Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Charles Gayle was born February 28, 1939 in Buffalo, New York and his childhood was influenced by religion, and his musical roots trace to black gospel music. He began his musical education on piano then added tenor and alto saxophone. Much of his history is murky, he spent an apparent homeless period of about twenty years playing saxophone on street corners and subway platforms around New York City.
A multi-instrumentalist playing pianist, bass clarinetist and percussion, his music is spiritual, heavily inspired by the Old and New Testaments, explicitly dedicated several albums to God. Gayle credits among his influences Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Thelonious Monk and Art Tatum.In 1988, he gained fame through a trio of albums recorded on the Swedish label Silkheart Records. Since then he has become a major figure in free jazz, recording for Black Saint, Knitting Factory, FMP and Clean Feed record labels.
Charles has performed and recorded with Cecil Taylor, William Parker and Rashied Ali with his most celebrated work to date being Touchin’ on Trane with Parker and Ali. He would include lengthy spoken-word addresses in his performances and for a period performed as a mime, “Streets the Clown”. As an educator he taught music at Bennington College.
In 2001, Gayle recorded an album titled Jazz Solo Piano of consisted mostly of straightforward jazz standards in response to critics who charge that free jazz musicians cannot play bebop. In 2006, Gayle followed up with a second album of solo piano originals, and his most recent release in 2012 is titled Streets. His final recording as a leader was The Alto Sessions in 2019.
Suffering from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, saxophonist Charles Gayle, who also played piani, bass clarinet, bass and percussion, died in Brooklyn, New York on September 7, 2023 at the age of 84.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Harold Jones was born on February 27, 1940 in Richmond, Indiana. His early professional years were spent drumming with the Count Basie Orchestra and over a five year span recorded fifteen albums before moving on to work with Sarah Vaughan. He toured the world with her, playing the White House five time. Natalie Cole enlisted him on her landmark album “Unforgettable” and subsequent tour.
He has played with such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Roger Williams, Nancy Wilson and Tony Bennett to Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Smith, Donald Byrd and Benny Goodman to Marlena Shaw, Billy Eckstine, Kay Starr, Carmen McRae and John Lee Hooker on the short list.
As an educator, Jones has held a position on the staff for the Henry Mancini Institute at the University of California in Los Angeles and leads drumming workshops at colleges and universities throughout the country.
He has performed on the Quincy Jones CD, “Count Basie and Beyond,” fronts his own 17-piece big band, The Bossmen, bringing the Basie swing style back by playing for community events and corporate occasions.
More Posts: drums
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Freddy Robinson was born Fred Leroy Robinson on February 24, 1939 in Memphis, Tennessee but was raised in Arkansas and by 1956 was in Chicago. That year he first recorded backing harmonica player Birmingham Jones. In 1958, he began touring with Little Walter and after seeing a jazz band performance was inspired to formally learn music at the Chicago School of Music.
Freddy soon was working and recording with Howlin’ Wolf, and by the mid-1960s was playing with Jerry Butler and Syl Johnson before joining Ray Charles in Los Angeles. While there, he recorded the instrumental “Black Fox”, which became a minor pop hit. In the early 1970s, he worked with English blues bandleader John Mayall, playing on the album Jazz Blues fusion and recording with trumpeter Blue Mitchell.
As a leader Robinson would record two albums, At The Drive In and Off The Cuff, supported by Joe Sample and Wilton Felder of the Crusaders. Throughout his career he worked with Earl Gaines, Jimmy Rogers, Monk Higgins, Stanley Turrentine and Bobby Bland. In 1975 he converted to Islam changing his name to Abu Talib and recorded solo, re-emerging in 1994 with an album of his own compositions, The Real Thing at Last.
Abu Talib, jazz and blues guitarist, singer and harmonica player, died of cancer in Lancaster, California on October 8, 2009.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Eddie Higgins was born Edward Haydn Higgins on February 21, 1932 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and began study of piano with his mother. His professional career began in Chicago while attending Northwestern University. He played the most prestigious clubs in Chicago for more than two decades in the 50s and 60s with his longest tenure at the London House, playing opposite Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Errol Garner, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, and George Shearing among others.
As a leader he amassed a number of recordings during the Chicago years but as a sideman he added many more albums working with Wayne Shorter, Coleman Hawkins, Bobby Lewis, Freddie Hubbard, Jack Teagarden and Al Grey to name just a few.
Equally adept in every jazz circle Eddie was able to work in Dixieland, modal, bebop and swing as well as being a persuasive, elegant and sophisticated pianist whether he was soloing or accompanying a singer.
Higgins eventually moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, played in local clubs, performed the jazz festival circuit, toured Europe and Japan, and continued to record up until his death on August 31, 2009 at 77.
More Posts: piano
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Nancy Wilson was born February 20, 1937 in Chillicothe, Ohio and at an early age was listening to Billy Eckstine, Nat Cole, Dinah Washington, Ruth Brown, LaVerne Baker, Little Esther and Jimmy Scott. She became aware of her talent while singing in church choirs, imitating singers as a young child and performing in her grandmother’s house during summer visits. By the age of four, she knew she would eventually become a singer.
At the age of 15, while at West High School in Columbus she won a talent contest sponsored by local television station WTVN. The prize was an appearance on a twice-a-week television show, Skyline Melodies, which she ended up hosting. She also worked clubs on the east and north sides of Columbus until she graduated from high school.
She spent one year at Ohio Central State College to become a teacher but dropped out to follow her original ambitions. She auditioned and won a spot with Rusty Bryant’s Carolyn Club Big Band in 1956, touring with them throughout Canada and the Midwest in 1956 to 1958. While in this group, Nancy made her first recording for Dots Records.
Nancy met Cannonball Adderley who suggested she move to New York that she did in 1959. Within four weeks she was filling in for Irene Reid at “The Blue Morocco” that booked her permanently four nights a week. With John Levy as her manager, who sent four demos to Capitol Records culminating with a contract signed in 1960 and recorded her debut release “Like In Love”.
Over the course of her career Nancy won three Grammy Awards, was nominated seven times, recorded more than six dozen albums, appeared in four movies, and sixteen television shows ranging from drama to comedy.
Song stylist and vocalist Nancy Wilson passed away on December 13, 2018, at her home in Pioneertown, California at 81 years old.
More Posts: vocal