Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Aaron J. Johnson was born in Washington, D.C. on June 10, 1958. He studied piano and drums before taking up the trombone at age 12. While in high school he frequently performed with area funk bands but also conducted and arranged for student ensembles under the direction of noted trumpeter Peter D. Ford. It was Ford who gave him his first professional gigs and introduced him to Ellington alumni, bandleader and alto saxophonist Rick Henderson.
Although pursuing degrees in electrical engineering, Johnson remained active as a trombonist and bass trombonist throughout his college years. He had the good fortune to play with the University of Pittsburgh Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Kenny Clarke and Nathan Davis. Following college Aaron continued gigging around D.C. and the New York area, studying privately with reed multi-instrumentalist Makanda Ken McIntyre.
By the early 1990s Johnson established himself as an experienced and valuable sideman, composer and arranger. He has since recorded and performed with a multitude of major artists and ensembles to include Reggie Workman, Jimmy Heath, Charles Tolliver, Oliver Lake, Muhal Richard Abrams, Bill Lee, Frank Lacy, The Mingus Big Band, the Count Basie Orchestra, Steve Turre’s Sanctified Shells, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.
He has received the New Jersey State Council Fellowship in Music Composition (2000) Aaron Johnson has composed and arranged works performed or recorded by Frank Foster, Steve Turre, Frank Lacy, the Nancie Banks Orchestra, and Paradigm Shift. He has been featured in film scores, television commercials and public radio broadcasts.
Trombonist Aaron Johnson is currently in Columbia University’s Musicology doctorate program and has released his debut album Songs Of Our Fathers and continues to perform.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Eddie Parker May 28, 1959 in Liverpool, England. A founding member of and composer for the British jazz band Loose Tubes in the 1980s. He has toured and performed with several noted bands and performers including Bheki Mseleku, Marvin Smith and John Parricelli. He has toured with the band Mister Vertigo, of which Parricelli is also a member, and conducts jazz workshops and performances involving young musicians. He was a lecturer in jazz at Middlesex University, where his students included Led Bib.
As a leader he has recorded three albums, a half doen with Loose Tubes and as a sideman he has recorded eight with Django Bates, A Man Called Adam, Keziah Jones, Oumou Sangare, Trevor Walters, and Mseleku.
Flutist and composer Eddie Parker continues to play keyboards during workshops and live performances.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rich Lamb was born on May 27, 1954 in New York City where he learned his bass craft. By the turn of the 1980’s he co-founded the jazz fusion band, Dry Jack, and gained worldwide recognition with his brother pianist Chuck Lamb, guitarist Rod Fleeman and drummer Jon Margolis. The group was listed as part of the new wave of fusion in Rolling Stone Magazine’s History of Rock `n’ Roll.
With Dry Jack he performed with vocalist Eddie Jefferson and avant garde saxophonist Richie Cole. They opened shows for Pat Metheny, The Dixie Dreggs, Gino Vinelli, Freddie Hubbard and McCoy Tyner among many others. He played with trumpeter Dave Douglas inthe mid eighties.
Moving from New York to Colorado in 1989, Rich has been performing with Brazilian drummer Claudio Sloan and Hammond B3 Pat Bianchi. In 1992 he played in concert with saxophonist Ernie Watts and Ed Summerlin recorded at the Deer Mountain Jazz Festival in South Dakota, as well as performing there with saxophonist Hank Crawford.
He performs with Hazel Miller, has subbed several times on the nationally syndicated radio program E Town. As a composer and first time as a leader, Lamb released his debut album, Music Along The Way. This is an improvisational collection of his music written during his performing career.
Bassist Rich Lamb currently freelances and plays his upright bass with pianists Pat Bianchi, Geoff Cleveland, Eric Moon, Dana Marsh and Bill Unrau.
Requisites
Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet ~ The Miles Davis Quintet | By Eddie Carter
In just two days in 1956, the Miles Davis Quintet recorded four remarkable albums, which are widely regarded as quintessential examples of hard bop and have endured as jazz classics over time. They fulfilled Davis’s contract with Prestige Records before moving to Columbia Records, his home for some of the most iconic music over the next thirty years. The albums are Cookin’ (1957), Workin’ (1959), Steamin’ (1961), and today’s focus, Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige PRLP-7129), released in 1958. Miles Davis is on muted trumpet (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B2), and trumpet (B3), John Coltrane is on tenor sax, Red Garland is on piano, Paul Chambers is on bass, and Philly Joe Jones is on drums. My copy is no. 535 of the Craft Recordings Limited Edition mono reissue (Prestige CR 00227).
The first side opener, If I Were a Bell by Frank Loesser, became a jazz standard after Davis’s rendition on this album. Miles snaps his fingers to set the rhythm ahead of the quintet’s medium-paced melody. The muted trumpet’s ideas unfold in the opening statement. John demonstrates his signature fluidity next. Red takes an energetic solo ahead of the theme’s reprise and a subtle conclusion. After two brief false starts, You’re My Everything by Mort Dixon, Harry Warren, and Joe Young begins with the quintet’s tender introduction, ahead of Miles’s delicately heartfelt melody and opening solo highlighting his more sentimental side. John executes a graceful, intimate statement, supported by the trio’s rich foundation, leading to a thoughtfully reflective finale from Davis.
The pace picks up noticeably for I Could Write a Book by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The trio gets things started, leading to the quintet’s collective medium-fast melody. Miles takes off first with brisk, vibrant notes that set the mood. John fills the air with pure joy next, and then Red’s reading is so full of energy before the leader takes the song out, which ends abruptly. Sonny Rollins’s Oleo opens the second side with two false starts and some lighthearted studio chatter, ahead of Davis’s introduction and the quintet’s lively theme with John completing the melody. Miles goes first, delivering a spirited statement, then John soars into an energetic turn. Red concludes with an upbeat reading while Paul and Philly propel each soloist to new heights before the group’s brisk finish.
Up next is It Could Happen To You by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. The ensemble adopts a relaxed midtempo vibe with Miles leading the theme. He then continues with a sweet-toned first solo. John follows with a compelling statement that’s as cool as the other side of the pillow. Red brings out the liveliness in a cheerful interpretation, engaging beautifully with Paul and Philly in the subdued climax. Woody ‘n’ You by Dizzy Gillespie begins with Red’s brief introduction preceding the opening ensemble. Miles commands the lead solo with fiery passion on the open horn, paving the way for John’s high-energy performance. Davis and Jones share the song’s final moments in the closing chorus, culminating in a gentle fade. A few final words from Miles brings the jazz standard to a close.
Bob Weinstock oversaw the original session, and Rudy Van Gelder was the recording engineer. For this audiophile reissue, Mark Piro and Mason Williams took charge of production, and Bernie Grundman mastered the album from the original tapes. The record is pressed on 180-gram vinyl, using Neotech’s VR900 vinyl compound, and manufactured using a one-step lacquer process. The sound quality of this reissue is truly exceptional, offering a beautifully balanced soundstage that’s ideal for demonstration on a good mid-fi or high-end audio system. This limited-edition box set is 5,000 copies, each individually numbered and presented in a foil-stamped, linen-wrapped slipcase featuring an acrylic inset of the original artwork. The record is protected by an archival-quality, anti-static, non-scratching inner sleeve.
One of the highlights of this reissue is the inclusion of studio snippets, such as false starts and Miles’s conversations with Rudy Van Gelder. These moments offer the listener a unique sense of connection to the studio sessions, making them part of the event. On mid-fi or high-end audio systems, the tonal balance across highs, midrange, and low frequencies truly shines in a stunning soundstage. Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet is an excellent album of standards, showcasing inspired performances by every member. It’s a superb choice for enjoying at any time of the day or evening. I highly recommend it for a spot in your library, and I urge you to pick up a copy before it sells out, because you ain’t gettin’ mine!
~ Cookin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige PRLP 7094), Steamin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige PRLP 7200), Workin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige PRLP 7166) – Source: Discogs.com
~ Oleo, It Could Happen To You, Woody’n You – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ If I Were A Bell, You’re My Everything, I Could Write A Book – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Christof Lauer was born on May 25, 1953 in Melsungen, Germany. Most well known in Europe where he has performed and/or recorded with Palle Danielsson, Carla Bley, Anthony Cox, Michel Godard, Gary Husband, Vince Mendoza’s Jazzpaña, Michel Portal, Maria João, Alphonse Mouzon, and Peter Erskine.
Since 1979 he has been a member of the Jazzensemble des Hessischen Rundfunks led by Albert Mangelsdorff. In 1994 Lauer joined the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, replacing Charlie Mariano. and is also.
Tenor and soprano saxophonist Christof Lauer, who is a member of the Hamburg NDR Radio Orchestra, continues to perform, record and tour.
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