Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Christiane Legrand was born on August 21, 1930 in Paris, France. Her father Raymond Legrand was a conductor and composer renowned for hits such as Irma la douce. She studied piano and classical music from the time she was four and was discovered by jazz critic and composer André Hodeir in 1957. She became the lead singer in the most notable French jazz vocal groups of the 1960s, including Les Double Six.
She was the original lead soprano of The Swingle Singers and was the vocalist who dubbed the part of Madame Emery in Les parapluies de Cherbourg, the music was composed by her brother Michel Legrand. She also sang the part of Judith in his Les demoiselles de Rochefort. Christiane had several commercial recordings over the course of her career.
Legrand sang the lead role on the French Disney recording of the score to the film Mary Poppins in 1964 and lent her talents to numerous other film projects. She was the featured soprano on the track “Fires (Which Burn Brightly)” on the 1973 Procol Harum album Grand Hotel.
Soprano vocalist Christiane Legrand transitioned on November 1, 2011.
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Requisites
Groovin’ ~ Idrees Sulieman, Per Goldschmidt, Horace Parlan, Mads Vinding, Billy Hart | By Eddie Carter
It happened like this; I’d recently been revisiting several SteepleChase albums in my library. One of those titles led me to this morning’s discussion. Groovin’ (SteepleChase Records SCS 1218) is a 1985 straight-ahead-blowing session. It was the third album Idrees Sulieman recorded for the Danish label and was made five days before his sixty-second birthday. I’ve enjoyed the trumpeter’s playing since hearing him on Tenor and Flute, The Cats, and The Hawk Flies High. Here, he’s working with Per Goldschmidt on baritone sax (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B3) and tenor sax (A2, B2), Horace Parlan on piano, Mads Vinding on bass, and Billy Hart on drums. My copy is the original 1986 Danish Stereo album.
Groovin’ High by Dizzy Gillespie starts the first side with the quintet’s collective melody at a relaxing beat. Idrees gets things going with a delightful solo. Per comes next with an effectively carefree reading. Horace’s following statement is as refreshing as a cool drink on a muggy day. Mads delivers an inspired interpretation next; Billy closes with an interesting exchange with the front line into the ending theme. Tell Me What’s Your Name is a pretty tune by Kathe Laursen that begins with a delicate melody by Sulieman, who Goldschmidt joins as it unfolds. The two horns work together to give warmth and tenderness in the song’s only solo, which draws to a conclusion in a gentle climax.
If I Only Knew, the first of two tunes by Idrees Sulieman, closes Side One. Billy’s brief introduction brings the song to life, segueing into the medium melody. Mads goes to work first, then Idrees shows off his gentle side. Horace states his case with graceful lines next; then Per delivers a warm, friendly and intimate finale leading to the theme’s restatement. Lipstick by Kathe Laursen continues the ensemble’s medium groove with a collective melody. Sulieman sets the stage on the first statement, then Parlan offers an equally significant reading. Sulieman shares a few thoughts with Hart in the finale preceding the closing chorus.
The ensemble takes a stroll to The Center of Copenhagen next. Idrees Sulieman’s second original begins with the group’s theme in unison. Idrees and Per provide the spotlight in an entertaining exchange, then Horace delivers a captivating closer ahead of the quintet’s reprise and exit. Per Goldschmidt’s Happy Ending finishes the album on a lively note with the group’s spirited melody. Sulieman takes off first with a lightning-fast interpretation, followed by Goldschmidt, who’s equally quick in the second reading. Hart has a vigorous conversation with the front line ahead of the reprise and the song’s climax.
Nils Winther produced Groovin’, and Ole Hansen was the recording engineer of this digital recording. The album has an excellent soundstage with exceptionally clear fidelity that brings the musicians to your listening room. The record is also incredibly quiet until the music starts. I happily recommend Groovin’ on your next record hunt if you’re in the mood for jazz to help you unwind after a busy day or week. It’s a hidden treasure with a stellar lineup; Idrees Sulieman, Per Goldschmidt, Horace Parlan, Mads Vinding and Billy Hart. Every tune is a pleasure to hear, and it’s a very enjoyable album I’m sure you’ll be glad to have in your library!
~ Tenor and Flute (Riverside RLP 12-240), The Cats (New Jazz NJLP 8217), The Hawk Flies High (Riverside RLP 12-233) – Source: Discogs.com ~ Groovin’ High – Source: JazzStandards.com ~ © 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jiggs Whigham was born Oliver Haydn Whigham III on August 20, 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio and began his professional career at the age of 17, joining the Glenn Miller/Ray McKinley orchestra in 1961. He left that band for Stan Kenton, where he played in the touring mellophonium band in 1963 before settling in New York City to play commercially.
Finding commercial playing frustrating, Whigham migrated to Germany where he still lives. He played for many years in the big band of Kurt Edelhagen, was a featured soloist in the Bert Kaempfert orchestra, and was also a member of the Peter Herbolzheimer band.
He has produced an extensive discography as a leader, including work with Bill Holman, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Carl Fontana, and many others.
Recent years have seen Jiggs as musical director of the RIAS Big Band in Berlin, Germany. He is formerly conductor of the BBC Big Band in Great Britain and currently co-director of the Berlin Jazz Orchestra with singer Marc Secara.
As an educator he has taught at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, been a visiting tutor and artist at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and KUG in Graz, Austria
He is featured on the Berlin Jazz Orchestra albums Update, You’re Everything, Songs of Berlin and music DVD Strangers In Night – The Music Of Bert Kaempfert. He is artist-in-residence for the Conn-Selmer company, maker of the King Jiggs Whigham model trombone.
Trombonist Jiggs Whigham is the musical director for the Bundesjazzorchester working with the top student jazz musicians in Germany. He continues to tour worldwide as soloist, conductor, and educator.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jack Sharpe was born on August 19, 1930 in London, England. He began playing tenor saxophone at age eighteen. He played with Vic Lewis and Teddy Foster in the early 1950s and freelanced in the London area.
While working as a taxi driver in 1953 he played with Dizzy Reece in 1954, then in Tubby Hayes’s band the following year until 1956. Jack played with Mike Senn in the Downbeaters after 1957, worked further with Hayes, and led his own sextet in 1958. He went on to promote and book other musicians.
In the early 1970s Sharpe managed a nightclub where he led the house band on weekends. By 1975 he had left music intermittently to continue driving a cab. He returned to jazz in 1985, playing with Alan Branscombe and leading a Tubby Hayes tribute band.
Tenor saxophonist and bandleader Jack Sharpe, who was mainly active on the London jazz scene, transitioned on November 4, 1994.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ernie Hammes was born on August 18, 1968 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg and studied at the Conservatories of Esch-sur-Alzette and Metz, France. He would later study at the Manhattan School of Music and the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
Since 1997, Hammes has performed in New York City, traveled widely to jazz venues and festivals across Europe and North America. The Duke Ellington Orchestra has flourished for over forty-eight years since the death of the Duke, himself. As of 2013, Hammes is the only European known to have been a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra from any era.
In his native Luxembourg, Ernie is the founder, director and lead trumpet in the Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra and since 1987 he has been a member of the Musique Militaire Grand-Ducale (the Luxembourg Army Band) where he is lead trumpet and, since 1994, leader of the big band.
Trumpeter Ernie Hammes continues to perform, compose and lead orchestras.
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