Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Kamil Hala was born on August 1, 1914 in Most, Czechoslovakia. During the late Fifties he led his own orchestra. He was a member of the Czechoslovak Radio Dance Orchestra beginning in 1960, starting as a pianist and later as its arranger and conductor. After the orchestra split in 1963 he was the conductor of the Czechoslovak Radio Jazz Orchestra until the 1990s.
Pianist composer, arranger, and conductor Kamil Hala passed away on October 29, 2014 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Victor Lewis was born on July 29, 1919 in London, England and began playing the guitar at the age of three, and dabbled with cornet and trombone. One of his early bands included George Shearing, then a teenager, among its members.
Lewis first toured the United States in 1938, where he recorded sessions with a band that had Bobby Hackett, Eddie Condon, and Pee Wee Russell. Serving in the Royal Air Force from 1941 to 1944, he recorded with Buddy Featherstonhaugh. While he was in the RAF, he met Jack Parnell and together they formed the Vic Lewis/Jack Parnell Jazzmen. He worked with Stephane Grappelli after the war and with Ted Heath soon after.
Lewis put together his first big band in 1946 to play swing jazz, but soon after its formation he began to direct the ensemble toward the sound of Stan Kenton, who gave him some of his arrangements by Pete Rugolo, Gerry Mulligan, and Bill Holman. Pianist Ken Thorne also made arranging contributions. He toured the US with the band at various intervals between 1956 and 1959, and recorded extensively for Parlophone, Esquire, Decca, and Philips.
After 1959, Vic semi-retired as a performer, only occasionally recording, but he continued to write about jazz and champion its value. He went into artist management, and oversaw the careers of photographer Robert Whitaker and the singer Cilla Black among many others.
Selling his management agency in 1964 to Brian Epstein’s company NEMS, then worked with Epstein arranging the Beatles’ international tours. Following Epstein’s death in 1967, Lewis served as managing director of NEMS. Lewis also managed Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, and produced his debut album Robin’s Reign in 1970.
He conducted recordings of his own and others with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Vocalion, which included excerpts from his Russian Suite, a Romance for Violin, and two movements (Red and Jade) from a multi-composer suite called Colours. Guitarist, bandleader, agent and manager Vic Lewis, who was awarded the MBE in 2007, continued to work in the music industry until he passed away on February 9, 2009 in Golders Green, London.
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Three Wishes
Nica asked Frankie “Downbeat” Brown what he would wish for if he had three and he told her:
1. “A successful music career. By that I mean year~round.”
2. “That I could have my home, car, and a few dollars in the bank, so that, if I get old, I’m covered, in fact.”
3. “The third one would be for my two sons and my daughter to be successful in whatever they do. In other words: behind me.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Herbert Haymer was born on July 24, 1915 in Jersey City, New Jersey, and played alto saxophone from age 15 before picking up the tenor at age 20.
Through the Thirties he played with the Carl Sears-Johnny Watson Band, then played with Rudy Vallee, Charlie Barnet, Red Norvo and Jimmy Dorsey from 1937 to 1941. The early Forties saw Herbert playing with Woody Herman, Kay Kyser, Benny Goodman, and Dave Hudkins.
In 1944, he enlisted in the Navy, and after returning he worked as a session musician, including dates with Red Nichols and again with Goodman. In 1945, he led a quintet featuring Charlie Shavers and Nat King Cole on recording, and had three songs issued on Keynote Records in 1946. In 1949 he recorded with Frank Sinatra.
Saxophonist Herbert Haymer, known primarily as a saxophonist in big bands, was killed in an automobile accident after a session on April 11, 1949 in Santa Monica, California.
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Three Wishes
Sir Charles Thompson had but one thing to say in response NIca’s inquiry:
1. “To have you and be able to command you as a king! And be happy together, doing everything we want to do, forever.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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