Sunday Session: December 21, 2014

John Coltrane

For your Sunday reading enjoyment and edification, some noteworthy news stories about jazz, creative music, and more from the past seven days:

* Barcelona Jazz Fest Hosts Redman, Marsalis in Historic Concert Hall (Down Beat)
* George Wein to Receive Recording Academy Trustees Award (Jazz Times)
* Antonio Sanchez's soaring beat takes flight in 'Birdman' (Los Angeles Times)
* Pérez, Blade, Patitucci To Headline 2015 Panama Jazz Festival (Down Beat)
* Family, Friends To Honor Haden at Memorial Concert in New York (Down Beat)
* How Vince Guaraldi Made Charlie Brown Cool (Medium.com)
* Deborah Brown: The Plastic Sax Person of the Year (Plastic Sax)
* The True Story of How Vinyl Spun Its Way Back From Near-Extinction (Billboard)
* 12 Amazing Things Scientists Discovered About Music This Year (Mic.com)
* Fifty years ago, John Coltrane and another fab four made music history with 'A Love Supreme' (Cleveland.com)
* Discover the Church of St. John Coltrane, Founded on the Divine Music of A Love Supreme (OpenCulture.com)
* Did Coltrane say 'Allah Supreme'? (AlJazeera.com)
* Billy Berg: Los Angeles' Jazz Nightlife Ace (KCET.org)
* Solving the 70-year mystery of Glenn Miller's death (Examiner.com)
* Chance discovery casts new light on origins of polyphonic music (The Guardian)
* Book review: On Highway 61: Music, Race and the Evolution of Cultural Freedom (AllAboutJazz.com)
* George Shearing's Holiday Set On Piano Jazz (NPR.org)
* A Jazz Piano Christmas (NPR.org)

Also, we remember the superb pianist and former St. Louisan John Hicks, born on this day in 1941:

StLJN jazz site of the week: Plastic Sax

If you're going to Kansas City, you might take a plane, you might a train, but even if you have to walk,* first you should be reading Plastic Sax, StLJN's jazz site of the week.

Much like what StLJN does for St. Louis, Plastic Sax's pseudonymous blogger "Happy In Bag" covers all aspects of the Kansas City jazz scene, with frequent updates including weekly news and notes plus previews of upcoming performances. The site also has an extensive links section that looks to include just about every jazz musician, band and venue in the area. So, if you're planning a trip to KC, or just want to keep up with jazz happenings on the other side of the state, be sure to check out Plastic Sax.

* With apologies to Wilbert Harrison.