Night Lights Classic Jazz
Two of longtime bandleader Gerald Wilson's finest orchestras--his progressive, modernistic 1940s outfit and his 1960s West Coast band.
At the dawn of the 1980s trumpeter Miles Davis emerged from a five-year retirement and made his way back into the limelight.
Two of longtime bandleader Gerald Wilson's finest orchestras--his progressive, modernistic 1940s outfit and his 1960s West Coast band.
Miles Davis, in addition to being one of the most talented and distinctive musicians to grace the annals of jazz history, had a unique reputation when it came to his speaking voice–both for his hoarse whisper and his pithy, rather Zen-like way of communicating with his band members, which sometimes resulted in amusing exchanges, such as his retort to John Coltrane’s lament that he couldn’t stop soloing: “Try taking the saxophone out of your mouth.” While working on an upcoming Night Lights show about Miles’ early-1980s period, I came across this story about saxophonist Bob Berg in Paul Tingen’s Miles Beyond: the Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967-1991:
David Foster Wallace, author of the novel Infinite Jest & numerous long essays that depicted the wide, strange breadth of modern life, has died at the age of 46
Mosaic’s forthcoming Anthony Braxton set, The Complete Arista Recordings, is a long-awaited dream-come-true for fans of the jazz avant-garde, and it’s now available for pre-order at the Mosaic website. The set’s liner notes were written by musician and scholar Mike Heffley, who gave Mosaic a draft that was twice as long as what they were able to use.
David Brent Johnson hosts the weekly WFIU historical jazz program Night Lights and Afterglow as well. Learn more »
In 1964 Dean Martin recorded a laidback martini-at-the-fireside album that included the original version of a song that would soon become his signature tune.
Afterglow is WFIU's weekly program of jazz and American popular song hosted by David Brent Johnson.
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