Tag Archives: frankzappa
Rescued From The Vaults: Johnny Guitar Watson’s Ain’t That A Bitch
As well as being a blues pioneer, Johnny Guitar Watson was steeped in bebop and swing; one listen to his version of ‘Witchcraft’ or brilliant guitar solo on ‘Telephone Bill’ should prove that. But there was a lot more to Watson, who died in 1996. Frank Zappa said that listening to ‘Three Hours Past Midnight’ […]
Hans Groiner: Does Humour Belong In Jazz?
Does humour belong in jazz? It’s a tough one, whichever way you slice it. Jazz and comedy were certainly frequently intertwined in the ’30s. Later, Spike Jones‘ incredible bands often featured jazz musicians and consistently tickled the funny bone though rarely at the expense of jazz itself – he mainly used the virtuosity of his […]
George Duke @ Ronnie Scott’s, 12th May 2010
Fusion is no longer a dirty word – it’s everywhere on the jazz scene in many different guises, from Led Bib to Jamie Cullum. But George Duke was one of the genre’s originals and part of a generation of musicians – including Tony Williams, Stanley Clarke and Airto, for example – for whom mixing styles was completely natural. A quick glance at Duke’s sideman gigs […]
Sounds Of Surprise 