Ted Rosenthal’s new trio album, “The Good Old Days,” will release on May 1, 2026, marking his return after 30 years of active performance and teaching. This album pays homage to classic jazz styles and features ten tracks, including guest Ken Peplowski. It reflects Rosenthal’s vibrant reinterpretations of earlier music while continuing his legacy in the jazz scene.
Creed Taylor in 1979
Today marks what would have been the 95th birthday of Creed Taylor, a producer celebrated for his subtle yet impactful influence in the jazz music industry. Despite facing significant challenges, including CTI’s bankruptcy in 1978, Taylor’s dedication to crossover music has left a lasting legacy, exemplified by his nurturing of artists like Wes Montgomery. His approach, blending commercial elements with jazz, aimed to broaden the genre’s appeal without compromising its essence, a reflection of his deep commitment to both the art and its artists.
The 2024 Reissue List
The post discusses various 2024 vinyl reissues of Creed Taylor productions, spotlighting artists like Idris Muhammad, Nina Simone, and Stan Getz among others. Each entry details the vinyl quality, special editions, and availability across different regions, with mentions of both European and U.S. sources. The author, not owning most releases, encourages reader input to keep the music legacy alive. Links to past posts on older reissues are provided for readers seeking more information.
Jim Beard and the Keyboard In the Sky
Back right around the time life was returning to the new normal after the great intermission, I made contact with Jim Beard again and offered him a bottle of his favorite bourbon to finally agree on a date for an interview. Jim had plans to tour with Steely Dan, and I was busy with life. We exchanged a few more emails, but the interview never happened. Sadly, it’s been posted on social media via friends and contacts that Jim passed away last week.
Remembering Creed Taylor On His Born Day
It’s late on May13th, 2023. I didn’t want today to pass without remembering Creed Taylor on the anniversary of his birth in 1929. The feedback, comments and subscriptions to this website from social media have far exceeded the original number I thought might be interested in Creed Taylor’s work. More than 2,000 receive notifications and emails for each post. I’m […]
Farewell Ronnie Cuber
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 George’s career 1966-1967, as well as touring, Cuber appeared on […]
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 1980’s, depending on where you read about it. The music […]
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 Creed Taylor month in future years. My prior Creed Taylor […]
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 starts at 7:30pm Pacific Time and all the details can […]
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 decay. For a short period, we had a company rented […]
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 don’t have it. In this post I’ll look at that […]
The Story of the CTI All-Stars Live
This is the fascinating story of the CTI All-Stars, a pioneering jazz ensemble of the 1970s and beyond. I’ve spanned the history of the group, detailed accounts of individual performances, and the spread of their tours. I also delved into financial aspects and provided insight into the challenges faced by the musicians.
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 of today and tomorrow’s posts couldn’t be more stark though. […]
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 has said: The critics, that’s what they get paid for, […]