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Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 152

By Erik Loomis

In General

On September 30, 2017

This is the grave of Miles Davis. For my money, Miles Davis is the greatest jazz musician of all time. This is hardly a novel assertion. I say this not because of his skill as a trumpter or because of his fame, but because he was so critical in pushing the music forward by leaps […]

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 149

By Erik Loomis

On September 27, 2017

This is the grave of Louis Armstrong. One of the greatest and most important musicians of all time, Armstrong was born in 1901 to a poor family in New Orleans. Like many poor kids, he grew up in a bro

General

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 140

By Erik Loomis

On September 1, 2017

This is the grave of Thelonious Monk. Born in 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Monk’s family moved to New York in 1922, part of the Great Migration that took millions of African-Americans ou

Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 133

By Erik Loomis

In General

On August 23, 2017

This is the grave of Jackie McLean. Born in 1931 in Harlem to a jazz family, McLean became one of the premier alto saxophone players of his time. Knowing people such as Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker as a child surely did not hurt and by the time he was in high school, he was […]

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Erik Visits an American Grave, Part 124

By Erik Loomis

On August 10, 2017

This is the grave of Max Roach. Born in 1924 in Newland, North Carolina, Roach’s family moved to Brooklyn in 1928. Roach became a musician from a very young age, his mother being a gospel singer

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I Want to Sign Up for Professor Ra’s Class

By Erik Loomis

On January 3, 2016

You need Sunday School today. Specifically, to listen to Professor Sun Ra lecture in his course he gave in 1971 at UC-Berkeley titled “The Black Man in the Cosmos.” The best part about thi

Satoko Fujii’s Tobira

By Erik Loomis

In General

On November 21, 2015

I was lucky enough to see Satoko Fujii’s quarter Tobira, starring my college roommate Todd Nicholson on bass, at Firehouse 12 in New Haven this evening. This is a clip from a recent show in Buenos Aires. They have one last stop on a tour that can only end in one city if you start […]

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Irving Fields

By Erik Loomis

On October 1, 2015

The other day I was listening to an album by the great Irving Fields, the brilliant pianist who merged jazz, the sort of Jewish-American popular music I associate with Catskills resorts in the 1950s,

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Sun Ra Films

By Erik Loomis

On July 17, 2015

I realized that some of you have probably never seen any of the Sun Ra films. Allow me to alleviate this serious problem in your life.

Ornette Coleman, RIP

By Erik Loomis

In General

On June 11, 2015

Ornette Coleman, one of the greatest jazz musicians to ever live and quite possibly the greatest jazz musician living in 2015, has died at the age of 85. I guess I’d now give that greatest living jazz musician title to either Cecil Taylor or William Parker. Probably the latter. ….Also of course Sonny Rollins, who […]

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Smith/Taborn/Maneri

By Erik Loomis

On April 11, 2015

Last night, I was fortunate enough to see a band headed by the drummer Ches Smith that also included the pianist Craig Taborn and the viola player Mat Maneri at Firehouse 12 in New Haven. They are all

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Sakata

By Erik Loomis

On April 9, 2015

Have a peaceful and quiet evening with Akira Sakata.

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