Daily Dose OF Jazz…
George Edward “Ted” Heath was born March 30, 1902 in Wandsworth, England. After playing tenor saxophone at the age of six, encouraged by his father and leader of the Wandsworth Town Brass Band, he later switched to trombone.
Earning a living for his family in the post-war years Ted formed a band along with his brother Harold and three other musicians, played to commuters outside London Bridge Station and outside the Queen’s Hall Gardens venue. It was here that he was spotted and asked to play with the Jack Hylton Band who had a residence there. Though not having the experience required he did not last long, his professional career began and he went on to pursue a career as a professional musician.
His first real band gig was in the 1920s touring Europe with the American band called the Southern Syncopation Orchestra, followed by the Metro-Gnomes, a small band fronted by Ennis Parkes, then again joined Hylton’s theatre band. Heath played with the Kit Cat Club band led by American Al Starita, and heard Bunny Berrigan, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and Paul Whiteman when they toured Europe.
By 1928 he joined Bert Ambrose’s orchestra at London’s Mayfair Hotel and stayed until 1935 when he moved on to Sydney Lipton’s orchestra at the Grosvenor House. But it was Ambrose who taught Heath how to be a bandleader during a time that Heath became the most prominent trombone player in Britain, renowned for his perfect tone. He played on numerous recordings. During the late ’30s and early ’40s, he played as a sideman on several Benny Carter sessions.
In 1940, Heath joined Geraldo’s orchestra and played numerous concerts and broadcasts and became one of the “boys” in Geraldo’s vocal group, ‘Three Boys and a Girl’. His composition That Lovely Weekend with Dorothy Carless on vocal became an immediate wartime hit. The royalties from this song and another composition Gonna Love That Guy allowed Heath to form his own band.
On D-Day 1944, the Ted Heath & His Music band was officially formed and played on the BBC radio. He went on to provide music for film, performed dates with Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald, toured Scandinavia, were regular Poll Winners in the Melody Maker and the New Musical Express and performed twice for King George VI. He held Sunday Night Swing Sessions at the London Palladium from 1947 to 1955.
During the Fifties he toured the U.S. that contracted to play Nat King Cole, June Christy and the Four Freshmen and consisted of 43 concerts in 30 cities in 31 days climaxing in a Carnegie Hall. So successful was the tour that after so many encore calls at the Carnegie Hall performance that Nat King Cole had to come out on stage and ask people to leave. Ted would later successfully tour the US again and also toured Australia and Europe.
In addition to Cole, Heath established close personal and professional relationships with Woody Herman, Count Basie, Marlene Dietrich, Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett. He worked with Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, Donna Hightower and others. His band members included Ronnie Scott, Stan Tracey, Kenny Baker, Duncan Campbell, Don Rendell, Tommy Whittle, Don Lusher, Wally Smith, Jack Parnell, Ronnie Verrell, Johnny Hawksworth and singers Dickie Valentine, Lita Roza and Dennis Lotis. in the ’50s gave the band more teenage appeal.
He commissioned over 800 original scores and arrangements from Tadd Dameron, George Shearing, Reg Owen, John Keating, Kenny Graham, Ken Moule, Robert Farnon, Woolf Phillips, Ron Roullier, Bill Russo, Johnny Douglas, Ron Goodwin and Ralph Dollimore.
Trombonist, composer and bandleader Ted Heath, who led the greatest post-war big band and recording over 100 albums, passed away on November 18, 1969 at the age of 67.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Abram Lincoln was born March 29, 1907 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one of six brothers, and began playing trombone at age five, instructed by his cornet playing father John. His older brother Bud, would also become a professional musician, as would brothers Roy and Chet.
He began working professionally in the early 1920s and 1930s spending time playing with Adrian Rollini’s California Ramblers, replacing Tommy Dorsey. Lincoln also performed with Arthur Lange, Ace Brigode, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Paul Whiteman, and Ozzie Nelson.
As a studio musician, Abe most prominently performed occasional solos and dixieland-stylings during the musical portions on the Old Time Radio show on NBC. In the 1930s and into the 1940s he work primarily in Los Angeles, California studios as a sideman. He played on Fibber McGee and Molly from the mid-40s until 1953 with the Billy Mills Orchestra.
During the Dixieland revival of the 1950s Abe’s career saw a resurgence, playing with Wingy Manone, the Rampart Street Paraders, Red Nichols, Bob Scobey, Pete Fountain, Jack Teagarden, and Matty Matlock.
Lincoln played his trombone for music and sound effects for Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker cartoons and some Buster Keaton comedies. He recorded with Wild Bill Davison and did freelance work into the 1970s, though he went into semi-retirement by the 1980s. Trombonist Abe Lincoln, who played weddings and special occasions, passed on June 8, 2000 in Van Nuys, California.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ike Isaacs was born Charles Isaacs on March 28, 1923 in Akron, Ohio and played trumpet and tuba as a child before settling on bass. Serving in the Army during World War II, he took lessons from Wendell Marshall.
After being discharged Ike played with Tiny Grimes from 1948 to 1950, then with Earl Bostic until 1953, followed by Paul Quinichette in ‘53 and Bennie Green in 1956. He led a band locally in Ohio in 1956, then played for two years in the trio of Carmen McRae, whom he married late in the decade.
Throughout the Sixties Isaacs went on to work and recorded with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, then with Count Basie, Gloria Lynne, Ray Bryant, Maxine Sullivan, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Harry “Sweets” Edison and Erroll Garner, as well as with his own small groups.
Bassist Ike Isaacs only recorded once as a leader in 1967 for RGB Records. With him on the date were Jack Wilson on piano and Jimmy Smith on drums. He passed away on February 27, 1981.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Miriam Klein was born on March 27, 1937 in Basel, Switzerland and after a training at the music school in Vienna, Austria she went back to Switzerland and has been singing since 1963 in groups formed with her husband Oscar Klein. She, however, became famous when she appeared in Paris, France with Pierre Michelot, Don Byas and Art Simmons in the 1950s.
In the 1960s and 1970s she became internationally known as a singer and during this period recorded an album of Bessie Smith tunes. In 1973 the breakthrough came with the album Lady Like dedicated to Billie Holiday. She was accompanied by musicians Roy Eldridge , Dexter Gordon and Slide Hampton. She also recorded a record with Albert Nicholas.
Klein worked with the Fritz Pauer Trio in 1977, with Sir Roland Hanna and George Mraz in 1978 on their album By Myself. At the Frankfurt Jazz Festival 1980 she was accompanied by Hans Kollers International Brass Company. Through 1981/82 she toured with Kenny Clarke, Hanna and Isla Eckinger.
2001 saw Miriam involved in the recording of the album My Marilyn by her son David Klein. Though she fashioned her vocal style after Billie Holiday, she found herself not copying her but singing the way Billie did but in her own way. Vocalist Miriam Klein occasionally continues to perform and record.
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Atlanta Jazz Festival… 2003
In the tradition of past festival jazz returns to Piedmont Park over the Memorial Day weekend from May 24 – 26th. Added to this are 26 days of jazz around the city and the sophomore year of the Youth Jazz Band Competition, a collaboration between the Bureau of Cultural Affairs and WCLK, that brought together middle and high school jazz bands to compete for the chance to perform on the mainstage as the opening act each day of the day of the festival. To add to the fun a Kids Zone was added to include family-oriented activities not limited to games, art and puppeteers.
The lineup for the weekend included Bernard Linnette Interactive Sextet, Bobby Sanabria y Ascension, Camille, Dr. Dan, Eddie Palmieri, Fourplay featuring Bob James, Nathan East, Harvey Mason & Larry Carlton, Irvin Mayfield Quintet, Jacques Lesure Quartet, Kathleen Bertrand, Matthias Lupri Group, Maysa, Metalwood, Ojeda Penn Trio, Pharoah Sanders Quartet, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, René Marie, Richard Bona, Somi, Soulive, Sunny Jain and Wild Rice.
Sponsoring the 2003 weekend were General Motors, Michelob, Borders Books Music & Movies, Caversham Financial, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Atlanta Magazine, Comcast, Creative Loafing, Delta Airlines, Hpnotiq, Jazz 91.9 FM WCLK, JazzTimes, MARTA, Mundo Hispanico, Odwalla, Publix Super Markets, Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown, Rolling Out, Smooth Jazz 107.5 WJZZ, Terry manufacturing, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta Livery Company, The Atlanta Tribune and WSB-TV. #AJF40
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