For this Jazz Insights, Gordon brings it local with pianist Duke Pearson who was born and raised in Atlanta before moving on to New York City where along with musicians Donald Byrd, Bennie Golson and Pepper Adams, he helped shaped the hard bop Blue Note sound of the 1960′s. While Pearson was a formidable talent on his instrument, the focus of this first segment is on his accomplishments as an arranger and composer. Part 2 of our exploration into Duke Pearson’s work focuses on his compositions featuring more than two horns. The third and final part of this segment on Duke Pearson looks at his work with big bands.

Jazz Insights - Duke Pearson - Part 1
Jazz Insights - Duke Pearson - Part 2
Jazz Insights - Duke Pearson - Part 3