Revive-Music celebrating Sonny Hollins Birthday
Testing the waters where I haven’t been before. A type of music that has been around longer than most but doesn’t get as much publicity as others. Consisted of either a flute, saxophone or clarinet, Jazz music is the smooth calming sound of the music family. Reviewing over the top jazz albums from 2014, Sonny Hollins, Keith Jarret & Charlie Haden and Kenny Barron & Dave Holland was like opening a door to a fully furnished room. Everything was in top form and is complete with what it has in it.
- Sonny Hollins – Passing at the age of 84 Hollins career was nothing short of success. Whenever he was 13 years old he was handed his first saxophone. Hollins started out as a pianist in high school but later made the transition to tenor in 1946. When his first recorded in 1949 he had already worked with people like Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. Like everyone else life presented its struggles to Hollins. He had served some time in jail for drug use. Later reinventing himself his most recent album Road Shows, Vol 3(Okeh) is consisted of his unissued live performances from 2001-2012, topped at number one last year. The sample that I heard was more of an uptempo beat that sounds like it would be played at the beginning of the Cosby Show.
- Coming in at number two is the duet of Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden. Last Dance(ECM) was Haden’s final album before he died last July. Its sample was a slow flow that had me thinking deeply. I actually envisioned I was at a poetry slam or something while listening. Currently Keith Jarrett is still battling chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS) but doesn’t stop him from performing live across the world.
- Kenny Barron & Dave Holland is another duel threat when they are together. Listening to their song The Oracle from their The Art of Conversation(impulse) album was probably my favorite of the three. Something I can consistently play when getting my work done to keep me focused. Seeing that Holland is on longer with us, there is only one left of the one-two punch. Nominated for nine Grammy awards and into the Jazz Hall of Fame, Barron has taught pianist like Earl MacDonald and Aaron Parks at the Juilliard School of Music
Music = Life 