Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Karen Street was born on December 13, 1959 in the United Kingdom (UK) and started playing the accordion at the age of 7. She went on to study at Bath University, RWMCD and in London, England with the late Ivor Beynon, a pioneer of the classical accordion. She studied music at Welsh College of Music and Drama and Guildhall School of Music. She became the British Virtuoso Champion in 1981/2 and competed in the Coupe Mondiale World Championship in Hamburg, Germany and Folkstone, UK.
Karen has created a niche for herself in the UK jazz scene and is a regular member of Mike Westbrook’s groups, works with Tim Garland as well as part of Lammas playing alongside Geoff Keezer, Joe Locke and Avishai Cohen.
As a saxophonist Street was a member of the all girl saxophone quartet The Fairer Sax and is now a member and co-leader of Saxtet with her husband Andy Tweed.
Karen’s composing is specialized by writing music for the saxophone, from solos to large ensembles. Her composition for solo accordion, In The Ballroom With The Rope, took first prize at the London Accordion Festival, Composition Competition in 2001. The same year she released her debut recording, Finally A Beginning.
Besides jazz, Karen has played across genres with the likes of Bryan Ferry, Grace Jones, Andrea Bocelli, Kate Westbrook, BBC Philharmonic, Icebreaker, and the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour band for three seasons.
Accordionist, saxophonist and flutist Karen Street is currently a freelance musician playing across a wide variety of genres.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Les Fish was born on November 24, 1955 in Boston, Massachusetts. As a teenager in the 1970s he was into rock and played guitar in various bands throughout the greater Boston area. He performed jazz-rock influenced original compositions in shows from the North Shore to Cape Cod.
Enrolling at Berklee College of Music, Fish studied and formed his own jazz fusion group, and made money splitting his time between teaching guitar, nightclub gigs and recording jingles for local television stations. After Berklee and studying with jazz guitar greats Mick Goodrick and Barry Galbraith, he met his future wife Lori Starr and formed the band Amante.
Touring full time for eighteen years with Amante, they worked at top hotels around the world and still performs throughout New England. The inspiration for the recording, Les Fish and The Latin Jazz Cats came three years ago, when he was touring in Cuba.
Returning from Cuba, Les returned home to seek out the best musicians to transfer his vision into reality.. At Berklee he recruited two-time Latin Grammy winning bassist Oscar Stagnaro, saxophonist George Garzone, pianist Osmany Paredes, his son Lee on drums and percussionist and bandleader Eguie Castrillo.
He has performed with many artists including Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Steve Winwood, Danilo Perez, Warren Wolf, Gary Burton, Julian Lage, John Ellis, David Gilmore and Ryan Scott, among others. Guitarist Les Fish continues to perform and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Francesca Tanksley was born November 21, 1957 in Vincenza, Italy but grew up in Munich, Germany where she studied music from the age of seven. Moving to Boston, Massachusetts at 16, she studied piano and composition at Berklee College Of Music.
Two years later she returned to Munich. In 1980 she moved to New York City where she worked with Melba Liston until 1983, then she joined Billy Harper’s quintet with whom she toured extensively.
She has worked with Clifford Jordan, Cecil Payne, Bill Hardman and Erica Lindsay. She leads her own quintet and co-leads the Erica Lindsay/ Howard Johnson Quintet. As an educator she has been on the faculty of the New School, Berklee College. She has facilitated workshops and masterclasses at University of Southern California at Santa Cruz, Hampton University, Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute, Arizona State University, and Bard College.
Pianist Francesca Tanksley, who is a composer and educator, continues to perform and compose.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Scot Albertson was born on November 20, 1957 and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut. Early childhood saw him as a choir member of the Little Singers of Norwalk and would travel, sing and compete internationally with the choir for six years. After graduating college he served for six years as a police officer segueing for a year in Arizona on border patrol. Returning to Connecticut he started a very successful small business which sustained his lifestyle for nineteen years.
In 2000 he began taking vocal lessons with Richard Lissemore in New York City. Four and one half years later after intensive study, Scot released his debut album titled Got A Date With Fate with bassist Mark Egan, drummer Danny Gottlieb and producer, composer and pianist Jon Werking. Showcasing the music in 2005 at Danny’s Skylight Cabaret Room in New York City began his life as a career performer.
Since his debut performance, vocalist Scot Albertson has gone on to continue to perform around the city and metropolitan area.
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Requisites
Blues In Trinity ~ Dizzy Reece | By Eddie Carter
Last night, I listened to one of my mom’s favorites, Blues In Trinity (Blue Note BLP 4006/BST 84006) by Dizzy Reece, which inspired this discussion. It was his second album as a leader and first for Alfred Lion’s label. Reece was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and began playing the baritone sax at eleven. He took up the trumpet at fourteen and later got the nickname Dizzy. At sixteen, he started playing professionally and worked with some of the best musicians in England, France, and the United States. Donald Byrd (tracks: A3, B1) and Dizzy Reece (A1 to B2) on trumpet, Tubby Hayes (A1, A3, B1 to B3) on tenor sax, Terry Shannon on piano, Lloyd Thompson on bass, and Art Taylor on drums are the musicians. My copy is the 1983 King Record Company Japanese Mono reissue (Blue Note BLP 4006 – K18P 9245).
The title tune and first of four originals by Dizzy Reece, Blues In Trinity, gets the first side off to a good start with the quintet’s medium theme. Dizzy jumps out front with a bright lead solo, then Tubby blows a set of wailing choruses. Terry takes charge next with a stunning short performance until the trumpeter and tenor saxophonist exchange riffs preceding the theme’s return. I Had The Craziest Dream by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon is a beautiful song from the 1942 film Springtime In The Rockies. Reece and the rhythm section reveal the song’s sensual beauty in an elegantly tender presentation. He also delivers a heartfelt solo as the only soloist.
Close-Up opens with a relaxing ensemble melody. Dizzy takes the lead, making each note look effortless. Tubby takes an exciting turn next, then Donald sinks his teeth into an aggressive statement. Terry follows with a solo of absolute joy. The front line takes the final flight in an exchange, leading to the sextet’s reprise and finale. Shepherd’s Serenade starts Side Two at a burning beat with the sextet’s rollicking theme. Reece launches into the opening statement with pure fire. Hayes continues with a shower of fiery notes from his tenor sax. Donald follows, blowing fierce heat in his second and final presentation, and then Art converses with the front line before the theme’s reprise and close.
Color Blind eases the throttle back to medium for the quintet’s finger-popping opening chorus. Dizzy goes right to work on the opening solo with plenty of feeling. Tubby takes the baton and builds the following interpretation effectively. Teddy maintains the mellow mood in the third performance, and the front line shares the finale in a short exchange before the theme’s restatement and climax. ‘Round About Midnight by Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams and Bernie Hanighen ends the album as a feature for Tubby Hayes and the rhythm section. The saxophonist combines the elements of elegance, restraint, and tenderness in a gorgeous performance that culminates softly.
Tony Hall produced the initial session of Blues In Trinity, and Rudy Van Gelder is credited as the recording engineer. However, he only re-recorded the initial session. The sound quality of this King reissue is sensational, with a superb soundstage that emerges from your speakers as if the musicians are playing right in front of your listening chair. This album holds a special place in my heart, as it was a staple during our Sunday jazz dinners with my mom and sister when I was younger. If you’re a hard bop fan, I offer Blues In Trinity by Dizzy Reece for consideration on your next record-shopping trip. It’s an underrated, excellent album by one of the best musicians most may not know, and I highly recommend it for a spot in your library!
~ ‘Round About Midnight – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ I Had The Craziest Dream – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter
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