Here is my teacher George Russell with a 1958 composition, Billy The Kid, written for and featuring Bill Evans. Some incredible writing and playing here.
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The great Bill Evans tune here in a recent performance of Larry and myself. This coincided with the release of my new CD TWIN BILL.
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Jaki Byard / Giant Steps
This really shows What Jaki is about as a pianist. He nails everything from solo piano to stride to straight ahead blowing to big band shout chorus arranging in one solo! WHAT A JOY!!
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Sheila Jordan, the greatest ever…
When I left the Tony Williams Lifetime, when I was still in New York, I had the chance to work and record with Sheila Jordan. We made a record called Confirmation, with Roswell Rudd, Beaver Harris, Cameron Brown and Norman Marnell. Sheila really taught me so much about learning to trust oneself in the spirit of creating. She encouraged me to take chances, and really helped me getting my creative feet planted in terra firma. Whenever she comes to the West Coast, we work together. Sheila continues to inspire whomever she touches, wherever she is. I love her madly. Check out this inspirational video, done by Bret Primack.
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Twin Bill GOOD NEWS!!
Good news for TWIN BILL fans….I just received word that Twin Bill has debuted at #16 on Jazz Week Radio Airplay charts. It was the third MOST ADDED recording and the second MOST INCREASED AIRPLAY for the week!
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my teacher Jaki Byard
Here is a great clip of Jaki and Earl Hines together with Alan Dawson in Berlin, circa 1965. How different are their styles, but yet, they fit together like tomatoes and basil.
Hi gang,
Here is a track from my latest CD, TWIN BILL, which will be released on Friday. If you are in Los Angeles, please come and hear myself and Larry Koonse on guitar playing some of the tracks of this new recording. Why guitar you ask? Because Vitello’s the venue in Studio City does not have 2 pianos. And because Larry Koonse is incredible. 8PM.
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Check Out Dave McKenna
Dave McKenna is one of the greats. I used to see him play on the Cape at the Columns restaurant in West Dennis. He was a “fixture” and I would stop by to hear him often. He also had a gig at the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston for many years. A famous story: he had a transistor radio always tuned in to the Red Sox game, and during the gig, he would be listening to the game while he was playing. One of the GREAT solo pianists EVER. His opening 8 bars of Thou Swell is simply amazing. 3 parts going on at once. Wow. THANK YOU, Dave.
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NEW CD released SEPT. 20th!!
I am so very happy about this. It is called TWIN BILL, (BFM Jazz) and it is TWO piano music of BILL EVANS, my biggest influence throughout my life. I have recorded it like CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF, so I am overdubbing myself on the second piano track. The recording has lots of space, to let my beautiful Yamaha S6 shine. I hope you all enjoy this. It really has been a life’s worth of work and reflection to make this record. My ultimate goal was to pay the ultimate respect to Bill Evans. There is also a very funny tie in with baseball. Those of you who know me, know that I love baseball as much as I love the Jazz culture. I hope that both are alive and well on TWIN BILL I would love to hear what you think.
Alan
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Welcome to my new website
Lots of good energy and hopes and prayers for everyone on the East Coast who has been touched by the hurricane. I hope you and your families are all well and that you are able to put all the pieces back together again. Red Sox are resting today….big week ahead.