Three Wishes
Having asked Wynton Kelly of his three wishes he responded to Nica with these answers:
- “To make some money.”
- “More money.”
- “To get around my instrument a little more.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Brian Ernest Austin Brown was born on December 29, 1933 in Melbourne, Australia and was a self-taught player and emerged in the 1950s, a leading figure in Australia. He performed as a soloist and with his own ensembles since the mid-1950s throughout Australia and in Scandinavia, United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Brunei and Germany.
In early 1956 Brown returned to Melbourne from Europe and formed the Brian Brown Quintet with drummer Stewie Speer, trumpeter Keith Hounslow, schoolboy pianist Dave Martin and bassist Barry Buckley. The new hard bop band was a regular from 1955 to 1960 at Horst Liepolt’s Jazz Centre 44 in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. They introduced bop to Melburnians, a musical style largely unheard in Australia.
He made eight albums over an 18-year period heading various groups. Touring Europe with his Australian Jazz Ensemble in 1978, Brian also led groups doing experimental and original classical pieces from 1980 to 1986.
As an educator, he founded the Improvisation Studies course at the Victorian College of the Arts, where he taught from 1978 until his retirement in 1998. He appeared at the World Saxophone Congress in Tokyo in 1988, with Tony Gould. In June 1993 he was awarded the Order of Australia for service to the performing arts.
Soprano and tenor saxophonist, flutist, synthesizer, panpiper, leather bowhorn, composer, and educator Brian Brown passed away on January 28, 2013.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Billy Mackel was born John William Mackel on December 28, 1912 in Baltimore, Maryland and played banjo early in his career, but like many banjoists of his time he switched to guitar.
He led a band early in the 1940s, then joined Lionel Hampton in 1944 and spent the next thirty years with him. In the 1940s he also recorded with Milt Buckner, Arnett Cobb, Herbie Fields, and others, and worked with Billy Williams in the 1960s.
Guitarist Billy Mackel, who played left~handed and recorded as a leader, passed away on May 5, 1986.
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Requisites
‘More’ Live ~ The Phil Woods Quartet | By Eddie Carter
Alto saxophonist Phil Woods was one of the unsung heroes of jazz, he was equally adept at Cool Jazz, and Hard-Bop with a gorgeous tone, and speed of execution that never failed to please his fans. ‘More’ Live (Adelphi Records Inc. AD 5010) is the second live session that The Phil Woods Quartet performed at The Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas during 1978 and 1979. It hit the stores in 1981, following their 1980 album, The Phil Woods Quartet Live, Volume One, featuring Mike Melillo on acoustic piano, Steve Gilmore on acoustic bass, and Bill Goodwin on drums. My copy used in this report is the 1981 US Stereo album.
Side One opens with Miles Davis’ Milestones. Phil is excellent on the lead solo, backed only at first by Steve and Bill. Mike joins them, then takes over on the second interpretation. Steve’s bass dances brightly on the third reading and Bill has the last word in an exchange with Phil and Mike before the reprise and close. Eiderdown by Steve Swallow kicks off with a five-minute performance by Gilmore who solos impressively. Woods launches into the next statement with inspired exuberance and Melillo takes care of business on the closing chorus.
Horace Silver’s Strollin’ begins Side Two in a relaxed vein for the ensemble’s theme. Mike kicks off the solos with a vivaciously spirited interpretation. Phil moves into the spotlight next with a soulful tone and agility that builds to a compelling conclusion. Steve shines on the closing statement with a quiet intensity ahead of the foursome taking the song out. Mike Melillo’s See Hunt and Liddy begins with a lovely introduction by the pianist developing into the quartet’s sprightly mood on the melody. Melillo lays down a solid groove on the opening statement that delivers the goods. Gilmore’s bass takes a brisk trip through the next reading, and Woods turns up the heat with a vigorous, energetic closing chorus culminating with the group’s climax. The engineers for See Hunt and Liddy are Jim Finney, Mark LeBaron, and Hank Allrich. The men behind the dials of the remaining tracks are Cliff Carter, Fletcher Clark, and LeBaron. The ensemble is tight, the music is terrific, the album has an exceptionally good soundstage, and I’m very impressed with the sound quality.
In addition to playing the alto sax, Phil Woods was also proficient on the clarinet. Woods was married to Chan Parker for seventeen years, and Stepdad to her daughter, Kim. His discography is extensive with sixty records as a leader and many others as a sideman performing with some elite jazz musicians and pop vocalists. His final live performance was a tribute to Charlie Parker with Strings on September 4, 2015. He passed away from emphysema twenty-five days later on September 29 at the age of eighty-three. Now that I’ve found this one, I’ll certainly be on the lookout for its companion album. If you’re in the mood for some Post-Bop and are a fan of any LP’s by Phil Woods, I offer for your consideration, ‘More’ Live by The Phil Woods Quartet. An album of sumptuous jazz that’s sure to satisfy almost any jazz appetite!
~ The Phil Woods Quartet Live, Volume One (Clean Cuts CC 702) – Source: Discogs.com
~ Milestones – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2020 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William Orval Crow was born December 27, 1927 in Othello, Washington but spent his childhood growing up in Kirkland, Washington, taking up the trumpet in fourth grade. When he joined the Army in 1946, he started to play brass instruments, remaining in the army until 1949. After leaving the Army, he played drums and trombone while a student at the University of Washington.
In 1950, Bill moved to New York City and within two years as a double bassist, he played with Teddy Charles and was with Stan Getz from October 1952 to the following April. He was part of Gerry Mulligan’s groups during the mid to late 1950s.
Crow joined the house band at Eddie Condon’s club in 1965 and then played with Walter Norris’s small group, which was one of the house bands at the Playboy Club in New York City in the mid~Sixties to early Seventies. From 1975 into the late 1990s he worked in theater orchestras on Broadway, where he sometimes played the tuba.
He authored a book called Jazz Anecdotes that was published by Oxford University Press in 1991. His autobiography, From Birdland to Broadway, was released by the same publisher two years later. Both were also the titles of his two albums as a leader.
As a sideman, he recorded 70 albums with Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn, Clark Terry, Marian McPartland, J. J. Johnson, Al Haig, Jimmy Cleveland, Milt Jackson, Benny Goodman, Mose Allison, Jimmy Raney, Sal Salvador, Don Elliott, Teddy Charles, Manny Albam, Joe Morello, Bob Wilber, Eddie Bert, Jay McShann, Bob Dorough, Barbara Lea, Dick Sudhalter, Phil Woods, Dick Sudhalter, Ronnell Bright, Art Simmons, Rich Pearle, Spike Robinson, Claude Williamson, and Michelle Leblanc. Bassist Bill Crow continues to perform at the age of 92.