Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jane Stuart was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on May 8th and started her singing career at age 5, on a local TV show, “Moser Starlites”. As a child she studied ballet, acting and singing that led her to study at Quintano’s School For Young Professionals and later study dance at Charlie Lowe’s School of Tap and Personality. Some of her classmates would be Bernadette Peters, Gregory Hines, Bonnie Bedelia, Patty Duke, Christopher Walken, Jeff Conaway and Alan Paul of the Manhattan Transfer.
She attributes her tap dancing skills to be the start of her understanding of jazz. Stuart would go on to play several Off-Broadway theatres, perform as part of the Jazz Mobile with Woody Shaw, Hal Vick and Freddie Waites among others. She has performed solo and background for national commercials and jingles, and was awarded the Blue Chip Award for Best Jazz Vocals by the International Association Of Jazz Educators.
Vocalist Jane Stuart has performed around the world and has worked with Thad Jones, Roland Hanna, Jon Faddis, George Mraz, Mel Lewis, Charlie Smalls, Vic Juris, to name a few, as well as a host of actors. In addition, she continues to stay busy teaching vocal technique and performance in the New Jersey area, as a member of “Reflections”, a 19-piece jazz/swing orchestra, singing and playing percussion with The Arthur Miller Band and leading her 7 piece band “Airtight”.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joe Ford was born on May 7, 1947 in Buffalo, New York and was singing in his mother and aunt’s family choir by age 5. At seven he started taking piano lessons and by the time he was eleven he started playing saxophone. In high school and college Joe played in a variety of campus jazz and funk bands.
Ford studied saxophone under Makanda Ken McIntyre, Jackie McLean and Frank Foster, and percussion under Joe Chambers. After graduating from Ohio’s Central State University He returned home to teach in the Buffalo public schools from 1968 to 1972. It was while working at the Buffalo Public Library in 1974 that Joe played in the Birthright Ensemble, and then would go on to join McCoy Tyner in 1976, recording eight albums with him through 1993.
Since the early 1980s Ford worked extensively as a sideman with Sam Jones, Lester Bowie, Jimmy Owens, Idris Muhammad, Abdullah Ibrahim, Chico O’Farrill, Avery Sharpe, Jerry Gonzalez, Malachi Thompson, Steve Berrios, Nova Bossa Nova and Freddy Cole amongst others.
In the late 1990s he led two ensembles, the Black Art Sax Quartet and a big band called The Thing. As a leader, saxophonist Joe Ford released his one album in 1993, “Today’s Night” on Blue Moon Records featuring Charles Fambrough, Kenny Kirkland and Jeff “Tain” Watts.
Saxophonist Joe Ford continued to perform and tour until his death on May 25, 2025, at the age of 78..
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Charlie Irvis was born May 6, 1899 in New York City. He first played trombone professionally with Bubber Miley in his youth and then with blues singer Lucille Hegamin in the “Blue Flame Syncopators” from 1920 to 1921. Following this stint, Charlie played with Willie “The Lion” Smith and with Duke Ellington’s Washingtonians and later with his orchestra from 1924 to 1926. During the years 1923 to 1927 he also recorded occasionally with Clarence Williams.
Irvis, along with friends Miley and Tricky Sam Nanton contributed to the development of “jungle sounds” or “growl effects” in trombone playing. After leaving Ellington’s band, for the rest of the decade and into the early 1930s he recorded with Fats Waller, played with Charlie Johnson and Jelly Roll Morton. Some of his final recordings were in 1931 with Miley again, and shortly thereafter with Elmer Snowden.
After the early 1930s, Charlie Irvis, best known for his work with Duke Ellington’s band, stopped playing and passed away in New York City sometime around 1939 in obscurity. He is pictured 2nd from left in the photograph.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Pablo Aslan was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 5, 1962 and began playing bass in his youth. He received his music education at University of California – Santa Cruz, CalArts and UCLA, and in the 90’s in the clubs of New York.
Pablo has led several groups like New York Buenos Aires Connection, Avantango, and New York Tango Trio, which included musicians such as the late Thomas Chapin, pianist Ethan Iverson (now of The Bad Plus), drummer Kenny Wollesen, saxophonist Donny McCaslin, and bandoneonists Raul Jaurena and Tito Castro.
Aslan has worked with Yo Yo Ma, Lalo Schifrin, Pablo Ziegler, Osvaldo Golijov, Arturo O’Farrill, Emilio Solla and Fernando Otero. In 2009 he released “Tango Grill” that was nominated for both a Grammy and Latin Grammy. He has collaborated with Paquito D’Rivera, “Tango Jazz” Live at Jazz @ Lincoln Center” and also for a tribute to tango master Astor Piazzolla on the 90th anniversary of his birth. Bassist Pablo Aslan continues to champion the fusion of jazz and tango as he records, performs and tours.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Monica Mancini was born on May 4, 1952 in Los Angeles, California to film composer Henry Mancini. She began her singing career at fourteen as a member of the Henry Mancini chorus, which later led to a successful career in the Los Angeles studios.
Monica is a Concord Record recording artist and two-time Grammy award nominee, who has carved out an impressive career as a singer performing on club and concert stages, and with major symphony orchestras worldwide.
She has appeared on countless film scores, and recorded with artists including Placido Domingo, Horace Silver, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rankin and Plas Johnson among others. She has recorded four albums, fronted the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and sung Senza Fine on the soundtrack for the 2002 film Ghost Ship. She continues to perform and tour.
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