Cuba, Cuban Jazz, Video and audio
Jerry Gonzales, the great congero, trumpet player, and band leader.
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We received these marvelous memories of Jerry from subscribers:
I remember a Fort Apache gig in NY at Sweet Basil. I was sitting right up front with my 9-year-old son. A group of young guys came and sat behind us—four of them—I think they were Cubans. They looked at Jerry’s set of five congas and started snickering… five congas? Nobody plays five congas, who is he kidding? And on, and on. Well, by the end of the set, they were whistling, clapping, and shouting the praises of Jerry. They became complete converts and had joined the church of the “Fort Apache Band” with the reverend Jerry González presiding!
– Yves Nazon
Born: Haïti, July 04, 1954
Jerry and Andy González, while with Conjunto Libre, played at my old Café Galería y Teatro – La Tertulia in the East Village, NYC in the late ’70s! Jerry was a consistent innovator, jovial, and a perfectionist when it came to his music! He respected those who respected good music. His live recording with Chano Dominguez, Rumba Pà Jerry, is evidence of how a master conguero transforms a simple tune into a great one! He also displays his ability to teach new musicians how to elaborate on a simple rhythm pattern without losing the original sound. I will always remember him doing what he did best!
– Raùl Cordova
Born: Puerto Rico, May 11, 1947
For a big chunk of time, I was their documentarian, photographer, and friend.
– Tontxi Vazquez
Born: New York City
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
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History, Video
Modern Gospel has had a huge impact on jazz.
Not so coincidentally, Thomas Dorsy, one of its primary pioneers was living, working, and playing in Chicago at the same time as King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Bix Beiderbecke.
Of course, the music’s roots go way back before the 1920s.
A beautiful historical survey of the Spirituals tradition and how its impact is still felt and heard today.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
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Chroniclers, Podcasts
Three creative miracles here:
1. The life of Sonny Rollins
2. The unprecedented way Sonny documented his life…including among other things EVERY practice session throughout his long career
3. The new biography of Sonny by Aidan Levy which gathers the superabundance of Rollins material into a fascinating page turner that goes deep into the creative life of one of the music’s grand masters.
A must for Sonny Rollins fans, musicians, jazz lovers, and everyone interested in the creative process.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
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History, Video
Listeners with savvy ears know you can hear a lot of “gospel” in jazz and rock and roll.
But what do we mean when we say “gospel music”?
Unlike other forms of roots music whose origins come from the distant mists of time, we know when and where the music we call gospel started.
Meet the highly underrated Thomas A. Dorsey.
Born in Georgia and settled as an adult in Chicago, he broke the cultural logjam between “church” and “honky-tonk” music and helped light a creative fire, we’re all still warming ourselves on today.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
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History, Video
This is a continuation of my country, blues, jazz, gospel – and a lot of it came from the countryside and country people – rant from a few months ago.
We all know about the roles big cities played in the advancement of jazz. How much do we know about the role country people played?
By good fortune, I found a resource where two people, a brother and sister, who are representative of this story, go into the details of their musical life being raised in a small town in rural parts in the 30s and 40s.
My previous video on this subject
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
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