Daily Dose Of Jazz…
J. C. (Jack) Higginbotham was born on May 11, 1906 in Social Circle, Georgia and learned to play trombone in his youth. He made his start in jazz playing with territory bands in the Midwest and was heard at his best while a member of the Luis Russell Orchestra from 1928 to ’31. He would go on to play with Benny Carter’s, Red Allen’s and Fletcher Henderson’s big band during the swing era.
J. C. played with Louis Armstrong in the late Thirties to the end of the decade, played for a long period in the forties with his ideal partner Red Allen, and then disappeared from the scene for several years. By 1947 he was leading his own groups.
Higginbotham led several bands in the Fifties in Boston and Cleveland, appeared regularly at the Metropole in New York between 1956 and 1959, and led his own Dixieland band there in the Sixties. He went on his first European tour with Sammy Price, appearing in Scandinavia, and worked again briefly in 1964 with Louis Armstrong.
A robust and swinging trombonist he recorded extensively both as a sideman and as a leader. He is considered to be a vital player of the swing trombone and his strong, raucous sound and wild outbreaks are legendary. J. C. Higginbotham, who contributed to the acceptance of the trombone as a melodically capable jazz instrument, died on May 26, 1973 in New York.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Philip Harper was born May 10, 1965 in Baltimore, Maryland but grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He started played trumpet when he was ten under the tutelage of his brother Winard and then went on study at the Hartt School of Music with Jackie McLean.
At the age of 18 Philip moved to New York, where he started working and recording extensively, with such musicians as Little Jimmy Scott, Jimmy McGriff, Betty Carter, Etta Jones, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Bill Cosby and Cedar Walton. He became a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Charles Mingus’ Big Band and from 1988 to 1993 was an integral part of The Harper Brothers.
His discography includes The Harper Brothers, You Can Hide Inside The Music, Remembrance: Live at the Village Vanguard and Artistry, along with his two releases as a leader Soulful Sin and The Thirteenth Moon in addition to several live recordings with The Jazz Messengers.
Trumpeter Philip Harper continues to perform and tour worldwide with various groups in conjunction to teaching and conducting workshops in several conservatories in Europe.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Anthony Wilson was born in Los Angeles, California on May 9, 1968 to bandleader Gerald Wilson. A guitarist and composer, he was influenced by Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Wes Montgomery and T-Bone Walker. He received his degree in music composition from Bennington College.
Wilson released his debut self-titled album in 1997 that was nominated for a Grammy and his sophomore project the following year, Goat Hill Junket, garnered notice. He has recorded with his 9-piece band, two trio albums with organ, worked with Joe Bagg, Eva Scow, Larry Goldings, Jim Keltner and Jeff Hamilton.
Since 2001 Anthony has been a member of Diana Krall’s group performing notably the Grammy-winning Live in Paris. He has recorded ten albums as a leader and collaborated with Brazilian guitarist Chico Pinheiro on “Nova,” released in Brazil and the U.S. on their respective labels.
Guitarist Anthony Wilson can also be heard on a number of his father’s recordings and often plays live with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra whenever his schedule permits.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jane Stuart was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on May 8th and started her singing career at age 5, on a local TV show, “Moser Starlites”. As a child she studied ballet, acting and singing that led her to study at Quintano’s School For Young Professionals and later study dance at Charlie Lowe’s School of Tap and Personality. Some of her classmates would be Bernadette Peters, Gregory Hines, Bonnie Bedelia, Patty Duke, Christopher Walken, Jeff Conaway and Alan Paul of the Manhattan Transfer.
She attributes her tap dancing skills to be the start of her understanding of jazz. Stuart would go on to play several Off-Broadway theatres, perform as part of the Jazz Mobile with Woody Shaw, Hal Vick and Freddie Waites among others. She has performed solo and background for national commercials and jingles, and was awarded the Blue Chip Award for Best Jazz Vocals by the International Association Of Jazz Educators.
Vocalist Jane Stuart has performed around the world and has worked with Thad Jones, Roland Hanna, Jon Faddis, George Mraz, Mel Lewis, Charlie Smalls, Vic Juris, to name a few, as well as a host of actors. In addition, she continues to stay busy teaching vocal technique and performance in the New Jersey area, as a member of “Reflections”, a 19-piece jazz/swing orchestra, singing and playing percussion with The Arthur Miller Band and leading her 7 piece band “Airtight”.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joe Ford was born on May 7, 1947 in Buffalo, New York and was singing in his mother and aunt’s family choir by age 5. At seven he started taking piano lessons and by the time he was eleven he started playing saxophone. In high school and college Joe played in a variety of campus jazz and funk bands.
Ford studied saxophone under Makanda Ken McIntyre, Jackie McLean and Frank Foster, and percussion under Joe Chambers. After graduating from Ohio’s Central State University He returned home to teach in the Buffalo public schools from 1968 to 1972. It was while working at the Buffalo Public Library in 1974 that Joe played in the Birthright Ensemble, and then would go on to join McCoy Tyner in 1976, recording eight albums with him through 1993.
Since the early 1980s Ford worked extensively as a sideman with Sam Jones, Lester Bowie, Jimmy Owens, Idris Muhammad, Abdullah Ibrahim, Chico O’Farrill, Avery Sharpe, Jerry Gonzalez, Malachi Thompson, Steve Berrios, Nova Bossa Nova and Freddy Cole amongst others.
In the late 1990s he led two ensembles, the Black Art Sax Quartet and a big band called The Thing. As a leader, saxophonist Joe Ford released his one album in 1993, “Today’s Night” on Blue Moon Records featuring Charles Fambrough, Kenny Kirkland and Jeff “Tain” Watts.
Saxophonist Joe Ford continued to perform and tour until his death on May 25, 2025, at the age of 78..
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