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Louis Armstrong live in Concert

December 11, 2011 / Jose Reyes posted in Videos / No Comments

Louis Armstrong was a major influence on the development of Jazz but many have forgotten him. Not in the sense that they don’t recognize him at all but more on how much of a great musician he was. Not to mention, his unique style of singing voice, seemed to be misinterpreted. “Satchmo” was a great entertainer and a great American. He was known as the “Ambassador of Jazz.” There are so many biographies on him, this one is about the complete one:

(Born August 4, 1901, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.—died July 6, 1971, New York, New York) the leading trumpeter and one of the most influential artists in jazz history.

Armstrong grew up in dire poverty in New Orleans, Louisiana, when jazz was very young. As a child he worked at odd jobs and sang in a boys’ quartet. In 1913 he was sent to the Colored Waifs Home as a juvenile delinquent. There he learned to play cornet in the home’s band, and playing music quickly became a passion; in his teens he learned music by listening to the pioneer jazz artists of the day, including the leading New Orleans cornetist, King Oliver. Armstrong developed rapidly: he played in marching and jazz bands, becoming skillful enough to replace Oliver in the important Kid Ory band about 1918, and in the early 1920s he played in Mississippi riverboat dance bands…..Learn More

Note: Just think, if he wasn’t placed in the special school, would have never learned to play the Cornet.

It is very hard to find footage Louis Armstrong playing in concert but there is a great series of DVD’s named the “Jazz Icons Series.” Visit this link and learn more. You can find all these high grade video there “Louis Armstrong LIVE in 1959″ The videos on this post can be found there.

“When it’s sleepy time down South”:

“Now you has Jazz”:

“Mack the Knife”:

“When the Saints come Marching in“:

Most people alive now and for some time already, fail to realize that his golden days were when he was young. It seems that many people identify him and “picture” him as someone who made it later on in life. It’s really not their fault because of the lack of technology in the early years of Jazz but now Louis Armstrong’s music is being remastered and reissued. This DVD went through the process and look at how great it is.

Highlights of Charles Mingus “Epitaph”

September 28, 2011 / Jose Reyes posted in Videos / No Comments

Charles Mingus, one of the most influential jazz composers of our time, died before he could see his magnum opus performed in its entirety. That’s precisely why he called it Epitaph; he says he wrote it for his tombstone.

Mingus passed in 1979, leaving behind not only a remarkable legacy but a mess of compositions, recording, and notes. When Andrew Homzy went in to archive and catalogue everything, he discovered a massive 500-page score that featured 19 movements for 31 musicians. Epitaph was the largest jazz composition ever written at the time, and was finally performed live in 1989 at the Alice Tully Hall in New York City.

Eagle Vision presents that 1989 performance, which was recorded live for British television, in its original, retro glory. The concert, which lasts over two hours, begins with an introduction by Sue Mingus, Charles’ wife. Once conductor Gunther Schuller takes the stage, however, Epitaph is played straight through with incredible skill and creativity by an orchestra filled with jazz veterans—including a very young Winton Marsalis.

The music itself is incredibly moving and brilliant. If you’re a fan of Mingus, then you’ll instantly recognize his contrapuntal orchestrations, the gospel hymns, swelling low brass sections, and the occasional spoken word segment. While his music can at times be very challenging and chaotic, Mingus’ tunes can also be very accessible. Epitaph is like a history lesson, not only through Mingus’ personal career, but through jazz itself. He weaves in references to other jazz greats (like in the piece “Monk, Bunk & Vice Versa (Osmotin)”) and even does a full-on cover (he tears apart a version of Jelly Roll Morton’s “Wolverine Blues”). Because there were some large gaps in Mingus’ weathered and confusing composition notes, Schuller tried to fill in the blanks a bit. He works in the Mingus classic “Freedom,” which features the entire orchestra chanting behind the recitation of free verse poetry. The individual compositions, much like Mingus’ music in general, are varied and energetic, yet create a cohesive masterpiece. The performance ends with a three-part improvisation by the entire 31-piece orchestra. Risky stuff, but they pull it off beautifully.

Epitaph has only been performed live a handful of times since it was discovered, and this is the first time that its premiere has ever been released on video. If you’re a fan of Charles Mingus, or jazz in general, this is not to be missed………Learn More

Peggy’s Blue Sky:

Wolverine Blues:

Better Get It In Your Soul:

You can Buy the Two-CD Version of Epitaph here