Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Esperanza Spalding was born October 18, 1984 in Portland, Oregon. Raised in a single parent household she was greatly influenced by her mother who was a singer, though she attributes cellist Yo-Yo Ma as her inspiration to make music her life. By the time Spalding was five, she had taught herself to play the violin and was playing with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon, staying with them until fifteen and left as concertmaster.
While homeschooled through elementary years Esperanza gleaned lessons from her mother’s guitar instructor when she was eight and would return home and play what she learned. She played oboe and clarinet before discovering the bass at 14 while attending The Northwest Academy. Bored with the ease of high school when she was 15 or 16 years old, Spalding dropped out and started writing lyrics for music for the local indie rock/pop group Noise for Pretend, touching on any topic that came to mind.
Spalding had begun performing live in Portland with her first gig at 15 in a blues club, when she could play only one line on bass and was soon learning from seasoned professionals during the band’s rehearsals. She went on to get her GED, enroll in Portland State University, then left with full scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music.
Almost immediately after graduation Esperanza was hired by her alma mater at age 20, becoming one of the youngest instructors in the institution’s history. In 2006 she released her debut album “Junjo” followed by her sophomore project “Esperanza” in which she sings in English, Spanish and Portuguese. These two projects were followed up with “Chamber Music Society” and her fourth album “Radio Music Society”.
She was personally chosen by President Obama to perform at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies and concert, she has won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2011, Jazz Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards, has collaborated with Tineke Postma, Nicholas Payton and Teri Lyne Carrington among others, performed at the 84th Academy Awards and has donated a portion of her 2012 tour proceeds from merchandise sales to the non-profit organization “Free The Slaves” that combats worldwide human trafficking.
She has gone on to record an album in 77 hours while streaming the process live on Facebook, compose and record her 7th album 12 Little Spells, due out this October 2018 and has received an honorary Doctorate of music from Berklee. Bassists and vocalist Esperanza Spalding continues to compose, record, perform and tour.
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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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bill Charlap was born William Morrison Charlap on October 15, 1966 in New York City. Coming from a musical background and a distant cousin to famed jazz pianist Dick Hyman. His mother, singer Sandy Stewart had the hit “My Coloring Book”, his father, Broadway composer Moose Charlap.
Charlap began playing piano at age three. He later studied classical music but remained most interested in jazz. Over his career he has worked with Gerry Mulligan, Benny Carter, Tony Bennett and others. In the mid-90s, he was the musical director of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, A Celebration of Johnny Mercer, part of New York’s JVC Jazz Festival. In 1995 he joined the Phil Woods Quintet.
Charlap has recorded seven albums as a leader or co-leader for Blue Note, has had two Grammy nominated CDs: “Somewhere” and “The Bill Charlap Trio, Live At The Village Vanguard”. He has recorded two albums as a leader for Venus Records, as well as eight albums as a member of the New York Trio.
Bill appears at least twice a year for lengthy runs at some of the world’s major jazz clubs with his rhythm section, consisting of Peter Washington and Kenny Washington. He became the Artistic Director of New York’s 92nd Street Y “Jazz in July” six program series in 2004. In 2008, the pianist became part of The Blue Note 7, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the label, recording Mosaic with promotion tour around the world. He continues to compose, record and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Matthew Parrish was born on October 14, 1969 in Fresno, California. Traveling with his parents most of his formative years, the bassist developed a wide appreciation for culture and arts and his family finally settled in New Jersey for his high school years. This led to his tenure at Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts. From there he moved to Philadelphia where his music studies really began at Ortliebs Jazz Haus.
At Ortliebs, Parrish played with Mickey Roker and Shirley Scott, backing everyone from Cecil Payne, Johnny Coles and Danny Turner to Sylvia Simms. He was soon partnered with Al Grey and while touring hit with Clark Terry, Marian McPartland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lou Donaldson, Joe Cohn, Savion Glover, Bill Charlap and many others.
Considering himself an East Coast player his list of accolades is more than sufficient to fall in the lineage of great Philly players. He has toured all over the world and his beautiful, warm and complex sound has earned him an impressive reputation in the music community. He has toured with Greg Osby, Stefon Harris and Regina Carter among others and continues to tour with the Dave Leonhardt group, Houston Person as well as the Vana Gierig Trio with Paquito D’Rivera. Bassist Matthew Parrish also continues to perfect his arrangements and compositions – a true passion for the music.
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From Broadway To 52nd Street
On November 8, 1926 The Imperial hosted the opening night of this new musical “Oh Kay!” starring Gertrude Lawrence, Oscar Shaw and the Fairbanks twins. The show ran for 256 performances and with the assistance of George and Ira Gershwin gave the world a Broadway melody destined to become a jazz standard – Someone To Watch Over Me.
The Story: It is 1926, the Jazz Age and the era of Prohibition. Jimmy Winter is very popular among the young ladies, and in the imaginary town of Beachampton, they are cleaning the living room of his Long Island, New York estate, declaring that “The Woman’s Touch” is exactly what his home needs. Jimmy Winter spends so little time on his Long Island estate, Kay Denham, posing as a cook, helps her rum-running brother, a titled English bootlegger, cache his illegal booze there. When Jimmy returns unexpectedly to get married, he falls in love with Kay. As a result, he helps Kay outmaneuver revenue agents and after renouncing his numerous other promises of marriage, agrees to marry Kay.
Jazz History: West 52nd Street is best known as the “Street of Jazz” or “The Street That Never Sleeps”. It ran east to west from 5th to 6th Avenues and was renowned in its heyday during and after Prohibition from 1925 to 1960. 52nd Street hosted such celebrated establishments as the Hickory House, Jimmy Ryan’s, the Famous Door, the Iron Gate, Leon & Eddie, 21, Tony’s, The Onyx, The Three Deuces, Downbeat, The Yacht Club, The Wing Club and Kelly’s Stable.
From 1935 to 1945 this monochrome of five story brownstone buildings in whose drab and cramped street level interiors – once known as English basements – flourished as speakeasies and jazz clubs and by 1936 it became also known as “Swing Street” and served as the launching pad for more singers, more hit songs and more instrumentalists than Chicago, New Orleans, Memphis or Los Angeles.
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