Three Wishes

Nica’s curiosity led her to inquire of Charlie Shavers as to what he would answer if given three wishes and he said: 

1. “Youth.”
2. “Health.”
3. “Happiness.”

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Cedric Wallace was born August 3, 1909 in Miami, Florida. Moving to New York City in the 1930s he played in a band led by Reggie Johnson at the Saratoga Club. Later in the decade he worked with Jimmie Lunceford before joining Fats Waller’s band from 1938-1942, the association for which he is best known. Wallace played with Waller at the peak of his popularity and plays on many of his biggest hits.

He would go on to record with Una Mae Carlisle, Maxine Sullivan, Champion Jack Dupree, Pat Flowers, Gene Sedric, and Dean Martin. During the Forties Cedric led his own ensemble in New York in the 1940s which featured Eddie Gibbs on bass for a time, and continued to perform into the 1970s.

Double-bassist Cedric Wallace passed away on  August 19, 1985 in New York City.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Roy Crimmins was born in London, England on August 2, 1929. Originally self-taught, he was later mentored by the American bass trombonist with the Philarmonia Orchestra, Ray Premru, and the then Ted Heath principal trombonist, Don Lusher. He turned professional when he joined the Mick Mulligan band in 1952.

Collaborating with Alex Welsh in 1954, the pair started their own band and recorded with American guest stars such as the clarinetist Pee Wee Russell and Wild Bill Davison. For the next decade they performed until Roy moved to Germany in 1965 where he kept a consistent line-up and a regular group. Residing in Switzerland from 1970 until 1977 he formed his own band under the pseudonym Roy King and recorded three albums.

Touring Europe extensively during this era, he had his own television show in Vienna, Austria for five years. The late 1970s saw Crimmins returning to England and working once again with Welsh until he died in 1982. In the mid-1980s he was approached to join his Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington orchestras,interpreting the original Lawrence Brown, Tricky Sam Nanton and Juan Tizol trombone solos. He performed at the Nice and North Sea Jazz Festivals.

As an advisor to the Mayor of Eilat, Israel, his involvement in this venture led to the renowned Red Sea Jazz Festival. Soon after, Roy and his family moved to Tel Aviv, Israel where he established the Israel Jazz Ensemble, and was commissioned by Musica Nova to write a concerto, which premiered in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art to great acclaim. His music is still broadcast regularly.

Trombonist, composer and arranger Roy Crimmins, whose career spanned over fifty years, passed away on August 27, 2014 at the age of 85. He is buried on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

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Requisites

My Favorite Things ~ John Coltrane | By Eddie Carter

I was reading a few nights ago and wanted something to listen to before heading to bed, so I pulled out an old favorite that always transports me back to my childhood and still blows me away every time I hear it. This morning’s subject of discussion is My Favorite Things (Atlantic 1361/SD 1361) by John Coltrane that hit the stores in 1961. It is one of the most important albums in his discography and is a beloved record in my library. The personnel is a stellar one, Coltrane on soprano sax (tracks: A1, A2), tenor sax (tracks: B1, B2), McCoy Tyner on piano, Steve Davis on double bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. My copy used in this report is the 1971 Atlantic Jazz Age Series Japanese Stereo reissue (Atlantic P-6030A) by Warner-Pioneer Corporation.

Side One starts with a show tune from The Sound of Music (1959), My Favorite Things by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It became a huge hit for Coltrane and his signature song whenever he performed live. The trio opens with a highly contagious introduction, segueing into a beautifully constructed melody by the saxophonist. McCoy kicks off the first solo with a captivating reading that is a feast for the ears. John comes in slowly, then takes flight into the stratosphere with a joyously unrestrained statement that swings until it returns to earth for the climax. Everytime We Say Goodbye by Cole Porter is a beautiful song that Coltrane adapts as if it was written just for him with an elegantly graceful melody and opening statement. Tyner speaks with delicacy on the closing reading ahead of the foursome’s gentle ending.

Side Two takes off with a spirited version of Summertime by George and Ira Gershwin, and DuBose Heyward. John is ablaze from the start of the melody and ascends to an exhilarating height on the opening chorus. McCoy supplies the high-octane fuel for the second performance. Steve executes the next reading meticulously with great precision, and Elvin delivers a fierce attack on the finale into the quartet’s exit. But Not For Me by George and Ira Gershwin first appeared in the musical, Girl Crazy (1930). The quartet kicks off this energetic cooker with a vigorous theme. John builds the first interpretation with blazing heat to Steve’s bass and Elvin’s impressive timekeeping, then Tyner adds his imaginative ideas on the next statement into Trane’s aggressive improvisation during the closing chorus.

Nesuhi Ertegun supervised My Favorite Things, and the engineers are Phil Lehle and Tom Dowd. Together, both men provide a solid soundstage that is good enough to transport the listener to the studio with the musicians. For me, this album is an intriguing examination of the thin lines between Hard-Bop, Modal, and Free Jazz that still sounds as fresh today as when first released sixty years ago. If you are a fan of tenor sax or are just discovering the music of John Coltrane. I offer for your next vinyl hunt, My Favorite Things. An album of soothing and swinging music that I am sure will become a welcome addition to your library.

~ Everytime We Say Goodbye, Summertime, But Not For Me – Source: JazzStandards.com ~ My Favorite Things – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2021 by Edward Thomas Carter

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Kamil Hala was born on August 1, 1914 in Most, Czechoslovakia. During the late Fifties he led his own orchestra. He was a member of the Czechoslovak Radio Dance Orchestra beginning in 1960, starting as a pianist and later as its  arranger and conductor. After the orchestra split in 1963 he was the conductor of the Czechoslovak Radio Jazz Orchestra until the 1990s.

Pianist composer, arranger, and conductor Kamil Hala passed away on October 29, 2014 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

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