Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Fred Norman was born on October 5, 1910 in Leesburg, Florida. After attending Howard University, in Washington, DC he joined the Claude Hopkins band in 1932. Touring with the group as both a trombonist and singer for much of the 1930s, he notably recorded his own composition, Church Street Sobbin’ Blues, as the trombone soloist with the band in 1937 for Decca Records. He also appeared in short films with the Hopkins band during the 1930s.
Moving away from performance in 1938 he went on to work as a full-time music arranger. The late Thirties and 1940s saw him writing arrangements for Bunny Berigan, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, Teddy Powell, Artie Shaw, Charlie Spivak, and Jack Teagarden.
In the 1950s he was the music director and arranger for multiple records made by the singers Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington. He continued to work as an arranger until his retirement in the 1970s.
Composer, arranger, trombonist, and vocalist Fred Norman died on February 19, 1993 in New York City.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Francisco “Chino” Pozo was born on October 4, 1915 in Havana, Cuba. An autodidact on piano and bass, he concentrated on bongos, congas, and drums before leaving his home for greener pastures. Moving to the United States in 1937, he played with Machito from 1941–43 and with the Jack Cole Dancers from 1943-1949.
In the Fifties he went on to play in numerous jazz ensembles, especially latin jazz and Afro-Cuban jazz. He performed and/or recorded with Jose Curbelo, Noro Morales, Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, Enric Madriguera, Perez Prado, Josephine Premice, Tadd Dameron, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie.
He toured with Peggy Lee in 1954-55 and played with Stan Kenton in 1955, Herbie Mann in 1956, Xavier Cugat and René Touzet in 1959.
He also recorded with Illinois Jacquet, Phineas Newborn, Gábor Szabó, Paul Anka, Justo Betancourt, Harry Betts, Fats Navarro, Eddie Palmieri, Johnny Richards, A. K. Salim, Billy Taylor, Clark Terry, Chico O’Farrill, Julius Watkins and Charlie Rouse.
Drummer Chino Pozo, whose claim to be the cousin of Chano Pozo has been disputed, died on April 28, 1980 in New York City.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ronald Wayne Laws was born on October 3, 1950 and raised in Houston, Texas. He is the fifth of eight children and started playing the saxophone at the age of 11. He went on to attend Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, for two years.
In 1971 he journeyed to Los Angeles, California to embark upon a musical career. He started performing with trumpeter Hugh Masekela and the following year joined Earth, Wind & Fire, where he played saxophone and flute on their album Last Days and Time. Eighteen months later he decided to become a solo artist. Laws released his debut album Pressure Sensitive on Blue Note Records in 1975.
His first two albums charted on Billboard and by his third album, Friends and Strangers in 1977 was certified gold. Ronnie produced and sang on his sister Debra’s 1981 album Very Special. He would go on to play saxophone through the Eighties on albums by Ramsey Lewis, Sister Sledge, Deniece Williams, Jeff Lorber, Alphonse Mouzon, and Howard Hewett. In the 1990s he recorded with Norman Brown and again with Earth, Wind & Fire.
Saxophonist, flutist and vocalist Ronnie Laws, who has also worked with Guru, Brian Culbertson, and the Crusaders, also influenced Boney James and Norman Brown, and continues to explore the boundaries of his talent.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Celia Malheiros was born on October 2, 1960 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and from early childhood she was immersed inthe world of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion. She was introduced to the schools of samba, bossa nova, choro, baião, frevo and indigenous music, as well as Tropicália and political revolutionary movements.
By 18 she was completely supporting herself through music she composed, playing at festivals, theatrical productions, nightclubs, radio and TV shows. She scored films, taught music and led bands to perform her music.
Moving to the U.S. she settled in San Francisco, California where she performed and competed in street carnaval, winning numerous awards. Malheiros spent thirteen years as the music director, arranger and performer with the Brazilian All Star Big Band with Elza Soares, Emilinha Borba and Walter Wanderley. She went on to tour the U.S. opening for the likes of Tony Benett, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Santana and Ray Charles.
Touring internationally as a solo artist and leading her band tRIO, she has accepted commissions by the Wheaton College Choir and the Akat Dance Company. Celia lectures, holds clinics and master classes around the world. She has been a composer in residence at the OMI International Music Program in New York City and artist in residence twice at Massachusetts’ Wheaton College.
Ever vigilant about bringing awareness to the plight of the Amazon’s indigenous and forest, her latest album is also a one woman show. She has more than 50 musicians on each of her albums. Vocalist Celia Malheiros is writing her memoirs.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William Stewart was born on October 1, 1957 in Glasgow, Scotland and started playing classical violin at the age of 10. After winning first prize in the Scottish Central Counties Music Festival in 1970, 1971, 1972 and first prize in the Glasgow Music Festival in 1973, he won the McFarlane scholarship to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow at the age of fourteen.
While at the Academy he won the first prize in the Robert Highgate Scholarship for violin in 1975, and went on to play with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scotland, Scottish Opera, Scottish Baroque Ensemble, Virtuosi Scotland. At 19 Stewart toured Britain as leader of the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.
When he turned 21 William left Scotland to take a position as leader of the Passau State Opera Orchestra in Germany before joining the world famous Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Herr. Prof. Karl Munchinger. By twenty-six, as a member of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra Quartet, he had played in some of the most famous concert halls in the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City.
For a few years now Stewart has been working on his own compositions and music, blending influences from his traditional Scottish up-bringing, classical music, and love of Eastern-European fiddle music. After many solo concerts, and support for, among others, Nikki Sudden, and Hazel O’Conner at the “Left Bank”, he began playing with local groups like the Jazz Lads and Ellamental. He formed the Klazz with whom he played at the Derry Jazz Festival.
He has recorded with his own quintet “The Bill Stewart Quintet”, and with the gypsy-jazz trio “Gitane Swing”. Violinist William Stewart is now playing jazz, swing jazz, and composing his own works, blending influences from classical and Eastern-European violin music to create a sound that is truly unique.
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