Kutx >> Liner Notes

Sonny Rollins pioneered a bass drum rhythm section with no piano so his saxophone playing would stand out as well as be a rhythm instrument itself. Rollins joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955. The post Sonny Rollins (Sunday 9.8.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Alto saxophone player Art Pepper redefined himself repeatedly, and each time gained greater respect and popularity. The post Art Pepper (Sunday 9.1.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

A pioneer of the drums, Max Roach revolutionized the concept of musical time. Max’s playing and interpretation of time inspired generations of jazz musicians and drummers. The post Max Roach (Sunday 8.11.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Herb Ellis gave us a different way of looking at the different ways of coping with the events of the 1950s and 1960s. He incorporated the blues and twang into a bee bop sound with his jazz guitar playing. He’s most well-known for joining the Oscar Peterson Trio in the 1950s. The post Herb Ellis (Sunday 8.4.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Jazz producer and music impresario Norman Granz was born to Jewish immigrants in Los Angeles and came of age in pre-WWII America. During a time of segregation, fear and war Granz wanted to unite, desegregate and entertain. He arranged desegregated jam sessions in LA that later turned into Jazz at The Philharmonic. He started various […] The post Norman Granz (Sunday 7.28.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Rabbi Neil Blumofe examines American jazz musician in this week’s Liner Notes short. The composer, arranger and pianist is most well known for his involvement in the bebop era, but also in the swing and hard bop genres. The Cleveland native collaborated with other Liner Notes artists such as Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny […]

With her ability to banter with the audience and outspoken sense of humor Sarah Vaughn was best described as “sassy.” Her first big break came after she won an amateur night at the famous Apollo Theatre.  She would go on to work with such great jazz musicians as Louie Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Count Basie, […] The post Sarah Vaughan (Sunday 7.14.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Hank Mobley was a self-taught hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophone player whose sound was situated between that of John Coltrane and Stan Getz. As a bandleader he worked to encourage musicians to develop their concepts and skills past what they may have thought possible, as he created a space for performers to work […] The post Hank Mobley (Sunday 7.7.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This is the body. The post Lena Horne (Sunday 6.30.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

The post Milt Hinton (Sunday 6.23.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This is the excerpt. The post Horace Silver (Father’s Day, Sunday 6.16.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This is the body. The post Stan Getz (Sunday 5.26.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This is the excerpt. The post Cab Calloway (Sunday 5.12.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This is the excerpt. The post Art Tatum (Sunday 5.5.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Coming from a troubled childhood, Ella Fitzgerald found solace in music and song. Discovered at age 17, after singing in the style of the Boswell sisters in a talent competition, she would become the top female jazz singer for 50 years. Her distinctive vocals and her ability to personally hear and feel the emotion in […] The post Ella Fitzgerald (Sunday 4.28.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

With his conception of harmonics and driving tempos, Dizzy Gillespie was an architect of the modern sound (bebop), daring others to reach for the stars, alongside him. His virtuosity and creativity helped to define a whole new approach to improvisation and self-expression, as his career spanned more than 50 years. An entertainer as well as […] The post Dizzy Gillespie (Sunday 4.21.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown is known for his precise and captivatingly smooth technique, and as a musician who died before his time in a tragic car crash at the age of 25. He recorded most notably with drummer Max Roach and saxophonist Sonny Rollins, and his compositions Joy Spring and Daahoudare jazz standards to this day. His lasting […] The post Clifford Brown (Sunday 4.14.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Billie Holiday once said, “No two people on earth are alike, and it’s got to be that way in music or it isn’t music.” As we look back on her life and legacy we gain a deep appreciation for her unique voice, and the authenticity and openness of her approach to music. Even as she struggled with […] The post Billie Holiday (Sunday 4.7.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

As we recognize Bud Powell as one of the most influential jazz pianists of the 20th century, we must also acknowledge how much of his greatness and potential was muted beneath the cruelty and inhumane treatment that marked so much of mid 20th century America. Yet, even through the pain he suffered, when he sat […] The post Bud Powell (Sunday 3.31.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

In the 1930’s, the clarinetist and bandleader, Benny Goodman, brought jazz stylings to mainstream America. With this short feature jazz historian and Rabbi Neil Blumofe muses on how Goodman offered a space for freedom and expression which combated early 20th century ideologies based on fear and tyranny. In an age of segregation, creeping fear, and […] The post Benny Goodman (Sunday 3.24.13) appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.