Back in 1930, George Gershwin wrote a tune, “I Got Rhythm”, whose underlying chord structure proved a god-send to jazz musicians for decades to come. “Rhythm Changes” served as the basis for dozens of jazz tunes, which served, in turn, for some of the greatest performances in jazz. We’ll start off with the original, served…
Tag: Lester Young
Law of Supply and Demand not yet a law at Bloomberg.com
Hey, I hate to make fun of a fellow Dutchman, but over at Bloomberg News Simon van Zuylen-Wood really put his foot in it when he wrote the following: “Rent-stabilization laws have their critics, but they account for some of the last sensibly priced apartments in New York City, the second-most-expensive rental market in the…
Lester Young—“Jammin’ the Blues”
Filmed back in 1944, this is simply the coolest jazz video ever, starting out with an opening shot of Lester Young’s pork pie hat. (Sorry, but if I had to tell you, you’re not quite as cool as you might be.) Lester Young is the coyest, least satisfying of the great jazz musicians. He broke…