Harry Connick Jr, the pianist

I recently discovered the pianist side of Harry Connick Jr, who is best known as a crooner. The influence of Thelonious Monk is remarkably high. Broken rhythms, weird block chords, minimalist improvisations: we are in presence of one of the only disciples of The Sphere. He even grabs full codas from Monk. For evidence, listen to One Last Pitch, a trio recording.

And what's remarkable, is that it seems that this influence has been completely overlooked by everybody. Connick is a much, much better pianist than singer. And his piano style is certainly not what you'd expect from a white crooner with the look of an Hollywood playboy.

Well, I guess that it's just another confirmation of the old saying, all jazz musicians are underestimated.

Dolphy's last words

Here are the last recorded words of Eric Dolphy, one of the most talented alto saxophonists of the jazz avant-garde of the early sixties (and one of the true continuators of Charlie Parker):

When you hear music, after it's over, it's gone, in the air; you can never capture it again.

Never capture it again? Those idealists, they would kill the music industry in the name of art! Hopefully, the music industry has now understood that music much too serious a matter to entrust to musicians.
(The quotation above can be heard at the end of Miss Ann, on his album Last Date, recorded in 1964. Not Dolphy's best recording, but a masterpiece anyway.)