Daily Dose Of Jazz..

Fred Lee Beckett was born on January 23, 1917 in Nettleton, Mississippi and began playing horn in high school. He began playing the trombone professionally in Kansas City, Missouri in the 1930s. Soon after beginning his career he landed a job with Eddie Johnson’s Crackerjacks in St. Louis, Missouri.
He went on to play with Duke Wright, Tommy Douglas, Buster Smith and Andy Kirk over the next few years. Beckett spent time as well in a territory band with Prince Stewart and played a gig in Omaha, Nebraska with Nat Towles. Towards the end of the Thirties he played with Harlan Leonard.
The early 1940s saw Fred performing and recording extensively with Lionel Hampton, and providing trombone support behind Dinah Washington recordings. Serving in the Army during World War II he contracted tuberculosis and passed away of the illness on January 30, 1946. He was twenty-nine years old.

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Atlanta Jazz Festival… 1991

The year was 1991. The baton of Program Director was passed from Rob Gibson to John Armwood, who had previously worked as the coordinator of the festival’s education component. He was instrumental in maintaining classical mainstream jazz in the parks while newer venues hosted smooth jazz, set up jam sessions at the Penta Hotel, established a jazz dance contest with improvisational dancing to improvisational music, and facilitated WLCK 91.9FM radio The Jazz of the City broadcasting the festival live from Grant Park.

Over the Memorial Day weekend performances and workshops and lectures were held on May 31st at Center Stage, Chastain Park Amphitheater, with a late night jam session at Club 590 West/Atlanta Penta Hotel. June 1st, 2nd held at High Museum of Art-Hill Auditorium and Grant Park with more late night jam session at Club 590 West/Atlanta Penta Hotel. On June 3rd-7th the Brown Bag Concerts were performed in Woodruff Park again ending the night with a late night jam session at Club 590 West/Atlanta Penta Hotel and on June 8th & 9th the festival closed out with performances in Grant Park.

Performing this year were Sonny Rollins, Spyro Gyra, Bob James, Rick Bell quintet, Joe Jennings and Life Force, Cecil Bridgewater, Arthur Blythe Quintet, Jackie McLean Quintet featuring Rene McLean, Ojeda Penn Experience, Bobby Hutcherson, The Harper Brothers, Charles Earland, David “Fathead” Newman, Grant Reed Quartet, Simone & Company, Mark Maxwell Band, Audrey Shakir Company, Eddie Davis Quintet and Johnny O’Neal, Olu Dara, Okra Orchestra, Azanyah, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, Dameronia, Abbey Lincoln, Fusai Abdul-Khaliq Ensemble, Dvae Holland Quartet, Don Pullen Trio and the David Murray Octet.

As well as being on the main stage Joe Jennings & Howard Nicholson, The Harper Brothers also led the nightly Jam Sessions. Critic and editorialist Stanley Crouch hosted a lecture and film presentation.

Sponsoring the 1991 festival were Adams Outdoor Advertising, AT&T, Atlanta Penta Hotel, The Coca-Cola Company/Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Coors Brewing Company, Creative loafing, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, National Endowment For The Arts, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, Southern Keyboards/Kawai Piano Company, WVEE/V-103 FM and WCLK 91.9 FM.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Ed Lewis was born on January 22, 1909 in Eagle City, Oklahoma. His  early career saw  him in Kansas City, Missouri playing with Jerry Westbrook as a baritone saxophonist, but in 1925 he switched to trumpet He played with Paul Banks and Laura Rucker before joining the Bennie Moten Orchestra, where he was the primary trumpet soloist from 1926-1932 until Hot Lips Page joined the outfit.

In the 1932 he worked with Thamon Hayes for two years followed by a three year stint with Harlan Leonard, the in 1937 played for a short time with Jay McShann. That same year Ed joined the Count Basie Orchestra, remaining until 1948 and though he recorded frequently with the orchestra, he almost never soloed.

In the 1950s Lewis led his own band in New York City for strictly local gigs, and worked for a period as a taxicab driver. He returned to play with The Countsmen in Europe in 1984, shortly before his death.

Harry “Sweets” Edison considered Lewis and Snooky Young the two greatest first trumpet players he ever played with. Trumpeter Ed Lewis, who never led his own recording session, passed away on September 18, 1985.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Bob Whitlock was born Von Varlynn Whitlock on January 21,1931 in Roosevelt, Utah. As a young musician in 1947 he accompanied Lena Horne and in 1949 was with Steve White. By the early 1950s he was in Charlie Barnet’s band then went on to join Gerry Mulligan. He introduced Mulligan to his friend Chet Baker and with Chico Hamilton made up the quartet.

In 1952 Bob worked in the bands of Art Pepper and Russ Freeman and that same year he played in the session at The Tradewinds Club with Harry Babasin, Dave Pell, Sonny Criss, Wardell Gray, Lawrence Marable and Chet Baker. The mid-1950s saw him working on the Stan Getz album, Getz and the Cool Sounds. In 1957 he played in a trio with Joe Albany and Warne Marsh on the album The Right Combination.

Whitlock led a quartet and taught music theory at the University of California. In 1961 he performed in Paris, he played and toured with George Shearing from1965 to 1956, then in 1966 he played with Joe Pass on the Simplicity sessions. After this recording session there are no further known recordings.

Bassist Bob Whitlock, who was a part of the West Coast jazz scene, passed away from a stroke at age 84 on June 30, 2015 in Long Beach, California.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

José James was born on January 20, 1978 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and combines jazz, soul, drum’n’bass, and spoken word into his own unique brand of vocal jazz. Though his main influences are John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye, and Billie Holiday, his sound is reminiscent of ’70s jazz-soul icon Terry Callier, and his music feels more like an update of Gil Scott-Heron’s approach, but he makes it distinctly his own.

José attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and in 2008 debuted his first album, The Dreamer, on the Brownswood label. Blackmagic followed in 2010, as well as, For All We Know on the Impulse! Label, the latter becoming the winner of both the Edison Award and L’Académie du Jazz Grand Prix for best Vocal Jazz Album of 2010.

Signing to Blue Note Records in 2012 James issued Trouble, his first single for the label, with his fourth album, No Beginning, No End released the following year. New compositions brought the release of 2014’s While You Were Sleeping, a collection that reflected rock alongside R&B and jazz.

In commemoration of the 100th birthday of his musical mother, Billie Holiday, José recorded nine songs written by or associated with her on Yesterday I Had the Blues. He fronted a band that included pianist Jason Moran, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Eric Harland.

Vocalist and bandleader José James, who blends modern jazz and hip-hop, continues to perform globally both as a leader and with other groups.

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