The Joy of Learning to Play an Instrument Later in Life

More people in their 50s and 60s are finding that taking up a musical instrument or singing improves their lives in many ways…

/>On song ... Ella Fitzgerald in the 1950s. ;">Saturday 22 April 2017 06.00 EDT…

A Servant of Rhythm From Ghana, in Texas

"When the Count Basie orchestra came north from Kansas City in the fall of 1936, they made gigs in Chicago (The Grand Terrace) and New York (Roseland Ballroom), but they also had a few runs in early 1937 in Pittsburgh where they played in the Chatterbox Room in Steel Town's Hotel William Penn. The giant of the bass, Ray Brown, had an older brother who had a job at the Hotel William Penn and he brought his 10 year old kid brother to work. The Count Basie Orchestra did quite a bit of…

THE MUSICIANS FOUNDATION

By

Nelson E. Harrison, Ph. D., RA, ASCAP

November 18, 2005 10:56 PM – February 23, 2017 12:29 AM

"Jazz musicians are the only workers who will put in a full shift for pay and then go somewhere else and continue to work for free."---George Carlin

All joking aside musicians are an endangered species.  They are dying off…

Friends! Please accept my apologies for the recent radio silence.... I will work on doing better, especially in these distressingly troubling times, at maintaining communication. The Book of Face and the Tweeter and the 'Gram are excellent tools for…

Bill "Honky Tonk" Doggett  just turned 101 years old yesterday, February 16th 2017

London's BLUES&RHYTHM Magazine just published this Feature based on my longer Feature article submitted.     The Melody lingers on.  Visit the Tribute website. http://billdoggettcentennial.com…

I'm passing along Phil Schaap's account of Fred Staton's 102nd birthday bash:

An outpouring of love as well as a display of pure musical joy occurred at Local 802 (the Big Apple branch of the American Federation of Musicians) as several hundred gathered to celebrate the 102nd birthday of Fred Staton (born Sunday, February 14, 1915). Fred attended and played!!!! Mr. Staton is a tenor saxophonist. Robert Smalls, the last African American Congressman from the days of Reconstruction,…

February marks the beginning of Black History Month. Various institutions will celebrate the accomplishments of Black citizens, who rightly deserve acknowledgement for their achievements. Phil Schaap will host his annual Black History Month broadcast, in honor of those musicians who, at the forefront of racial discrimination, created a legacy of incomparable music.

Saturday, (2/4), 6:00 PM (EST) - Fletcher Henderson's music will be explored. Henderson, a graduate of Atlanta College,…

Pittsburgh Jazz royalty, Roy Eldridge, would turn 106, Monday (1/30). His contribution to Jazz is paramount. Whether swinging as a twenty-one year old in the Vitaphone short, "Smash Your Baggage", or singing a songbook standard, Roy Eldridge delivers! Always an innovator, his legacy remains, not as a bridge between the genius of Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, but as a trailblazer, defined by a captivating take-no-prisoner bravado and an elastic, relaxed swing.

Join WKCR.org on…

With a song in his heart, West has entertained thousands for decades

Thursday, December 15, 2016 - Updated: 7:52 AM

By PAULA A. SMITH Correspondent

Photo by Nelson Harrison

West, 84, and his great nephew Cameron Nino performed recently at the Village of Pennwood personal care home in…

Another Door to return ( Difference Multiply Hard Light Inv.Polar )

The door back ( Hard light difference II Color burn pinceladas Zoom Destello )…

from May to December.... but the daze grow short, when you reach September"

And the sweet lyrics of Maxwell Anderson mean as much today as when Kurt Weill put them to music in 1938. My favorite version will always be Billy Eckstein's.  Here is a link to hear his incredible performance:

https://youtu.be/baP_cFd8j4E

For me.... I hope I get some precious daze with you sometime soon.

My shows that I have lined up are…

After 30 Albums and 3 Recent Prizes, a Jazzman Flirts With the Mainstream

Photo…