Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bernard Peiffer was born on October 23, 1922 in Épinal, France and was raised in a musical family, with his father and uncle playing the violin and the organ, respectively. Learning piano at age nine, he studied under Pierre Maire and quickly demonstrated his abilities by repeating long sections of classical works by ear. He won the 1st Prize in Piano at the Paris Conservatory and began his professional career at the age of twenty. playing with André Ekyan and Django Reinhardt.
During World War II, he joined the French resistance after witnessing the execution of a friend by the Gestapo in the streets of Paris. Soon afterwards he was captured, and was incarcerated for over a year. By the early 1950s, he began a successful career, playing with Django Reinhardt, leading his own quintet, composing film soundtracks, and achieving notice in the clubs of Paris, Monte Carlo and Nice, and eventually became nationally known.
He moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1954 with his wife Corine and daughter Rebecca. The subsequent loss of his third daughter profoundly affected him, resulting in Poem for a Lonely Child. During his first years in America, Bernard achieved considerable success, performing at Carnegie Hall, Birdland, and the Newport Jazz Festival. He recorded for the EmArcy, Decca and Laurie labels.
Peiffer released his last commercial album in 1965 and, after having kidney surgery a few years later, restricted himself to performing and teaching, mainly in Philadelphia. His students included Uri Caine, Sumi Tonooka, Tom Lawton, and Don Glanden. His last major appearance was at the 1974 New York/Newport Festival at Carnegie Hall. Pianist, composer and teacher Bernard Peiffer, whose nickname was Le Most for his piano skills, died on September 7, 1976. He was 53.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Edgardo “Dado” Moroni was born October 20, 1962 in Genoa, Italy and started playing piano at age four. A self-taught musician, by his mid-teens he was playing professionally around Italy and by age 17 had recorded his first album.
Throughout the 1980s Dado worked mostly in Europe and played a long stint as part of former Duke Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode’s trio at Widder Bar in Zurich, Switzerland. At 25, in 1987 he served as a juror at the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.
He moved to the U.S. in 1991 and became part of the New York jazz scene. He appeared regularly as a leader and sideman at Blue Note, Birdland, and the Village Vanguard. During this period he recorded several CDs.
Moroni has played with Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Hank Jones, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Alvin Queen.
Based in Italy, Dado continues to perform worldwide. In 2007 he won the Italian Jazz Awards as Best Jazz Act. 2009 had him named Best Italian Jazz Pianist in the Top Jazz referendum sponsored by Musica Jazz magazine. The following year he was appointed Professor of Jazz Piano at Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music in Turin, Italy.
Pianist, composer and educator Dado Moroni continues to perform, record and teach.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ron Vincent was born on October 18, 1951 in Warwick, Rhode Island. When he came of age he moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1969 and attended Berklee College of Music, graduating in 1973. After touring the U.S. with different jazz groups, and spending three years in Kansas City, he settled in New York City in 1982.
Becoming a veteran of the New York City jazz scene he worked often as a sideman. Ron has recorded for GRP, Concord and Palmetto record labels, the latter where he has been producer and co-producer for a number of projects.
A member of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and Mr. Mulligan’s Re-Birth of the Cool Tentet from 1989 to1996, recorded four CD’s with Mulligan and has also recorded with Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker, Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Charlap, John Lewis, and Slide Hampton. Ron has appeared with Art Farmer, Karrin Allyson, Jimmy Heath, Rob McConnell, Rufus Reid and Dr. Billy Taylor.
As a leader, his own trio and quartet are active in the New York City area and his quartet has toured the U.S. and Europe. His educator hat has him representing Sabian Cymbals, and presenting workshops at over 80 colleges and universities. Vincent has been on the faculty of the Jamie Aebersold Jazz Camps and the Stanford Jazz Camp. In 1996 Ron received a National Endowment for the Arts grant for jazz performance.
Drummer Ron Vincent teaches percussion at Manhattanville College, leads two educational performing groups that appear at schools in the tri-state area and is involved in a Literacy Through The Arts program in NYC’s public schools.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mark Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 26, 1959 and by age 13 he was listening to Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge and other jazz legends, and playing along with old Jazz At The Philharmonic records from his father’s massive and eclectic record collection, which ran the gamut from early jazz master Louis Armstrong to avant-garde Cecil Taylor.
His high school jazz band director Don Owens was an important part of his jazz education. Mark soon graduated to jazz sessions, further honing his keyboard skills while beginning to play occasional jazz gigs. From sitting in with the JATP, he enrolled in a youth summer jazz camp at the University of Illinois, where he was exposed to the live side of jazz. Mark would sneak out of the dorm at night to sit in with the faculty on jam sessions,
Simon’s influences were grounded by jazz artists such as pianists Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, Gary Burton and Sonny Rollins. Growing up in jazz, He gained experience playing extensively with Leroy Vinnegar, Hadley Caliman, Bud Shank, Jeff Clayton, Joshua Breakstone, Julie Kelly, Teddy Edwards, Red Holloway and Herb Ellis.
Bassist Mark Simon continues to compose and perform solo piano gigs, accompanying vocalists, playing with jazz groups including his self-named trio, as well as teaching piano.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bill Pierce, known to many as Billy Pierce, was born September 25, 1948 in Hampton, Virginia. He studied with Joe Viola and Andy McGhee at Berklee College of Music, and with Joe Allard.
In the early 1980s he was recruited by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Through the late Eighties and into the late 1990s he recorded simultaneously as a leader while also in Tony Williams’s quintet in the mid-1980s to early 1990s.
As a leader he has recorded seven albums and another 18 as a sideman with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Geoff Keezer, Kevin Eubanks, Makoto Ozone, Superblue, Tony Williams, and Lazlo Gardony.
As an educator Billy says he likes seeing music being carried on by young people developing, achieving their dreams, and being a part of history. Many of his students have made a name for themselves: Antonio Hart, Mark Gross, Javon Jackson, Walter Smith, Mark Turner, Miguel Zenon.
Saxophonist Billy Pierce, who is the former chair of the Berklee woodwind department, continues to perform, tour and educate.
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