Jazzfuel

Jazz Songs with the Letter “Z” (because why not?!)

Matt Fripp — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 07:20:03 +0000

With so much great jazz music out there—and more coming each week—we’re always in need of reminders of tunes that deserve another listen. So why not couple that with a bit of trivia and dig out 5 jazz tunes that include the letter “z”..?! If you haven’t already, try to guess before checking out our ...

Summer Wind: 6 Brilliant Versions Of This Underrated Jazz Classic

Matt Fripp — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:05:57 +0000

Originally a German tune from 1965, Summer Wind was given new life when legendary lyricist Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics that captured the quiet drift of a summer romance slipping away. Frank Sinatra recorded the definitive version a year later — smooth, swinging, and just slightly sad. Since then, jazz musicians (and a few others) ...

Nina Simone Interview – 6 Things We Learned

Matt Fripp — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:36:14 +0000

In a short interview filmed for the BBC in the 1990s, Nina Simone spoke plainly and directly about her life and work. At times, it’s funny. At others, uncomfortable. But throughout, you get the sense she’s telling the truth as she sees it — with no filter. Here are six things that stood out—followed by ...

McCoy Tyner: 6 Decades of Grounbreaking Jazz Piano

Matt Fripp — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 20:36:31 +0000

Before he became one of the most influential jazz pianists of all time, McCoy Tyner was holding jam sessions in the unlikeliest of venues: his mother’s beauty salon. Teenagers with saxophones soloed beside customers under hairdryers—an early sign of the raw energy and originality that would come to define Tyner’s sound. Rising to global fame ...

Charlie Byrd Albums: Bossa Nova Guitar and Beyond

Matt Fripp — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 20:53:29 +0000

From a quick glance at his discography, you could be forgiven for not realising the importance American guitarist Charlie Byrd played in the evolution of jazz. Because whilst Stan Getz may get most of the acclaim when it comes to the 1960s Bossa Nova craze, it would probably not have existed without the guitarist from ...

11 Iconic Nat King Cole Songs

Matt Fripp — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 20:46:01 +0000

Nat King Cole wasn’t just a jazz star—he was a genre-defying icon. From swinging trio pianist to velvet-voiced balladeer, his influence runs deep across 20th-century music. We picked out 11 songs that reveal just how timeless his sound really is. Born in 1919, Nat King Cole is undoubtedly one of the most popular and important ...

Charlie Parker and The Story of ‘The Albino’ Red Rodney

Matt Fripp — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 05:44:38 +0000

Not content with redefining jazz harmony through the birth of bebop, Charlie Parker was breaking something else too — segregation rules. On a 1950 Southern tour, his agent told him to fire redheaded trumpeter Red Rodney. Parker refused — and how he did it became the stuff of legend. When we talk about racial struggles ...

Stan Kenton – Dividing The World of Big Band Music

Nick Lea — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 15:00:03 +0000

Before there was fusion, before conservatories taught jazz as art music, there was Stan Kenton—an ambitious bandleader whose work continues to fascinate, challenge and inspire listeners in equal measure. His music was bold, theatrical, and unapologetically different. Some called it visionary, others questioned its direction—but Kenton never wavered. Whether reimagining the big band sound or ...

Reinventing the Hammond Organ In Jazz – 8 Jimmy Smith Albums

Matt Fripp — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 14:32:12 +0000

Before Jimmy Smith, the organ was largely considered a background instrument—churches, bars, and maybe the odd blues solo. But when the pianist heard the blues-soaked swing of Wild Bill Davis in 1954, everything changed… He disappeared into an old warehouse for a year to practice the hammond organ and emerged with a reinvented concept what ...

Behind the scenes with saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz

Matt Fripp — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 16:16:43 +0000

There’s no shortage of incredible musicianship on the international jazz scene today, but when it’s paired with a serious drive to build a career on one’s own terms—and the consistent work ethic to back it up—that’s when the magic really happens, as today’s interview guest proves. I’ve been aware of British saxophonist and composer Emma ...