Louis Jordan anniversary

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:28:06 -0400

Today we celebrate Louis Jordan's birth date, 99 years ago (b. July 8, 1908 in Brinkley, AK, USA) .

Jordan was an important entertainer, singer as well as sax player who is regarded by many as an important link between early jazz / swing era big and rock'n'roll. as pointed out on powerline.com, Jordan recorded 57 rhythm and blues chart hits on Decca between 1942 and 1951.

He certainly deserves a new look which is what I intend to do soon. In the meantime, check out some recordings which you can hear on WBEZ's public radio website. Great stuff.

R.I.P. Boots Randolph

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:28:48 -0400

The colorful Boots Randolph has passed away. Best known for his popular "Yakety Sax" died Tuesday July 2, 2007 after having suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on June 25.

No matter what might think about his musical stylings, Randolph was an interesting sax player who certainly influenced many a youngster into exploring the saxophone. His Yakety Sax as well as Paul Desmond's Take Five and Henri Mancini's The Pink Panther theme played by Plas Johnson must account for many sax players initiation to the instrument.

A number of obituaries can be found. Among them:

The Tennessean

The Washington Post

The LA Times

July 2007 | MulesRasch

Louis Jordan anniversary

R.I.P. Boots Randolph