James Rivers Movement << Back to Jazz James Rivers Movement is a mixture of Rock, progressive Jazz, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel; the sort of music that implies something for everybody when it's played. Rivers, one of only three Jazz musicians ever known to play the bagpipes, would probably call himself a saxophonist, but his forte is really an amazing musical dexterity that has helped him master a dozen other instruments.
My Dad always used to play Dave Brubeck. He was recently honored at the Kennedy Center Awards and some of his stuff isn't bad. Not a jazz fan myself, but from what the show played of his stuff, maybe the old man had something there.
I am a modest jazz fan myself, but I prefer the jazz rock fusion sound to pure jazz, and I am not a fan of scat singing, so no Ella Fitzgerald in my house...
I`m with you on that I can`t get my head around scat but I don`t seem to mind the bits that Alvin Lee Chomps out. Louis Armstrong and Dave Brubeck are two that get my jazzy side bopping, Django Reindhart too.
for guitar I would say these three for the early years Django Reinhardt Charlie Christian Wes Montgomery Piano Oscar Peterson drums Max Roach Buddy Rich trumpet Dizzy Gilespie
Here are some more, some of them from as early as the 20's Sidney Bechet King Oliver Benny Goodman (also Big Band) Eddie Condon Bill Davison Johnny Dodds Jelly Roll Morton Tommy Dorsey (also Big Band) Artie Shaw Glenn Milller (also Big Band) Lionel Hampton Fletcher Henderson Woody Herman Earl Hines Art Hodes Al Jolson Gene Krupa Jess Stacy Lawson Haggart Ted Lewis Turk Murphy Phil Napoleon Red Nichols Jimmy Noone Kid Ory Ben Pollack Bob Scobey Jack Teagarden Lu Watters Johnny Wiggs
Louis Armstrong King Oliver Duke Ellington Charlie Parker Charles Mingus Miles Davis John Coltrane Cecil Taylor Thelonious Monk
A lot of my favorites have been mentioned already...I'm a huge fan of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, Clifford Brown, Stan Getz....the list goes on and on! I think that Louis Armstrong is probably the most influential jazz artist ever...as Miles Davis once said, the history of jazz can be summed up in four words, "Louis Armstong, Charlie Parker". There are some jazz guitarists that I really like which no one has mentioned yet: Grant Green Kenny Burrell Joe Pass Lenny Breau Herb Ellis Barney Kessel Charlie Byrd Sonny Sharrock
