Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Nick Travis was born on November 16, 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and started playing professionally at age 15. In the early Forties he played with Johnny McGhee, Vido Musso, Mitchell Ayres, and Woody Herman.
In 1944 he enlisted, however, after his service he played with Ray McKinley, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Ina Ray Hutton, Tommy Dorsey, and Tex Beneke. By the 1950s he was playing with Herman once more for a short stint, Jerry Gray, Bob Chester, Elliot Lawrence, and Jimmy Dorsey. From 1953-56 he played with Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, with whom he featured on the one session he led for Victor Records, and was a soloist in the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra.
After this he became a session musician for NBC, Most of his work was in big bands, but he also played in small ensembles. Trumpeter Nick Travis transitioned at age 38 as a result of complications from ulcers on Oct. 7, 1964 in New York City.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,trumpet
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Curtis Sylvester Lowe, Sr. was born on November 15, 1919 in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Oakland, California. He first learned to play soprano saxophone as a youth and studied briefly in Alabama before deciding to take up music full-time. Best known professionally as a tenor and baritone saxophonist, he played in traveling bands before the outbreak of World War II. Enlisting in the United States Navy in 1942, his unit band was full of noteworthy jazz musicians, including Vernon Alley, Wilbert Baranco, Buddy Collette, Jerome Richardson, Ernie Royal, and Marshall Royal.
In the 1950s Curtis worked extensively with Lionel Hampton and also played with Dave Brubeck, Little Esther, Johnny Otis, and Gerald Wilson. He led his own five-piece ensemble in 1952-1953. In 1958 he began a decade-long association with Earl Hines.
He was active locally in San Francisco, California and the Bay Area into the 1980s. Saxophonist Curtis Lowe Sr., who never recorded as a leader, transitioned at the age of 73 on October 29, 1993.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Masao Yagi was born on November 14, 1932 in Tokyo, Japan. He became devoted to American jazz very early in the wave of Japanese jazz enthusiasm, becoming a member of the Cozy Quartet in 1956 after Toshiko Akiyoshi’s departure. During his tenure in the quartet he played alongside Sadao Watanabe.
In 1959, at twenty-six, the pianist formed his own group featuring several Thelonious Monk tunes in their repertoire, culminating in his debut album, Masao Yagi Plays Thelonious Monk, recorded in the summer of 1960. Later in the decade he played with Charlie Mariano, Hidehiko Matsumoto, and Helen Merrill.
The 1970s saw Yagi leading his own ensembles. He was well-known as a composer and arranger, and wrote copiously for film soundtracks.
Pianist Masao Yagi transitioned on March 4, 1991.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Warren Bernhardt was born on November 13, 1938 in Wausau, Wisconsin. His early childhood exposure to piano was due to his pianist father and he learned some rudiments of keyboarding from his friends. At five his parents moved to New York City, where he began studying seriously under varied instructors. After his father’s death he suffered a period of depression and quit music opting to study chemistry and physics at the University of Chicago. However, exposure to blues and jazz influenced the rest of his career.
From 1961 to 1964 he worked in Paul Winter’s sextet, which led to his return to New York. He would go on to work with George Benson, Gerry Mulligan, Jeremy Steig among others. He developed a close relationship with the pianist Bill Evans, who served as his mentor. Bernhardt released several solo albums in the Seventies, and eventually became a member of the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead. In 1971, he provided the piano accompaniment on the Don McLean song Crossroads.
Warren has toured as the musical director with Steely Dan and can be heard on their Alive in America album. He has performed on Simon and Garfunkel’s Old Friends tour, on Art Garfunkel’s solo tours, and on the latter’s presentation Across America.
In 2009 he reunited with his 1973 band L’Image, featuring Mike Mainieri, David Spinozza, Tony Levin and Steve Gadd. They released the album L ‘Image 2.0. Pianist Warren Bernhardt transitioned on August 19, 2022 of natural causes.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
James Edward Pugh, born November 12, 1950 in Butler, Pennsylvania began playing the trombone around the age of ten. He attended the Eastman School of Music from 1968 to 1972, where he played in an ensemble under Chuck Mangione.
Pugh toured and recorded with the Woody Herman Band for four years from 1972 and briefly performed with Chick Corea in 1977. He then concentrated on studio session work for jazz and popular musicians. In 1984, he was co-leader for the album The Pugh–Taylor Project. He also composed for and played on the album X Over Trombone.
Trombonist and composer James Pugh continues to perform and record sessions for jazz, pop and Broadway soundtracks.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,trombone