The excellent diary by Turkana from earlier this week about the passing of jazz great Oscar Peterson really got me thinking. The roster of classic jazz masters is shrinking rapidly, but all too often they are only mentioned here on Kos when one passes, as with this diary about drummer Max Roach, who died this past August.
For the benefit of jazz lovers of all ages, including those of you just discovering jazz, I thought I'd write a diary about a few of the great artists who are still with us. Some of these folks are getting pretty old, but they still play shows here and there and they are definitely worth seeing if you have the opportunity.
Follow me for a brief appreciation of these living jazz masters.
Les Paul
The oldest player on my list is guitarist Les Paul. He's 92 now but still plays every Monday night at the Iridium Jazz Club here in Manhattan. The early electric guitar master and one of the inventors of multi-track recording, Les Paul has been playing since the late '30s and has worked with everyone from Nat Cole to Chet Atkins and many, many more. His playing has slowed down a bit from his famous recordings with Mary Ford, but he still sounds great. Any number of special guests sit in for a number or two at his Monday night gig to honor the innovation of one of the guitar's true originals.
Sonny Rollins
Tenor sax player Sonny Rollins played with drummer Max Roach back in the 1950s, when he recorded his famous album Saxophone Colossus, and he's hardly missed a beat since then. He just played at Carnegie Hall this year to rave reviews (a Podcast is available here). He has recorded with The Modern Jazz Quartet, Thelonious Monk, Clifford Brown, and was even on the Rolling Stones record "Tattoo You". Hearing Sonny Rollins play is like reaching back in time to experience all the greats with whom he shared a bandstand. He doesn't tour often, so don't miss him if he comes to your town.
Marshall Allen and the Sun Ra Arkestra
Sun Ra has returned to his native Saturn, but his long-time alto sax player Marshall Allen is leading the band now and still sounding great, even at 83 years old. Many of the original Sun Ra players are still with the group, and they are playing many of the originals and standards that made the Arkestra so special. Marshall Allen is one of the most unique saxophonists you'll ever hear, capable of playing a phrase that begins like a breath of fire and then mellows into a sweet tone that goes down like fine cognac. As a band leader, he has all the passion of Sun Ra and drives the band into the same kind of frenzied improvisations that made the Arkestra famous. He also channels the late Johnny Hodges so brilliantly when the Arkestra plays a Duke Ellington tune that you can close your eyes and image you're sitting in the Cotton Club.
Dave Brubeck
Pianist Dave Brubeck is 87 years old now, but still touring regularly with a band that usually includes one or more of his sons. Best known for his recordings with the classic quartet of the 50s and 60s with the late saxophonist Paul Desmond, Brubeck had huge hits with Take Five, Blue Rondo ala Turk, and other original tunes. Dave can still pound the piano with the energy of a man half his age, and he still has a knack for playing jazz in unusual time signatures like 5/4 or 9/8 that most jazz players wouldn't even attempt.
Slide Hampton
Trombonist Slide Hampton played with Dizzy Gillespie, and keeping up with that style of bebop on the trombone is no small feat. Hampton also played with Maynard Ferguson, Mel Lewis and Thad Jones, Dexter Gordon, Woody Herman and many others. He's 85 now but you wouldn't know it from hearing him play. I caught him earlier this year in a Dizzy Gillespie tribute at the Blue Note in Manhattan, playing with James Moody and other Gillespie alumni.
Ornette Coleman
Talk about somebody who was WAY ahead of his time when he first hit the scene...
Ornette Coleman was one of the originators of free jazz back in the 1950s, and he is still one of the most original musicians to ever pick up a saxophone. While his style isn't exactly easy listening, Coleman has a way of making even the most avant-garde piece seem lyrical and cohesive. While some musicians may lose their way when they break away from standard chord structure in free jazz, Coleman brings out the beauty as well as the power of the music when he plays.
Marian McPartland
89 year old pianist Marian McPartland may be familiar to NPR listeners as the host of the fine program Piano Jazz. Marian got her start in jazz in the early 40s playing with her late husband, cornetist Jimmy McPartland. She's had her own groups since the 1950s, including a trio that played for years at New York's Hickory House. She's recorded for her own Halcyon Records label and for Concord Jazz, and she is a fine improviser with an extensive repertoire of jazz standards.
Bob Dorough
You might not recognize his name, but you know at least one or two of his songs. Most famous as the music director of School House Rock and the composer of "Three is a Magic Number", "I'm Just a Bill" and "Conjunction Junction", Bob Dorough actually has a history going back to the mid-1950s. He's a one-of-a-kind vocalist and pianist, with an encyclopedic knowledge of cool old tunes. He's also a sentimental favorite of mine, since my wife and I saw him on our honeymoon and he dedicated "Better Than Anything" to us. He usually plays in New York or Pennsylvania, but he tours occasionally and is absolutely worth seeing if you get the chance.
There are plenty of other old jazz masters still around, too: drummer Roy Haynes, trumpeter Clark Terry, saxophonist Johnny Griffin, pianist Cecil Taylor and lots more. I don't know how much longer these players will still be touring and sounding good, so please try to see at least a few of them while you still can. It makes me sad to think of how many people only learn about the great jazz masters once they are gone. I hope this diary has helped fellow Kossacks appreciate how many jazz greats are still with us.