Jazz Joke Gallery, Part 1
[Thanks to Bill O'Connell and Rich Corpolongo for forwarding these on to us—and yes, and there will be more where these came from.]

A young child says to his mother, "Mom, when I grow up I think I'd like to be a musician." She replies, "Well honey, you know you can't do both."

Q: What's the difference between a guitar player and a large pizza?
A: A large pizza can feed a family of four.

Q: What do you call a beautiful woman on a trombonist's arm?
A: A tattoo.

Q: What do you call a drummer in a three-piece suit?
A: "The Defendant."

Judy Roberts and Jackie Allen: Autumn Leaves

The Rich Corpolongo Quartet: Smiles

Rich Corpolongo is a multi-reed instrumentalist; he plays soprano and alto saxophones, clarinet and piccolo with equal dexterity. He one of the few who can play both "outside and inside" equally well—with all of the harmonic control and lyricism of bebop plus all the fire of the free avante guard. He is also a composer who has distilled everything from the blues to Charlie Parker and Coltrane to Stockhausen into his work.

Kyle Bruckmann: Entymology

No, you read it right. There is no misspelling because in exploring his instrument's vocabulary, Kyle Bruckmann produces at times sounds that evoke the flight of an insect. Kyle Bruckmann is a young oboe player who just released what is probably the first solo recording on this instrument (two other double reed instruments are featured as well: the English horn and the Chinese suona).

Grazyna Auguscik and Paulinho Garcia: Fragile

Grazyna comes from Poland and sings in Portuguese, English and scats with Chicago Brasileiro Paulinho Garcia. This is a beautiful recording of vocal duets and acoustic guitar with some light percussion overdubs from Paulinho (he was once a percussionist in Brazil). The program consists of well-known Brazilian standards like Voce, A Ra, Bridges, Agua de Beber and So Dance Samba among others. My personal favorite is their treatment of Sting's haunting Fragile, a tune that is destined to become a standard.

John Burnett: Swingin’ in the Windy City

Hinda Hoffman: Moon and Sand

In today's climate of over-praised "Divas" who are long on style and short on substance, Hinda Hoffman is a welcomed fresh breeze. Hoffman's easy phrasing and sincere, unaffected approach sustain your interest over a 65 minute program. Hoffman chooses a program that plays to her strengths (there is no obligatory blues here) and the medley of two Strayhorn songs is a highlight—featuring new lyrics by the late Gene Esposito.

Castles Made of Sound: The Story of Gil Evans
By Larry Hicock
DaCapo, 2002, 306 pages, $25
reviewed by Don Rose

MUSICHOUND JAZZ:
The Essential Album Guide
Edited by Steve Holtje and Nancy Ann Lee
Visible Ink Press, 1390 pages (paper), $26.95
Reviewed by Don Rose

An Ellington focus concert
by Jeff Waggoner

First published in the Illinois Jazz Educator, December 1997, it is reprinted here with permission of the author, who teaches the jazz ensemble at Hinsdale Central High School.

In the late winter of 1996, looking over my class lists for the next school year, I was unhappy to see that, once again, course requirements in our academically demanding school caused me to have less than ideal instrumentation in my upper-level jazz ensemble.