Three Wishes

While hanging out with Nica the three wishes inquiry was broached and Kenny Drew gave her his three wishes as follows:

1. “To play.”
2. “To play.”
3. “To make love.”

*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…

George “Geordie” Hormel was born on July 17, 1928 in Austin, Minnesota. He was the grandson of George A. Hormel, the founder of Hormel Foods. He claimed to have invented the corn dog when he was a teenager growing up in Minnesota.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hormel composed music for numerous television shows including The Fugitive, Lassie, Naked City and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. He also sang as part of The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen Chorus on Frank Zappa’s triple album Joe’s Garage in 1979. He’s also done music for Capitol Records, most importantly the Hi-Q production music library.

In 1968 Geordie bought the Masonic Temple for $125,000 and founded a major independent studio, The Village Recording Studio, in Los Angeles, California of which he was proprietor until his death. It was one of, if not the first 24 track studio and Dolby Sound. He owned the Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix, Arizona and the Wrigley Mansion Club housed within it.

Geordie Hormel, who was a pianist, composer, record company owner, equipment dealer and always, ahead of his time,. transitioned on February 12, 2006 in Paradise Valley, Arizona at 77 years old.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Irv Kluger was born in New York City, New York on July 9, 1921 and early in life he played violin before settling on drums. His first professional gigs came at age 15 and by the time he was 17 he played with Georgie Auld, then with Bob Chester and Freddie Slack. The mid Forties saw him playing with Dizzy Gillespie, Boyd Raeburn, Bobby Byrne and Herbie Fields. Following this he played with Stan Kenton, Artie Shaw, then for a short time in 1950 with Tex Beneke.

He played less jazz after 1950, working in the pit orchestras of Broadway shows such as Guys and Dolls. He returned to play with Artie Shaw again in 1953–54 as a member of the Gramercy Five. In the middle of the 1950s he moved to California and played at the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood as the house drummer.

He played with Dave Pell in 1956, and with Benny Goodman and Woody Herman later in life, doing much freelance work through the 1960s and 1970s. As a studio musician he played with Johnny Cash.

Drummer Irv Kluger, never led a recording session and transitioned on February 28, 2006.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Kenneth John Moule was born on June 26, 1925 in Barking, Essex, England and was the only child of Frederick and Ethal Moule. Surviving an early childhood illness, left him with a cadaverous look which went well with his ridiculous sense of humor.

In the Forties Moule played piano with the Johnny Dankworth Quartet before leaving to join Oscar Rabin in 1945. He would go on to perform with Remo Cavalotti for a summer season and Joe Daniels before working on the Queen Mary in Bobby Kevin’s Band, with Ronnie Scott and Johnny Dankworth. He closed out the decade working with several bands including Jiver Hutchinson, Bert Ambrose, Frank Weir and Ken Mackintosh.

During the early 1950s Ken worked with Raymonde’s Orchestra, again with Ambrose and then with Frank Weir on several occasions. 1954 saw him form under his own name a septet, which was comprised of two-tenor, baritone, trumpet and three rhythm group. He resigned from the septet in 1955 and from 1956–1959 he arranged for Ted Heath’s orchestra. During this time he composed the suite Jazz at Toad Hall, and was released on Decca Records in 1958. He worked in Sweden and toured Europe with Kurt Weill’s Band until 1960.

The 1960s saw his return to England and worked freelance as an arranger, especially with Lionel Bart. He was the musical director for the shows Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be and Twang!!. From 1962 he broadcast regularly with his 15 piece orchestra, and later broadcasted and recorded with a larger band called The Full Score. His Adam’s Rib Suite was recorded by the London Jazz Chamber Group in 1970 with Kenny Wheeler on the recording issued on Ember Records.

He scored Cole Porter songs for the musical Cole! performed at the Mermaid Theatre in 1974, and worked with Dankworth again around that time with his London Symphony Orchestra collaborations. He worked out of Germany for part of the 1970s before ill health caused him to move to the warmer climate of Spain.

Pianist, composer and arranger Ken Moule transitioned in Marbella in January 27, 1986, aged 60.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Hank Shaw was born Henry Shalofsky was born  June 23, 1926 in London, England. At the age of 15 he played with Teddy Foster’s band during World War II. In the latter half of the decade he played around his hometown with Oscar Rabin, Frank Weir, and Tommy Sampson, then switched permanently from swing to playing bebop music in 1946 after hearing Dizzy Gillespie.

Visiting the United States in 1947 he came with close friend and fellow pioneer bebopper altoist Freddy Syer. However, unable to secure work permits they moved to Canada where they played with Oscar Peterson and Maynard Ferguson. Returning to England in 1948, Hank was one of the early Club Eleven players, along with Ronnie Scott, John Dankworth, Lennie Bush, and others. He also played with many of these musicians on the recordings of Alan Dean’s Beboppers.

After Club Eleven shuttered, Shaw played with Vic Lewis and toured Europe with Cab Kaye, then joined Jack Parnell’s ensemble in 1953 and Ronnie Scott’s nonet in 1954. He joined Jamaican alto saxophonist Joe Harriott in his celebrated quintet in 1958 but left with pianist Harry South when Harriott sought to introduce his “free-form” concept. Shaw played regularly both live and as a session musician for many British jazz musicians over the course of the next twenty or so years, working with Joe Harriott, Tony Crombie, Don Rendell, Tony Kinsey, Stan Tracey, Bill Le Sage, and others.

He led a quartet at the 100 Club in the Sixties, and played in the Bebop Preservation Society and the John Burch Quartet for over two decades each. He retired due to ill health in the late 1990s. Bebop trumpeter Hank Shaw transitioned four months past his 80th birthday on October 26, 2006 in Kent, England.

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