Category Archives: Piano
Raw Copy of Benny Green’s Blindfold Test from Around 2000—He’s 49 Today
It’s the 49th birthday of Benny Green, one of my favorite pianists for many years. I’m appending below the unedited complete DownBeat Blindfold Test that he did with me more than a decade ago. * * * Benny Green Blindfold … Continue reading
Filed under Benny Green, Blindfold Test, DownBeat, Piano, Uncategorized
For Cecil Taylor’s 83rd Birthday, A Jazziz Article From 2001
Master pianist and meta-musician-poet-dancer Cecil Taylor turns 83 today. I had the honor of writing a lengthy feature about him in 2001 for Jazziz, which I’ve appended below, as well as the transcripts of phone interviews that Andrew Cyrille and … Continue reading
Filed under Article, Cecil Taylor, Jazziz, Piano
Two Conversations With Eddie Palmieri, Who Turns 75 Today
To observe the 75th birthday of maestro Eddie Palmieri, “El Rey de las Blancas y las Negras,” I’m posting a pair of interviews conducted, respectively, in 2003 and 2005. The first is the raw transcript of a conversation with Mr. … Continue reading
Filed under Eddie Palmieri, Interview, Piano
A Jazziz Article on McCoy Tyner from 2003 {Plus Interviews}
To mark the 73rd birthday of piano maestro McCoy Tyner, I’m posting a feature article about that I had the opportunity to write for Jazziz in 2003. I’ve attached below the verbatim transcripts of the two interviews that I conducted … Continue reading
Comments Off
Filed under Article, Jazziz, McCoy Tyner, Piano
Two Interviews with Mal Waldron on The 86th Anniversary of His Birth
For the 86th birthday anniversary of the pianist-composer Mal Waldron, I’m offering a pair of interviews conducted during the last 16 months of his life. Our first encounter occurred in late August of 2001, when Waldron was performing at the … Continue reading
Filed under DownBeat, Interview, Mal Waldron, Piano
An Interview with Dave Brubeck, July 23, 2007
A recent press release from the Detroit Jazz Festival stated that 90-year-old Dave Brubeck, advised by his doctors that it would be a bad idea for him to travel, had cancelled his scheduled concert, A vivid force in American music … Continue reading
Hank Jones (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) — His 93rd Birthday Anniversary
It’s the 93rd birthday anniversary of the pianist Hank Jones, who died last May at 91. His final years comprise a case study of a profile in courage — himself struggling with several illnesses, each of which might have felled … Continue reading
Dr. Billy Taylor, 90th birthday anniversary: Interview, Oct. 14, 1999
For the ninetieth birthday anniversary of Dr. Billy Taylor, who passed away last December 28th, I’m posting an interview from October 1999, for the liner notes of a CD documenting a live performance at Manhattan’s Blue Note. For various reasons, … Continue reading
Filed under Dr. Billy Taylor, Interview, Piano
