Ella Fitzgerald’s version of “Mack The Knife” is from her highly acclaimed Ella in Berlin, released in 1960. Fitzgerald had long been established as one of the leading jazz performers since her debut in the 1930s with Chick Webb’s band. She had mastered bebop, perfected scatting, and had gone throughContinue Reading
Candice Hoyes pays homage to Duke Ellington’s “Far Away Star” with a contemporary arrangement by Ted Nash. Ellington originally recorded “Far Away Star with Swedish singer Alice Babs back in 1978. Hoyes’ rendition serves as a tribute to Ellington, freedom, and the Black experience—past, present, and future. Her compelling sopranoContinue Reading
Gil Scott-Heron initially recorded “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” for his 1970 live album, Small Talk at 125th and Lennox. Heron performed the poem about the realness of revolution before a studio audience with nothing but congas and bongos. The poem was a response to The Last Poet’s “WhenContinue Reading
Butcher Brown’s Letters from the Atlantic has landed. The band has guests Yaya Bey, Victoria Victoria, Leanor Wolf, Nicholas Payton, and more to their Solar Music followup. LFTA is hazy and atmospheric but still very much grounded in earthier grooves from their jazz, funk, soul, and hip-hop roots. They evenContinue Reading