505, July 25 Duke Ellington wrote compositions with specific members of his magnificent orchestra in mind and Thelonious Monk wrote to suit his singular approach to the piano. Given that the jazz composer’s job is to inspire improvisers, Barney McAll has succeeded brilliantly with the material primarily from the Mooroolbark…
John Shand Posts
Billie Holiday: The Centennial Collection (Columbia) Cassandra Wilson: Coming Forth by Day (Sony) Ben Goldberg: Orphic Machine (Bag) How did a woman with a smallish voice and modest range come to be celebrated as one of the twentieth century’s greatest singers? It seems unthinkable in the era of TV talent…
The Studio, July 23 Although Louis Armstrong invented jazz singing and Sarah Vaughan made it soar to dizzy heights, Billie Holiday remains the pinnacle if understatement, emotional directness and rhythmic nous are allowed to outweigh power and vocal gymnastics. In the centenary year of Holiday’s birth – she died in…