Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joe Lee Wilson was born on December 22, 1935 in Bristow, Oklahoma of African-American and Creek Native American parentage who were farmers.
Seeing Billie Holiday perform in 1951 began his interest in a music-industry career. Moving to Los Angeles, California at the age of 15, he went to Los Angeles High School, where he majored in music and sang in an a cappella choir. Graduating with honors in 1954, Joe won a scholarship to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, where he studied opera, leaving after a year and then attending Los Angeles Junior College.
He began singing with local bands in 1958 and toured the West Coast, where he sat in with Sarah Vaughan, and down to Mexico. Relocating to New York City by 1962, he worked with Sonny Rollins, Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Dorham and Jackie McLean. During the 1970s, Wilson operated a jazz performance loft in New York’s NoHo district known as the Ladies’ Fort at 2 Bond Street. His regular band, Joe Lee Wilson Plus 5, featured the alto saxophonist Monty Waters and for several years the Japanese guitarist Ryo Kawasaki. Archie Shepp and Eddie Jefferson were frequent collaborators at these sessions.
Wilson had a minor radio hit on New York jazz radio in 1975, a rendition of Norman Mapp’s Jazz Ain’t Nothing But Soul. In 1977 he and his English wife Jill Christopher moved to Europe and settled in Brighton, Sussex. He recorded regularly with pianist Kirk Lightsey, including the Candid recording Feelin’ Good. One of his last albums was an Italian recording with Riccardo Arrighini and Gianni Basso, Ballads for Trane.
Inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2010, he gave his last public performance at the event. He is the subject of a documentary film, Around Joe Lee, by Yves Breux and Brad Scott. Vocalist Joe Lee Wilson transitioned from congestive heart failure at his Brighton home on July 17, 2011, aged 75.
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Three Wishes
While at a club or her Cathouse, Pannonica ventured the question to C. Stroman Scoby asking him to give her his three wishes he would want granted and his reply was:
- “Self~realization, by which I mean to realize my connection to the universe.”
- “Harmony among all the creatures in the universe. I wouldn’t need a third wish if those two.”
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Three Wishes
While hanging out with Roy McCurdy the Baroness had the pleasure of asking him what he would wish for if magically they could be realized and he told her:
- “For my family to be happy and secure.”
- “To play as often as I wanted to, consistently good.”
- “Oh, I don’t know! To be happy. And peace of mind. That’s probably… probably is it.”
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Pekka Juhani Pöyry was born on December 10, 1939 in Helsinki, Finland and became interested in jazz music at school and began studying the violin and clarinet. However, he was more taken with playing the alto saxophone, having been inspired by Charlie Parker. In addition, he played the flute and soprano saxophone.
After graduating with a Master of Laws in 1966, Pöyry decided to become a professional musician. In the same year he represented YLE, Finland’s national public broadcasting company at EBU’s concert in London, England. By the mid-1960s, he had his own quartet with pianist Eero Ojanen, bassist Teppo Hauta-aho and drummer Reino Laine. Joining the group was Norwegian-Finnish singer Pia Skaar to form a quintet, going on to perform at festivals and gain recognition from the likes of Bill Evans.
Increasingly interested in progressive rock and jazz fusion in the late 1960s and 1970s, with his later groups he attempted an international breakthrough, including the Reading Festival in England in 1973. However, his band Tasavallan Presidentti, broke up in 1974.
By 1975, Pekka was touring northern Europe with the North Jazz Quintet, later joining the orchestra of Heikki Sarmanto, later the UMO Jazz Orchestra, playing in what was then Yugoslavia, as well as, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Cuba, the Soviet Union, Britain and the United States with other bands.
Saxophonist and flutist Pekka Pöyry, was part of the Pekka Pöyry Quartet and Quintet, being a manic depressive committed suicide and transitioned in Helsinki on August 4, 1980. The Pekka Pöyry Award is named in his honor and given to young, talented saxophonists in Finland since the early-1980s.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Sonny Phillips was born on December 7, 1936 in Mobile, Alabama. Phillips began playing jazz organ after hearing Jimmy Smith in his twenties. He studied under Ahmad Jamal, and played in the 1960s and 1970s with Lou Donaldson, Nicky Hill, Eddie Harris, Houston Person, and Gene Ammons.
His debut album Sure ‘Nuff was released on the Prestige Records label in 1969. He released several records as a leader in the Seventies before suffering a long illness in 1980. He also recorded twenty-three albums as a sideman with Harris, Person, Ammons, Rusty Bryant, Billy Butler, Willis Jackson, Etta Jones, Boogaloo Joe Jones and Bernard Purdie.
Electric organist and pianist Sonny Phillips went into semi-retirement after suffering a long illness. He moved to Los Angeles, California and has since performed and taught occasionally.
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