Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Carmine D’Amico was born on December 22, 1954 in Brooklyn, New York. His father gave him the choice of piano or the guitar and he chose the latter. Taught by his father who instilled in him that each note must have meaning. At age 9 he recorded Who Wears Short Shorts, which became a big hit. He was then signed to Capitol Records and went on tour , including television appearances on American Bandstand, The Allen Fried Show, and Soul Train. From age 9 – 11 during the 1950s he played on hit records by the Shirelles, Connie Francis, Fabian, Frankie Avalon, and others.
He won academic scholarships to both high school and college, graduating valedictorian from Trinity High School with a 99.9 average. Carmine found himself in pre-med but then transferred to Queens College and majored in music. Studying in between touring with Tammy Grimes, Liza Minelli and Ed Ames, he graduated with a B.A. in Music Education.
Then came military service with an assignment with an Army Dance Band. Discharged, he returned to New York and resumed his career activities, first joining Ed Ames, recording two of his biggest hits, Try To Remember and My Cup Runneth Over.” D’Amico then became staff guitarist on the Mike Douglas Show and remained for three years.
He went on to work with Bobby Darrin, Sergio Franchi, Patti Austin, Englebert Humperdinck, Vic Damone, Manhattan Transfer, Shirley Maclaine, Henry Mancini, Michele Legrande, Bernadette Peters, The Pointer Sisters, The O’Jays, Jack Jones, Lainie Kazan, Elisa Kashi, Connie Francis, Cleo Laine, Shirley Bassey and Josephine Baker.
He worked with Bernard Purdie, Steve Gadd, Ron Carter, John Faddis, Lou Marini, Lionel Hampton, Teo Macero, Bob Cranshaw, Tom Barney, John Frosk, Doc Severinsen, John Tropea, Mel Torme, Mel Lewis, and Thad Jones, among others.
Outside of jazz he recorded with Bee Gees, the Stylistics, Ray, Goodman and Brown, Stephanie Mills, Vanessa Williams, Patti LaBelle, Freda Payne, Tina Turner, Ben Vereen and played on all of the Sugar Hill Productions. During this prolific period and seemingly height of opportunities for working musicians, NARAS voted him Most Valuable Guitar Player in 1986 and 1987.
Guitarist, producer, composer, arranger and sideman Carmine D’Amico, who over the course of his career received 16 Grammys, died at the age of 67 in Casa Grande, Arizona on Oct. 2, 2011.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jerome Darr was born on December 21, 1910 in Baltimore, Maryland. His first major professional affiliation was a jug band, the Washboard Serenaders. As a member of this group from 1933 through 1936, the guitarist enjoyed a well-received European tour.
During the 1940s he focused on work as a studio musician showing up on sessions from blues to bebop. His incredibly versatile and prolific career had him playing behind Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers.
Between 1935 and 1973 Jerome participated in roughly twenty jazz recording sessions. in total for this artist. Such a thin statistic indicates that the hefty, complete list of recordings Darr appears on include many other styles besides jazz.
He recorded and/or performed with the Marlowe Morris Trio, Paul Quinichette All-Stars and his Quartet, Rex Stewartand the Charlie Parker Quintet. In his final years, Darr was mostly swinging in the busy band of trumpeter Jonah Jones, in a sense coming full circle with the type of playing he had started out with.
Guitarist Jerome Darr died October 29, 1986 in Brooklyn, New York.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ralph Dollimore was born on December 20, 1930 in Ealing, London, England. During the 1950s he worked with Kenny Graham, Terry Brown Sextet, Jimmy Walker Quintet, Ted Heath, Eric Winstone, Harry Bence, Vic Ash, Geraldo. He was Petula Clark’s pianist in variety shows around the United Kingdom in 1959.
During the Sixties he accinoanied singer Matt Monro, led his own trio, and once again joined Ted Heath. The 1970s and 1980s saw Ralph as a pianist in Monte Carlo hotel. Returning to Britain he formed his own small group.
Pianist, arranger and composer Ralph Dollimore died on August 25, 1988 in London, England.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Peter Charles Strange was born on December 19, 1938 in Plaistow, Newham, London, England. He played violin as a child before switching to trombone as a teenager.
His first major gig was with Eric Silk and his Southern Jazz Band when he was just 18 years old. In 1957, Silk’s clarinetist Teddy Layton split off and formed his own band, and Strange went with him. Called up for National Service in 1958 he became a bandsman in the Lancashire Fusiliers, whilst serving in Cyprus.
Following his discharge from service Peter played with Sonny Morris, Charlie Gall, and Ken Sims, then joined Bruce Turner from 1961 to 1964. After 1964, Turner went into partial retirement for about 10 years, so he played off and on with Freddy Randall, Joe Daniels, and Ron Russell, but not carrying any full-time associations. He returned to play with Turner again permanently in 1974.
In 1978 co-founded the Midnite Follies Orchestra with Alan Elsdon. 1980 saw Strange founding the five-trombone ensemble, Five-A-Slide, which featured Roy Williams and Campbell Burnap. He joined Humphrey Lyttelton’s band in 1983, and remained with the ensemble until he died.
Trombonist, arranger and composer Peter Strange, who played with his own side group, the Great British Jazz Band, died of cancer at the age of 65 on August 14, 2004 in Banstead, Surrey, England.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Nicholas Stabulas was born on December 18, 1929 in New York City, New York. After working in commercial music, Stabulas was a member of Phil Woods group from 1954 to 1957.
Through the Fifties he did extensive work as a sideman in the 1950s, with Jon Eardley, Jimmy Raney, Eddie Costa, Friedrich Gulda, George Wallington, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Gil Evans, Mose Allison, Carmen McRae, and Don Elliott.
In the 1960s he worked with Chet Baker, Kenny Drew, Bill Evans, Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano. He remained active into the Seventies.
Drummer Nicholas Stabulas, who recorded fourteen albums as a sideman, died in a car crash on February 6, 1973 in Great Neck, New York.
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