Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Carl Allen was born on April 25, 1961 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up on gospel, R&B, and funk, but later turned to jazz after hearing a record by saxophonist Benny Carter. While in high school he studied drums with Roy Sneider and his band director Robert Siemele.
His first hometown gigs were with Sonny Stitt and James Moody prior to attending the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay for two years, then graduating from William Patterson College. Allen joined trumpeter Freddie Hubbard a year before his graduation, serving as his Musical Director for eight years, and recorded several recordings.
With over 150 sessions to his credit Carl has worked with a wide variety of musicians including Jackie McLean, George Coleman, Christian McBride, Benny Green, Michael Brecker, Sammy Davis Jr., Jennifer Holiday, J. J. Johnson, Branford Marsalis, Donald Harrison, Kenny Garrett, Lena Horne, Ruth Brown, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, Terence Blanchard, Phil Woods, Benny Green, Cyrus Chestnut, Joe Henderson, Billy Childs, Rodney Whitaker and many others.
Carl Allen, drummer, sideman, bandleader, entrepreneur, producer and educator has a profound and propulsive percolation that provides soulful and syncopated support. One of the jazz world’s in-demand drummers, he currently serves on the faculty of The Julliard School as Artisan Directum of Jazz Studies.
Jazz Is Global – Share
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jimmy “Spanky” DeBrest was born on April 24, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He took up the bass and during his early years in Philadelphia he played with Lee Morgan’s earliest band while the virtuoso trumpeter was still a teenager. In 1957 he was a member of Ray Draper’s Quintet, Jackie McLean, pianist Mal Waldron and drummer Ben Dixon.
Spanky’s most famous affiliation was with master drummer Art Blakey until 1958 on a series of recordings that includes a spellbinding collaboration with pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. His performance credits include work with John Coltrane, Clifford Jordan and J. J. Johnson. He continually recorded until 1971.
Bassist Spanky DeBrest passed away on March 2, 1973 leaving the world his legacy of seventeen recording sessions as a sideman predominately with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
Put A Dose In Your Pocket
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Vernice “Bunky” Green was born on April 23, 1935 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Originally strongly influenced by Charlie Parker, it was Charles Mingus’ sparing use of notation and his belief that there was no such thing as a wrong note that made a deep impression and had a lasting influence on Green’s own style.
Green began playing the alto saxophone around Milwaukee, mainly at a local club called “The Brass Rail.” His first big break came when he was hired in New York City by Charles Mingus to replace Jackie McLean in the 1960s. This was followed by a move to Chicago, Illinois that gave him the opportunity to perform with Sonny Stitt, Louie Bellson, Andrew Hill, Yusef Lateef and Ira Sullivan.
Gradually withdrawing from the public eye to develop a career as a leading jazz educator, Bunky taught at Chicago State University from 1972-1989 and in the 1990s took up the directorship of the Jazz Studies Program at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. He also served a term as the president of the IAJE/International Association for Jazz Education and has been elected to the Jazz Education Hall of Fame.
Green recorded several fine albums beginning in the 1960s working with Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb, Elvin Jones, Jason Moran and Lonnie Plaxico; was leader of the Vanguard label in the 70s, and awarded the coveted 5 Star Review from Down Beat Magazine for his 1989 commemoration of his parents death with “Healing The Pain”. Bunky Green continues to record and pursue his educator endeavors. He is currently Professor Emeritus and Director of Jazz Studies Emeritus at the University of North Florida.
Give The Gift Of Knowledge
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Charles Mingus Jr. was born on April 22, 1922 in Nogales, Arizona of Chinese, English, African and Swedish heritage. His mother allowed only church-related music in their home, but Mingus developed an early love for jazz, especially the music of Duke Ellington. He first studied trombone, later adding cello, which prepared him for the double bass in high school. He studied five years with H. Rheinshagen, principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic and compositional techniques with Lloyd Reese.
Beginning in his teen years, Mingus was writing quite advanced pieces incorporating elements of classical music. A number of them were recorded in 1960 with conductor Gunther Schuller and released as “Pre-Bird”, referring to Charlie “Bird” Parker. Mingus was one of many musicians whose perspectives on music were altered by Parker into “pre- and post-Bird” eras.
Gaining a reputation as a bass prodigy, his first major professional job was playing with former Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard. This followed by a tour with Louis Armstrong in 1943 that led to his recording in a band led by Russell Jacquet that included Teddy Edwards and Chico Hamilton. He went onto record with Howard McGhee and into the late ‘40s played with Lionel Hampton’s band performing several of his pieces.
A popular Mingus trio had Red Norvo and Tal Farlow in tow in the early 50s with considerable acclaim but his mixed heritage caused problems with club owners and he left the group. Charles was briefly a member of Ellington’s band until his temper got him fired. He went on to record and play with Max Roach, Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Pepper Adams, Jaki Byard, Horace Parlan, Booker Ervin, John Handy, Charles McPherson, Eric Dolphy and Johnny Coles among others through the Sixties and into the next decade. By the mid-1970s, Mingus was suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease that eventually stopped his playing, leaving him to continue composing and supervising recordings prior to his death on January 5, 1979 at age 56 in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Composer, bandleader, bassist and civil rights activist Charles Mingus left a legacy of an autobiography, Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty, Mingus Orchestra, the Charles Mingus High School Competition, the catalogue of Mingus compositions in the Music Division of the New York Public Library and the collected papers of Charles Mingus housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
Take A Dose On The Road
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Alfred Lion was born in Berlin, Germany on April 21, 1908. His fascination and lifelong pursuit of jazz began at age 16 when he witnessed a jazz concert with Sam Wooding’s Orchestra. In 1929 he migrated to the U.S., went back to Germany, and returned to New York in ’38 where he attended a Carnegie Hall concert that inspired him to start his record label, Blue Note in 1939.
The label debuted with Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis but their first hit was Sidney Bechet’s “Summertime”. By this time childhood friend Francis Wolff joined and sustained the label while Lion served in the Army. He recorded many of the biggest names in jazz throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s including but not limited to Grant Green, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Tina Brooks, John Patton, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Lou Donaldson, Andrew Hill, Cecil Taylor, Ike Quebec, and the list goes on and on.
Lion had recruited Ike Quebec as the label’s A&R man and at his insistence Lion began to explore more modern developments in jazz bringing in Thelonious Monk as the first modern jazz musician. What became known as the “hard bop” style would predominate in Blue Note’s output during the 1950s and 1960’s. Musicians like Art Blakey and Horace Silver, among others epitomized this style. Duke Pearson took over A&R duties after Quebec’s death in 1963 ensuring the label’s roster remained fresh as a whole. Three significant elements made Blue Note releases stand out: the work of recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, the photographs of Francis Wolff and the cover designs principally by Reid Miles.
Suffering from heart problems for some years, Lion sold the Blue Note label and catalogue to Liberty Records and retired to Mexico in 1967. Towards the end of his life, the record producer respected by musicians for his straight dealing and for ‘hanging out’ in the jazz scene, gained the recognition he had often been denied. Alfred Lion passed away on February 2, 1987 in San Diego, California.
Dose A Day-Blues Away
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