Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Louis Freddie Kohlman was born on August 25, 1918 in New Orleans, Louisiana and studied under the famed drummer Louis Cottrell, Sr., and Manuel Manetta. He began playing professionally as a teenager, working with A. J. Piron, Joe Robichaux, Papa Celestin, and Sam Morgan.
Moving to Chicago, Illinois in the middle of the 1930s, he played with Albert Ammons, Stuff Smith, Earl Hines, and Lee Collins. After returning to New Orleans in 1941, he led his own band from 1944. Among the musicians in his band was pianist Dave “Fat Man” Williams. In the mid-1950s he played briefly with Louis Armstrong and recorded as a leader with the Jambalaya Four in 1953. He moved back to Chicago and became the house drummer at Jazz, Ltd. There he played with everyone from Billie Holiday to Art Hodes before once again returning to New Orleans in the 1960s.
Back home he played with Louis Cottrell, Jr., the Dukes of Dixieland, and the Onward Brass Band. In 1969 he appeared at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. As a member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, he traveled throughout the United States and overseas.[1]
Playing European festivals with his own groups in the 1970s and 1980s, Freddie recorded with Chris Barber and Dr. John in 1980, and also appears on record with Albert Nicholas, Art Hodes, Bob Wilber, Harry Connick, Jr., the Excelsior Brass Band, and the Heritage Hall Jazz Band.
Kohlman appeared in several films, including Pete Kelly’s Blues, Pretty Baby and Angel Heart.
Drummer, vocalist and bandleader Freddie Kohlman transitioned of cancer at his home in New Orleans, aged 72 on September 29, 1990.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bryan Spring was born on August 24, 1945 in London, England. A self-taught drummer beginning at the age of six, he later studied with Philly Joe Jones. He led and co-led his own trios and quartets from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s with Don Weller and also Art Themen.
The new millennium saw Bryan collaborating with Mark Edwards and Andy Cleyndert. He has been a member of Bill Le Sage’s Bebop Preservation Society, Alan Skidmore’s Quartet, Klaus Doldinger’s Passport, and various line-ups led by Stan Tracey.
He has worked with other leading British jazz musicians, including Tubby Hayes, Dick Morrissey, Bobby Wellins, as well as accompanying American musicians, notably George Coleman and Charlie Rouse, when they were visiting the UK.
Drummer Bryan Spring, who is sometimes credited as Brian and has led/co-led two recording sessions and played on eighteen as a sideman, continues to be active on the jazz scene.
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Three Wishes
Nica was curious as to the three wish of Ben Webster but he had only one answer and that was:
- “Right now, I wish I could write a couple of tunes.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Johnny Lindsay was born John Lindsay on August 23, 1894 in New Orleans, Louisiana and learned both instruments while young. He played trombone in a military band and in ensembles late in the 1910s. While living in his hometown he played with John Robichaux and Armand J. Piron’s Olympia Orchestra.
Lindsay was Piron’s trombonist on recordings made in New York City in 1923 and 1924 and was a member of Dewey Jackson’s riverboat band. Relocating to Chicago, Illinois he played with Willie Hightower, Carroll Dickerson, Lil Hardin, and Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers. Most of his Chicago playing in Chicago was subsequently on bass rather than trombone.
Later in his career Johnny toured nationally with Louis Armstrong in the early 1930s, and then with Richard M. Jones, Jimmie Noone, Punch Miller, Johnny Dodds, Chippie Hill, Georgia White, Harlem Hamfats, and Baby Dodds.
Double-bassist and trombonist Johnny Lindsey, who was active on the New Orleans and Chicago jazz scenes and was sometimes listed as John Lindsey, transitioned on July 3, 1950.
Requisites
Saturday Night at The Montmartre ~ Ben Webster | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s subject submitted for your consideration is a delightful live date by tenor saxophonist, Ben Webster. Saturday Night at The Montmartre (Black Lion Records BLP 30155) is the first of three LPs chronicling his quartet’s January 30 performance at the renowned club shortly after Ben moved to Europe. Midnight at The Montmartre and Sunday Morning at The Montmartre (1977) complete the evening’s concert. He’s joined on stage by Kenny Drew on piano, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums. My copy used in this report is the 1974 US Stereo release (Black Lion Records BL-302).
The rhythm section begins the evening with a bit of relaxed cooking on the introduction to Our Love Is Here To Stay by George and Ira Gershwin. Ben takes the lead on the theme and swings effortlessly on the first interpretation. Kenny and Niels-Henning are completely at ease in the next two readings. Alex and Ben engage in a delightful conversation preceding the theme’s reprise and finish. The pace slows down for a gorgeous rendition of My Romance by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. A brief introduction by Kenny opens the way for Ben’s richly toned, emotional expression on the melody. The pianist starts the solos with an enchanting presentation, next Webster gives an incredibly beautiful performance ahead of the song ending quietly.
Blues For Herluf is Ben Webster’s uptempo tribute to Jazzhus Montmartre’s manager, Herluf Kamp-Larsen. Kenny kicks off this tune with a brief introduction that evolves into the foursome’s invigorating theme. Ben opens with a hard-blowing swinger. Kenny tells a vigorously spirited story on the second solo. Niels-Henning goes for a short walk in the third spot and Alex’s drums dance briefly with the leader into the finale. The quartet slows the tempo again to begin Side Two with a very pretty song, Londonderry Air. The trio begins their introduction gracefully, then Webster touches a soft spot in everyone’s heart on the theme and provides a wonderful feeling of peaceful serenity as the song’s only soloist into a lovely finale.
Mack The Knife by Kurt Weill, Mark Blitzstein, and Bertolt Brecht first appeared in The Threepenny Opera (1928). The rhythm section introduces this song at midtempo leading to the collective melody led by Ben who also sparkles on the first reading. Kenny and Niels-Henning contribute something fun on the next two solos. Alex and Ben exchange a few riffs before the conclusion. I Can’t Get Started by Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin is one of the most beautiful standards in The Great American Songbook. The trio introduces the song leading to a sincerely poignant theme by Webster. Drew speaks to the listener intimately in the opening statement. Webster’s passion for ballad interpretation is abundantly evident in a delicately pretty reading perfectly matched to the trio’s sensuous support.
The Theme by Miles Davis brings this set to a close in rapid fashion. The foursome launches the theme collectively, next Ben, Kenny, Niels-Henning, and Alex give four quick statements ahead of the melody’s reprise and the audience’s approval. Saturday Night at The Montmartre and its companions were produced by Alan Bates, and Birger Svan was the recording engineer. The album’s sound quality is amazing with a breathtaking soundstage placing the listener in a seat among the audience as the quartet performs. If you’re a fan of Ben Webster and like your jazz swinging and soulful, I invite you to check out Saturday Night at The Montmartre on your next search for vinyl treasure. It sets the mood for a great evening of jazz that’s perfect to enjoy with the lights dimmed and your favorite drink as you listen!
~ Midnight at The Montmartre (Black Lion Records BLP 30173), Sunday Morning at The Montmartre (Black Lion Records BLP 30182) – Source: Discogs.com ~ I Can’t Get Started, Mack The Knife, My Romance, Our Love Is Here To Stay – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2022 by Edward Thomas Carter
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