Henry Mancini (born April 16, 1924) was one of the most prolific and successful songwriters of all time. His film scores won four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and twenty Grammy Awards, plus a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. He had a lifelong affinity for jazz and jazz musicians, hiring many of Hollywood’s greatest jazz play…

Bassist/composer Charles Mingus (born April 22, 1922) was one of the most prolific composers the music has produced. Over his decades long career, he collaborated with many of our music’s greats, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Max Roach and Eric Dolphy to name a few. He was one of the first artists to attempt to control the recording and distribut…

Trumpeter, composer/arranger Thad Jones born March 28, 1923, was the middle son in a family that also produced younger brother Elvin Jones, perhaps best known as John Coltrane’s longtime drummer, and pianist Hank Jones, who performed and recorded with almost everyone in his long career, as one of the first black musicians to have a long and fruitfu…

In addition to being one of the denizens of the NYC 52nd St scene, pianist/composer Lennie Tristano was an influential and pioneering teacher of jazz improvisation. He had prodigious technical abilities as a player, and his pedagogical approach to teaching improvisation eschewed learning “licks” in favor of creating fresh original improvised music.…

Ornette Coleman set the jazz world ablaze with the release of his first recording “Something Else” in 1958. Ironically, so many of the innovations he introduced to the music have become so ingrained over the passing years, it’s difficult to believe his music was so controversial at the time. His conception of free jazz influenced mainstream jazz mu…

Alec Wilder and Harold Arlen are both composers in the great American Songbook tradition. Chances are good you've never heard of Alec Wilder, even if you’re familiar with some of his popular songs, like "I’ll Be Around" or "While We’re Young." He was also a prolific composer of chamber music, many of the best known virtuosos of the day were persona…

Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was one of the most quintessential performers on that instrument for over 40 years. Born in Los Angeles on February 27, 1923, he was initially heavily influenced by Lester Young, but soon developed his own bebop vocabulary and a room filling sound befitting his 6’6” frame, his playing heavily influenced Sonny Rollins…

This week, the band talks composer, arranger, and pianist Tadd Dameron as they prepare a setlist in his honor for Sunday night.על ידי Jazz Legends

This week, we feature the music not of a person but of a place: New Orleans.על ידי Jazz Legends

The band talks Duke Ellington as they prep for their instrumental adaptation of Duke's Concert of Sacred Music.על ידי Jazz Legends

How did the Jazz Legends podcast come about? Who are the musicians you'll be hearing from on the show? Listen on to get acquainted as we launch these episodes for a new season of Jazz Evensong here in Carlsbad, California.על ידי Jazz Legends