Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Nathan Tate Davis ws born February 15, 1937 in Kansas City, Kansas. He apprenticed in the Jay McShann band before heading off to college to receive his degree in Music Education. After being discharged from military service post World War II, he traveled extensively around Europe before settling in Paris, France in 1962.
Moving back to the States he went on to attain a Ph.D in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University and was a professor of music and director of jazz studies at the University of Pittsburgh from 1969, an academic program that he helped initiate. During his tenure he was founder and director of the University of Pittsburgh Annual Jazz Seminar and Concert, the first academic jazz event of its kind in the United States.
Nathan helped to found the university’s William Robinson Recording Studio as well as establish the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame located in the school’s William Pitt Union and the University of Pittsburgh-Sonny Rollins International Jazz Archives.
Retiring as director of the Jazz Studies Program at Pitt in 2013, Davis also served as the editor of the International Jazz Archives Journal. One of Davis’ best known musical associations was heading the Paris Reunion Band from 1985 to 1989, which at different times included Nat Adderley, Kenny Drew, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, Joe Henderson, Idris Muhammad, Dizzy Reece, Woody Shaw, and Jimmy Woode.
Over the course of his career he worked with Eric Dolphy, Kenny Clarke, Ray Charles, Slide Hampton, Kenny “Klook” Clarke and Art Blakey. He toured and recorded with the post-bop ensemble leading Roots which he formed in 1991. As a composer, Nathan created various pieces, including a 2004 opera entitled Just Above My Head.
Tenor and soprano saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flutist Nathan Davis, who recorded eighteen albums as a leader, passed away on April 8, 2018 in Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 81.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ed Polcer was born February 10, 1937 in Paterson, New Jersey. He started leading jazz bands while attending Princeton University. While there studying engineering, he was headed toward a promising career as a professional baseball player. During that time, he was asked to play at the wedding of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier in Monaco, as well as a concert in Carnegie Hall. He chose music over baseball.
When cornetist Bobby Hackett recommended him to Benny Goodman, he abandoned his engineering and purchasing day jobs and joined Goodman’s small band. Other musicians in that band included John Bunch, Bucky Pizzarelli, Slam Stewart, Al Klink, Zoot Sims, George Masso, and Peter Appleyard.
While in his 20s and 30s, Ed played with Teddy Wilson, Bobby Hackett, Kenny Davern, Dick Wellstood, Gene Ramey, Sonny Greer, Joe Muranyi, Herbie Nichols and Joe Venuti. With his wife, singer and actress Judy Kurtz he managed and co-owned with Red Balaban, Eddie Condon’s Jazz Club in New York City from 1977–1985. Sharing the bandstand with him at the club were such musicians as Vic Dickenson, Herb Hall, and Connie Kay.
He was instrumental in giving several younger musicians, such as Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Dan Barrett, and Mark Shane a showcase of their talents. He served as musical director of several jazz festivals, including the North Carolina Jazz Festival, Colorado Springs Jazz Party, and San Diego Jazz Party. In the 1980s he served as president of the Long Island, New York-based non-profit International Art of Jazz, which promoted community and corporate involvement in jazz, presented jazz programs. He played for five U.S. Presidents, including the Congressional Ball at the White House for President Clinton in 1994, and played in Thailand with the King of Thailand, a jazz clarinetist and enthusiast.
He has been awarded the New Jersey Jazz Society lifetime achievement award, named a Jazz Legend by the San Diego Jazz Party, and honored by the Atlanta Jazz Preservation Society for unyielding commitment to the preservation of our beloved American art form of jazz. Cornetist, bandleader, festival director, club owner, and mentor Ed Polcer, who has a melodic mellow-toned sound with an unforced delivery, recorded ten albums as a leader and fourteen as a sideman, remains active.
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Three Wishes
Joe Zawinul replied to Pannonica when she inquired of him the three wishes he would ask for:
- “To be able to play better my instrument.”
- “Love. Period.”
- “To make a decent living, and not play no bullshit.”
*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…
Ray Santisi was born on February 1, 1933 in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Jamaica Plain. He won an honors scholarship to attend Schillinger House and by the time he graduated it had been renamed Berklee School of Music, and later became Berklee College of Music..
He played as featured soloist with Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Mel Torme, Irene Kral, Herb Pomeroy and Natalie Cole to name a few. He performed with Buddy DeFranco, Joe Williams, Gabor Szabo, Milt Jackson, Zoot Sims & Al Cohn, Carole Sloane, Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer. As a leader he performed with his own ensemble, The Real Thing and in the 1960s performed with the Benny Golson Quartet.
As an educator, in 1957 Ray became a professor of piano and harmony at Berklee College of Music. His students include many notable jazz musicians, including Diana Krall, Makoto Ozone, Joe Zawinul, Keith Jarrett, Jane Ira Bloom, Jan Hammer, Alan Broadbent, Arif Mardin, Gary Burton, John Hicks, Danilo Perez and Hiromi. Fourteen of his students received Grammy awards.
He was awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts in composition and performance. He taught at Stan Kenton’s summer jazz clinics throughout the United States, performed in Europe, Scandinavia, and Asia. He performed at the first Jazz Workshop, and in 2008 was nominated to IAJE Jazz Education Hall of Fame.
He authored two books, Berklee Jazz Piano, and his instructional book, Jazz Originals for Piano. His trio played the first Sunday of each month for eleven years at Ryles Jazz Club until the month of his death. Pianist, composer, arranger, and educator Ray Santisi passed away on October 28, 2014 in his hometown.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Garnett Brown, born January 31, 1936 in Memphis, Tennessee and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and later studied film scoring and electronic music at University of California Los Angeles. Winning the DownBeat Reader’s poll for trombonists, he appeared on the classic 1976 recording Bobby Bland and B.B. King Together Again…Live.
As a sideman he recorded with Chico Hamilton, Charles Lloyd, Roland Kirk, Art Blakey, Booker Ervin, Lou Donaldson, Teddy Edwards, Frank Foster, Duke Pearson, George Benson, Charles Tolliver, Johnny Hodges, Houston Person, Louis Armstrong, Gene Ammons, Modern Jazz Quartet, Gil Evans, Jackie and Roy, Airto Moreira, Hubert Laws, Dakota Staton, Reuben Wilson, Charles Earland, Don Sebesky, Lou Donaldson, Charles McPherson, Joe Chambers, Yusef Lateef, Jack McDuff, Rusty Bryant, Les McCann, Billy Cobham, Arif Mardin, Herbie Hancock, Charles Tolliver, Richard “Groove” Holmes, Eddie Harris, Horace Silver, Ahmad Jamal, and Gerald Wilson Orchestra of the 80’s among others.
He has worked as a composer in film and television due to his training in the field. In 1989 he was the conductor and orchestrator for Harlem Nights. Trombonist Garnett Brown, having been diagnosed with dementia, he is now retired and living in West Hollywood, California.
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