Elvin Jones, Carla Bley, Dizzy Gillespie, Jeff Watts, Charles Fambrough, Chico Freeman, the Marsalis brothers, Angela Bofill, Youssou N’Dour, Sting, Kenny Garrett, … the list goes on and on. the quality and variety of the above artists, all of who were associated professionally with Kirkland is a testament to his
I can still remember the first time i heard Joe Henderson’s playing. Some 20 years ago when i was a college student living in a dormitory, i was in my room listening to some music. i won’t mention what it was- i’ll just say that it was music that many
Maceo Parker set the template for modern funk saxophone. if you listen to anyone who came up with him and after him- David Sanborn, Grover Washington, Arthur Blythe, the late Michael Brecker, Kenny Garrett, etc.- you’ll hear his substantial influence in their sound, phrasing and melodic choices. Parker’s story is
Tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore always impresses with his rock solid technique, a darkly brilliant sound and consistently inventive improvising. i’ve been a big fan of Moore since hearing his session, Images featuring trumpeter Terence Blanchard and pianist Benny Green. with his rendering of “Skylark” from his Savoy recording, Who Is
Booker Little, like Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro, was a young trumpeter who left us before he realized his full potential. but in the time he was here, he left us with several awesome examples of his compositional genuis and deeply moving improvisations. by the time he passed at the
Oliver Nelson has always been one of my favorite saxophonists. i heard him the first time on the record Blues And The Abstract Truth, the classic from the Impulse catalogue. i was always struck by how ordered his solos sound, as if every note were intentional. but he always tempered