Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mark Wagnon was born on October 26, 1956 in Lausanne, Switzerland and his talent as a percussionist was immediately evident. His early musical tastes focused on progressive rock bands like King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Yes and Genesis. He was impressed with the fusion sounds of Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. However, it was a Gary Burton concert, which helped him focus his desire to become a musician.
He entered the Geneva Conservatory to study classical percussion, including the vibraphone, which would become his instrument of choice. The five years that Wagnon spent at the Geneva Conservatory he also spent a year at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. While there he met Dave Douglas, and Dave Kikowski, who would become his consistent collaborator.
After his stint at Berklee, Mark moved to New York City where he began a series of projects and really began to develop his own unique style. He formed Dr. Nerve with Kikowski, a band described as Schoenberg meets the Sex Pistols. As a member of Tunnels with bassist Percy Jones and drummer Frank Katz, their album featured a more straight-ahead jazz fusion sound showing his skill on the vibes.
With Dr. Nerve, they released seven albums, and with No No Diet Bang, a collection of Swiss musicans, one cd titled Profan, and kicked off his new music service company, Buckyball, by releasing a collaboration with vocalist and Buckyball co-founder Sarah Pillow titled Paper Cuts, which was a collection of jazz standards. They would go on to release several other Wagnon releases, including a reissue of a late ’80s project, Shadowlines.
Vibraphonist Mark Wagnon has since delved into experimental jazz territory, and is consistently showing off his ever evolving technical mastery.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Tony Carr was born George Caruana on October 24, 1927 in Malta. Moving to the United Kingdom in 1953, he joined bandleader Billy Eckstine for a tour in Europe. He played regularly at the Bull’s Head in Barnes SW London, accompanying the cream of British and American jazz musicians.
He eventually became a most sought-after session player in London, England between 1954 and the early 1980s. During the Sixties pianist, conductor and arranger John Cameron recruited Carr as his first-call session player. His career would see him working with Ella Fitzgerald, Sixto Rodriguez, Donovan, Alan Price, Paul McCartney among others. In Malta, he also played with Frank Bibi Camilleri, Joe Curmi il-Puse, Juice Wilson, Freddie Mizzi and Sammy Galea, to name a few.
He has been a member of Daylight, Directions In Jazz Unit, Harold McNair Quartet, John Cameron Quartet, Mike Batt And Friends, Señor Funk and Frog, the latter put together for a horror film soundtrack.
Drummer and percussionist Tony Carr, at 96, no longer performs in public
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rick DellaRatta was born October 23, 1961 in Schenectady, New York. The oldest of five children, he studied at the New England Conservatory, earning a bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and a master’s degree in Jazz Composition. He studied jazz piano with Jackie Byard, Kenny Werner, Charlie Banacos, and Richie Bierach and classical piano with Thomas Stumpf.
In 1997 Rick along with Eddie Gomez, Dave Liebman, and Lenny White released the album Thought Provoking. In 2000 he was nominated for a MAC award for Recording of the Year.
Witnessing the 9/11 attacks from a New York City rooftop Rick was inspired while watching the unfolding tragedy to write a poem which became known as Jazz for Peace. The poem would later become a worldwide movement promoting peace through jazz.
Pianist and singer Rick DellaRatta, who has recorded five albums, continues to perform, tour and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Søren Reiff born October 22, 1962, in Holbæk, Denmark to painter Tove Reiff and potter Erik Reiff. When he was ten years old he went to an Eric Clapton concert which sealed his fate to become a guitarist. A few years later he was invited to a recording session and that cemented his career choice.
In the mid-Eighties was the guitarist in house bands and as musical director on Danish National television, which led him to play with Toots Thielemans, Randy Crawford, Robert Palmer, Bonnie Tyler and others. The Nineties saw Reiff working as musical director for Chaka Khan, David Sanborn, Mark King, and many others on these television shows.
As an author Søren has published five books, released three albums as a recording artist. He has played on several American television shows, Studiojams and co-hosted the show The Color of Jazz. He was the founder of Den Rytmiske Højskole’s course for Songwriters and Producers.
Guitarist, producer, composer and author Søren Reiff, who was included in the International Who’s Who in Music, Volume Two, Popular Music, continues to perform and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Chris Karan was born Chrisostomos Karanikis on October 14, 1939 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In the early 1960s he played in the Three Out Trio with Mike Nock and Freddy Logan in Sydney, Australia.
A move to London, England in 1962 saw him becaming the drummer in the Dudley Moore Trio. He toured and recorded with Moore for many years, including appearances on the TV series Not Only But Also and the soundtrack of the 1967 movie Bedazzled. Their association continued until Moore’s last major public appearance at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2001.
Karan has worked with Michel Legrand, Lalo Schifrin, Charles Aznavour, the Swingle Singers, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Myers, Basil Kirchin, Tony Hatch, Jackie Trent, Jerry Goldsmith, Jerry Fielding, Pat Williams, André Previn, Richard Rodney Bennett, Barry Tuckwell, Carl Davis, Henry Mancini, the Beatles, the Seekers, Katie Melua and Roy Budd.
He toured with John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, the Bee Gees, Caterina Valente, Dusty Springfield, Lulu and the Yardbirds. He was a member of the Harry Stoneham group, which provided the musical backing for the Michael Parkinson shows on BBC-TV.
As a member of Roy Budd’s band, the Roy Love Trio, he performed on the Get Carter 1971 film soundtrack. He plays the tabla on some albums, having studied the instrument under the Indian musician Alla Rakha. He has recorded with Dudley Moore, Ronnie Scott, Teresa Brewer, Ian Carr, Ray Ellington, Stephane Grappelli, Cleo Laine, Oliver Nelson, among numerous others.
Drummer and percussionist Chris Karan, who at 84 years of age has recorded 84 albums as a sideman, continues to perform.
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