Mingus Speaks by John Goodman, Mister Jelly Roll by Alan Lomax, The Man That Got Away by Walter Rilmer, Dead Man Blues: Jelly Roll Morton Way Out West by Phil Pastras
Category: American Music History
Jazz and Trains: A Connected History
The American railroad system as a driving force for cultural exchange
Solo Transcription: Lou Donaldson’s “Minor Bash”
A close look at a Lou Donaldson solo transcription and how it relates to moments in jazz history
Cab Calloway and Minnie the Moocher
My thoughts on Cab Calloway and his appearance in The Blues Brothers
Four – Is There More To It?
Did one of Miles Davis’ most popular tunes borrow ideas from a Tadd Dameron ballad?
Jitterbug Waltz
The history behind Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Watlz” and some of the finest renditions of the tune
Meet the Gellers
The story of jazz “power couple” Lorraine and Herb Geller
Summer Reading List 2019
My great summer reads – Mary Lou Williams, Billie Holiday, Angela Davis, and more
Willene Barton: An Overlooked Link in the Big Three Tenor Legacy
It baffles me how this incredible saxophonist hasn’t gotten her dues
I Know That You Know
A deep dive into one of my favorite tunes from the Great American Songbook
Sam Spear Music 