Three Wishes

The Baroness asked Clifford Jordan of his three wishes and he said:
  1. “I think I’d like to be you asking me that question.”
  2. “I wish I was on intermission.”
  3. “I wish to be a success.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats – Complied and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter”

THE WATCHFUL EYE

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Requisites

Pianist Phineas Newborn Jr. gathered an elite group of players in 1961 to comprise two distinct trios rendering two distinct sounds for two recording sessions. Bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones came into the Contemporary studio and recorded tracks 1–4 on October 16th, while on November 21st bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes laid down tracks 5–8.

The album, A World of Piano! was released in 1962 by Contemporary Records and had a total of eight compositions for a total playing time of 39:34. Featured on Side 1 was Cheryl, Manteca, Lush Life and Daahoud and on Side 2 – Oleo, Juicy Lucy, For Carl and Cabu.

The cover was designed by George Kershawn and Robert Guidi who utilized bold, luminously colored fonts to create a distinctive style to the jazz covers of the Los Angeles based label. What Tri-Arts succeeded in doing time and time again as to create a distinguishable yet highly complimentary design to an often lush photograph, in this case provided by the inimitable William Claxton. Below is the complete album with separate Side 1 & 2 for your listening pleasure.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Joe Harris was born on December 23, 1926 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, growing up in the Manchester neighborhood. He learned to play the drums by taking lessons at an early age from Pittsburgh’s Bill Hammond, who taught his the rudiments of drumming. His musical education included symphonic percussion such as tympani and xylophone and by age 18 he was playing in big bands and touring the country.

As a young man in 1946 he moved to New York City, where he played with Dizzy Gillespie over the next two years, helped pioneer Latin jazz, and anchored the house band at the famed Apollo Theater. Balancing jazz with the heavier R&B sounds of tenor saxophonist Arnett Cobb in the late ’40s, Harris gigged with singer Billy Eckstine in 1950, and worked with Erroll Garner, Jimmy Heath, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Billie Holiday and James Moody.

Following a decade as one of the early bebop drummers, Joe took off for Sweden with his first tour in the summer of 1956 with trumpeter Rolf Ericson. His subsequent expatriate status put him in the company of other transplanted instrumentalists including trumpeter Benny Bailey, with whom he recorded from 1957 – 59, and pianist Freddie Redd. He taught himself to speak Swedish fluently and learned a fair amount of German and Japanese, eventually moved to Sweden, married and had a daughter before living in  Germany and Japan for a time.

Harris eventually returned to the States for TV work in Los Angeles, California among other things. The drummer would later study music in the Far East, Egypt, Africa and Latin America prior to settling back in his native Manchester, scaling back his performance schedule with local musicians. He continued to practice daily, mentor students and teaching jazz history and drums for years at the University of Pittsburgh until his death on January 27, 2016 at age 89.

BRONZE LENS

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The Jazz Voyager

The Jazz Voyager is jet setting down to Brazil to Beco das Garrafas (Alley of the Bottles) at Rua Duvivier 37, Lojas J, K e L, Rio de Janeiro. Seating sixty with standing room for twenty additional patrons or 150 standing, the club lays claim to being the birthplace of the revolutionary sound of Bossa Nova in the 50s and 60s, a blend of jazz and samba. Sergio Mendes, Elis Regina, Jorge Ben and Baden Powell all performed on its stage, though the crowd used to be a little less appreciative of these new sounds, hurling bottles at the young upstarts, hence the name.

The venue lay abandoned for almost thirty years Amanda Bravo, Sergio De Martino and Mauricio De Martino decided to join forces and bring back the music to the Bottle ‘s Bar and the Little Club. Now hosting new talents as well as Brazilian greats playing in the genres of bossa nova, samba, as well as jazz.

This trip the Jazz Voyager will catch a set of composer and singer Marcio Aguinaga at 8:30pm for 40.00 Real or approximately $10.00. For reservations and more information the number is 21 96800-8683 or 2543-2962.

GRIOTS GALLERY

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Three Wishes

Blue Mitchell told Pannonica only two of the three wishes to her question were:
  1. “That I can play simply and understandably, and know what I doing musically.”
  2. “To have enough to live comfortably. Sorry, Nica, but this cat’s waiting for me.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats – Complied and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter”

THE WATCHFUL EYE

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