Old (VHS) rehearsal of "More Than You'll Ever Know," sans Sax! Believe me it got better! :)

Composed by Duke Ellington.

Milt Jackson along with Cedar Walton, Ray Brown and Mickey Roker from 1984 performance at JazzFest Hamburg. The excellent rhythm section provides solid support for Milt on both tunes. This is one of my favorite versions of It Don't Mean A Thing, done at a slower tempo with a strong blues feeling. By the way Milt Jackson's birthday was January 1.

Michael

One of the best swinging 4tet where Milt is pushed to his limits and offers some of his sharpest solos. Same thing applies to Joe Pass. All due to the incredibly good rythm section. There's a lot of this team's work on YouTube. Enjoy !

Aldebaran is a massive Red Giant star in the Milky Way. I thought it would be fun to tell the story of birth and death of Aldebaran, which naturally begins with the Big Bang (tam-tam). After a textural opening of gongs and bells, the vibes establish the “pulse” of this musical universe. Three Balafon layers (African log xylophone) set the stage for the groove that forms the star. The simple melody is played on Gender Wayang (Indonesian mallet instrument) that brings out an interstellar quality. Glockenspiel adds flavors inside the groove.

"Both Sides Now" - a timeless classic from Joni Mitchell written in 1967. A very special song with great lyrics and a wonderful melody. I heard pianist Fred Hersch play this solo. It was a gorgeous rendition which inspired me to try it on vibes.

“In Your Quiet Place” by Keith Jarrett – one of my favorite songs from Keith and one of the first songs I learned way back when I was studying with Gary Burton. I can still vividly remember the lessons and Gary’s 5th floor corner office at the Berklee 1140 Boylston St. building in Boston. I also fondly remember his vintage set of gold Musser M55 vibe that he used for teaching and gigs. Those bars played "like butter". My lesson time was usually around lunch time and Gary would most often be eating a sandwich while I butchered these songs. Probably gave him indigestion. Ha!Ha!

Three swing tunes to ring in the new year -- cheers to all!
• Out of Nowhere (Johnny Green)
• How High the Moon (Morgan Lewis)
• Waltz for Debby (Bill Evans)