I went to this "by accident". I thought it was
Henry Butler, which was the next night. This was also celebrating a group I never heard of. I realized while standing in line waiting to get in. Cool. I get to check out and learn about something different.
Good move! The set was outstanding. Robin was friends with J J Johnson, so he mainly talked about him. He did mention that of the Impulse! re-releases that are about to happen, this was the first record released back in 1961. It changed the face of jazz by having 2 trombones. Before that, it was hard to find any trombones. Still today, it's often saxophones and trumpets.
The music was stellar! I was blown away. I forgot how awesome straight ahead can be. They did pull together some amazing musicians for the week. I even considered heading up to Dizzy's for more amazing jazz. But, this set went til 11 and it felt like enough.
IMPULSE! NIGHTS: KAI WINDING & J.J. JOHNSON � THE GREAT KAI AND J.J. + THE INCREDIBLE KAI WINDING TROMBONE Curated by Robin Eubanks
- Robin Eubanks - trombone
Andy Hunter - trombone
John Escreet - keyboards
Lonnie Plaxico - bass
Gene Jackson - drums
The group formed by Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson made its Birdland debut in 1954 and played one of the best–received sets at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. The band broke up soon after, but in 1960 the two trombone masters reunited to record the very first Impulse! album,
The Great Kai And J.J., released in early 1961. The tunes ranged from “Blue Monk” to Hollywood (“Theme From Picnic”), and the rhythm section included pianist Bill Evans, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Roy Haynes. Winding led a four–trombone septet on
The Incredible Kai Winding Trombone, also issued in 1961. Tonight’s powerhouse project is curated and led by Grammy Award-winning trombonist Robin Eubanks.
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