Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Fionna Duncan was born on November 5, 1939 in a temperance hotel in Garelochhead, Scotland a few weeks into the Second World War. The doctor had refused to come to the family home in Portincaple, on the shores of Loch Long, because a blackout was in operation. The youngest of three, she initially preferred to sing, although she later began to accompany herself on guitar and ukulele.
When she was six, the family moved to Rutherglen and it was there, thanks to Rutherglen Academy’s ballads and blues club, that she added folk and skiffle songs to the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas she sang at the local music society. By sixteen, while still at school, she was singing in talent competitions and with local jazz bands. One competition win resulted in an audition for television and the chance to make a recording.
A family trip to the United States had her singing on radio and television, and Riverside Records offered Fionna a recording contract. Not wanting to live in the States, a stipulation of the deal, she turned it down along with the chance to become label-mates with pianists Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans, and saxophonists Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane. Back in Glasgow, Scotland appearances on the weekly TV show Skiffle Club with the Joe Gordon Folk Four, singing with the Steadfast Jazz Band, and another talent competition win and auditions, she met clarinettist Forrie Cairns.
With her mother’s blessing Fionna joined Cairns’ All-Stars whom she would go on to work into the 2000s. In 1959 she and Forrie were invited to join the Clyde Valley Stompers, a traditional jazz band and recorded the album, Have Tartan Will Trad.
She won the JazzBeat Award for Top Singer in 1960 met Louis Armstrong at his own insistence when they shared a bill, and also met Lena Horne and the Beatles. She continued touring until 1964, then took up residence in London, where she hosted the Georgian Nightclub in the West End, singing with Kenny Ball and Humphrey Lyttelton, among other prominent musicians of the time. Suffering five slipped discs and being hospitalized for a year, Fionna changed careers and trained as a hairdresser. However, the lure of the microphone and telling stories in song pulled her back to performing.
In 1985 she put together her own group with her partner, bassist Ronnie Rae, Ronnie’s son John on drums and Brian Kellock on piano. Together they became the house trio for Fionna’s Vocal Jazz Workshops, where she became a supportive mentor. if also quite a tough critic to a veritable legion of budding jazz singers as her workshops developed into a regular feature at Glasgow Jazz Festival. The festival’s late-night club also benefited from Fionna’s ‘strict but fair’ hosting skills for several years.
Vocalist Fionna Duncan continued to sing and teach into her seventies, was voted Best Jazz Vocalist and received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Scottish Jazz Awards, died at 83 on December 6, 2022.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Anne Peter Schilperoort was born on November 4, 1919 in The Hague, Netherlands. Famous for his work with the Dutch Swing College Band, and projects with other well-known musicians.
He is most recognized as a saxophone and clarinet player, but also played the guitar and the banjo. Leading the Dutch Swing College Band from 1946 to 1955, then from 1960 to 1990, his style was Dixieland, a style popular at the start of the twentieth century. His band became widely popular across Europe, Australia, Asia and South America in 1960, known as a Dixieland revival band.
Peter Schilperoort, also known as Pat Bronx, died in Leiderdorp, Netherlands on November 17, 1990 at the age of 71.
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Requisites
Swiss Movement ~ Les McCann and Eddie Harris | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s record from the library is an exceptional live album by Les McCann and Eddie Harris. They performed a spontaneous concert at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival. Their set, which became the highlight of the three-day event, was a testament to the quintet’s exceptional musicianship. Swiss Movement (Atlantic SD 1537) immortalizes this incredible performance. The ensemble consists of Benny Bailey on trumpet, Eddie Harris on tenor sax, Les McCann on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Donald Dean on drums. My copy is the original 1969 U.S. Stereo release.
The opener, Compared To What by Gene McDaniels, is a poignant reflection of the sentiments of many Americans towards the Vietnam War and the President of the United States. McCann’s vocals, which delve into the pressing issues of the time, add a layer of historical significance to the song. Les starts things with a spirited introduction, setting the stage for a lively dialogue when Donald joins in. Leroy and Eddie add to the jubilant theme with McCann’s vibrant vocal choruses. Benny follows with a zestful solo, and Les returns for another round of swinging. He then lets his fingers do the talking with exhilarating energy. Eddie takes the performance to a whole new level next, leading to an electrifying climax, the audience’s thunderous applause, and McCann’s quintet introduction.
Cold Duck Time by Eddie Harris slows the pace to medium speed, opening with Les McCann’s introduction to the crowd. Leroy and Donald build the song softly to the quintet’s relaxing theme. Eddie starts the soloing with a nice, easygoing groove. Benny delivers the following solo with thoughtful construction and captivating lines. Les ends with a contagious swing on the closer, which cooks to the finale. Kathleen’s Theme by Les McCann ends the first side with Harris leading a quartet performance. Eddie delivers a feisty reading with a spirited momentum fueled by the rhythm section’s groundwork, which receives a well-deserved ovation from the Montreux audience at its conclusion.
Les McCann’s You Got It In Your Soulness opens Side Two with the trio’s festive introduction to Les scatting along in the background of the melody. He continues taking care of business on the first solo. Eddie launches a funky, firm-toned attack next. Benny responds with energetic verses in the following reading, and Les puts the exclamation point on the solos with intense heat, which glows brightly into the close. The Generation Gap by Les McCann starts with the trio’s introduction and melody. Eddie begins with a velvety, smooth opening statement. Les delivers a stimulating workout before the trio’s gentle ending.
Nesuhi Ertegün and Joel Dorn produced Swiss Movement, and French recording engineer Pierre Grandjean crafted the album with meticulous diligence to detail. The album boasts an excellent soundstage with a “you are there” feeling, immersing the listener in the Montreux Jazz Festival audience as the group performs. The record is also quiet until the music begins. As for the music itself, Swiss Movement by Les McCann and Eddie Harris is a testament to the highest standards of jazz, a live performance that rocked the house that night and continues to captivate audiences today. If you’re a soul jazz or post-bop fan, it’s a must-have for your library!
~ Compared To What – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
John Barry was born John Barry Prendergast in York, England on November 3, 1933 the youngest of four children, his mother, a classical pianist, his father a projectionist. Raised in and around cinemas, this childhood background influenced his musical tastes and interests. He was educated at St. Peter’s School, York, and received composition lessons from Francis Jackson, Organist of York Minster.
Spending his national service in the British Army playing the trumpet and working from a correspondence course with jazz composer Bill Russo, after his service he worked as an arranger for the orchestras of Jack Parnell and Ted Heath. Forming his own band, the John Barry Seven, in 1957, they recorded hit records on EMI’s Columbia label. By 1959 he gained commissions to arrange music for other acts, and his career breakthrough was the BBC television series Drumbeat, when he appeared with the John Barry Seven.
He was employed by EMI from 1959 until 1962 arranging orchestral accompaniments for the company’s singers. He began composing songs and scores for films and when Adam Faith made his first film, Beat Girl in 1960, Barry composed, arranged and conducted the film score, his first. His music was later released as the UK’s first soundtrack album. His composition and orchestration caught the attention of the Bond producers and he went on to have an accomplished career as a composer and arranger with the series.
In 2001, the University of York conferred an honorary degree on Barry, and in 2002 he was named an Honorary Freeman of the City of York. Fiancial issues in Britain forced him to emigrate to the United States where he lived for many years mainly in Oyster Bay, New York, in Centre Island on Long Island
He suffered a rupture of the esophagus in 1988, following a toxic reaction to a health tonic he had consumed. The incident rendered him unable to work for two years and left him vulnerable to pneumonia.
Composer, arranger and conductor John Barry, who won five Academy Awards and four Grammy Awards with scores for Born Free, The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy and Somewhere in Time, died of a heart attack on January 30, 2011 at his Oyster Bay home, aged 77.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Christopher Burnett was born in Olathe, Kansas on November 2, 1955 and grew up in a military family that moved often before settling in the Kansas City area. He was exposed to music growing up as his mother introduced him to the piano and he was a member of the youth choir at his church. He took up saxophone and clarinet in his school band. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Music Program where he performed and pursued higher education, studying at the Armed Forces School of Music, Webster University, Missouri’s Columbia College, Berklee College of Music, and American University.
Spending 22 years in the military, Chris rose to the rank of 1st Sergeant in the position of Enlisted Bandleader, staff and faculty assignment at the Armed Forces School of Music, and the leading Chief Petty Officer of the NATO Band in Naples, Italy. He served as NATO Ceremonial Band Conductor, directed the jazz band, played the lead alto saxophone chair with the West Point Military Academy Band’s Jazz Knights, and a featured soloist with the Hof Symphony Orchestra in Germany.
After leaving the military Burnett continued to teach, holding the position of director of the jazz ensemble program and adjunct lecturer at Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly University of Missouri-Rolla, where he worked as an Adjunct Lecturer for a decade.
He has performed with artists like Bobby Watson, Will Matthews, Marcus Hampton, Ahmed Alaadeen, and many more. Burnett is the Founder and Artistic Director of KC Area Youth Jazz and along with colleagues Erica Lindsay and Sumi Tonooka is a co-founder of the large independent recording label, Artists Recording Collective.
He has held residencies at the historic Drum Room and the Black Dolphin in Kansas City, and appeared as a guest artist and clinician for the Northwest Missouri State Jazz Festival. He released his debut album as a leader, Time Flies in 2013, Firebird in 2014, in 2021 The Standards, Vol. 1, and Live at The Drum Room in Kansas City in 2022.
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