Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron was born on August 16, 1925 in New York City. His father worked for the Long Island Rail Road. Mal started taking classical piano lessons at age seven and, inspired by his love of jazz, also learned alto saxophone. He earned a B.A. in Music from Queens College, with the G.I. Bill (he'd been drafted in 1943 and served for two years, fortunately not seeing combat) paying for his tuition. He worked in jazz, blues, and R&B contexts and made his first recording in 1952 as a member of Ike Quebec's band. In '54-56 he was part of Charles Mingus's Jazz Workshop and recorded with Mingus. Waldron went out on his own as a leader at the end of 1956 with the album Mal/1 on Prestige and quickly became one of the prolific label's house pianists. The following year he added to his workload the position of Billie Holiday's accompanist,...
- 8/16/2015
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
No jazz pianist in the last 45 years has been uninfluenced by Bud Powell, because his work in the early days of bebop with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie established the prototype for the style's pianists, at least in a group setting: quicksilver, horn-like figures from the right hand, jabbing harmonies from the left that add off-kilter accents to the rhythm. (When playing solo, and sometimes on ballads in trio, Powell deployed a fuller, more lush style derived from Art Tatum, with some of his friend and mentor Thelonious Monk's style mixed in.) He left surprisingly few official documents of his collaboration with Parker and Gillespie, with most coming after the style's foundation because of two recording bans. By then he had already become a leader in his own right and had begun recording a legacy of not just great pianism but also his unique compositional style.
But even though...
But even though...
- 9/27/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
If you're like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don't worry; we've got you covered. Here's the best of what happened last night on late night.
Surprise! On Tuesday night, Jimmy Fallon brought Britney Spears out to read off a list of the pros and cons of dating her. She's recently single -- and apparently "The Tonight Show" audience was filled with people who are already in love with her since they stood and cheered when she showed up. (Jimmy had to remind them it's *his* show.) Jimmy said they created a profile for Britney on Tinder (bio: "This better work, b-tch.") and Britney acted shocked and not too thrilled. Stay to the end to hear her "It's Britney, b-tch" line. Keith Richards was also on "The Tonight Show" and you know the man has stories.
Surprise! On Tuesday night, Jimmy Fallon brought Britney Spears out to read off a list of the pros and cons of dating her. She's recently single -- and apparently "The Tonight Show" audience was filled with people who are already in love with her since they stood and cheered when she showed up. (Jimmy had to remind them it's *his* show.) Jimmy said they created a profile for Britney on Tinder (bio: "This better work, b-tch.") and Britney acted shocked and not too thrilled. Stay to the end to hear her "It's Britney, b-tch" line. Keith Richards was also on "The Tonight Show" and you know the man has stories.
- 9/10/2014
- by Gina Carbone
- Moviefone
Christine Lucy Latimer says: My cat Mingus is named after legendary jazz bass player and composer Charles Mingus. When Mingus was a young kitten, the playing of a Charles Mingus record (particularly “The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady”) would cause him to roll and flip around adorably on the floor. Mingus is also a famous destroyer of 16mm film head and tail ends that may hang off of the film reel. He chews on them like food. Perhaps he’s capable of making an entire “chew film project”? However, I’m not sure if it would run smoothly through the projector!
My films explores the aesthetic and structural potential of antiquated and historic moving-image forms. Fascinated by film obsolescence and arbitrary notions of archivism and preservation, my time-based works hybridize video and film formats in a heteroclitic blending of technologies.
Underground Film Journal says: The work of Christine Lucy Latimer is fascinating,...
My films explores the aesthetic and structural potential of antiquated and historic moving-image forms. Fascinated by film obsolescence and arbitrary notions of archivism and preservation, my time-based works hybridize video and film formats in a heteroclitic blending of technologies.
Underground Film Journal says: The work of Christine Lucy Latimer is fascinating,...
- 6/6/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Check out this poignant, hour-long intimate portrait of Mingus by documentarian, Thomas Reichman, if you haven't seen it, on a slow news Monday. The short version of the story? In November of 1966, Charles Mingus was forcibly evicted from his apartment in New York City. Thomas Reichman’s documentary, titled Mingus, captures that sad occurrence, and, of course, much more about the man and his music that lives on. It's worth noting that a feature-length documentary directed by Kevin Ellington Mingus (grandson of the jazz legend), titled Mingus on Mingus, is currently in development. Long in production, we featured the film's crowdfunding campaign a couple of...
- 1/27/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Oscar-winning film producer behind One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus and The English Patient
The career of the film producer Saul Zaentz, who has died aged 92, was marked not only by his independence (his productions were often largely self-funded) but also by his dedication to each individual film. Unlike most producers, who have numerous projects on the go, Zaentz worked on just one at a time. This resulted in a relatively short CV but one with a high share of Oscars, including three best picture winners: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Amadeus (1984) and The English Patient (1996).
Zaentz was born in Passaic, New Jersey, the youngest of five children of Russian-Polish Jewish parents, Morris and Goldie. An avid reader and a fan of pop music, movies and sport, he ran away from home as a teenager to work at the St Louis Cardinals baseball team's training camp, then rode...
The career of the film producer Saul Zaentz, who has died aged 92, was marked not only by his independence (his productions were often largely self-funded) but also by his dedication to each individual film. Unlike most producers, who have numerous projects on the go, Zaentz worked on just one at a time. This resulted in a relatively short CV but one with a high share of Oscars, including three best picture winners: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Amadeus (1984) and The English Patient (1996).
Zaentz was born in Passaic, New Jersey, the youngest of five children of Russian-Polish Jewish parents, Morris and Goldie. An avid reader and a fan of pop music, movies and sport, he ran away from home as a teenager to work at the St Louis Cardinals baseball team's training camp, then rode...
- 1/5/2014
- by Sheila Whitaker
- The Guardian - Film News
Yusef Lateef, who died on Monday after a bout with prostate cancer, was a devout Muslim who did not like his music to be called jazz because of the supposed indecent origins and connotations of the word (although those origins are still debated). He preferred the self-coined phrase "autophysiopsychic music." Furthermore, his music encompassed an impressively broad range of styles, and the only Grammy he won was in the New Age category -- for a recording of a symphony. Think about those things amid the flood of Lateef obituaries with "jazz" in the headline.
That said, certainly Lateef's own musical origins indisputably revolved around jazz. Growing up in Detroit, a highly fertile musical environment in the 1930s and beyond, Lateef got his first instrument, an $80 Martin alto sax, at age 18. Within a year he was on the road with the 13 Spirits of Swing (arrangements by Milt Buckner).
A Detroit friend,...
That said, certainly Lateef's own musical origins indisputably revolved around jazz. Growing up in Detroit, a highly fertile musical environment in the 1930s and beyond, Lateef got his first instrument, an $80 Martin alto sax, at age 18. Within a year he was on the road with the 13 Spirits of Swing (arrangements by Milt Buckner).
A Detroit friend,...
- 12/25/2013
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Who needs new music? In this week’s issue of the magazine, our critics show us what’s in their personal collections of old culture, much of it you might’ve missed. All of it is available online, somewhere. Herewith, Jody Rosen’s list of the ten great full-length concerts watchable on YouTube.1. Tom Jones in Edmonton, 1975 If you haven’t seen Tom Jones sing and dance in tight bell-bottom trousers backed by a full symphony orchestra—you can’t possibly understand Tom Jones. Or singing, or dancing. Or bell-bottoms. 2. Charles Mingus in Sweden, 1964 The great bassist, composer, and bandleader, at the height of his powers, with one of the best groups—Eric Dolphy! Clifford Jordan! Jaki Byard!—that ever backed him. The video quality is great and, better yet, so’s the sound. Listen to the great big oak-tree tone of Mingus’s bass! 3. James Brown in Boston, 1968 A historic concert,...
- 11/11/2013
- by Jody Rosen
- Vulture
The jazz pianist Dave Brubeck died this morning, a day short of his 92nd birthday — one of the last living titans from jazz's greatest era. Brubeck will be remembered for his decades of consistently excellent playing, but most of all, he'll be remembered for one album: Time Out.Brubeck's Time Out was the most popular jazz album of 1959, no small feat considering that 1959 is usually considered recorded jazz's greatest year — it produced Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, Ornette Coleman's Shape of Jazz to Come, John Coltrane's Giant Steps, and Charles Mingus's Mingus Ah Um. Looking back, it's hard to fathom Time Out's popularity. It wasn't just that a jazz album reached number No. 2 on the Billboard pop charts decades after jazz was popular music, but that the album that did it made almost clinical sport out of turning uncommon time signatures into comfortable, elegant melodies. The...
- 12/5/2012
- by Eric Benson
- Vulture
The Recording Academy has released the inductees for the 2013 Grammy Hall of Fame and it's quite the interesting mix.
Just how far does the list run the gamut? Two of the inductees are Frank Sinatra's recording of "Theme from 'New York, New York'" and Richard Pryor's comedy album, "That N-----'s Crazy."
"With the Grammy Hall Of Fame celebrating 40 years, it's especially important to note that these entries continue the tradition of inducting a wide variety of recordings that have inspired and influenced both fans and music makers for generations," President/CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow said in a release. "Memorable for being both culturally and historically significant, we are proud to add them to our growing catalog of outstanding recordings that have become part of our musical, social, and cultural history."
Other standouts include AC/DC's "Back In Black," Elton John's self-titled album, and Billy Joel's "Piano Man.
Just how far does the list run the gamut? Two of the inductees are Frank Sinatra's recording of "Theme from 'New York, New York'" and Richard Pryor's comedy album, "That N-----'s Crazy."
"With the Grammy Hall Of Fame celebrating 40 years, it's especially important to note that these entries continue the tradition of inducting a wide variety of recordings that have inspired and influenced both fans and music makers for generations," President/CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow said in a release. "Memorable for being both culturally and historically significant, we are proud to add them to our growing catalog of outstanding recordings that have become part of our musical, social, and cultural history."
Other standouts include AC/DC's "Back In Black," Elton John's self-titled album, and Billy Joel's "Piano Man.
- 11/21/2012
- by Madeline Boardman
- Huffington Post
The Recording Academy announces its 2013 Hall of Fame inductees. From the press release: "Representing a great variety of tracks and albums, the 2013 Grammy Hall Of Fame inductees range from AC/DC's 'Back In Black' album to Frank Sinatra's recording of 'Theme from "New York, New York."' Also added to the highly regarded list are Billy Joel's 'Piano Man,' Paul McCartney & Wings' album 'Band On The Run,' Ray Charles' 'Hit The Road Jack,' the Drifters' 'On Broadway,' Charles Mingus' album 'Mingus Ah Um,' and self-titled albums from Elton John and Whitney Houston. Other inductees include the Broadway cast recording of 'Lost In The Stars,' and recordings by James Brown, Bob Dylan, Carlos Gardel, Buck Owens, Richard Pryor, and Little Richard, among others." Sony Pictures Classics launches its official website for Amour. Will "Life of Pi" win the Visual Effe.
- 11/21/2012
- Gold Derby
The Recording Academy announces its 2013 Hall of Fame inductees. From the press release: "Representing a great variety of tracks and albums, the 2013 Grammy Hall Of Fame inductees range from AC/DC's 'Back In Black' album to Frank Sinatra's recording of 'Theme from "New York, New York."' Also added to the highly regarded list are Billy Joel's 'Piano Man,' Paul McCartney & Wings' album 'Band On The Run,' Ray Charles' 'Hit The Road Jack,' the Drifters' 'On Broadway,' Charles Mingus' album 'Mingus Ah Um,' and self-titled albums from Elton John and Whitney Houston. Other inductees include the Broadway cast recording of 'Lost In The Stars,' and recordings by James Brown, Bob Dylan, Carlos Gardel, Buck Owens, Richard Pryor, and Little Richard, among others." Sony Pictures Classics launches its official website for Amour. Will "Life of Pi" win the Visual Effe.
- 11/21/2012
- Gold Derby
From Orangethenblue Productions comes a feature-length documentary directed by Kevin Ellington Mingus (grandson of jazz legend Charles Mingus), titled Mingus on Mingus. Long in production, the film raised over $45,000 last fall, which allowed it to continue production (as of June, it was still shooting; such is the world of indie filmmaking). In short, Mingus on Mingus will follow the grandson, as he discovers the truths behind the legend of the grandfather he never knew. Known to the world as a composer who left one of the largest musical legacies of the 20th century, the film highlights the voices of the people he touched and the places he lived. While following the...
- 8/20/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
I woke up to this poignant, hour-long intimate portrait of Mingus by documentarian, Thomas Reichman. I figured you'd appreciate it on a summer Friday too, if you haven't seen it. The short story (courtesy of Open Culture) goes... In November of 1966, Charles Mingus was forcibly evicted from his apartment in New York City. Thomas Reichman’s documentary, titled Mingus, captures that sad occurrence, and, of course, much more about the man and his music that lives on. Watch the hour-long doc below:...
- 8/3/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
New York -- Tenor sax legend Sonny Rollins was a triple winner Wednesday at the annual Jazz Awards, garnering musician of the year honors for the second straight year.
Rollins also repeated as the top tenor saxophonist. His latest CD, "Road Shows, Vol. 2," consisting of live recordings from concerts in Japan and his September 2010 80th birthday concert in New York highlighted by a first-ever public performance with free jazz visionary and alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, was chosen the year's best jazz recording.
"I was born with some talent for which I am grateful," Rollins said in a statement read from the stage at the Blue Note jazz club by emcee Josh Jackson, host of Wbgo's jazz music magazine "The Checkout."
"I copied and learned from my predecessors and I'm grateful to them, and I gratefully accept this award," said Rollins, who could not attend the ceremony because he was moving...
Rollins also repeated as the top tenor saxophonist. His latest CD, "Road Shows, Vol. 2," consisting of live recordings from concerts in Japan and his September 2010 80th birthday concert in New York highlighted by a first-ever public performance with free jazz visionary and alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, was chosen the year's best jazz recording.
"I was born with some talent for which I am grateful," Rollins said in a statement read from the stage at the Blue Note jazz club by emcee Josh Jackson, host of Wbgo's jazz music magazine "The Checkout."
"I copied and learned from my predecessors and I'm grateful to them, and I gratefully accept this award," said Rollins, who could not attend the ceremony because he was moving...
- 6/21/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
This 12-year-old boy comes from a pair of pretty parents ... but do you know who they are?One of his parents is the star of AMC's zombie show, "The Walking Dead" and the other is a world famous model.His name is Mingus, named after jazz legend Charles Mingus, and was spotted with his father last night at a screening of "Bully" in NYC.Take a guess, then click the gallery above to see where he gets his good genes from!Did you get it right? Read more...
- 3/21/2012
- by tooFab Staff
- TooFab
Paul Motian passed away at age 80 yesterday after complications from the bone-marrow disorder myelodisplastic syndrome. In a career that exceeded five decades, Motian was one of the most respected drummers in jazz history as well as a superb composer and adept bandleader. Critic Art Lange called him "that rare commodity, an intimate drummer." And here's a bit of trivia: Motian played at Woodstock, in Arlo Guthrie's band.
Even music lovers largely unfamiliar with jazz have heard his work with pianist Bill Evans, whose trio Motian played in from 1959 to 1964. Other piano greats who availed themselves of Motian's subtly swinging sense of rhythm included Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Carla Bley, Lennie Tristano, Mose Allison, Martial Solal, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Marilyn Crispell.
On his own records (perhaps to avoid comparisons?) he favored guitarists instead, most notably Bill Frisell. After graduating from their '80s apprenticeships in Motian's trio and quintet,...
Even music lovers largely unfamiliar with jazz have heard his work with pianist Bill Evans, whose trio Motian played in from 1959 to 1964. Other piano greats who availed themselves of Motian's subtly swinging sense of rhythm included Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Carla Bley, Lennie Tristano, Mose Allison, Martial Solal, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Marilyn Crispell.
On his own records (perhaps to avoid comparisons?) he favored guitarists instead, most notably Bill Frisell. After graduating from their '80s apprenticeships in Motian's trio and quintet,...
- 11/23/2011
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Iggy Pop Buy: Lala.comGenre: RockSong: 1969Album: Sister MidnightBarbra Streisand (& Kris Kristofferson) Buy: Lala.comGenre: VocalSong: Lost Inside of YouAlbum: A Star Is BornJustin Vernon (Bon Iver) Buy: Lala.comGenre: AlternativeSong: Blood BankAlbum: Blood Bank - EPJoe Henderson Buy: Lala.comGenre: JazzSong: Black NarcissusAlbum: Power to the People (Remastered)Ella Fitzgerald Buy: Lala.comGenre: VocalSong: Embraceable YouAlbum: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song BooksRoy Orbison Buy: Lala.comGenre: RockSong: This Kind of LoveAlbum: At the Rock HouseSergei Prokofiev (Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman) Buy: Lala.comGenre: ClassicalSong: Sonata for 2 Violins Op. 56 (1996 Digital Remaster): I. Andante CantabileAlbum: Prokofiev: Violin Concertos 1 & 2Henry Mancini (& His Orchestra) Buy: Lala.comGenre: SoundtrackSong: Spook!Album: Peter Gunn (Music From the TV Series)Charles Mingus Buy: Lala.comGenre: JazzSong: Memories of YouAlbum: Mingus Plays PianoMarvin Etzioni Buy: Lala.comGenre: RockSong: Old Blue CarAlbum: A Case for Case: A Tribute to the Songs of Peter CasePercy Faith Buy: Lala.
- 4/16/2010
- by Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin
- Huffington Post
Mingus in Wonderland (Blue Note)
Blues & Roots (Atlantic)
Mingus Ah Um (Columbia)
Mingus Dynasty (Columbia)
Charles Mingus was one of the greatest bassists and composers in jazz history, an important figure in bebop who anchored a Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie band at one point but eventually developed in very different directions. By 1959 he was already a prolific recording artist as a leader. Making four albums was hardly an unusually productive year by his standards, but rarely did he match the peaks he hit in 1959.
read more...
Blues & Roots (Atlantic)
Mingus Ah Um (Columbia)
Mingus Dynasty (Columbia)
Charles Mingus was one of the greatest bassists and composers in jazz history, an important figure in bebop who anchored a Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie band at one point but eventually developed in very different directions. By 1959 he was already a prolific recording artist as a leader. Making four albums was hardly an unusually productive year by his standards, but rarely did he match the peaks he hit in 1959.
read more...
- 10/6/2009
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Miles Davis Kind Of Blue / Legacy Edition Miles Davis Sketches Of Spain / Legacy Edition The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out / Legacy Edition Charles Minugus Mingus Ah Um / Legacy Edition Tito Puente Dance Mania / Legacy Edition Babatunde Olatunji Drums Of Passion / Legacy Edition Back when gas was twenty-five cents, Hawaii and Alaska became states, and Fidel Castro came to power, would-be classic records such as Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue and Sketches Of Spain, Dave Brubeck's Time Out, and Charles Mingus' Mingus Ah Um hit the marketplace as jazz's reinvention experienced some of its greatest popularity in the U.S. as well as internationally. As Americans became globetrotters (remember Frank Sinatra's Come Fly With Me album cover?), foreign musics simultaneously began infiltrating the U.S.--like the latin dance of Tito Puente or the "exotic" sounds of Nigerian-born Babatunde Olatunji and his Drums Of Passion. In fact,...
- 6/25/2009
- by Mike Ragogna
- Huffington Post
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