Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Anita Gravine was born April 11, 1946 in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. An experienced but little-known singer, in the mid-’60s, she sang with the bands of Larry Elgart, Buddy Morrow, and Urbie Green. She made her solo debut with Dream Dancing on the Progressive label in the early ’80s.
This was followed by her release of I Always Knew in 1985 for the now defunct Stash Records that displayed her appealing voice, solid sense of swing, and versatility. Gravine’s third project Welcome to My Dream, although not a critical success, continues to prove she can handle both ballad and up-tempo songs with ease of voice and rhythmic assurance.
She has worked with arranger and pianist Mike Abene, George Mraz, Billy Hart and Tom Harrell. She released Welcome To My Dream for Jazz Alliance in 1993. In 2010 Anita released the last of her four albums “Lights! Camera! Passion! Jazz And The Italian Cinema”, and she continues to perform and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Michel Camilo was born on April 4, 1954 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and as a young child showed aptitude for the accordion but it was his grandparents’ piano that sparked his interest. At age 9 he asked his parents to buy him one, they first send him to the Elementary Music School of the National Conservancy, and a year later to grant his wish.
Camilo learned to play in the classical style and by 16 was playing with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. During his 13 years of study at the National Conservatory, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Horace Silver, Errol Garner and Scott Joplin influenced him. Moving to New York in 1979 he studied at Mannes College and Julliard, and broke onto the international stage in 1983 with Tito Puente.
Michel became a star with his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1985, toured Europe with Paquito D’Rivera and recorded his first album “Why Not?” that same year. His debut release on the Sony label, Michel Camilo, held the top jazz album spot for ten consecutive weeks.
He has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Tania Maria, Stanley Turrentine, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, David Sanchez, Leny Andrade, Roy Hargrove and Billy Taylor on the very short list, recorded twenty-three albums, has written film scores for several Spanish films, has won an Emmy, a Grammy for the Live at the Blue Note album, and Best Latin Jazz Album at the Latin Grammy Awards for Spain. Pianist Michel Camilo holds honorary degrees at Berklee College of Music, continues to tour extensively, lecture in Europe, the US, and Puerto Rico.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Marilyn Crispell was born March 30, 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and studied classical piano and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music. She discovered jazz through the music of John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor and other contemporary jazz players and composers like Paul Bley and Leo Smith.
For ten years Marilyn was a member of Anthony Braxton’s Quartet and the Reggie Workman Ensemble. She has worked with the Barry Guy New Orchestra as well as a member of the Henry Grimes Trio, the European Quartet Noir and Anders Jormin’s Bortom Quintet.
A resident of Woodstock, New York since 1977 when she came to study and teach at Karl Berger’s Creative Music Studio, in 2005 she performed and recorded with the NOW Orchestra, a year later she was co-director of the Vancouver Creative Music Institute and a faculty member at the Banff Centre International Workshop in Jazz.
Crispell has performed and recorded nearly two-dozen albums as a soloist and leader of her own groups as well as with John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Robert Cogan, Pozzi Escot, Manfred Niehaus, Larry Ochs, Reggie Workman,Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton, Steve lacy and Anthony Davis with the New York City Opera, among numerous others.
Pianist Marilyn Crispell, the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, continues to perform, record and teach throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada and New Zealand, and collaborate with videographers, filmmakers, dancers and poets.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jeri Brown was born in Halifax, Missouri on March 20, 1952 and began singing publicly from the age of six. While matriculating through college in Iowa on a four-year scholarship she studied classical voice. As a result of student performances in mid-western U.S. and Europe her voice caught the attention of musical directors and composers looking for an imaginative voice with incredible range effortlessly creating aesthetic touches to their contemporary or avant-garde works.
Along with performances with the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and several combos, Jeri began incorporating more stylistic renditions of standards from theatre, film and pop culture. This led to her working with Ellis Marsalis, Billy Taylor and Dizzy Gillespie. Upon the suggestion of Joe Lovano, she began to improvise during concert performances.
The short list of jazz artists Jeri has performed and recorded with is not limited to Leon Thomas, John Hicks, Grady Tate, Kirk Lightsey, Betty Carter, David Murray, D.D. Jackson, Billy Hart, Kenny Werner, Pierre Michelot, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Fred Hersch, Tony Suggs, Michel Donato, Winard Harper, Chico Freeman, Rufus Reid and Seamus Blake.
Holding several degrees in Counseling, Education and English, Brown has taught at Cleveland State University, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, The university of Akron, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and several universities in Canada. Not to be limited, she has added documentaries, film and theatre to her arsenal of accomplishments and has written and recorded lyrics in collaboration with Avery Sharpe, Henry Butler, Cyrus Chestnut, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Jimmy Rowles. She continues her lifelong pursuit of excellence performing, composing and recording.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Andy Narell was born March 18, 1954 in New York City and took up the steelpan at a very young age after his father invited Ellie Mannette to bring steel pan to Queens, New York in an attempt to get kids off the street and out of gangs.
Moving with his family to California in his teens he eventually studied music at the University of California, Berkeley. He played piano with UC Jazz Ensembles and graduated in 1973. In the 1980s he worked in the project Bebop & Beyond, recording tribute albums to Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. He has performed with the Caribbean Jazz Project, Montreux, Sakésho, and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
A composer and arranger Andy has created music for Trinidad’s national steelband competition Panorama, and has also performed in South Africa. He has performed and recorded with Spyro Gyra, Taj Mahal, Toto and Mike Marshall and has recorded more than two dozen albums for Windham Hill, Inner City and Heads Up record labels. Steel panist Andy Narell continues to compose, arrange, perform and tour.
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