Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Kemba Cofield was born on August 2, 1972 in and grew up in Frankfort, Kentucky. As a young girl she sang in talent shows, beauty pageants, musicals and church. It was only after seeing Sarah Vaughan perform at age 12 that she knew she wanted to sing jazz. However, it wasn’t until she moved to Atlanta, Georgia that opportunity knocked, allowing her to learn the technical aspects of jazz.
Former Freddy Cole drummer, Bernard Linnette, heard Kemba sing during a Tuesday night jam session and was impressed by her voice. She soon began gigging with his sextet and Linnette became her mentor. She taught chorus and piano lessons to students during the day, absorbed jazz during the night and completed her Masters in Music at Northern Illinois University in 2006 and a Masters of Education in 2013 from Cambridge College on summer breaks.
Meeting trombonist Wycliffe Gordon in 2003 earned her an invitation to sing with his ensemble as well as to appear on his album, In The Cross. Her relationships with Linnette and Gordon exposed her to new audiences and provided her with an entrée into the broader jazz scene.
Whether singing in the church choir, teaching scales to students, gigging with the likes of Wycliffe Gordon, Don Braden or Bernard Linnette, she leads her own ensemble.
Vocalist Kemba Cofield, who sings with a soulfulness that wraps itself around the song, continues to She reminds us of how music transforms and how the essence of jazz transcends.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Charlie Harrington ws born on August 1, 1972 in child prodigy, he has played drums since the age of 5 and performed professionally since the age of 15. He studied with and became the protégé of jazz drumming legend Ray Bauduc. He went on to study with classical percussionist Tim Tull. His drumming influences include Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Ed Shaughnessy, Joe Morello, and Peter Erskine.
Additionally he leads his own band, Charlie Harrington and the Jazz Express. He has shared the stage with Woody Herman, Freddie Green, Stan Mark, Kirk Whalem, Larry Coryell, Kurt Elling, John Scofield, Benny Golson, Barbara Streisand, Dave Brubeck, Richie Cole, Tony Bennett, Ira Sullivan, Carly Simon, Ari Brown, Junko Onishi and Eddie “Cleanhead” vinson.
As a bluesman he performed with Joe “Guitar” Hughes, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He has taken master classes with Ed Soph, Louie Bellson, Jack DeJohnette, Donny Osborne, Johnny Rabb, Clayton Cameron, Butch Miles, Steve Smith, Joe Morello, Jeff Hamilton, Bill Stewart, Steve Gadd, Billy Cobham, Jeff Tain Watts, Peter Erskine, and Ed Shaughnessy.
The highly inventive and skilled drummer Charlie Harrington, who has yet to record as a leader or sideman, continues to build a body of work and performs in trio, small group settings and big band ensembles.
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is back in New York City for another evening of music at Columbus Circle. It sits in the middle of Broadway, connected to Central Park West with 59th Street heading east along the southern border of Central Park. Overlooking the park is the jazz club named after one of the greatest trumpeters of the 20th century, Dizzy’s, a name that is household renowned for jazz heads.
Bassist and composer Buster Williams brings his rich tone, infectious swing, and joyful spirit to the stage. A beloved fixture of the New York jazz scene, he’s played alongside greats like Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey, and Betty Carter, and now leads his dynamic group Something More. Get ready for a night of deep grooves, soulful melodies, and the kind of musical chemistry that makes live jazz unforgettable.
Performers: Buster Williams, bass | Steve Wilson, saxophone | Brandon McCune, piano (7/31 and 8/1) | Steve Nelson, vibes (8/2) | Lenny White, drums
Cover: $25.00 ~ $65.00
Dizzy’s is located at 3 Columbus Circle, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10019 For more information contact the venue at https://jazz.org/dizzys.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Peter Edwin Bocage was born on July 31, 1887 in New Orleans, Louisiana. At 21, he played violin as the leader of a ragtime band, the Superior Orchestra, which included Bunk Johnson.
He played trumpet in the Tuxedo Orchestra, the Onward Brass Band, and as the leader of the Excelsior Brass Band. He played with King Oliver’s band, the Fate Marable Orchestra, and A. J. Piron.
Heading to New York City he performed with Sidney Bechet and at the Cotton Club. He made records with Piron’s New Orleans Orchestra in 1923, and later with his band the Creole Serenaders.
As an educator he taught Louis Armstrong how to read music notes. Both jazz musicians met during jam sessions and created a friendship through music. In later years he performed at Preservation Hall in New Orleans.
Trumpeter and violinist Peter Bocage died in his hometown on December 3, 1967.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Benny Featherstone was born on July 30, 1912 in Brown’s Creek, Tasmania, Australia. His family moved to Melbourne, Australia around the time he was six where he attended Melbourne Grammar and played trombone with the school orchestra and its Footwarmers band between 1926 and 1927. He went on to play drums with Joe Watson and His Green Mill/Wentworth Hotel Orchestra for three years when he was 17. During those years he recorded with the Beachcombers.
Between 1931 and 1933 he worked with bands led by Maurice Guttridge, Les Raphael, Em Pettifer, Geoff Smith and the 3DB Radio Studio Band. Mid 1933 he went to Englandwhere he heard and met Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and had a short residency at the Silver Slipper Club. Returning home he joined Art Chapman’s New Embassy Band and led a group at Rex Cabaret. He joined Art Chapman’s New Embassy Band and led a group at Rex Cabaret.
In Sydney, Australia he led the Benny Featherstone Famous Band for a year residency at the Manhattan Club/Cabaret.that only lasted eight weeks when the club went bankrupt. He led the Commodore Cabaret Band, was a member of Art Chapman’s Orchestra at Wattle Palais, then reformed his band in 1935. Two years later he worked with popular dance, swing and show bands. He contributed to the legendary Fawker Park Kiosk Jam Sessions on weekends.
He led his own swing quartet, sextet, Six Stars of Swing, and the Dixielanders. Joining the merchant navy late in 1943 he played in American Servicemen’s clubs in Queensland and in Oakland, California. He disappeared from music in 1945 became a shipping clerk from 1958 to 1975 but played the occasional jam session.
Trumpeter Benny Featherstone became reclusive in his later years and died in Melbourne on April 6, 1977.