Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Johnny Letman was born September 6, 1917 in McCormick, South Carolina and early in his career played in midwest bands, including those of Jerry Valentine, Scatman Crothers, and Jimmy Raschelle. Moving to Chicago in the middle of the 1930s, he worked with Delbert Bright, Bob Tinsley, Johnny Lang, Nat King Cole, Horace Henderson, and Red Saunders in the late Thirties to early 1940s.

After spending a year or so in Detroit playing with Teddy Buckner and John Kirby, he moved to New York City in 1944. There he performed with Phil Moore, Lucky Millinder, Cab Calloway, Milt Buckner, and Count Basie.

Working extensively as a studio musician and in Broadway shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s worked both in and outside of jazz music, and his associations in these decades included Joe Thomas, Stuff Smith, Chubby Jackson, Panama Francis, Dick Wellstood, Hal Singer, Sam Taylor, Eddie Condon, Wilbur De Paris, and Claude Hopkins.

By 1968 he was playing with Milt Buckner and Tiny Grimes in Paris, France. In the 1970s, he played with Lionel Hampton, Cozy Cole, and Earl Hines. In the mid-Eighties he led the New Orleans Blues Serenaders, and toured Europe. Trumpeter Johnny Letman passed away on July 17, 1992.

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Yuko Mabuchi Plays Miles Davis, Volume 1 ~ Yuko Mabuchi | By Eddie Carter 

Yuko Mabuchi has been making a positive statement on the jazz scene since her 2018 releases, Yuko Mabuchi Trio, Volumes 1 and 2. She steps into the spotlight this morning to give her second live performance at Cammilleri Hall before an enthusiastic crowd. Yuko Mabuchi Plays Miles Davis, Volume 1 (Yarlung Records YAR45588-171V) is a single 45-rpm audiophile album offering two jewels from Kind of Blue and two original tunes by the leader. She’s working again with trio members Del Atkins on bass and Bobby Breton on drums, plus JJ Kirkpatrick on trumpet. JJ is a member of Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet and my copy used in this report is the 2020 US Stereo album.

Yuko sets the groove for Side One with Miles’ All Blues, her enthusiastic notes on the introduction flowing as naturally as spoken words. JJ makes his entrance on the melody and first solo next with a gorgeous tone that fits the rhythm section like a comfortable glove. Yuko proceeds into the second statement at an easy pace that builds to a feisty finale before the quintet’s closing chorus. Blue In Green is a haunting and very beautiful song by Miles and Bill Evans. The pianist opens with a gentle introduction segueing into Kirkpatrick’s delicate opening chorus.  Yuko leads off with a serenely beautiful solo, followed by an incredibly tender statement by JJ. Del offers a few intimate thoughts on the closer preceding an elegantly graceful ending.

Missing Miles, the first of two from Yuko’s pen, gets Side Two underway with an infectious introduction that moves to an easygoing bounce by her and JJ on the melody. Yuko struts comfortably into the first reading making every note count to the relaxing momentum of Del and Bobby’s accompaniment. The drummer gets a brief moment of solo space next, then JJ keeps the ingredients stirring on the closing statement culminating with Yuko’s descent into a soft climax. Sky With No Tears is a very pretty tune expressing Yuko’s feelings about the environment and caring for the planet’s health. She delivers the melody with a charming simplicity and offers a delicate and subtle opening statement.  Del comes in next for a brief reading of refined taste preceding Yuko’s tenderly passionate ending.

The album was produced by Bob Attiyeh, engineered by Bob and Arian Jansen, and the mastering is by Bernie Grundman. The album sounds fantastic with a stunning soundstage that brings the listener to Cammilleri Hall as the musicians are performing. The record is silent until the music begins, making it a perfect demonstration record for any good mid-fi or high-end audio system. I was also impressed with JJ Kirkpatrick; he plays some tasty jazz here and complements the trio very well. Although there are only two tunes of Miles’ music heard here, Yuko Mabuchi breathes fresh air into both selections and she shows a maturity beyond her years as a composer. If you’re a fan of piano jazz, I invite you to audition Yuko Mabuchi Plays Miles Davis, Volume 1. It’s a live album worth investigating, and I hope will bring attention to a talented pianist who continues to exceed expectations and deserves to be heard!

~ Kind of Blue (Columbia CL 1355/CS 8163), Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet, Volume 1 (Yarlung Records YAR09272-004V1), Yuko Mabuchi Trio, Volume 1 (Yarlung Records YAR88157-161V), Yuko Mabuchi Trio, Volume 2 (Yarlung Records YAR71621-161V) – Source: Discogs.com
~ All Blues, Blue In Green – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2021 by Edward Thomas Carter

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Virgil Gonsalves was born in Monterey, California on September 5, 1931. In 1950 he took the baritone saxophone chair in the Alvino Rey Orchestra and  then with Tex Beneke in 1952. In 1954 he formed an ensemble with Bob Enevoldsen, the tenor saxophonist Buddy Wise, Lou Levy, Harry Babasin, and Larry Bunker. They recorded the album Virgil Gonsalves Sextet that same year on Nocturne Records 8. Later members were Leo Wright, Junior Mance, Ron Crotty, and Eddie Khan.

Working mainly in the San Francisco, California area as a freelance musician, he ventured into rock during the Sixties and Seventies, and became a member of the Pacific Gas & Electric rock band from 1971 to 1972. Baritone saxophonist Virgil Gonsalves passed away in Salinas, California on October 20, 2008.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Thomas Mossie McQuater was born on September 4, 1914 in Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland. Showing early signs of musical talent and largely self-taught, he began on the cornet but by the age of 11 was a regular member of the Maybole Burgh Band. The brass band won several competitions in the late 1920s and they played at local events and dances.

Turning professional in his teens, Tommy got a regular position with Louis Freeman’s Band, which played at Greens Playhouse in Glasgow. In 1934, at 20, he was offered a job with one of London, England’s most renowned bands, the Jack Payne Orchestra, playin in London and Paris, France. His next stint was with the Lew Stone Band and made the classic recording of Pardon Me, Pretty Baby.

In the 1940s, after joining The Squadronaires, he worked with the BBC Showband in 1945. He often performed with John McLevy in the 1970s and 1980s. In his later years, he concentrated his energy playing around the Ealing Jazz Festival. Trumpeter, flugelhornist and cornetist Tommy McQuater passed away on January 20, 2008 in London, England at the age of 93.

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Herman “Trigger” Alpert was born on September 3, 1916 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Attending Indiana University, he studied the bass and soon after was playing with guitarist Alvino Rey in New York City. In the early 1940s he toured with the Glenn Miller band and his enthusiastic playing style can be witnessed during a 1941 performance of In The Mood in Sun Valley Serenade.

During the rest of the decade, he worked with Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Bud Freeman, Woody Herman, Jerry Jerome, Bernie Leighton, Ray McKinley, Frank Sinatra, and Muggsy Spanier. In the 1950s and early 1960s, he recorded as a sideman with Don Elliott, Coleman Hawkins, Gene Krupa, Mundell Lowe, Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw, and the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra.

Until the late 1960s, Trigger was a member of the CBS Orchestra and the CBS band for the television series the Garry Moore Show with Carol Burnett and the Barbra Streisand television specials My Name Is Barbra and Color Me Barbra.

Alpert wrote two instructional books: Walking the Bass in 1958 and the Electric Bass in 1968. He recorded a single album as a leader titled Trigger Happy on the Riverside label in 1956.

Retiring from music in 1970, he made his longtime interest in portrait photography a full-time profession. Bassist Trigger Alpert passed away on December 21, 2013 at an assisted living facility in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.

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