I was sad to learn from Marc Myers Jazzwax on the passing of Ronnie Cuber, especially in the circumstances [1]Ronnie Cuber (1941-2022) – JazzWax. Ronnie died on October 7th following complications from a surgery he never had that was delayed during COVID. Ronnie Cuber played with George Benson early in […]
CTI On CD Only Volume-2
To complete this years “Creed Taylor Month” here is “CTI On CD Only Volume-2”. Volume-1 was included in this post. As with the first volume, this mix was compiled to demonstrate some of the great music Creed released after the supposed demise of CTI in the late 1970’s or early […]
September is Creed Taylor Month
It’s with more than a hint of sadness that I’m continuing a tradition originally launched in 1968, Creed Taylor month. This year, in fact this week, marks the first time since the legendary producer Creed Taylor passed on to the great studio in the sky. I do plan to continue […]
NEA Jazz Masters 2022
Congratulations to this year’s musicians recognized as 2022 NEA Jazz Masters—Stanley Clarke, Donald Harrison, Jr., Billy Hart, and Cassandra Wilson. There will be a concert tonight live in San Francisco that will also be live streamed and available via many radio stations. For details of the coverage online and on radio, the concert […]
The Street Sounds Mix
We didn’t arrive in New York City Until 1983, giving rise to the saying “I’m not from here, but I got here as quick as I could.” In 1983 New York was still grimy and worn down. Years of mismanagement and underfunding had left whole neighborhoods in a state of […]
Vineland Dreams, NAC, Gavin and Back to the Start
If you listened to FM-radio the USA in late ’95, or the first half of ’96 there is a good chance you heard the last CD of original music released by CTI[1]i.e. not a compilation or a reissue. Otherwise there is every chance you’ve never heard this CD and probably […]
The Story of the CTI All-Stars Live
This is the story of perhaps the greatest all star jazz band ever, as well their later derivatives. The performances, the recordings, the artists and more. It’s a long read, press play, and read on. While you read and listen, ask yourself what you would pay today to see a […]
On This Day: Rhythmstick
Coincidentally, when I started turning my curiosity about Creed Taylor and his producing career into research, it was because I thought it would be fun to cover the event’s of 50-years ago, and the first releases of the startup of the independent CTI Records by Creed Taylor International. The juxtaposition […]
Happy Birthday Creed Taylor!
Today, May 13th, 2020 marks Creed Taylor’s 91st birthday. Hopefully Creed is still well and keeping safe during the current pandemic. I personally owe Creed a debt of gratitude for all the great music and musicians he enabled during his career. Creed is/was a controversial producer, and as Creed himself […]