Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Fernand Coppieters was born in Brussels, Belgium on March 3, 1905. He took up piano in his youth and also played the Hammond organ. His first professional work was with the ensemble Bistrouille ADO in 1920 at age 15. Following this, he played in the Red Mills Ragtime Band and the Rhythmic Novelty Dance Orchestra.
Leaving Belgium for France he landed a place in Fud Candrix’s ensemble in France and Holland. Returning to Brussels in 1929, he played in a trio with René Compère and again with Candrix. Soon after this, he joined the 16 Baker Boys, led by Robert de Kers and, later, Oscar Aleman.
In the early 1930s, he accompanied Josephine Baker on tours of Europe, then worked with Roland Dorsay, Candrix once again, and Willie Lewis. In the 1940s and 1950s, he recorded as a leader and worked as a house pianist for Radio Schaerbeek, an independent Belgian radio station.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, he recorded several albums on Hammond organ, for Fontana Records and Philips Records. Pianist and organist Fernand Coppieters, who also played accordion, saxophone, and violin, transitioned on September 9, 1981 in Brussels.
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is being spirited off to Houston, Texas to the Cullen Theater for another performance of one of the hottest bassists on the planet and no it isn’t Ron Carter, though he fits the bill. This time it’s eight-time Grammy Award-winning Christian McBride.
Located in Houston’s Downtown Theater District at 501 Texas Avenue 77002, the theater resides within the Wortham Theater Center is one of the venues that Dacamera utilizes for its jazz performances. Under the artistic direction of pianist Sarah Rothenberg since 1994, DACAMERA programs create connections among musical genres, art forms, and ideas; between people and places; between the past and the present.
A force of nature, fusing the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman, McBride is powered by a relentless energy and a boundless love of swing. Drawing from the lexicon of his hometown, Philadelphia, he calls his pianoless quartet The New Jawn.
The Cullen Theater’s phone number is 713-524-5050. In order to get more information on showtimes and tickets then visit notoriousjazz.com/event/christian-mcbrides-new-jawn.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
LaDonna Smith was born on March 2, 1951 in Birmingham, Alabama. She learned to play violin and went on to perfect viola and piano. Since 1974 she has been performing free improvisational music with musicians Davey Williams, Leland Davis, Michael Evans, Gunther Christmann, Anne Lebaron, Derek Bailey, Eugene Chadbourne, Misha Feigin, Michael Evans, David Sait, Jack Wright, John Russell, Sergey Letov, Toshi Makihara, Andrew Dewar and many other world major improvisers.
As a performer, she has toured the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Siberia, Korea, India, China and Japan. She produced concerts and festivals in Alabama and the Southeast, including the Birmingham Improv Festival and The Improvisor Festival. She serves on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Improvised Music (I.S.I.M.).
In 1976, Smith co-founded TransMuseq Records with Davey Williams. She is editor-in-chief and publisher of The Improvisor magazine which began in 1980 as an extension of The Improvisor’s Network, a grass-roots organization in New York City that attempted to connect improvising musicians across America. She is a member of the Fresh-Dirt collective (Alabama Surrealism).
Avant garde violinist, violist, and pianist LaDonna Smith, who has recorded 37 albums, continues to perform and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Barrett Deems was born March 1, 1914 in Springfield, Illinois. He worked in bands led by Jimmy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Red Norvo, and Muggsy Spanier.
He performed the drum solo during a scene on the back of the bus in the 1956 film High Society. The movie’s star, Bing Crosby, introduces the band members, including Deems, who then performs a short drum solo. Louis Armstrong and His All Stars play the song Now You Has Jazz.
He recorded three albums, Barrett Deems Big Band, Deemus and Barrett Deems and his WFL. Drummer Barrett Deems, who married twice, transitioned from pneumonia in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 84 on September 15, 1998.
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