Jazz Violinist Christian Howes

Charles Mingus—“The Clown”

The Clown (Atlantic 1957).

With improvised narration by Jean Shepherd.

Of course musical instruments are primarily created for their wonderful sound but they ain’t half bad looking either. This ad campaign for the Berlin Philharmonic really plunges into their beautiful depths.

Image from:

Oliver Barrett: Portraits of Iconic Figures in Jazz

Drawing of the day: Miles Davis

Davis Quotes:

“When you’re creating your own shit, man, even the sky ain’t the limit.”

“If they act too hip, you know they can’t play shit.”

“Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.”

Turtle Island Quartet Here at Jazz Channel, we like things that are different. I mean, what else is jazz but different? Good different, that’s what. And so as our first guest installment with The Main Stage, we wanted to talk about Turtle Island Quartet. As the name might imply, they’re a string quartet. What it might not imply, is that they don’t necessary play chamber music for your grandmothers. Founded in 1985, they were one of the first to introduce jazz and improvisation into a normally classical musical group. Ever heard a violinist comping? Listen to Turtle Island String Quartet and you will. Of note, is their 2007 Grammy-winning release A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane. I challenge you to find a more innovative, yet technically impressive cover of the famous album by one of our jazz greats. Here’s their rendition of Coltrane’s Resolution. Turtle Island Quartet is currently on tour with mandolinist Mike Marshall. They plan to soon release an album of Jimi Hendrix covers!