Daily Dose Of Jazz…
LaVerne Butler was born on February 25, 1962 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The daughter of saxophonist Scott Butler, she was extensively exposed to jazz and rhythm and blues music and with a lot of encouragement from her father.
Leaving Shreveport for New Orleans, Louisiana she attended the University of New Orleans. During this period LaVerne became a fixture in the city’s Dixieland and bebop venues singing with Ellis Marsalis, Alvin Batiste, Henry Butler ( no relation) and James Black, among others. A move to New York City in 1984 had her working as an English teacher, singing in clubs and studying with jazz veteran Jon Hendricks.
Her musical influences were Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan. In 1992 she recorded her debut album No Looking Back for Chesky Records. Her sophomore album for the label was Day Dreamin’ , then planned on signing with Herbie Mann’s Kokopelli label in 1997, but that fell through when the company experienced financial problems. She then was brought into the MaxJazz label for two albums and finally landed with HighNote Records for her 2012 release Love Lost and Found Again.
Vocalist LaVerne Butler, who has yet to receive the recognition her talent deserves, continues to perform around the country.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Patti Wicks was born Patricia Ellen Chappell on February 24, 1945 and began playing the piano at the age of three. She later attended the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam.
Influenced by Bill Evans, she began to perform professionally and moved to New York City, where she played in small ensembles. She founded her own trio featuring bassists such as Sam Jones, Richard Davis, Brian Torff, and Mark Dresser, and drummers Curtis Boyd, Louis Hayes, Mickey Roker, and Alan Dawson.
In the 1970s, Wicks moved to Florida where she worked as a musician with, among others, Clark Terry, Larry Coryell, Frank Morgan, Ira Sullivan, Flip Phillips, Anita O’Day, Rebecca Parris, Roseanna Vitro and Giacomo Gates.
As an educator she taught jazz piano at colleges and gave private lessons. In 1997, Patti released her debut album Room at the Top: The Patti Wicks Trio. She was a guest on Marian McPartland’s NPR program Piano Jazz.
Vocalist and pianist Patti Wicks died on March 7, 2014.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Barry Martyn was born Barry Martyn Godfrey in London, England on February 23, 1941. He began learning drums in 1955 and was leading his first band the following year. His first recordings were made in 1959.
His first visit to New Orleans, Louisiana was in 1961 where he studied under Cie Frazier, and founded Mono Records. He toured Europe with many famed New Orleans jazz personnel, including George Lewis, Albert Nicholas, Louis Nelson, Captain John Handy, and Percy Humphrey.
Moving to Los Angeles, California in 1972 he founded the Legends of Jazz, an ensemble which made several worldwide tours and recorded extensively. Returning to New Orleans in 1984 he worked with George Buck, reissuing much of the Circle Records back catalogue. He played with Barney Bigard in 1976, and recorded many dates as a leader.
Drummer Barry Martyn died on July 17, 2023 at the age of 82.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
George Holmes “Buddy” Tate was born on February 22, 1913 in Sherman, Texas and first played the alto saxophone. He began performing in public as early as 1925 in a band called McCloud’s Night Owls, then later in the decade was playing tenor saxophone around the Southwest with bands led by Terrence Holder, Andy Kirk and Nat Towles.
He joined Count Basie in 1939 replacing Herschel Evans and stayed with him until 1948. After his period with Basie ended, he worked with several other bands before finding success on his own, starting in 1953 in Harlem. Buddy’s group worked at the Celebrity Club from 1953 to 1974. In the late 1970s, he co-led a band with Paul Quinichette and worked with Benny Goodman.
In 1979, Tate’s hometown invited him to play a concert at Austin College’s Sid Richardson Center as part of The Sherman Symphony Pops Series. Mayor Virginia Morriss issued a proclamation declaring October 6th as Buddy Tate Day. Accompanying Tate were Jay McShann, Claude Williams, Buster Smith and Paul Gunther.
In 1980, he was injured by scalding water in a hotel shower, which kept him inactive for four months. The 1990s saw him slow down, but he remained active playing with Lionel Hampton among others.
In 1992, Tate took part in the documentary, Texas Tenor: The Illinois Jacquet Story. In 1996, he recorded with reeds player James Carter on the younger man’s second release for Atlantic Records, Conversin’ with the Elders, along with trumpeters Harry “Sweets” Edison and Lester Bowie, and saxophonists Hamiet Bluiett and Larry Smith.
Living in New York until 2001, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona to be cared for by his daughter. Saxophonist and clarinetist Buddy Tate died in Chandler, Arizona twelve days before his 88th birthday on February 10, 2001.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ronald Thomas Verrell February 21, 1926 in Rochester, Kent, England. He initially showed little interest in music until he saw the Benny Goodman Quartet perform in the film Hollywood Hotel in 1938. From that point on he wanted to be a drummer, he taught himself how to play after only one lesson. In 1940, after the outbreak of World War II in Europe, the 14-year-old was evacuated to Porthcawl in South Wales, where he made his first public appearances drumming with local bands in the area.
Returning to Kent in 1943 he worked professionally for a while with the Claude Giddins band, before being conscripted to work as a Bevin Boy in the coal mines for the remainder of the war. Following the war Ronnie began performing with Scottish saxophonist Tommy Whittle and Belgian trumpeter Johnny Claes. Then between 1947 and 1951 he played with several big bands, including those led by Carl Barriteau and Cyril Stapleton.
In 1951 Verrell joined the Ted Heath Orchestra and remained with the band until Heath’s retirement in 1964. They toured America and became the first British big band to break into the US big band arena. His next move focused on session work where he backed Winifred Atwell, Jack Jones, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Jonathan King, Petula Clark and Strawbs. He would go on to join Jack Parnell’s house band and Syd Lawrence’s band in the 80s.
Ronnie performed in several television shows, including The Muppet Show where he played drums for the show’s manic puppet drummer, Animal. He dueled Buddy Rich on the show as Animal and won after Animal smashed a snare drum over Rich’s head.
The mid-1990s had him forming his own quintet he modelled after Benny Goodman’s band. Then a serious road accident forced him to stop performing for almost a year. After his recovery he continued to play, touring with an all-star band, Best of British. His final appearance was on The Frank Skinner Show in 2001.
Drummer Ronnie Verrell died on February 22, 2002 in Kingston-upon-Thames, England from a chest infection he contracted during an operation to fix a crushed vertebra resulting from a fall down some stairs.
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