Three Wishes

Carl Pruitt had three simple answer to the question of three wishes posed by Pannonica: 

1. 1. “Health.”

   2. “Wealth.”

   3. “Power.

*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter

More Posts: baroness,bass,history,instrumental,jazz,music,pannonica,three,wishes

Daily Dose Of Jazz…

John Francis Picard was born May 17, 1934 in Tottenham, London, England and started learning music when he was seven years old by taking lessons on the piano.

After serving in the RAF, during which he played on weekends with Cy Laurie, he spent a further four months with Laurie before joining Humphrey Lyttelton, from 1954 until 1961. Through the Sixties and  into the early 1970s he worked with Tony Coe as well as co-leading a quintet with Kathy Stobart. Then beginning in 1975 to 1983, he was a member of the London Jazz Big Band, led by Stan Greig.

During the early 1980s, with his friends Ian Stewart, Colin Smith and Dick Morrissey, he was a founding member of Rocket 88. and later went on to join the Charlie Watts Big Band.^. Trombonist John Picard continues to perform.

More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,trombone

Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Pete Paul George Jacobsen was born on May 16, 1950 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Having lost his sight as a baby, due to a growth behind the optic nerve, he studied at the Worcester School for the Blind before forming his own trio, which was good enough to attract local television coverage. In 1969, he moved to London, England to study at the Royal Academy of Music. With a keen memory and perfect pitch, hi’s lack of sight was no obstacle.

In London, Jacobsen played with saxophonists Barbara Thompson, Isotope’s Gary Boyle, and Don Weller. He became a member of the jazz-fusion band Morrissey–Mullen, but it was not until 1985 that he recorded with them on This Must Be The Place and Happy Hour in 1988. Recommended by trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, he landed the piano chair in the Bobby Wellins Quartet and recorded four albums with the group from 1978 to 1989, Live… Jubilation, Dreams Are Free, ERCO Makes Light Work, and Birds of Brazil.

Pete regularly collaborated with Chris Biscoe and recorded tw albums with him and often performed as a duo, recording several BBC Jazz Club performances. He played and recorded with trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and contributed Song For Keith for the recording of the 1980 album Primrose Path. He would also write the song “Black Book” for the album Highly Committed Media Players.

During this time, Jacobsen was part of the resident rhythm section at the Cambridge Modern Jazz Club. He would go on to play with Robin Kenyatta, Alan Skidmore, Peter King, Eberhard Weber, Paul Carmichael, and Chris Fletcher. He gave memorable solo recitals, toured and played on three of their albums with the Celtic-jazz band Cármina.

In 1994, Jacobsen released his only solo album Ever Onward. Through the rest of the decade he performed with his own trio and with the Tim Whitehead quartet or trio. He spent much of his time in the East End of London playing obscure clubs with unknown or struggling musicians. Pianist Pete Jacobsen fell ill after a series of rural art center gigs and transitioned on April 29, 2002 at age 51.

More Posts: bandleader,composer,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano

Requisites

Curtain Call ~ Hank Mobley | By Eddie Carter

Hank Mobley was one of the most productive musicians on Blue Note during the fifties, recording as a leader and with some of the label’s best artists. This morning’s subject is a recent acquisition to the library that was originally recorded in 1957 but remained shelved until a 1984 Japanese release. Curtain Call (Blue Note BST 61006) is an excellent quintet session by the tenor saxophonist featuring Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Sonny Clark on piano, Jimmy Rowser on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. My copy used in this report is the 2022 Blue Note Tone Poet Series Stereo audiophile reissue, the first US vinyl release.

Side One starts with the first of four tunes by Hank Mobley. Don’t Get Too Hip is an easy-flowing midtempo blues that Clark introduces preceding the quintet’s collective theme. Sonny is up first with an easygoing attitude on the first statement. Kenny continues this pleasant exercise with a lengthy solo spot. Hank takes center stage next and sails smoothly through the third reading. Jimmy applies the finishing touch on a short statement ahead of the group’s reprise and ending. Curtain Call is off to the races on the ensemble’s speedy melody. Hank moves with astonishing velocity in the opening statement. Kenny drives the second reading with intense emotion, then Sonny takes an exhilarating turn. Art shares the final solo with the front line briefly before the close.

Deep In a Dream by Eddie DeLange and Jimmy Van Heusen is a gorgeous quartet performance illustrating Hank’s ability to interpret a ballad. Mobley and the trio begin with a delicately tasteful melody. He continues with an exquisitely beautiful opening statement. Clark expresses great warmth to the second solo, then Hank adds the exclamation point with sensitive delicacy into the foursome’s luscious ending. The quintet raises the curtain on Side Two with The Mobe. The ensemble begins the happy theme in unison, then Hank takes off on a terrifically agile first solo. Kenny takes over, feeling right at home on the second reading. Sonny spreads some joyful enthusiasm on the next statement. The front-line reappears to exchange a few final verses leading to the finish.

My Reverie by Claude Debussy and Larry Clinton is one of the delights of the set. Dorham has the spotlight to himself on the melody and first solo, handling both with equal effectiveness. Clark comes on next with an intriguing interpretation, followed by Mobley who delivers the next statement confidently. Dorham returns to take the song out with Mobley shadowing him in the background. On The Bright Side ends the album on a cheerful note beginning with the quintet’s brisk melody. Kenny draws us into the song with a lively opening statement. Sonny gives a sterling account on the second solo. Hank endows the third interpretation with a feisty spirit, and Taylor sparkles in a brief exchange with Dorham and Mobley into the closing theme.

Curtain Call was originally produced by Alfred Lion and Rudy Van Gelder was the man behind the dials. Joe Harley supervised this reissue and Kevin Gray did the mastering. The sound quality is breathtaking with a terrific soundstage that transports the musicians to your listening room as you enjoy the album. The cover’s worthy of hanging on your wall and the gatefold photos are gorgeous. The record is pressed on 180-gram audiophile vinyl and is incredibly quiet until the music starts. If you enjoy Hank Mobley and love good Hard-Bop, I invite you to check out Curtain Call on your next vinyl treasure hunt. In my opinion, it’s one of his best fifties recordings and one listen is sure to hook you, just as one listen sold me!

~ Hank Mobley Quintet Featuring Sonny Clark (Blue Note BNJ 61006) – Source: Discogs.com ~ My Reverie – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2022 by Edward Thomas Carter

More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone

Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Karin Krog was born May 15, 1937 in Oslo, Norway and started singing jazz as a teenager, attracting attention while performing in jam sessions in her hometown. By 1955, she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in his sextet.

1962 saw Karin forming her first band and becoming a student of the Norwegian-American singer Anne Brown, studying with her until 1969. Throughout the Sixties she performed with the rhythm and blues band Public Enemies, releasing the hit singles Sunny and Watermelon Man.

She has worked with Vigleik Storaas, Jacob Young, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen, Jan Garbarek, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Don Ellis, Steve Kuhn, Archie Shepp, Paul Bley, John Surman, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Red Mitchell, and Bengt Hallberg. During 1994, she became the first Norwegian musician to have an album released by Verve Records. The album Jubilee was a compilation of songs from her thirty-year career.

She has released thirty-seven albums as a leader with her latest live album Infinite Paths in 2016, as well as three as a guest. Vocalist Karin Krog, who has been bestowed with fifteen awards, including being knighted in 2005 into the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olavz, continues to compose and perform.

More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,vocal