Bird Lives! And He Does It in Fanatic Detail

(NEWSER) - 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of jazz’s best year jazz ever, Martin Johnson writes for the Root. 1959 saw canonical discs from genre royalty: “Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out and two by Charles Mingus, Blues and Roots and Ah-Um.” This was the era, Johnson writes, “when commercial success and artistic inspiration merged.” More»

(NEWSER) - In 1959, Miles Davis was looking to forge a path away from the bebop spearheaded by mentor Charlie Parker, Fred Kaplan writes on Slate. “Parker not only invented bebop, he perfected it,” Kaplan continues, leaving Davis nowhere else to go. So when Davis was introduced to so-called “modal” jazz—with the emphasis on free experimentation with scales and away from rigid chord structures—he jumped at it. “Man, if Bird was alive, this would kill him,” Davis said. More»

Jazz virtuoso known for quickness at the keyboard

(NEWSER) - Legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson died last night at his home near Toronto from kidney failure, CBC News reports. He was 82. The Canadian musician made hundreds of recordings, won seven Grammys, and played alongside greats like Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Ella Fitzgerald. "The world has lost the world's greatest jazz player," said Peterson's hometown mayor. More»

Body of Stanley Wright found stashed in his Brooklyn home

(NEWSER) - The body of beloved Brooklyn jazz musician Stanley Wright was found stuffed inside a trunk in the basement of his home several days after he had last been seen. Police searched the Brownsville home of the 61-year-old, who performed under the name Suleiman-Hakim and was last heard from on Thursday, after his son reported him missing, the New York Daily News reports. Police haven't classified the death as a homicide yet, but relatives suspect foul play. More»

Beck, meanwhile, Beck unplugs 'hotline to White House'

(NEWSER) - Glenn Beck's radio show is currently without a home in New York after having been dropped by WOR, one of the city's biggest talk radio stations. "The reason is ratings," WOR's program director tells the New York Daily News. "Somewhat to our surprise, the show wasn't getting what we wanted." The station plans to replace him with another conservative, Mike Gallagher, a New Yorker whom they hope will have more to say about local issues. More»