From 14 year-old budding jazz musician to 30-something father-of-two, one thing has remained consistent: jazz posters on my bedroom wall. These days they tend to be surrounded by a nice frame rather than tape, but the idea is the same: iconic artwork from the world of jazz is (in my opinion) a stylish addition to …
Since the beginnings of jazz, rhythm – and how great musicians play around with it – has been an important part of the music. Whilst most famous jazz songs are in the standard 4/4 time, the sprinkling of ‘jazz waltz’ over the decades provides a delicious change to the norm. At first a rarity in …
At first glance, the story of Art Pepper, who passed away at the age of 56, might echo the familiar narrative of a ‘victim of the jazz life’. Yet, a closer look reveals a tale of resilience and remarkable talent, overshadowing the tribulations with a legacy of incredible music. In this article, we dive beyond …
It takes a special type of musician to take a 19th Century nursery rhyme and turn it into one of the hippest, swinging songs of the era. That’s exactly what the legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald did early on in a career which saw countless hits and no fewer than 13 Grammy awards. In this …
Written by pianist Herbie Hancock, ‘Watermelon Man’ is one of the great ear-worms of jazz. But whilst many know it for its appearance on legendary jazz fusion album Head Hunters in the 1970s, it actually started life a decade earlier… Watermelon Man is of those tunes that you just can’t get out of your head. …
Perhaps best known by jazz fans for his Blue Note albums and work with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock’s albums over the last 60 years defy classification and have seen him win legions of listeners who would not usually consider themselves jazz aficionados. In this article we pick 10 Herbie Hancock songs which go some way …
Thelonious Sphere Monk is undoubtedly one of the most influential composers in jazz, alongside Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. Many of his pieces have become jazz standards, but his route to get there was anything but easy, as we’ll see in this guide to the most famous Thelonious Monk songs… Born on October 10 1917, …
Whilst many of the most famous musicians in jazz are known for their compositional offerings to the world, Chet Baker was a little different. As one of the most impressive song interpreters of all time, the trumpeter and vocalist carved out a career recording definitive versions of many standards, providing us with a list of …
John Coltrane is one of the most revered and influential jazz saxophone players in history. Known for his both technical virtuosity and deeply spiritual musical journey, he smashed the boundaries of jazz more than once in his all-too-short 40 years on the planet. In this article we take a look at 12 of the most …
