A Kinescope find from the Internet Archive. The “Art Ford Jazz Party” aired on the DuMont Television Network. Included in the frontline is trombonist Tyree Glen and saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. The rest of the very strong line-up: Teddy Charles (vibes), Hank Damico (clarinet), Mary Osborne (guitar), Johnny Windhurst (trumpet), Morey Feld (drums), Todd Colberg (bass), and Alec Templeton (piano). Pianist Roland Hanna (Later Sir Roland Hanna) and singer Maxine Sullivan also make appearances later in the program.
Tag Archives: jazz
The Pied Piper of Basin Street
Walter Lantz’s 1944 Universal Cartoon, The Pied Piper of Basin Street featuring Jack Teagarden and his Orchestra.
Aurex Jazz in Translation
Out of the randomness that makes up YouTube content these days, real surprises occasionally surface that don’t have to do with dogs riding skateboards or cats playing the piano. One such find is the “Aurex Jazz Special” that aired on Japanese television in the 80s, apparently concurrent with the Aurex Jazz Festival. In the clip below (click movie to start play), J.J. Johnson explains his early musical influences:
There’s also a version of Jay and Kai playing It’s All Right With Me with a rhythm section that includes Tommy Flanagan on piano and Roy Haynes on drums. On what seems to be the same occasion, Dexter Gordon and Clark Terry join for I’ll Remember April, and Milestones. There are a few awkward Lost in Translation moments during the show as the musicians smile and “play along” with whatever is being said by the show hosts.
The Sound of Now’s the Time
This YouTube post by Zemry features a host of be-bop greats: J.J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt, Howard McGhee, Walter Bishop, Tommy Potter, and Kenny Clarke. It’s apparently a video transfer of a kinescope made for British TV in 1964.
When I first saw and heard the YouTube clip, I thought the performance sounded familiar. Sure enough, I found that a CD I own contains the sound portion of the performance. Just to see if I could improve the sound of the video, I removed the original sound track in iMovie and applied the CD’s sound instead. The result does make the sound clearer, and the project is posted here in Quicktime form. Fortunately, J.J. “stomped” the tune off loudly enough on stage to make a fairly good audio sync possible, although it isn’t perfect.
Note that the video clip doesn’t include the entire performance. For that reason, you’ll hear the music continue after the clip ends.
(click movie to play)