Dexter Gordon and the Truth of ’Round Midnight
Jazz films have a tendency to let you know that they’re very much about jazz. The medium—and the clichés associated with it—can become a hook … Read More “Dexter Gordon and the Truth of ’Round Midnight“
Colin Fleming
Colin Fleming writes fiction and nonfiction on myriad topics—art, film, music, sports, literature, current events—for a wide range of publications, and talks regularly on radio and podcasts. His most recent books are an entry in the 33 1/3 series on Sam Cooke’s Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, a volume about the 1951 film Scrooge as the ultimate work of cinematic terror, and the story collection, If You [ ]: Fabula, Fantasy, F**kery, Hope. Find him on the web at colinfleminglit.com (where he maintains the unique online journal, the Many Moments More blog) and on Twitter @colinfleminglit. He lives in Boston and has contributed to JazzTimes since 2006.
Colin Fleming on social media
JazzTimes 10: Jelly Roll Morton’s Greatest Performances
Jelly Roll Morton was the first musician of any kind—and what a kind he was—who made me ask myself, “Is this guy for real?” The … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Jelly Roll Morton’s Greatest Performances”
Sean Khan: Supreme Love: A Journey Through Coltrane (BBE)
Inspiration takes all forms. The most common, when it comes to music, is a type of mimicry. The best, though, suggests a new direction. This … Read More “Sean Khan: Supreme Love: A Journey Through Coltrane (BBE)”
JazzTimes 10: Miles Davis’ Live Albums
Recently I was at a café wrapping up a day by reading Edwardian ghost stories, bored by the music on the sound system and not … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Miles Davis’ Live Albums”
Highest Trane: John Coltrane’s World-Building Ascension
Conventional wisdom—and many people’s understanding of jazz history—asserts that John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme is the saxophonist’s masterpiece. Recorded in a single session with his … Read More “Highest Trane: John Coltrane’s World-Building Ascension“
The Other Scott LaFaro
A jazz musician’s legacy can be a multifarious slope. Sometimes it’s defined by contrasting stylistic paths that amalgamate into a career, as with Miles Davis. … Read More “The Other Scott LaFaro”
Coda: Charlie Christian at Minton’s
Sometimes I like to imagine I’m a workaday jazz musician from a very specific point in time. It’s May 1941 in New York City. I’m … Read More “Coda: Charlie Christian at Minton’s”
Coda: An Eric Dolphy Solo Masterpiece, “God Bless the Child”
If the obvious titans of 1960s jazz—Miles, Coltrane, Mingus, Ornette—are fingers that point the way forward, Eric Dolphy is the webbing at the base of … Read More “Coda: An Eric Dolphy Solo Masterpiece, “God Bless the Child””
Walter Page: Freedom Bass Dance
Were it possible to measure the weight of a band’s sound, I’m not sure you could find a greater scale-tipper than the Count Basie Orchestra … Read More “Walter Page: Freedom Bass Dance”
Billie (Greenwich Entertainment)
There is an abiding paradox to the life of Billie Holiday, which is the core tenet of her art: In theory you should feel bad … Read More “Billie (Greenwich Entertainment)”
A Christmas Waltz with Duke Ellington
I was in a Starbucks recently, alone, after a long day of work. It was one of those early December evenings—say, 6:30—when it feels like … Read More “A Christmas Waltz with Duke Ellington”
Art Tatum on V-Disc
World War II shut down large parts of the entertainment industry, including the recording segment. But Uncle Sam wanted to make sure that the boys … Read More “Art Tatum on V-Disc”
Ella Fitzgerald: The Lost Berlin Tapes (Verve)
Were there a jazz rainbow—let’s call it a swinging rainbow—that ended in a pot of musical gold sufficiently effulgent as to immediately merit the word … Read More “Ella Fitzgerald: The Lost Berlin Tapes (Verve)”
Charlie Parker, the Birth of Bebop, and America’s Greatest Recording Session
It is November 26, 1945 in New York City, the Monday morning after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and producer Teddy Reig has arrived at the apartment … Read More “Charlie Parker, the Birth of Bebop, and America’s Greatest Recording Session”
Maria Golia: Ornette Coleman: The Territory and the Adventure (Reaktion)
Were you an ardent fan of hard bop, circa 1960, with an additional yen for progressive mages like John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, you might … Read More “Maria Golia: Ornette Coleman: The Territory and the Adventure (Reaktion)”
The Day Louis Armstrong Lost His Color: A Short Story
Louis Armstrong awoke one morning wanting to make some music, but when he sat in front of the mirror of his hotel bedroom—because he liked … Read More “The Day Louis Armstrong Lost His Color: A Short Story”
Of “St. James Infirmary” and COVID-19
Times are seldom what one wishes them to be when the word “frontline” is commonly used. It suggests that a pernicious edge has encroached upon … Read More “Of “St. James Infirmary” and COVID-19”
JazzTimes 10: Best of the Other Blue Note Artists
We all know the big names of Blue Note Records—Coltrane, Rollins, Monk, Davis, Silver, Blakey, Hancock, Shorter, and so on—as well we should. But what … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Best of the Other Blue Note Artists”
Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things (Eagle Rock)
Watching Ella Fitzgerald insist upon making her way from the streets of Harlem—and insist she does—to an outcome that anyone else would have thought beyond … Read More “Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things (Eagle Rock)”
Mr. Elegant: Jimmy Cobb Reconsidered
In the late 1950s, a time when jazz drumming was dominated by a powerhouse groove style, Jimmy Cobb was the sticksman to whom you turned … Read More “Mr. Elegant: Jimmy Cobb Reconsidered”
Of George Floyd and John Coltrane
There is a motivic whirr to the blade of a helicopter that makes me think of the rhythmic pulses in the music of John Coltrane. … Read More “Of George Floyd and John Coltrane”
Francis Wolff: Jazz Images (Elemental)
There are times I have watched the artful dissolves in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane and wished there was a way to hang them on museum … Read More “Francis Wolff: Jazz Images (Elemental)”
A Voice With 10 Fingers: McCoy Tyner After Trane
If you came of musical age on rock & roll, as I did, and you then turned to jazz, chances are as high as a … Read More “A Voice With 10 Fingers: McCoy Tyner After Trane”
Hank Mobley: The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70 (Mosaic)
Miles Davis, an exacting man, excised many of Hank Mobley’s solos from the recordings they made at San Francisco’s Black Hawk club in April 1961. … Read More “Hank Mobley: The Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-70 (Mosaic)”
A Bessie Smith Christmas
If you’re at all like me, a healthy serving of jazz helps you through the holidays. I love Christmas, but assorted right hooks and uppercuts … Read More “A Bessie Smith Christmas”
JazzTimes 10: Songs for a Jazzier Halloween
Jazz certainly loves its autumn leaves, going by its taste in standards. And its plaintive, twilight horns can sound like so many gusts of wind, … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Songs for a Jazzier Halloween”
Stan Getz: Getz at the Gate (Verve)
Any newly discovered vintage Stan Getz live tape has to shoulder some formidable competition—especially if you believe that the finest recordings he ever cut were … Read More “Stan Getz: Getz at the Gate (Verve)”
When Billie Holiday Came to Boston
Boston’s Kenmore Square is the conflux of streets that have long seemed to come together for one central purpose: to sweep passersby in the direction … Read More “When Billie Holiday Came to Boston”
The Perfect Fourth of July Jazz Record
As the Fourth of July comes around each year, I wonder how many people out there in the Republic are upping the quantity of Louis … Read More “The Perfect Fourth of July Jazz Record”
JazzTimes 10: Jazz on Film
When it comes to symbiosis, jazz and cinema aren’t exactly the clownfish and the sea anemone. Cinema asks us to travel with our eyes, to … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Jazz on Film”