Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Milton Nascimento was born October 26, 1942 in Rio de Janiero, Brazil and as a baby was adopted by his mother’s former employers after her death when he was just 18 months. Growing up in Três Pontas, Minas Gerais he would soon become an occasional deejay on a radio station that his father once ran.
In the early stages of his career, Nascimento played in two samba groups: Evolussamba and Sambacana. By 1963, he moved to Belo Horizonte, struck a friendship with Lô Borges led to the Clube de Esquina (“corner club”) movement that included Beto Guedes, Toninho Horta, Wagner Tiso, and Flávio Venturini, with whom he shared compositions and melodies. One composition was “Canção do Sal”, which was first interpreted by Elis Regina in 1966 and led to a television appearance with Nascimento. A subsequent collective released Clube da Esquina in 1972 with several hit singles.
Famous for his falsetto and tonal range, Nascimento is regarded for his highly acclaimed songs such as “Maria, Maria”, “Canção da América” (“Song from America”/”Unencounter”), “Travessia”, “Bailes da Vida” and “Coração de Estudante” (“Student’s Heart”). The lyrics often social and political in nature have become hymns for both campaigns and funerals.
Milton’s international breakthrough came with his appearance on jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s 1974 album “Native Dancer” that led to widespread acclaim. Collaborations with stars such as Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, George Duke, Quincy Jones and Earth, Wind and Fire would follow. Angelus, released in 1994 features appearances by Pat Metheny, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Nana Vasconcelos, Jon Anderson, James Taylor, Peter Gabriel and Duran Duran.
Nascimento contributed the song “Dancing” to the AIDS-Benefit Album “Red Hot + Rio”, worked with the Brazilian Heavy Metal band Angra, and collaborated with Jason Mraz on the latter’s album. The singer/songwriter and guitarist has recorded over two-dozen albums and continues to record, perform and tour.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Anthony Cox was born October 24, 1954 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He matriculated through the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire studying and honing his craft of playing bass. After graduating from college he spent time in New York before returning to the Twin Cities.
Cox plays mainly in the post-bop, avant-garde and traditional styles, though versatile enough to work in any style effectively. His bass sound is full of beauty and warmth and his ability to accompany and still add very creative ideas into whatever music he is playing is remarkable.
Equally proficient on the upright acoustic bass, electric guitar and the Spanish style acoustic bass guitar, Anthony is also an adept composer open to all kinds of music from around the world and can be heard as a leader or as a sideman on over a hundred recording sessions with such artists as Geri Allen, Dewey Redman, Dave Douglas, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Billy Higgins, Uri Caine, Gary Thomas, Marty Ehrlich, Ed Blackwell, Joe Lovano and Dave King.
Bassist Anthony Cox currently resides and performs in his hometown and is attracting a young audience with his full, warm sound and creative ideas.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ernie Watts was born Ernest James Watts on October 23, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia. He began playing saxophone at thirteen, attended West Chester University and later matriculated through Berklee College of Music on a Downbeat scholarship. He toured with Buddy Rich in the mid-1960s, occupying one of the alto saxophone chairs along with Lou Marini.
Watts visited Africa on a US State Department tour with Oliver Nelson’s group, played tenor saxophone with the Tonight Show Band under Doc Severinsen for twenty years and was a featured soloist on many of Marvin Gaye’s original Motown albums during the 1970s. A first-call musician he has sat in on many other pop and R&B sessions during 25 years in the studios in Los Angeles.
By the mid-1980s Ernie decided to rededicate himself to jazz, recording and touring with German guitarist and composer Torsten de Winkel, drummer Steve Smith and keyboardist Tom Coster. He would join bassist Charlie Haden’s Quartet West, play saxophone on the Grease soundtrack, clarinet on The Color Purple and sax on the opening theme song of the popular 80s sitcom Night Court.
Watts has won two Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist, toured with the Rolling Stones, appeared in the 1982 film Let’s Spend The Night Together, was featured on Kurt Elling’s 2010 Grammy-winning album Dedicated To You, formed his own label Flying Dutchman Records, and tours Europe with his quartet.
With flute added to his instrument list, saxophonist Ernie Watts has released eighteen albums as a leader and nearly three dozen as a sideman working with Billy and Bobby Alessi, Paul Anka, Wilie Bobo, Brass Fever, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Randy Crawford, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, Carol King, John Mayall, Blue Mitchell, New Stories, Lalo Schifrin and Gabor Szabo among others. He continues to perform record and tour.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joe Bourne was born on October 20, 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and music became a part of his life at an early age. He began singing in a church choir and on the street corner with various singing groups.
Greatly inspired by such greats as Nat King Cole and Lou Rawls, his US career grew from lead singer for a Top 40 rhythm and blues/jazz band to international status, recording and releasing albums with hit singles. During this period he made several radio and TV commercials for Delta Airlines, Coca Cola and the American Telephone Company.
A move to Europe saw Bourne performing for the American and Dutch military and supporting acts in concert, such as The Stylistics, Natalie Cole, The Manhattans, The Pointer Sisters, Dionne Warwick and Ray Charles while they were on their European tour. He has performed in Scandinavia, Australia, Aruba, Indonesia, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Apart from his solo performances and his engagements with 25 to 100 voice choirs, Joe teams up with female colleagues for duet performances complemented by various orchestra backings from combo to Big Band or symphony orchestras.
He has been awarded for his rendition of Gershwin’s Summertime, the Silver Orpheus in Bulgaria and the Jimmy Kennedy Award in Ireland. He was also awarded the Kunsteler des Jahres and the Diamantes des Jahres for top class entertainment in Germany. Vocalist Joe Bourne continues to perform and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Tim Berne was born on October 16, 1954 in Syracuse, New York. Though a music fan, he had no interest in playing until his matriculation through college, when he bought an alto saxophone. Even then he was more interested in rhythm and blues following Stax Records releases and those of Aretha Franklin until he happened upon Julius Hemphill’s album “Dogon A.D. recorded in 1972.
Berne moved to New York City in 1974 and took lessons from Hemphill who was integrating soul and funk with free jazz, and then later recorded with him. In 1979, he founded Empire Records, released his own recordings, then recorded Fulton Street Maul and Sanctified Dreams for Columbia Records, generating discussion and controversy by straying away from the neo-traditionalist hard-boppers of the 80s into the avant-garde.
By the late Nineties Tim founded Screwgun Records, released his own recordings, as well as others musicians. He has played in the sideman seat with guitarists Bill Frisell and David Torn, composer/saxophonist John Zorn, violinist Mat Maneri, and cellist Hank Roberts, trumpeter Herb Robertson, the ARTE Quartet and has been a member of the group Miniature.
Wearing his composer hat, Berne creates complex, multi-section compositions are often quite lengthy, often twenty to thirty minutes. However, utilizing brilliantly creative and experienced musicians who don’t get lost or make their audiences never grow tired. He has been a part of nine different groups and has recorded forty-one albums. Alto saxophonist and bandleader Tim Berne continues to compose and perform prolifically.
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