Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Albert Francis Jones was born on December 18, 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and started to play the drums at the tender age of three. In 1949 he played with Lionel Hampton and with Dizzy Gillespie in 1951~1953 that included four tours of Europe.

In the early Fifties he also worked with Joe Carroll, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, and Wade Legge. Later that decade he played with Arnett Cobb and accompanied Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington.

After touring Europe with alto saxophonist Jackie McLean and the Living Theater of New York in 1962, he permanently moved to Belgium. There he led a group with Jean Fanis and Roger van Haverbeke, that became the house band in a Belgian club. This ensemble played with visiting musicians such as Dexter Gordon, Milt Jackson, Art Farmer, Clark Terry. and Dany Doriz.

Drummer Al Jones passed away in April 1976.

CONVERSATIONS

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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

The continual disregard of the health and safety of others during this medical state of our country by certain factions who want the recently removed days of old by contributing new surges in Covid cases, gives me added incentive to remain sequestered and listening to great music. This week I am turning to a resident of Cannes, France and pulling from the shelves the March 12, 1991 released album Rooms In My Fatha’s House by Vinx.

To claim him as a vocalist would be an injustice, Vinx owns the songs on this debut release, where up is the only way he can go. His unique, interpretive phrasing and melodic presentation expresses so much more that I was taken from the first note of his voice, which is why I have enjoyed this over the years and recommend it for your listening pleasure.

The session was produced by Greg Poree, John Eden, Sting, and by Vinx on track 2. It was released on the Pangea record label and distributed by Capitol Records-EMI Of Canada.

Tracklist | 54:43
  1. Tell My Feet ~ 4:44
  2. I Should Have Told Her ~ 3:41
  3. My TV ~ 4:19
  4. While The City Sleeps ~ 4:46
  5. I’ll Give My All To You ~ 4:23
  6. Captain’s Song ~ 4:32
  7. Somehow Did You Know ~ 4:44
  8. Little Queen ~ 3:44
  9. Temporary Love ~ 4:07
  10. Porch Light ~ 6:02
  11. Don’t Got to Be That Way ~ 5:16
  12. A Little Bit More ~ 6:24
PERSONNEL
  • Sting ~ Bass, Backing Vocals
  • Herbie Hancock ~  Piano
  • Sheryl Crow ~ Vocal, Guitar
  • Taj Mahal ~  Guitar, Vocal
  • Branford Marsalis ~ Saxophone

When the curtain goes up and the pandemic is controlled I will return to flying around the globe discovering the best of jazz. Until that time arrives, stay safe and healthy.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

John Ore was born on December 17, 1933 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Attending the New School of Music in Philadelphia from 1943 to 1946, he studied cello followed this with studies on bass at Juilliard.

In the 1950s he worked with Tiny Grimes, George Wallington, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Elmo Hope, Bud Powell and Freddie Redd. From 1960 to 1963 he played in Thelonious Monk’s quartet, and then with the Les Double Six of Paris in 1964.

Later in the 1960s he returned to Powell’s band, also recording with Teddy Wilson. In the 1970s he worked with Earl Hines and was with the Sun Ra Arkestra in 1982.

Following this he became less active, never recorded an album as a leader, however recorded fifty~one albums as a sideman with not only the above but with Hank Mobley, Cecil Payne, Bud Powell, Sun Ra, Charles Tyler, Lester Young, Eric Alexander, Billy Bang, Andrew Cyrille, Earl Hines, Marva Josie, Steve Lacy, Freddie Redd, and Hampton Hawes. Bassist John Ore passed away on August 22, 2014.

CONVERSATIONS

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Turk Murphy, born Melvin Edward Alton Murphy on December 16, 1915 in Palermo, California. Serving in the Navy during World War II, during which he played and recorded with Lu Watters and Bunk Johnson. In 1952, he headed Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band, which included pianist Wally Rose, clarinetist Bob Helm, banjoist Dick Lammi, and tubist Bob Short, and had a residency at San Francisco North Beach’s Italian Village. The band appeared twice on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1959 and 1965.

1979 saw Robert Schulz joining the band for eight years with various members joining as others departed. They included trumpeters Don Kinch and Leon Oakley; pianists Pete Clute and Ray Skjelbred; banjoist Carl Lunsford, tubist and trombonist Bill Carroll, singers Pat Yankee and Jimmy Stanislaw.

Murphy was the singer for the 1971 Sesame Street cartoon shorts, The Alligator King and No. 9 Martian Beauty, animated and produced by his friend Bud Luckey. Murphy arranged and performed on many of Luckey’s other Sesame Street animated shorts.

Murphy’s band played his nightclub, Earthquake McGoons, which opened in 1960 and moved three times before closing in 1984. He got an opportunity to play Carnegie Hall in 1987. Trombonist and bandleader Turk Murphy, who played traditional and Dixieland jazz, passed away on May 30, 1987 in San Francisco, California.

CONVERSATIONS

Three Wishes

The Baronness inquired of Lee Morgan as to his three wishes and his response was:  

  1. “To be  held in high esteem by my fellow jazzmen, as well as by the audiences ~ I mean the jazz public.”
  2. “To make oodles of money, and use it wisely.”
  3. “To make a wonderful husband and father.”

*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter

GRIOTS GALLERY

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