Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Wallace Leon Jones was born on November 16, 1906 in Baltimore, Maryland. He began playing trumpet in local Maryland bands such as Ike Dixon’s Harmony Birds and Percy Glascoe’s Kit Kat Orchestra early in his career.
He moved to New York City around 1935 and went to work with his cousin Chick Webb. He then joined Willie Bryant’s ensemble and recorded with Putney Dandridge and Duke Ellington, the latter where he was credited on clarinet, trombone and trumpet from 1938 to 1944.
He appeared in several sound films with Ellington, including 1943’s Cabin in the Sky. After this association, Wallace recorded with Ellington again in 1947, and also worked with Benny Carter, Snub Mosley, and John Kirby, but left music by the end of the Forties.
Trumpeter Wallace Jones died on March 23, 1983 in New York City.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ali Haurand was born Alfred Josef Antonius Haurand on November 15, 1943 in Viersen, Germany. After an apprenticeship as a confectioner and a business manager, he studied from 1966 to 1973 at the Folkwang School and the Rhineland Music Academy. He initially played with his own trio and from 1967 in the trio and quintet of pianist George Maycock. In 1968 he also toured with Philly Joe Jones, Jacques Pelzer, René Thomas and Jan Huydts.
He performed with Ben Webster, Don Byas, John Handy, Bobby Jones and Wilton Gaynair. This was followed by his own groups, Third Eye, the European Jazz Quintet with Leszek Zadlo, Gerd Dudek, Alan Skidmore and Pierre Courbois. Together with Alan Skidmore and Tony Oxley, they formed the trio SOH. Haurand played with his long-time companions, the saxophonist Gerd Dudek and the pianist Rob van den Broeck, in the formation The Trio.
Since 1982, the European Jazz Ensemble, which he formed out of the European Jazz Quintet with varying lineups that included Allan Botschinsky, Stan Sulzmann, Joachim Kühn and Daniel Humair. In the 2000s, he took part in several jazz and poetry projects.
For decades he was a presenter and consultant to the WDR television jazz editorial team, and for twelve years he was artistic director of the Düsseldorf Jazz Rally. From 1987 he was the founder, director and organizer of the Viersen Jazz Festival until 2014. For over 20 years he organized the jazz concerts in the Süchtelner Weberhaus.
Double bassist and bandleader Ali Haurand, who was also a television presenter, music producer and festival manager, died on May 28, 2018.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William Henry Bauer was born in New York City on November 14, 1915 and as a child he played ukulele and banjo before switching to guitar. He played with the Jerry Wald band and recorded with Carl Hoff and His Orchestra in 1941, before joining Woody Herman in 1944 as a member of the First Herd. In 1946, he played with Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden.
Working in small groups led by bassist Chubby Jackson and trombonist Bill Harris, Bauer established himself as a soloist in the bebop movement. In 1946, he began working with Lennie Tristano, enjoying a natural synergy in their style and approach. Their development of intuitive music led to the 1949 session Crosscurrents. He would go on to become a member of the NBC Tonight Show band in New York City and played in the Today Show band at the start of early television.
Continuing his pioneering guitar work in a partnership with Lee Konitz, whose avant-garde saxophone work was a perfect match for Billy’s guitar. The dialogue between the musicians crossed styles from bop and cool to the avant-garde. Their recordings have been described as “some of the most beautiful duet recordings in jazz. Duet For Saxophone and Guitar was an unusual instrument pairing which has been described as redefining the role of jazz guitar.
Bauer made one album under his own name, Plectrist, in 1956. Later, he arranged the song No One that appeared on the album Henry Golis Presents Good Music with Friends in 2007.
Guitarist Billy Bauer died of pneumonia in New York at the age of 89 on June 17, 2005.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ricard Roda was born November 13, 1931 in Barcelona, Spain and he studied at the Barcelonas Conservatorium alongside his close friend Tete Montoliu. He began playing jazz in 1947 having started when he was only seventeen in the Crazy Boys orchestra in 1948. While working at Jamboree Club he played with visiting musicians such as Tony Scott, Art Farmer and Lucky Thompson.
During the Seventies he was a member of Orquestra Mirasol Colores in 1974 and were pioneers of jazz rock fusion in his hometown. He would go on to play popular music in orchestras led by Xavier Cugat, Frank Pourcel and Orquestra Latina Americana. Ricard worked with Catalònia Jazz Quiartet, Frank Miller y Su Hispania Soul, and Latin Combo.
His vast experience in the local jazz scene didn’t limit him to the genre. He also played with musicians outside the jazz scene like Joan Manuel Serrat and Liza Minelli. Alto saxophonist Ricard Roda died on November 18, 2010 in Barcelona, five days after his seventy-ninth birthday.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mickey Ashman was born on November 12, 1927 in the United Kingdom and began playing the double bass at a young age. His sojourn into the jazz world began in the early 1950s when he collaborated with Chirs Barber in one of his amateur bands. Their early 1951 recording Misty Morning hinted at his exceptional musical talent.
The mid-Fiftiess saw his transition into the professional realm of jazz, joining Humphrey Lyttelton’s band. In 1956, he returned to Chris Barber’s Jazz Band, further solidifying his reputation as a sought-after bassist. Mickey made significant contributions to two influential LP records, Echoes Of Harlem and Volume 2 in the Chris Barber Plays series.
Parting ways with Chris Barber’s band following Lonnie Donegan’s exit in 1956, he joined Lonnie in creating one of the UK’s most popular musical acts in the late 1950s. By the early 1960s, he embraced leadership, forming Micky Ashman’s Ragtime Jazzmen. Although the group didn’t achieve the same level of fame as some of its contemporaries, they contributed noteworthy recordings like Tin Roof Blues.
His dedication to jazz and versatile talent solidified his place in British jazz history and his legacy continues to inspire musicians. Double bassist Mickey Ashman, also known as Micky, died on August 21, 2015.
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