Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Raymond Fol was born in Paris, France on April 28, 1928 and along with his brother Hubert was raised in a musical household. He began playing piano at five years of age, and both he and his brother played in Claude Abadie’s ensemble after the end of World War II.
The Fol brothers then formed their own group, the Be Bop Minstrels, however, Raymond worked around this time with musicians such as Pierre Braslavsky, Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, Django Reinhardt, Roy Eldridge, and Johnny Hodges. In 1952, he did a European tour in Dizzy Gillespie’s band, and for several years in the middle of the decade was a regular at Paris’s Club Saint-Germain. He also worked in the 1950s with Sidney Bechet, Claude Luter, Guy Lafitte, and Stephane Grappelli.
He worked briefly in Rome, Italy in 1958, then returned to Paris, playing both piano and celesta at the Club Saint-Germain. In the 1960s and 1970s he worked with Kenny Clarke, Duke Ellington, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, and Gerard Badini. Raymond also recorded a few times on solo piano in the first half of the 1970s.
Pianist Raymond Fol passed away in the City of Lights on May 1, 1979.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Julian Clifton Matlock was born on April 27, 1907 in Paducah, Kentucky and raised in Nashville from the age of ten. He began playing clarinet when he was 12.
From 1929 to 1934, Matlock replaced Benny Goodman in the Ben Pollack band doing arrangements and performing on clarinet. He was one of the main arrangers for Bob Crosby’s band and joined Crosby’s group in 1935 as clarinettist, playing with both the main Crosby band and the smaller Bobcats group. However, he was often seconded to write full-time for the orchestra and the Bobcats. He stayed with Crosby until the band broke up in 1942.
After the dissolution of Crosby’s group, Matty worked in Los Angeles, California playing for recordings made by a variety of Dixieland groups. In 1955, he appeared in the film Pete Kelly’s Blues, playing clarinet for a band that is seen in a scene in a Kansas City speakeasy in 1927. He would go on to play with Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Heindorf, Ben Pollack and Beverly Jenkins.
Dixieland clarinettist, saxophonist and arranger Matty Matlock, who recorded three albums as a leader, passed away on June 14, 1978 in Los Angeles, California.
More Posts: arranger,bandleader,clarinet,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Preston Haynes Love was born on April 26, 1921 in Omaha, Nebraska, grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High.
He became renowned as a professional sideman and saxophone balladeer in the big band heyday, being a member of the bands of Nat Towles, Lloyd Hunter, Snub Mosley, Lucky Millinder and Fats Waller before getting his big break with the Count Basie Orchestra at age 22. Love played and recorded with the Count Basie band from 1945–1947 and played on Basie’s only #1 hit record, Open The Door Richard.
He eventually became a bandleader himself, playing with Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, his friends Johnny Otis and Wynonie Harris, with whom he had several hits. In 1952, he launched the short-lived Spin Records, as a joint effort with songwriter Otis René (When It’s Sleepy Time Down South). The label released material by the Preston Love Orchestra, among others.
By the early 1960s he was working with Ray Charles in California and Aretha Franklin, eventually becoming Motown’s West Coast house bandleader. He played and toured with The Four Tops, The Temptations, Tammi Terrell, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and others. Preston also recorded with Nichelle Nichols, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa, Shuggie Otis, T-Bone Walker, Charles Brown, Ruth Brown, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder, among numerous others.
Love continued touring the U.S. and Europe into the 2000s, additionally lecturing and writing about the history he was part of. In his later years he returned to Omaha, wrote a book, led bands, the last of which featured his daughter vocalist Portia Love, drummer Gary E. Foster, pianist Orville Johnson, and bassist Nate Mickels. He also held down the position of advertising agent for the city’s local newspaper, Omaha Star, a local newspaper serving the city’s Black community. He appeared in the Clint Eastwood film Play Misty For Me with the Johnny Otis band.
Saxophonist, bandleader, and songwriter Preston Love, who was inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame, passed away on February 12, 2004 after a battle with prostate cancer.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone,songwriter
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rick Henderson was born on April 25, 1928 in Washington, D.C. and studied composition as a high schooler and played locally in the late 1940s. He served in the Army from 1951 to 1953, then joined Duke Ellington’s Orchestra after being recommended by Clark Terry.
He played with Ellington during his years on Capitol Records, doing arrangements in addition to his duties as a player. He also composed tunes such as Carney for the Ellington band. After leaving Ellington’s employ in 1956, Rick returned to D.C. where he led the Howard Theatre’s house band until 1964.
Following this he worked as an arranger and composer for jazz orchestras, military bands and school ensembles. Among those who used his charts, in addition to Ellington, were Count Basie, Illinois Jacquet, and Billy Taylor. Henderson continued to lead bands into the 1990s, including the University of Maryland Jazz Ensemble from 1977 to 1978.
Saxophonist and arranger Rick Henderson passed away from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease on May 21, 2004.
More Posts: arranger,bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Narada Michael Walden was born on April 23, 1952 in Kalamazoo, Michigan and after graduating from college he was a member of rock bands in Miami, Florida.
Atlantic Records released his first album, Garden of Love Light, in 1977, followed by I Cry I Smile and The Awakening. The latter album charted during the 1980s including a duet with Patti Austin and appeared on the Bright Lights, Big City movie soundtrack.
Fusing jazz with R&B he built his studio in 1985 and produced music for The Temptations, Stacy Lattisaw, Aretha Franklin, Angela Bofill, Lisa Fischer, Sister Sledge, Herbie Hancock, Patti Austin, Whitney Houston, Clarence Clemons, George Benson, Kenny G, Lionel Richie, Al Jarreau, and Mariah Carey.
Walden has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards and won three including Best R&B Song for Freeway of Love; Producer of the Year, Non-Classical; and Album of the Year for The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album.
Drummer, keyboardist and bassist Narada Michael Walden, who got his nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy, is currently the drummer for Journey.
More Posts: bass,drums,history,instrumental,jazz,keyboards,music