Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 — September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter with a recording career that spanned nearly five decades. In the late 1940s, Davis collaborated with Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan on the nonet sessions that became the Birth of the Cool LP (1957). He later formed his first great quintet […]
Weather Report was a multinational jazz-funk/fusion ensemble that released fourteen studio albums between 1971 and 1986 on Columbia. Throughout its existence, the band was co-led by American saxophonist Wayne Shorter and Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul. Numerous rhythm players did stints with the band during its fifteen-year history, most notably drummers Alphonse Mouzon and Narada Michael […]
McCoy Tyner (1938–2020) was an American jazz pianist, active for six decades. He earned his earliest credits on 1960 albums by Curtis Fuller, Freddie Hubbard, and Art Farmer’s Jazztet. During his four-year stint with John Coltrane (1961–65), he cut six titles for Impulse! In 1967, he made his Blue Note debut with The Real McCoy. […]
Art Blakey (October 11, 1919 — October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader from Pittsburgh. For 35 years, he led the Jazz Messengers, a revolving-door band with some of the leading names in post-bop. Blakey co-founded the Jazz Messengers in 1954 with pianist Horace Silver, trumpeter Kenny Dorham, saxophonist Hank Mobley, and […]
Freddie Hubbard (1938–2008) was an American jazz trumpeter who released seven post-bop albums on Blue Note (1960–67), followed by stints on Atlantic (1967–70), CTI (1970–74), and Columbia (1974–77). He went electric on the 1970–71 albums The Black Angel, Red Clay, and Straight Life and embraced jazz-funk on the 1974–76 titles High Energy, Liquid Love, and […]
Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 — February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter of the hard bop era and a central figure on the Blue Note label. By his late teens, he recorded with John Coltrane, Curtis Fuller, and Dizzy Gillespie, then became a regular in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His work as sideman […]
Wayne Shorter (1933–2003) was an American saxophonist and composer who did stints with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers (1959–64) and Miles Davis (1964–70). Between 1959 and 1970, he recorded fourteen bandleader albums for Blue Note. In 1971, he co-founded Weather Report, a jazz-funk supergroup with Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul. Background Wayne Shorter was born […]
Tony Williams (1945–1997) was an American jazz drummer who emerged in the second Miles Davis Quintet. As Anthony Williams, he cut the 1965/66 Blue Note albums Life Time and Spring. After Miles, Williams formed Lifetime, a pioneering jazz-rock band that cut the 1969–72 Polydor albums Emergency!, Turn It Over, Ego, and The Old Bum’s Rush. […]
Material was an American avant-rock/No Wave band from NYC that released three EPs between 1979 and 1981 on Red Records, followed by two albums on Celluloid. Bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Fred Maher worked concurrently with Material guest Fred Frith in Massacre. Members: Bill Laswell (bass), Fred Maher (drums), Michael Beinhorn (keyboards), Cliff Cultreri (guitar), […]
Bitches Brew is the second album from the electric phase of American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on March 30, 1970, on Columbia Records. The album fully realized the jazz-rock fusion direction Davis had been exploring, pushing it to its furthest, most abstract limits. It combined free-form jazz improvisation with a dense, electrified sound. The […]
In a Silent Way is the first album from the electric phase of American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on July 30, 1969, on Columbia Records. The album marked a dramatic change in Davis’s musical direction. Following the more acoustic, post-bop sound of his second quintet, In a Silent Way pioneered the genre of jazz […]
Miles Smiles is an album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on February 16, 1967 on Columbia Records. The album is a landmark of post-bop and avant-garde jazz, serving as a prime showcase for Davis’s renowned Second Great Quintet. With a loose, free-flowing rhythmic feel and a focus on abstract improvisation, the album marked […]
Miles in the Sky is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released on July 22, 1968, on Columbia Records. The album is a pivotal moment in Davis’s career, serving as a transitional bridge between the acoustic post-bop of his Second Great Quintet and the electric jazz fusion of his later work. It […]
Man-Child is the fourteenth proper studio album by jazz-funk keyboardist Herbie Hancock, released in August 1975 on Columbia Records. et Tracklist: A1. “Hang Up Your Hang Ups” (7:28) A2. “Sun Touch” (5:10) A3. “The Traitor” (9:37) B1. “Bubbles” (9:01) B2. “Steppin’ in It” (8:41) B3. “Heartbeat” (5:16) Credits: Herbie Hancock — piano, fender rhodes electric […]
Black Market is the fifth studio album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble Weather Report, released in 1976 on Columbia Records. Tracklist: A1. “Black Market” (6:30) A2. “Cannon Ball” (4:35) A3. “Gibraltar” (7:45) B1. “Elegant People” (5:02) B2. “Three Clowns” (3:14) B3. “Barbary Coast” (3:05) B4. “Herandnu” (6:35) Credits: Joe Zawinul — synthesizer, rhodes electric piano, grand […]
Wild Things Run Fast is the eleventh studio album by Canadian singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1982 on Geffen. Tracklist: A1. “Chinese Cafe / Unchained Melody” (5:17) A2. “Wild Things Run Fast” (2:12) A3. “Ladies’ Man” (2:37) A4. “Moon at the Window” (3:42) A5. “Solid Love” (2:57) B1. “Be Cool” (4:12) B2. “(You’re So Square) […]
The V.S.O.P. Quintet was an American post-pop/jazz supergroup featuring the seasoned talents of keyboardist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams. The band released two live double-LPs in 1977 and a third in 1979, followed by a studio album, all on CBS/Sony. Members: Herbie Hancock (keyboards), Freddie […]
Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter is the ninth studio album by Canadian singer–songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on December 13, 1977, as a two-record set on Asylum. A1. “Overture / Cotton Avenue” 6:35 | | Guitar and Vocal – Joni Mitchell Bass – Jaco Pastorius Drums – John Guerin A2. “Talk to Me” 3:40 | | Guitar […]
Tempest in the Colosseum is a live album by post-bop supergroup V.S.O.P., released in 1977 on Japanese Columbia. The recording was taken from a July 23, 1977, date at Tokyo’s Den-En Colosseum. Tracklist: A. “Eye of the Hurricane” (15:54) B1. “Diana” (4:26) B2. “Eighty-One” (12:50) C1. “Maiden Voyage” (11:48) C2. “Lawra” (8:08) D. “Red Clay” […]
Weather Report is the debut album by the namesake multinational jazz-rock ensemble, released in 1971 on CBS/Columbia. Tracklist: A1. “Milky Way” (2:30) A2. “Umbrellas” (3:24) A3. “Seventh Arrow” (5:20) A4. “Orange Lady” (8:40) B1. “Morning Lake” (4:23) B2. “Waterfall” (6:18) B3. “Tears” (3:22) B4. “Eurydice” (5:43) Credits: Joe Zawinul — piano, electric piano Wayne Shorter […]
Sweetnighter is an album by multinational jazz-funk collective Weather Report, released in 1973 on Columbia. The album is their third longplayer and second full-studio effort. Tracklist: A1. “Boogie Woogie Waltz” (13:01) A2. “Manolete” (5:50) A3. “Adios” (2:56) B1. “125th Street Congress” (12:12) B2. “Will” (6:13) B3. “Non-Stop Home” (4:50) Credits: Joe Zawinul — electric piano, piano, […]
