Alice Coltrane: The Mystic Voice of Jazz
Detroit, Michigan, August 27, 1937 Los Angeles, California, January 12, 2007 Alice McLeod Turiyasangitananda remains one of the most enigmatic and groundbreaking figures in 20th-century music. A pianist, organist, harpist, composer, and bandleader, her name is often linked to that of her husband, saxophonist John Coltrane. However, her career extends far beyond being the “wife […]
Dottie Dodgion: the drummer who defied jazz conventions (and stereotypes…)
Brea, California, September 23, 1929 September 17, 2021 Dottie Dodgion, born Dorothy Rosalie Giaimo in 1929, became one of jazz’s most influential yet underrated figures. Growing up in California in a family struggling with financial difficulties, she found solace in music, leading to an extraordinary career. With a natural sense of rhythm and unwavering dedication, […]
Vi Redd: three essential albums
Lady Soul (1963) One of her earliest recordings as a bandleader, this album showcases the depth of her musical soul. With a mix of jazz standards and original compositions, the record highlights her blues-drenched saxophone phrasing and charismatic voice. Here we have We’ll be together again (Carl T. Fischer, Frankie Laine): Bird Call (1962): This […]
Vi Redd: a female alto saxophonist filled with talent and resilience
Los Angeles, California, September 20, 1928 February 6, 2022 In the jazz scene of the 1940s, a female alto saxophonist stands out: Elvira “Vi” Redd, a talented musician from California, born in the late 1920s. Beginnings and influences Raised in a family deeply immersed in music, Vi Redd distinguished herself as one of the few […]
Lorez Alexandria: some curiosities and her final recordings
Two more masterpieces appear under her contract with King Records: The Band Swings, Lorez Sings and Singing Songs That Everyone Knows (also titled Standards with a Slight Touch of Jazz). In the first of these, her voice stands out over an orchestral backdrop, marking her first collaboration with an orchestra. Her ability to swing, scat, […]
Lorez Alexandria: The Best Is Yet to Come…
Chicago, Illinois, August 14, 1929 Los Angeles, California, May 22, 2001 [… ]. The best is yet to come and babe, won’t it be fine? You think you’ve seen the sun, but you ain’t never, never seen it shine A-wait till the warm-up’s underway Wait till our lips have met And wait till you find […]
