Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Joe Gordon was born Joseph Henry Gordon on May 15, 1928 in Boston, Massachusetts and took up trumpet in his youth. His first professional gigs were in Boston in 1947 and he would later play with Georgie Auld, Charlie Mariano, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Parker, Art Blakey and Don Redman into the mid Fifties.

In 1956 he toured the Middle East with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band soloing on “A Night In Tunisia”. Following this Gordon played with Horace Silver and then moved to Los Angeles. During his California stay over the next five years he recorded with Barney Kessel, Benny Carter, Harold Land, Shelly Manne, Donald Byrd, Dexter Gordon and Thelonious Monk.

Trumpeter Joe Gordon would record two studio sessions and one live album as a leader prior to his death in a house fire on November 4, 1963 in Santa Monica, California.

GRIOTS GALLERY

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Requisites

Royal Flush: This album was recorded by jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd and is notable for introducing pianist Herbie Hancock in his first Blue Note session.

Personnel: Donald Byrd – trumpet, Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone, Herbie Hancock – piano, Butch Warren – bass, Billy Higgins – drums

Record Date: Blue Note – 1961

Songs: Hush, I’m A Fool To Want You, Jorgie’s, Shangri-La, 6M’s, Requiem

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Herman Foster was born on April 26, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began his musical career before age ten playing the violin, clarinet, saxophone, and piano. A self-taught pianist, Foster created a distinguished earthy sound. When his family moved to New York City in 1947, Herman began to attend jam sessions and then played with Eric Dixon, Dick Carter and the big band of Herb Jones.

His success came when he met Lou Donaldson and the two played together for thirteen years from 1953 to 1966. During the 1950s he worked with King Curtis, Bill English and Seldon Powell, in the 1960s with Al Casey, in addition to playing with his own trio over the next decade. He returned to work in Donaldson’s quartet in the 1980s.

He released four records as a leader for Epic, Argo and Timeless Records and as a sideman recorded nineteen albums with Lou Donaldson, Gloria Lynne, Johnny Hartman, Hisayo Tominaga, George V. Johnson Jr., Joan Shaw, Al Casey and King Curtis. On April 3, 1999, bebop pianist Herman Foster passed away.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Joe Henderson was born on April 24, 1937 in Lima, Ohio and was encouraged by his parents to study music. Growing up he studied drums, piano, saxophone and composition, and listened to Lester Young, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Parker, Flip Phillips, Lee Konitz and Jazz at the Philharmonic recordings. While in high school he wrote several scores for the school band and rock groups.

Active on the Detroit jazz scene by eighteen, Henderson was playing jam sessions with visiting New York stars in the mid-50s. He attended Wayne State University studying sax, flute and bass, Joe played with fellow classmates Yusef Lateef, Barry Harris and Donald Byrd.

A two-year Army stint saw him touring worldwide entertaining troops and while in Paris met Kenny Drew and Kenny Clarke. After discharge he moved to New York, and soon joined Horace Silver’s band, providing the seminal solo on Song For My Father. Leaving Silver he freelanced and in 1966 co-led a big band with Dorham, whose arrangements went unrecorded until 1996 on the Joe Henderson Big Band.

Henderson appeared on nearly three-dozen albums as a leader and over 50 as a sideman during his career. He would join but never record with Miles Davis, move to Milestone Records, co-lead the Jazz Communicators with Freddie Hubbard, became more politically and socially conscious with his music, played with Blood, Sweat & Tears briefly and started teaching.

He would play with Echoes Of An Era, the Griffith Park Band, Chick Corea, but remained a leader experiencing a resurgence in 1986, record for An Evening with Joe Henderson for Red Records, get signed with Verve and enjoy critical success and popularity after releasing Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn. On June 30, 2001, saxophonist Joe Henderson passed away of heart failure after a long battle with emphysema.

ROBYN B. NASH

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Candido was born Candido de Guerra Camero on April 22, 1921 in Havana, Cuba and learned to play percussion as a child listening to the music of his native land. Early in his career, Camero focused on conga and bongo, recording in his native Cuba with fellow jazz musician Machito. Although he has been credited as the first person to use the congas in jazz music, both Diego Iborra and Luciano “Chano” Pozo Gonzales preceded him in the 1940s.

Moving to New York in 1952 he started recording with Dizzy Gillespie and from 1953-54 he was in the Billy Taylor Quartet. The next year saw him performing and recording with Stan Kenton. During the Seventies Candido enjoyed success during the disco era, most notably with the Babatunde Olatunji-penned track “Jingo” from his Dancin’ and Prancin’ album on the Salsoul Record label, that has been acknowledged as  a precursor five years prior to the birth of the house music genre.

He has performed and recorded Errol Garner, Gene Ammons, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, Elvin Jones and Lionel Hampton on the short list of jazz luminaries. Percussionist Candido was honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2008. At 96 years of age he is residing in his home in Cuba.

THE WATCHFUL EYE

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