Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Dizzy Reece was born Alphonso Son Reece on January 5, 1931 in Kingston, Jamaica. The son of a silent film pianist, Reece attended the Alpha Boys School, which was famed for its musical alumni. He first took up the baritone saxophone but switched to trumpet at 14. From the age of 16 he was a full-time musician, moving to London in 1948 and spending the 50’s working in Europe with much of his time in Paris.
Reece found himself overshadowed by the innovators of the hard bop style, even though the trumpeter had his own distinctive sound and compositional style. He did, however, work with Don Byas, Kenny Clarke, Frank Foster and Thad Jones among others and winning praise from Miles Davis and Sony Rollins he emigrated to New York in 1959. Struggling through the 60’s, Reece recorded a series of critically acclaimed projects for Blue Note such as “Blues In Trinity”, “Star Bright”, “Comin’ On!” and “Soundin’ Off”.
Remaining active as a musician and writer, Dizzy Reece has recorded over the years with Victor Feldman, Tubby Hayes, the Paris Reunion Band, the Clifford Jordan Big Band, Dexter Gordon, Ted Curson, Duke Jordan, Sun Ra alumni John Gilmore and Philly Joe Jones.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
The hard bop alto saxophonist John Jenkins was born January 3, 1931 in Chicago, IL where he initially studied clarinet in high school but switched to saxophone after six months on the instrument. He played in jam sessions led by Joe Segal at Roosevelt College from 1949-1956 going on to play with Art Framer in 1955 and led his own group in Chicago later that year.
Jenkins had a sound similar to Jackie McLean and the 50’s saw his most active period. In 1957 he played with Charles Mingus s and recorded two albums as a leader, “Jenkins, Jordan & Timmons” on the New Jazz label and “John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell” on Blue Note.
He played as a sideman with Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Paul Quinichette, Clifford Jordan, Sahib Shihab and Wilbur Ware. in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but essentially dropped out of music after 1962, aside from a few dates with Gloria Coleman.
After leaving the jazz world John worked as a messenger in New York and dabbled in jewelry; he sold brass objects at street fairs in the 1970s. After 1983 he began practicing again and playing live on street corners and he played with Clifford Jordan shortly before his death on July 12, 1993.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Milt Jackson was born Milton Jackson on January 1, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan. Discovered by Dizzy Gillespie and hired in 1946 for his sextet and also for his larger ensembles. He quickly acquired experience working with the most important figures in jazz of the era, including Woody Herman, Howard McGhee, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker.
In the Gillespie big band, Jackson fell into a pattern that led to the founding of the Modern Jazz Quartet. He was part of Gillespie’s small group swing tradition within a big band, consisting of pianist John Lewis, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Kenny Clarke. They would become a working group in their own right around 1950 and became the Milt Jackson Quartet but by the time Percy Heath replaced Ray Brown, in 1952 they became the Modern Jazz Quartet.
After some twenty years the MJQ disbanded in 1974 and Jackson pursued more money and his longed for improvisational freedom. The group reformed in 1981, however, and continued until 1993, after which Jackson toured alone, performing in various small combos, although agreeing to periodic MJQ reunions.
He recorded prolifically, his tunes, “Bluesology”, “Bags & Trane”, “The Late, Late Blues” and “Bag’s Groove” are jazz standards. He has recorded with J.J. Johnson, Roy McCurdy, B.B. King, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Hank Mobley, Oscar Peterson, Stanley Turrentine, Don Sebesky, Cannonball Adderley and Ray Charles on the very short list.
A very expressive player, Bags, as he was affectionately known and referring to the bags under his eyes from staying up all night, differentiated himself from other vibraphonists in his attention to variations on harmonics and rhythm. He became one of the most significant vibist and was at the top of his game for 50 years playing bop, blues, and ballads with equal skill and sensitivity. Vibraphonist Milt Jackson, thought of as a bebop player but equally remembered for his cool swinging solos, left the jazz world on October 9, 1999 in Manhattan, New York.
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From Broadway To 52nd Street
The stage of the Ethel Barrymore Theatre opened its curtains on November 29, 1932 to the Gay Divorce. The musical starred once again Fred Astaire, this time in his last Broadway show, and teaming up with Claire Luce and Erik Rhodes. Although Gay Divorce ran for only 248 performances, Night and Day, composed by Cole Porter, emerged to become a jazz classic.
The Story: In this musical unfolds the story of a husband and wife who are having marital difficulties and in an effort to give her husband grounds for divorce, Mimi Pratt arranges to be caught with a paid co-respondent, by the name of Tonetti. But a young man named Guy falls for Mimi and manages to get himself confused with Tonetti; yet, amidst the confusion he pursues his courtship.
Broadway History: The theatre on Madison Square at the end of the 19th century was located at the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue at W. 23rd Street. The Flatiron Building now occupies the site. By midway through the following decade, the street blazed with electric signs as each theatre announced its shows and stars in white lights. By the turn of the 20th century the street had an entirely different look with as many as sixteen theatres on Broadway itself and many others located on side streets or other avenues.
Broadway became much more than a mere twelve blocks. It started at 13th Street and wound its way a mile and a half up the avenue to 45th Street ending in the heart of Longacre Square. The first decade of the century also saw the construction of many theatres, most notably The New Amsterdam on 42nd Street in 1903 along with four others the same year that are still standing today. Longacre Square had the first moving electric signs and it was when the Times Building was erected in 1904 that Longacre Square ceased to exist. It was now known as Times Square.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Monty Rex Budwig was born on December 26, 1926 in Pender, Nebraska. He began playing bass during high school, gigged with Vido Musso in 1951 and continued in the military band while in the Air Force.
In 1954 he moved to Los Angeles and became a sought after bassist in the West Coast jazz scene. He played with Barney Kessel and The Red Norvo Trio when he arrived followed by stints with Zoot Sims and the Woody Herman Orchestra. Budwig soon became a studio fixture, recording and performing as a sideman on countless sessions with many notable jazz musicians such as Carmen McRae, Barney Kessel, Woody Herman, Red Norvo, Bob Cooper, Scott Hamilton, Bud Shank, Shelly Manne and the Lighthouse All Stars.
Best known for his melodic solos and his ability to swing a band, Monty was highly regarded for playing with Vince Guaraldi, but there has been some question as to whether or not he was the bassist heard on the Charlie Brown Christmas Album. He released one recording as a leader titled “Dig” on the Concord label that included his wife Arlette McCoy on electric piano. Double bassist Monty Budwig passed away on March 9, 1992.
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