Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bob Leatherbarrow was born on May 3, 1955 in Buffalo, New York. He studied drums with Charlie Lorigo, orchestral percussion with John Rowland of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the vibraphone with Dave Samuels. He began working professionally at age 14, attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts before moving to Los Angeles in 1978 to further pursue a career in music.
Throughout his career in jazz, Bob has been a member of Ernie Watts Quartet for over 25 years, has performed and recorded with Joe Farrell, Victor Feldman, Horace Silver, Rosemary Clooney, Natalie Cole, The Bill Holman Band, the Bob Florence Jazz Orchestra and Howard Roberts among others. He has also recorded in other genres with Gordon Lightfoot, Bette Midler, Placido Domingo, Dolly Parton and Henry Mancini.
Leatherbarrow has appeared of film and television soundtracks for The Simpsons, Family Guy, Austin Powers, Bruce Almighty, The Cleveland Show and The Life Aquatic to name a few, and drummed the iconic snare rolls that begin the sound signature of 20th Century Fox Studios.
Doubling on vibraphone, Bob Leatherbarrow has backed singers like Peggy Lee, Greta Matassa, Lorraine Feather and Nelly Furtado along with Stanley Clarke, Bill Perkins and his own group Polychrome, with whom he continues to compose and perform.
More Posts: drums,vibraphone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Steve Khan was born April 28, 1947 in Los Angeles, California to lyricist Sammy Cahn. As a teenager he was a terrible drummer but grew a love for guitar and switched at around age 19. He would go on to matriculate through U.C.L.A. and move to New York, performing one of his first guitar duos with Larry Coryell in 1974.
During the 80s he was a member of the group Elements. Khan has worked with Jack DeJohnette, Maynard Ferguson, Billy Cobham, Hubert Laws, Steely Dan, Billy Joel, Michael Franks and Weather Report on his short list.
He toured with the CBS Jazz All Stars in Japan, led a band called Eyewitness, authored five jazz books, was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Latin Jazz Album category for his album “Borrowed Time” and recorded over thirty albums as a leader and sideman for such labels as Concord, Arista, Columbia, Flying Dutchman and Novus to name a few. He continues to perform, record and tour.
More Posts: guitar
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Harry Miller was born Harold Simon Miller on April 25, 1941 in Cape Town, West Cape, South Africa. He began his career as a bassist with Manfred Mann, and settled in London. He became a central figure in the mixture of South-African township music and free jazz, which became dynamic on the London scene at the end of the Sixties and into the Seventies.
Miller recorded frequently with musicians such as Mike Westbrook, Chris McGregor, John Surnam, Mike Cooper, Louis Moholo, Keith Tippett and Elton Dean. He found work as a session player and appeared on the 1971 album Islands by the progressive rock band, King Crimson. For economic reasons at the end of the 1970s he moved to the Netherlands, working with musicians of Willem Breuker’s circle.
He recorded five albums between 1972 and 1983 for Cuneiform, Reel Recordings, and his Ogun Records that he founded with his wife Hazel Miller. The label was vital for documenting that period, and is still active today.
Bassist Harry Miller passed away on December 16, 1983, in the Netherlands.
More Posts: bass
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.
More Posts: vocal
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.
More Posts: piano