.