It’s past time to give Eddie Durham his due

Every academic jazz department in the world needs to set aside at least one day to ask themselves this question:

How do we correct the huge injustice of Eddie Durham not being recognized as a jazz giant on the same level of Duke Ellington?

Durham was the “secret sauce” behind many iconic jazz bands and musicians. Take him out of the picture and jazz might not have flowered the way it did.

Yes, he was that important and it’s time he gets his due.

Forward this page to your favorite jazz opinion leaders.

Whose careers were nourished by Eddie Durham’s genius?

How about these for starters?

The Oklahoma City Blue Devils, Benny Moten, Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Charlie Christian, Lester Young, Glenn Miller – and this is just the short list!

Also, click here for an in depth interview with Ken McCarthy and Topsy Durham.

– 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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The Ultimate Jazz Live-Streaming Source

Ken McCarthy operates one the most highly visited jazz websites on the Internet: Jazzonthetube.com. It routinely gets traffic equal to or greater than magazines like Downbeat or Jazz Times.

In March, Jazz on the Tube was first out of the gate to explain to jazz fans the severe economic impact various shutdown measures were going to have on working musicians.

“The musicians have been stoic about the whole thing, but the reality is this is literally as bad or maybe even worse than the Great Depression in terms of the financial impact on them. Salaried work in this field is very rare. Performing jazz musicians only get paid when they work and there is no work anywhere. In the depths of the Depression, if skilled musicians could get themselves to places like Kansas City, Chicago, or New York, they could work. In this environment, even that possibility has been taken from them.”

To respond, McCarthy created the first, and still the only, comprehensive resource that documents jazz musicians who are reaching their audiences via live-streaming.

There are a number of short, and largely random, lists of links to live-stream performances elsewhere online, but Jazz on the Tube is the only site that provides a daily calendar of performances; a directory of hundreds of live-streaming jazz musicians with easy-to-access archives of their performances; and detailed profiles of the musicians including the all important information of how to pay them directly.

“Our job is not only to make it easy for fans to find and keep up with their favorite musicians, but also to educate fans that, for the time being, live-streaming is IT and they should consider these performances on par with club and concert dates and pay the musicians accordingly.”

The free site is partially supported by voluntary subscription and since the Shutdown the site has been sharing its revenue from that source with direct payments to musicians.

“We don’t call the money “grants.” I don’t like the word “support” either. It’s payment for professional services rendered and value received. I’d like fans to think that way too. When you go to a club, concert or festival, you pay. Let’s use that mind set for live-streams and pay for these performances the same way.”

Details:

https://www.jazzonthetube.com/we-can-do-this/

– 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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Interview with Alexis Cole of JazzVoice.org

Interview with Alexis Cole of JazzVoice.org


Download the mp3 here

Book private classess with one click from an incredible array of vocalists and educators.

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Next Masterclass: Alexis Cole
June 20, 2020 – 9 PM EST
Four ways to legato

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Click here for more info about JazzVoice.org

– 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
Thanks.

Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!

Words from Sonny

The Jazz Foundation gave Sonny a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

Here’s what he had to say:

“I’m one of the soldiers in the spiritual battle of jazz.”

This comes from a very recent report with David Amram:

“Last week I spoke to Sonny Rollins on the phone.We have known one another since 1955 when I was playing with Mingus and are the same age. I asked him if he was o.k. up in Woodstock, since he can’t play anymore and is housebound.

He said he was fine, even though he is housebound and can’t play the saxophone any more but said he is happier than ever.

He told me that all of us were so fixated on the Virus and our current mis-Administration that we forgot about the Golden Rule and that we should devote ourselves to following it each day as our number one priority!!

“That’s all I think about” he said.”We are all just here for a while and then turn to dust. But the spirit lasts forever”

David comments: How ’bout THAT, compared with the news channels constant morbid fixation on doom, gloom and death and airing of interviews with politicians on both sides hustling us?

How about that?

Part One: Warsaw. October 23, 1980
Part Two: Lauren, Netherlands. October 23, 1973

– 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
Thanks.

A musical surprise and big fun

Every week we screen a ton of videos to bring you the gems.

Last week, I coincidentally stumbled on two remarkable interviews that may transform your view of popular music in the 20th century.

The two short excerpts are followed by a performance that I guarantee will be a big surprise.

The influence of jazz is everywhere…

– 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
Thanks.

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