Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Oscar Feldman was born on June 12, 1961 in Cordoba, Argentina listening to his father’s jazz collection. He attended Conservatorio Provincial de Musica and was soon part of the prominent music scene in his hometown, becoming a founding member of acclaimed band Los Musicos del Centro.
Beginning in 1979 when he was 19 Oscar accepted an invitation to join bandoneonist Hermeto Pascoal and Dino Saluzzi to join his group. Moving to Buenos Aires, Argentina his career took off and he became a sought after studio musician. He recorded more than 40 albums as a sideman and toured with Argentina’s most prominent artists. Winning the Outstanding Performance Award as the Best Soloist in Fusion in 1986, he went on to procure the Achievement Scholarship Award from Berklee College of Music and graduated cum laude in 1995 with a Major in Professional Music.
Realizing he could bridge two worlds he joined Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra conducted by Paquito D’ Rivera. Moving to New York City his reputation grew as a versatile musician, and worked with Al Di Meola, Eumir Deodato, Jeff Tain Watts, Avantango, Alex Acuna, Bebo Valdes and His All Star Latin Jazz Band. He toured and performed across the United States, Europe and Africa.
As a leader Feldman has led numerous tours Horacio Negro Hernandez, Alex Acuna, Dave Samuels, Otmaro Ruiz and Tom Kennedy. As an educator he is currently on the faculty at the New York Jazz Academy, has taught workshops and clinics at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He leads his own music jam classes weekly in New York and has written an article for Down Beat Magazine.
By the end of the 1990’s he recorded his debut as a leader El Angel on the Songosaurus record label. For his sophmore ten track album Oscar e Familia was released in 2009 on Sunnyside, he put together a Pan-American cast of Mexican drummer Antonio Sanchez, Cuban pianist Manuel Valera, Puerto Rican bassist John Benitez and Curacao percussion master Pernell Saturnino.
Alto saxophonist and composer Oscar Feldman. known for his splendid tonalities and melodically outstanding charts, continues to transcend his musical horizons.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gösta Theselius (was born June 9, 1922 in Stockholm, Sweden and was the younger brother of musician Hans Theselius.
He worked in the 1940s with a number of European big bands, including those of Thore Jederby, Hakan von Eichwald, Sam Samson, Lulle Elboj, and Thore Ehrling.
He played jazz into the 1950s, both as a saxophonist and a pianist. The latter instrument with Benny Bailey, Arne Domnerus, James Moody, and Charlie Parker, and composed copiously for film in the 1950s and 1960s.
Arranger, composer, film scorer, pianist and saxophonist Gösta Theselius died in Stockholm on January 24, 1976.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Louis Aldebert was born on June 8, 1931 in Ismailia, Egypt. He studied both singing and piano after his family moved to Paris, France and became efficient enough on the latter instrument to gig with tenor saxophonist Don Byas in the mid-1950s. Several years later he played with violinist Stephane Grappelli of Hot Club fame.
Having a career as a singer, he worked with the Blue Stars in the mid-’50s. From 1959-1965 he was a member of the Double Six, a kind of experiment in overcrowding via scat singing. Needless to say, this attracted the attention of Jon Hendricks who made use of Aldebert on a 1965 session.
He married singer Monica Dozo, and after feeling a bias as Byas bandmates, she changed her name to Monique Aldebert-Guerrin. She was part of the rotating Double Six recording cast when some members needed to recover from nagging earaches.
Leaving the Double Six, Byas’ group and the French jazz scene in 1967, the couple moved to America. They initially settled in Las Vegas, Nevada before heading West to Los Angeles, California. They had their own group and did freelance studio vocal work in various capacities, one highlight being a feature on a 1979 side by the Crusaders.
Vocalist, pianist and composer Louis Aldebert, who with his wife collaborated as composers of original songs as well as vocal arrangements of various jazz standards, died on October 10, 2014 in Los Angeles.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Hilaria Kramer was born on June 1, 1967 in Frauenfeld, Switzerland and began playing the trumpet when she was ten years old. Beginning in 1983 she attended the vocational school department of Jazz School St. Gallen, where she studied under Benny Bailey and Art Lande.
After graduating she went on to work in Italy with the Claudio Fasoli Quintet, with Gianluigi Trovesi. She performed with Steve Lacy, Enrico Rava, Joe Henderson, Bob Mover, Sal Nistico, Chet Baker and Sangoma Everett. 1988 saw her recording her debut album leading her own quartet. The album was released in the spring of the following year on Unit Records.
1991 had Hilaria performing on the TV program Ladies in Jazz with singers Nina Simone and Carmen McRae. Over the next few years, she performed with Uli Scherer in Vienna and also toured around Europe.
In 2014, Kramer was awarded the Jazz Prize of the Fondation Suisa for her services as a musician, composer and band leader as well as her work in various organizations that support Swiss jazz.
Trumpeter and composer Hilaria Kramer, who has a discography of eighteen albums as a leader and sidewoman, continues to record, perform and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
David J. White was born May 3, 1968 in Houston, Texas and became a saxophone student at age eight. His love for jazz was nurtured by musicians and educators Conrad O. Johnson, Craig Green, and Dr. Robert Morgan. By the time he was sixteen he was playing with local bands in clubs and other musical events. While in high school he appeared in Saxophone Journal and other jazz education periodicals and won several awards including a DB award from DownBeat Magazine.
Moving to Washington, D.C. he attended Howard University and contributed to the Jazz Ensemble’s yearly recordings both as a performer and composer/producer. 1992 saw David meeting internationally renowned film maker Haile Gerima and composed, produced and performed the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed film Sankofa.
He went on to score other films and released his sophomore album on his own label titled Where I Left Off. This project represents a more aggressive style of composition and performance than his first release. He has performed with Rich Matheson, Billy Harper, Randy Brecker & Eliane Elias, and Lou Marini.
Tenor saxophonist David White continues to compose, perform, tour, produce and record.
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