Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Peck Morrison was born John A. Morrison on September 11, 1919 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was classically trained, and in addition to bass, being competent on trumpet and percussion was also his talent.

During World War II he played in military bands in Italy and after the war he moved to New York City to play professionally. He played with Lucky Thompson in the early 1950s, and then recorded with Horace Silver, Gigi Gryce, and Art Farmer. He played and toured Europe with Gerry Mulligan.

He was a noted accompanist and sideman with Carmen McRae, Tiny Bradshaw, King Pleasure, Zoot Sims, Dave Bailey, Betty Carter, Eddie Jefferson, the J. J. Johnson/Kai Winding Quintet, and Duke Ellington in the Fifties and the latter in the 1960s.

He performed or recorded in the Sixties with Lou Donaldson, Johnny Smith, Mal Waldron, Randy Weston, Babs Gonzales, the Newport Rebels, Shirley Scott, Red Garland, Charles McPherson, and Sy Oliver. In 1986 he performed as a member of the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band.

Bassist Peck Morrison, who never recorded as a session leader, died on February 25, 1988.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Joe Rigby was born on September 3, 1940 in Harlem, New York and grew up in the Sugar Hill neighborhood where his neighbors included Johnny Hodges, Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, and Kenny Burrell. He started playing piano when he was six and began playing flute and clarinet in high school. His focus eventually switched to the saxophone after hearing John Coltrane and Charlie Parker.

Graduating from the College of Staten Island he earned a bachelor’s degree in Music and a minor in Music Education. Rigby would go on to study privately with Joe Allard, Garvin Bushell, and Anders Paulsson. He taught instrumental music with the New York City Board of Education from 1989 until he retired in 2004, and was named New York’s Music Teacher of the Year in 1996.

Performing on alto, soprano, baritone and sopranino saxophone, Joe began performing professionally with Milton Graves, Johnny Copeland, and Steve Reid, with whom he led the Master Brotherhood. In the late 1970s, he formed and led his own group, Dynasty.

Establishing his Homeboy record label, he released a record with trumpeter Ted Daniel, and the album Music as a solo artist in 2009. The same year he recorded on French label Improvising Beings, releasing For Harriet with a quartet which included bagpiper player Calum MacCrimmon.

Tenor, alto, baritone, soprano and sopranino saxophonist Joe Rigby, who also plays flute and piccolo, died on July 16, 2019 at the age of 78.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Wolter Wierbos was born on September 1, 1957 in Holten, Overijssel, Netherlands. Self-taught, he started on a wind instrument in a drum band. He created a unique sound on his trombone and beginning in 1979 he became active in the Dutch creative jazz music scene.

He plays contemporary and improvised music, making excursions to post-punk and toured with various formations throughout Europe, Canada, the US and Asia. Wolter has played with Cumulus, JC Tans & Rockets, Theo Loevendie Quintet, Guus Janssen Septet, Loos, Maarten Altena Ensemble and Podiumtrio. He’s led his own band, Celebration of Difference, and has been involved in theater, dance, television and film projects. He has also played with Henry Threadgill, The Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, the European Big Band led by Cecil Taylor, the John Carter Project, Mingus Big Band.

Maintaining a solo career he has a running project under the name Wollo’s World, and has recorded on more than 100 compact discs and LPs, has released two solo cds, and a round-trip tour of his horn. The highlight in his career was the Boy Edgar award in 1995 and the Podiumprijs for Jazz and Improvised Music.

Trombonist Wolter Wierbos, who is best known as a member of the ICP Orchestra and is currently performing with Misha Mengelberg’s ICP, the Gerry Hemingway Quintet, Franky Douglas Sunchild and Bik Bent Braam, continues to perform, compose and record.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Mike Metheny was born August 28, 1949 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri and studied music education at the University of Missouri School of Music and Northeast Missouri State University, then played trumpet in the U.S. Army Field Band, Washington D.C. from 1971 to 1974. After his discharge he went to Boston, Massachusetts and became an adjunct lecturer and assistant to the head of the trumpet department at the Berklee College of Music  for seven years beginning in 1976.

From 1978 to 1989 Metheny led his own quartet in Boston, and in 1988 he was named Outstanding Brass Player at the annual Boston Music Awards. His debut album was released in 1982 and followed that with eleven more and produced two records with major labels to mixed reviews. Since 2000, his albums have been produced on his own record label, 3 Valve Music.

Mike’s career in music journalism has seen him as editor for Kansas City’s Jazz Ambassador Magazine (JAM) from 1994 to 2003 and has contributed to KC Magazine, Jazziz, and The DaCapo Jazz & Blues Lover’s Guide to the U.S.

He continues to perform primarily in Kansas and Missouri, playing a trumpet synthesizern electronic valve instrument (EVI). With his brother Pat they set up the Metheny Music Foundation with Mike serving as the chairman.

Flugelhornist and trumpeter Mike Metheny, who published the anthology Old Friends Are the Best Friends: the Letters of John McKee and Mike Metheny, continues to perform and record.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Michael Patrick Dease was born August 25, 1982 in Augusta, Georgia. He attended John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet High School where he studied saxophone and voice. He achieved all-state vocal honors for three consecutive years.

At 17 Michael taught himself to play trombone and was soon invited to join the inaugural class of the Juilliard jazz studies program by Wycliffe Gordon. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while at the school. While at Juilliard he won many awards, including the Frank Rosolino Award, J.J. Johnson Award, the Sammy Nestico Jazz Composers Award, ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, and the Fish Middleton Jazz Competition.^[2]

He began his career in Illinois Jacquet’s Big Band in 2002, and has performed as a featured member of the big bands of Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Jimmy Heath, Charles Tolliver and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars. He also performs with small groups led by Claudio Roditi, Rodney Whitaker, Wycliffe Gordon, and David Sanborn. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America. In addition to performance, Dease serves as president and producer at his jazz record label, D Clef Records.

Dease conducts master classes and workshops at universities and conservatories around the world, holds the position of Associate Professor of Jazz Trombone at the Michigan State University College of Music. He has held similar positions at Queens College, CUNY, and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City.

Tenor and bass trombonist, composer, producer and educator Michael Dease continues to perform, compose, record and educate.

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