Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Booker Telleferro Ervin II was born October 31, 1930 in Denison, Texas but didn’t take up the saxophone until he was an adult. After teaching himself tenor saxophone while in the USAF, he moved to the Boston area and studied at Berklee College of Music. His tenor playing was characterized by a strong, tough sound, blues/gospel phrasing and perhaps inspired by growing up in the south. Some thought Coltrane influenced him but it is also thought that they developed their styles independently, and beyond some sheets of sound similarities, they were distinctively different.
Moving to New York, Ervin joined Horace Parlan’s quartet, with whom he recorded “Up & Down” and “Happy Frame of Mind” on Blue Note. He went on to work with Charles Mingus from 1956 to 1963, appearing on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” on the album “Mingus Ah Um” and “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting” on the Blues and Roots session in 1959, as well as the Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus recording.
During the Sixties Ervin also led his own quartet, recording for Prestige with ex-Mingus associate pianist Jaki Byard along with bassist Richard Davis and Alan Dawson on drums. Ervin later recorded again on Blue Note and played with pianist Randy Weston.
Tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin had 18 albums as a leader and two dozen as a sideman with Teddy Charles, Andrew Hill, Mal Waldron and others, died of kidney disease in New York City on July 31, 1970 at the age of 39.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Poncho Sanchez was born October 30, 1951 in Laredo, Texas, the youngest of eleven children, but was reared in Norwalk, California. Exposed to and influenced by Afro-Cuban music (mambo, son, cha-cha, rumba, guaracha, salsa) and bebop jazz, he originally started as a guitarist. Discovering his talent for singing during an R&B band audition, he become the group’s lead vocalist. He later taught himself the flute, drums and timbales before finally deciding to pursue conga playing in high school.
In 1975, Sanchez’s idol, vibraphonist Cal Tjader invited him to perform one set with his band. Seeing the young man’s talent, Tjader hired Sanchez for a week before officially making him a full member of the ensemble. Sanchez played a crucial role as conguero for several years until Tjader’s death in 1982.
Before his death, Tjader suggested to Carl Jefferson, Concord Records founder, to sign Sanchez and his soon-to-be-formed group under the Concord Picante label. Tjader’s wishes were honored, and the first two records were composed and arranged by long-time Tjader collaborator Clare Fischer. Poncho produced 19 albums for the label and garnered a Grammy for his “Latin Soul” album.
He has played with Mongo Santamaria, Hugh Masekela and a host of jazz and Latin musicians and vocalists to numerous to name along with the iconic funk band Tower of Power on his “Do It” project. Poncho Sanchez is respected as one of the top percussionists of our time and continues to perform worldwide.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Neal Hefti was born on October 29, 1922 in Hastings, Nebraska, outside Omaha and was a child of the jazz age. His mother, a music teacher, started piano lessons at the age of 3, becoming well versed in theory and harmony by the time he took up the trumpet at 11. He was already writing arrangements, having taught himself by trial and error in high school and was supplying local dance bands with music well before he graduated. After winning several school prizes, he was to start making a living as a jazz trumpeter in the big bands of Charlie Barnet and Charlie Spivak.
After travelling to California with Spivak to make a film, Hefti stayed on the West Coast, joined Woody Herman’s band as a trumpeter in 1944 and his arranging began to take precedence over his playing. Hefti married, moved back to New York and began writing in every genre and for all sizes of ensembles, becoming adept at using small forces to create a big sound. He arranged for Count Basie both in octet and big band configurations making Neal became one of his principal writers. He went on to write numerous compositions for Harry James in the late 40s and 50s designed to feature the leader’s trumpet and the band’s star drummer Buddy Rich.
Hefti fronted his own band in the Fifties, contributed to some of Frank Sinatra’s most popular albums, including “Frank Sinatra and Swinging Brass”, which he also produced. From the early 1960s onwards, he was increasingly involved in the world of films and television, winning a Grammy award for his Batman theme. Hefti was a brilliant composer and arranger who created the scores for many other television shows and films, notably the two Neil Simon movies The Odd Couple and Barefoot in the Park. His score for Harlow included the song “Girl Talk” that has become a jazz standard.
However, in 1978 after his wife’s passing, he ceased to write and record new music. Nevertheless, because Basie continued to commission other writers to replicate his style, his effect on big band arranging and on film scores remained extremely influential. Trumpeter, composer, songwriter and arranger Neal Hefti, who contributed to the genres of swing and big band along with scores for the film and television industries, passed away in Toluca Lake, California on October 11, 2008.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Andrew W. Bey was born October 28, 1939 in Newark, New Jersey. Although he received piano and singing lessons later on, he began playing by ear at the age of three. In the early 50s Andy got his initial professional exposure working on a television show “Startime” with Connie Francis and sang for Louis Jordan. He went on to form a trio with sisters Salome and Geraldine called “Andy and The Bey Sisters”. They recorded various sides and released two albums on the Prestige label and one on RCA. The group parted in 1965.
In the Seventies he worked with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, collaborated with musicians like Stanley Clarke and also did notable work with Horace Silver and Gary Bartz. Later he recorded an album titled “Experience And Judgment” which had Indian influences. After that period he returned to hard bop and also recorded covers of music by non-jazz musicians.
In 1994, openly gay, Andy was diagnosed HIV-positive, but as of yet it has not interrupted his career. Colleague Herb Jordan assisted him with a resurgence of his recording career with “Ballads, Blues, & Bey” in 1996, returning him to prominence. Since then he has released five additional albums with his latest 2013 offerings titled “Chillin’ With Andy Bey” and “World According To Andy Bey”. Vocalist and pianist Andy Bey continues to perform, record and tour.
The Jazz Voyager
Satchmo Jazz Club: 34 Stamboliiski Blvd, Sofia, Bulgaria / Cell Phone Reservations: +359 88 827 74 09 Located in the center of Sofia where you can enjoy jazz with your friends while having a bottle of good old Bulgarian red wine. The service is good and there are different bands playing on weekends until 1:00am.