Top 10 Favorite Rufus Reid Tracks

The great bassist/composer Rufus Reid turns 80 today and is still going strong, glory hallelujah. He has multiple legacies that would each be the envy of most. As a bassist he is one of the pillars of his generation, anchoring important sessions by giants such as Joe Henderson, J.J. Johnson, Stan Getz, Marian McPartland, George…

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Top 10 Favorite J.J. Johnson Tracks

In sports there are some particularly superlative athletes who also stick around long enough for observers to remark that if you divided their careers in half, each half would represent a career worthy of the corresponding hall of fame. While that’s not the way jazz works, exactly, the same principle applies to J.J. Johnson, who…

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Top 10 Favorite Les McCann Tracks

I remember exactly where I was (what car, on what road, in what direction, on what radio station) when, as a college undergraduate, I first heard the iconic 1969 performance of “Compared to What” by Les McCann and Eddie Harris. I could count on one hand the number of Les McCann references I heard from…

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Top 10 Favorite Gregory Tardy Tracks

I have been a fan of saxophonist Gregory Tardy’s music for over two decades and am thrilled to have the opportunity (on 10/28/23) to join him on the proverbial bandstand for the first time, presenting a program of his compositions and personal reflections to wrap up the 2023 Jazz Up Close series. Though he’s only…

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Top 10 Favorite Sunny Jain Tracks

I am thrilled that Sunny Jain will be visiting Wesleyan University’s campus for a concert this Saturday afternoon and then coming back throughout the academic year for a residency. Best known for leading the band Red Baraat, he is a remarkable drummer, composer, dhol player, bandleader, entrepreneur, and activist. I also have the privilege of…

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Top 10 Favorite Peter Gabriel Tracks

I have loved Peter Gabriel for most of my life and on some level have only in recent years realized the degree to which that’s true. It’s a funny thing about inspiration, something I talk about often when teaching jazz history or other sorts of history/appreciation courses – the narratives favor clear-cut lines of influence,…

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Top 10 Favorite Philly Joe Jones Tracks

I missed posting this on the 100th birth anniversary of Philly Joe Jones by a day, but my celebration thereof continues. Generally I’m very careful in suggesting any superlativeness in these inherently subjective Top 10 lists. However, there has never been a musician who has swung harder than Philly Joe and there never will be,…

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