Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ravi Coltrane was born August 6, 1965 in Long Island, New York to saxophonist John and pianist Alice Coltrane and was named after sitar player Ravi Shankar. Raised in Los Angeles, California, he was not yet two years old in 1967 when his father died.
Ravi graduated from El Camino Real High School in 1983 and three years later was studying music with a focus on the saxophone at the California Institute of the Arts. He worked extensively with M-Base guru Steve Coleman, who influenced his musical conception.
Coltrane has played and recorded as a sideman with Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Stanley Clarke, Branford Marsalis and many others. In 1997, after performing on over thirty recordings as a sideman, Ravi entered the studio to record his first album as leader Moving Pictures, with drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, bassist Lonnie Plaxico and pianist Michael Cain.
This led to extensive touring and a series of recording sessions as a leader producing his sophomore project From the Round Box, followed by Mad 6 and In Flux. He has performed in India as part of a State Department tour delegation to promote HIV/Aids awareness. He has played Monterey , Montreux, Newport and the Vienna jazz festivals, is a part of the Blue Note 7, and has worked with Renee Rosnes, Drew Gress, Luis Perdomo, E.J. Strickland, Al Jarreau, Earl Klugh, David Gilmore, Ralph Alessi and the late George Duke. Post-bop saxophonist Ravi Coltrane continues to perform, record, tour and produce.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rickey Woodard was born August 5, 1950 in Nashville, Tennessee and picked up his first music experiences playing saxophone in the family band. He went on to attend Tennessee State University and following graduation joined the Ray Charles band, spending seven years with him.
Woodard became a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, has recorded with Frank Capp, and is a member of Jeanine and Jimmy Cheatham’s Sweet Baby Blues Band. In 1988 he moved to Los Angeles and started playing sessions for Concord Records that soon led to a recording contract.
By 1993 Rickey embarked on a series of yearly visits to the Peterborough Jazz Club in England. There he was billed with veteran British jazz musicians such as Dick Morrissey, John Burch and Tony Archer. In 1994 he was a part of the recording session Seven Sensational Saxophones – Fujitsu-Concord 26th Jazz Festival with Jesse Davis, Gary Foster, Bill Ramsay, Ken Peplowski, Chris Potter and Frank Wess.
He recorded his debut album The Frank Capp Trio Present Rickey Woodard in 1991 and has released seven more as a leader or co-leader in the company of Joe Chambers, Eric Reed, Cedar Walton, Ernie Watts, Pete Christlieb, Gerry Wiggins, Chuck Berghofer, Tony Dumas, Roy McCurdy, James Williams, Christian McBride and Ray Brown. As a sideman he has another ten projects as a sideman working with Horace Silver, Kenny Rogers, Nnenna Freelon and Diana Krall.
Saxophonist Rickey Woodard continues to lead his own quartet, perform and tour with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, The Juggernaut and The Cheathams.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Billy Kilson was born William Earl Kilson on August 2, 1962 in Washington, DC. He started on trumpet at ten, switched to trombone at 11, then to drums at 16. He studied at the Berklee College of Music from 1980 to 1985, took private lessons from Alan Dawson during 1982-89, and then toured Europe with Walter Davis.
Kilson has played with such notable jazz musicians as Ahmad Jamal, Dianne Reeves, Greg Osby, George Duke, Steps Ahead, Tim Hagans, Terumasa Hino, Bob James, Dave Bob Belden, Kevin Mahogany, Kirk Whalum, Chris Botti, Freddie Jackson, Donald Brown and Paula Cole.
He is perhaps best known for his work with Dave Holland playing on the 1999 Grammy Award nominated album Prime Directive and his Grammy-winning 2002 release What Goes Around. He also has chops as a leader with his own quartet ensemble along comprised of James Genus and Tim Hagans. Releasing his debut compact disc in 2006 as a leader, titled Pots and Pans, it was followed by a sophomore DVD project, Rhythm Dancer, in 2012. Drummer Billy Kilson continues to record, perform and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ellyn Rucker was born in Des Moines, Iowa of July 29, 1937 and she started playing piano when she was eight, discovered jazz at 13, and studied classical piano at Drake University. However, it wasn’t until 1979 that she decided to become a full-time musician.
Rucker toured Europe several times both with and without Spike Robinson, recorded a small catalogue of several albums for Capri Records, has a full-length video Live In New Orleans on Leisure Jazz label, and has performed at festivals and clubs around the U.S. and Europe.
Though she is not a household name to jazz fans around the globe Ellyn Rucker is a fixture on the Denver, Colorado jazz scene. The Bill Evans influenced hard bop and bop-based pianist and vocalist continues to perform, record and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jean Toussaint, born July 27, 1960 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and grew up in St. Thomas and New York City. He learned to play calypso as a child and attended Berklee College of Music in the late 1970s, studying under saxophonist Billy Pierce.
In 1979 Jean formed a group with Wallace Roney and from 1982 to 1986 was a member of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers alongside Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Mulgrew Miller and Lonnie Plaxico. With Blakey he recorded three studio albums, including New York Scene, which won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance.
Toussaint moved to London in 1987, following an invitation from Professor of Jazz, Lionel Grigson, to be artist-in-residence at the Guildhall School of Music. Since then he has maintained a consistent profile as a band leader in the UK and Europe, playing with British musicians who include, among others, Steve Williamson, Courtney Pine, Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello and Cleveland Watkins.
He has also performed in the groups led by McCoy Tyner, Gil Evans, Kirk Lightsey, Cedar Walton, Max Roach, Horace Silver, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and has collaborated with Lionel Loueke. Soprano and tenor saxophonist Jean Toussaint has compiled a catalogue of ten albums as a leader with his latest release being Tate Song for Lyte Records. He continues to perform and record.
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