Jazz Profiles presented by Tim Owens & 32 Bar Blues

Phil Woods

Known for his bright sound, impeccable technique, buoyant phrasing, and confident playing style, saxophonist Phil Woods was a true master of all things bop. He was also an NEA Jazz Master, received a living Jazz Legend Award from the Kennedy Center, and was awarded four Grammy Awards over his lifetime – but his contributions to the music’s lineage extend so much farther. He performed and recorded with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Clark Terry, Bill Evans, Oliver Nelson, Quincy Jones, and Thelonious Monk – and was always generous in sharing his experiences and tutelage with aspiring musicians across the country. The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Toots Thielemans

Whistling guitarist and harmonica master Toots Thielemans played in everything from Charlie Parker’s band to commercials for Old Spice, on the theme from “Midnight Cowboy” and the theme from “Sesame Street.” Most important, he made the harmonica a jazz instrument. A perennial winner of DownBeat readers and critics polls in the category “miscellaneous instruments,” Thielemans was called “one of the greatest musicians of our time” by Quincy Jones in 1995. The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Freddy Cole

Freddy Cole always drew comparisons to his brother, Nat, and strived to carve out his own space. But the one thing everyone agreed on was his talent as both a singer and a pianist. Later in life, The New York Times said, “Freddy has an impeccable sense of swing…  he is, overall, the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive.” The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Carla Bley

An irrepressibly original composer, arranger and pianist, Carla Bley is responsible for more than 60 years of wily provocations in and around jazz. She once attributed her originality as a composer – she is self-taught – to blissful ignorance of “right” and “wrong” ways to write a song. Working as a cigarette girl at Birdland in the 1950s, her role models included Red Garland, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis – all achieved much with few notes. But Bley’s work also included maximalist explorations and many spirited pieces for big band. Famed critic Nat Hentoff wrote, “her scores for jazz big bands are matched only by those of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus for yearning lyricism, explosive exultation and other expressions of the human condition.” The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Lee Konitz

A pioneer of the cool school, jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz was a prolific and idiosyncratic artist – respected as much for the way he didn’t play as for the way he did. Like many musicians of his era, he adopted the expanded harmonic vocabulary of Charlie Parker, but Lee’s improvisations were measured and understated, more thoughtful than heated. Over the years, Lee worked with legends like Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, and Elvin Jones – and he participated in Miles Davis’ “Birth of the Cool” sessions. The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com