One distinctive voice throughout decades
of bebop and beyond is that of Bob Dorough.
He’s been sharing his wit, wisdom,
and tickling of the ivories for as long
as I can remember, and a decade or two before
that as well. In his early nineties, he
is still with us, a hipster voice, and musical
talent in a rarified circle of jazz stalwarts.
Whether it’s the classic jazz song
Better than Anything, or Conjunction Junction,
that taught a generation and more about
English grammar, Bob’s whimsical,
personal style, is a jazz gift that keeps
on giving.
Our second set features classic hard
bop, a taste of Latin piano, and a Latin
jazz standard. Spanning five decades, this
set still flows easily one chart to another.
The fingers of song fitting perfectly into
the proverbial jazz glove.
Shifting gears to large ensembles we
hear from four big bands that had lasting
impact on jazz overall and big bands in
particular. The feel good rhythm of Basie,
the harmonic embellishment of Gillespie,
the determined ensemble work of Herman,
and the cerebral yet soulful creativity
of Kenton all remind us how important each
of these musicians were in the past, present,
and future of jazz.
Our final set concludes with an upbeat
mindset spanning three artists each who
made an initial impact in three different
decades. Stevie Ray Vaughan rekindled mainstream
interest in the blues in the 1980s, as Richie
Cole was the keeper of the flame for bebop
during the 1970s, and Karin Allyson blossomed
in the 1990s as one of the more memorable
vocalists in that decade. Of course, we
end where we began with the hipster himself,
leaving us with more proof that time spent
with Bob Dorough can be better than just
about anything.
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