Ethan Iverson has been writing about jazz for 15 years, mostly on his blog Do the Math. While he was the founding pianist of the Bad Plus, these days Iverson performs in a duo with Mark Turner and in Billy Hart’s quartet, has a longstanding relationship with Mark Morris, and teaches at the New England Conservatory of Music.
Ethan Iverson on social media
In the wake of the stunning commercial success of Wynton and Branford Marsalis, record companies rushed to put out more hip and swinging product from … Read More “Chronology: Ralph Peterson and Geri Allen in the Late ’80s”
My assignment for this month’s column was to write about Basra, the classic 1965 Blue Note album by drummer Pete “La Roca” Sims (1938-2012), so … Read More “Chronology: Steve Swallow Remembers Pete La Roca”
In September, the jazz community was rocked by the near-simultaneous passings of pianists Harold Mabern, Larry Willis, and Richard Wyands. Each night during his week … Read More “Chronology: Remembering Harold Mabern, Larry Willis, and Richard Wyands”
Ron Carter is the most recorded bassist in history, on more than 2,200 sessions, over 50 of them as a leader or co-leader. Three of … Read More “Chronology: Ron Carter Leaves “Stadium Jazz” Behind”
In March 2020, McCoy Tyner passed at age 81, leaving behind a vast legacy of powerful piano on record. Naturally, many of the obituaries focused … Read More “Chronology: McCoy Tyner, Sideman”
The most visible aspects of Eubie Blake’s unique career were in two discrete stages: first as a songwriter, later as a pianist. Jazz musicians have … Read More “Chronology: Memories of Eubie Blake”
The second Meredith D’Ambrosio album from 1981, Another Time, is a perfect object, absolutely one of a kind. Her voice is low in range but … Read More “Chronology: Another Time by Meredith D’Ambrosio Gets Another Listen”
It only makes sense that Brooklyn-connected big bands have proliferated in recent years, for the borough is stocked with underemployed world-class musicians who can easily … Read More “Chronology: Big Bands of Brooklyn”
In the wake of Jimmy Smith’s breakout success, the Hammond B-3 roster circa 1960 included Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Don Patterson, Baby Face Willette, Freddie Roach, … Read More “Chronology: The Partnership of Larry Young and Woody Shaw”
From the late 1950s until the early 1970s, Ornette Coleman’s most euphonious music was the product of a unique group of like-minded geniuses. The style … Read More “Chronology: Old And New Dreams Stands Apart”
From 1950 to 1967, Paul Desmond played with the wildly successful Dave Brubeck Quartet; their midpoint triumph Time Out from 1959 is a staple on lists of … Read More “Chronology: Paul Desmond and Ed Bickert Made Magic on Pure Desmond“
The rhythm section of Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb enjoyed a celebrated 1959-1962 tenure with Miles Davis, appearing on the studio recordings Kind of … Read More “Chronology: Wynton Kelly Trio at the Left Bank with Three Star Tenor Saxophonists”
Jimmy Lyons had a beautiful and penetrating alto sound: warm, round, slightly bitter. In his lifetime, he mostly put that miraculous sound in service of … Read More “Jimmy Lyons’ Other Afternoons Gets Another Listen”
Today, Gary Peacock is probably best known for his long association with Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette. He also has recorded many excellent albums as … Read More “Chronology: How Gary Peacock Sparked the Avant-Garde”
Bertha Rosemond was born in L.A. in 1936 with perfect pitch and a natural talent for the piano. By junior high she was impressed with … Read More “Chronology: The Underappreciated Career of Bertha Hope”
At the Leverkusen jazz festival in 1993, Shirley Horn sang “The Shadow of Your Smile” at a drag tempo. Her hands delicately drew sensitive harmony … Read More “Chronology: Diva in Bloom”
From this vantage point it may be hard to remember just how influential Dizzy Gillespie was in 1960. Not only did he help connect the … Read More “Chronology: A Statesman with Sticks”
In the late 1980s, the members of the first Ornette Coleman quartet—including Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins—were busy remembering their early years in … Read More “Chronology: Don Cherry’s Reunion Blues”
Nobody embodied the jazz tradition quite like Mary Lou Williams. She was born in 1910 and helped define stride piano, big-band, and boogie-woogie when those … Read More “Chronology: Mary Lou Williams and the Spirits of ’76″
Although the Enja label had more room for hard-swinging jazz of the old school than ECM did, producers Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber were undoubtedly … Read More “Chronology: Three Munich Nights with John Scofield”
James Newton is still best-known for a remarkable series of jazz albums recorded in the 1970s and 1980s, when the flutist was aligned with fearlessly … Read More “Chronology: James Newton’s Lonely Path”
They still call New York the Big Apple, but it’s less crunchy and tart than it used to be. Going to the Village Vanguard in … Read More “Ethan Iverson Remembers Lorraine Gordon”
The Bad Plus’ pianist examines the classical-jazz paradox
