Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joshua Breakstone was born July 22, 1955 in Elizabeth, New Jersey and came into the music business early in life watching Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa at the Fillmore East. He later became interested in jazz through Charlie Parker and Lee Morgan and found himself studying with guitarist Sal Salvador in Manhattan. By 1972 he was enrolled at the New College of the University of South Florida, graduated three years later and continued his studies at Berklee College of Music.
A move to Brazil for a few months brought him back to New York City to perform and teach. Joshua also taught privately and at the Rhode Island Conservatory of Music. In 1979, he recorded with Canadian saxophonist Glen Hall, with Joanne Brackeen, Cecil McBee, and Billy Hart participating and also worked with Vinnie Burke, Warne Marsh, Emily Remler, and Aaron Bell.
1983 saw Breakstone releasing his debut album, 4/4=1, followed by four more albums from 1986 to 1990 on the Contemporary Records label, with sidemen Pepper Adams, Kenny Barron, Dennis Irwin, Jimmy Knepper, Tommy Flanagan, Keith Copeland and Kenny Washington. He went on his first tour of Japan and has since played twice a year in Japan and has worked with Terumasa Hino, Monkey Kobayashi, and Eiji Nakamura.
Beginning in the Nineties he signed a contract with the Japanese label King Records, released four albums, moved to Evidence Records and worked with Grant Green sidemen organist Jack McDuff and the drummer Al Harewood, and recorded Sittin’ on the Thing with Ming on the Capri label in 1994. He would go on to record tribute albums to Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, and Bud Powell. His latest album in 88 recorded in 2016. Guitarist joshua Breakstone, who has nearly two dozen albums as a leader to his credit, continues to compose, record and perform.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Chris White was born Christopher Wesley White on July 6, 1936 in Harlem, New York and grew up in Brooklyn. He graduated in 1956 from City College of New York, and in 1968 from the Manhattan School of Music. In 1974, earning his Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts. In 1994, he did postgraduate Advanced Computer Study at Berklee College Of Music.
An occasional member of Cecil Taylor’s band in the 1950s, he is credited on the 1959 Love for Sale album. From 1960 to 1961 White accompanied Nina Simone and subsequently he joined Dizzy Gillespie’s ensemble until 1966.
He later founded the band The Jazz Survivors and was a member of the band Prism. He would go on to collaborate with Billy Taylor, Eubie Blake, Earl Hines, Chick Corea, Teddy Wilson, Kenny Barron, Mary Lou Williams, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Billy Cobham, among others.
He recorded on album as a leader titled the Chris White Project with Cassandra Wilson, Marvin Horne, Jimmy Ponder, Grachan Moncur III, Michael Raye, Steve Nelson, Keith Copeland and Steve Kroon. He also co-led a session with Lou Caputo in 2010 on the Interface label. As a sideman he recorded with Kenny Barron, Ramsey Lewis, James Moody, Dave Pike, Lalo Schifrin and Quincy Jones.
As an educator he was a part of the creative arts and technology faculty at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. Bassist, arranger, producer Chris White, who won the Downbeat and Playboy Readers Polls among other awards, passed away on December 2, 2014.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Sameer Gupta was born July 1, 1976 in San Francisco, California and is a percussionist, tabla player, and composer. He is the founder of the jazz ensemble The Supplicants and drummer for the Marc Cary Focus Trio.
Gupta has performed with Kosmic Renaissance, vidyA, Grachan Moncur III, Victor Goines, Vincent Gardner, Sekou Sundiata, Sonny Simmons, Marcus Shelby, Calvin Keys, Richard Howell, Dayna Stephens, and Julian Lage.
With his playing has been described as kinetic, bass-heavy, and tender, he made his recording debut in 2006 with Marc Cary on Focus, adding Marc Cary and Focus Trio Live in 2010. He released his debut album as a leader, Namaskar that same year, and has also recorded with Srinivas Reddy and Ross Hammond. Percussionist Sameer Gupta continues to compose, perform and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ken Fowser was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 30, 1982 and began playing the saxophone at age eleven, picking up his father’s old alto he used while in the Air Force band. Playing through elementary school, he studied privately with Tony Salicandro at the New Jersey Conservatory of Music, It was there that his love of jazz developed.
This was followed with studies at the university of the Arts Philadelphia and his insurgence into the local jazz scene where he began making a name for himself. Opportunities came along for him to perform with Mickey Roker, John Swana, Larry McKenna, Bootsie Barnes, Sid Simmons, Byron Landham, Billy James, and others.
Leaving Philly for William Paterson University he received his degree in music in 2005. A move to New York, graduate studies at SUNY Purchase College, private studies with Eric Alexander and Ralph Lalama, and received his degree in 2008. With his already established jazz in-roads in the City, it was an easy translation for Ken to co-lead with Behn Gillece and record his debut album Full View with special guest pianist David Hazeltine the following year on the Posi-tone label.
Saxophonist Ken Fowser hosts a weekly jam session at Small Jazz Club in New York City and continues to perform, compose and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Dave Cliff was born David John Cliff on June 25, 1944 in Hexham, Northumberland, United Kingdom. He began his music career playing rhythm and blues in the Newcastle area. In 1967 he matriculated through Leeds College of Music with a degree in jazz studies, while studying with bassist Peter Ind and Bernie Cash.
Moving to London, England in 1971 Cliff established himself on the local scene and during 1976-1977 he toured Holland, Denmark, Italy and the UK with the Lee Konitz/Warne Marsh Quintet. The following year he toured the UK with the Soprano Summit alongside Kenny Davern and Bob Wilber. From the 1980s on he worked increasingly as a freelance.
His debut album as a leader was The Right Time, recorded in 1987, featured alto saxophonist Geoff Simkins and was the first of a number of albums with Simkins, with whom he has collaborated extensively.Dave has also recorded with Warne Marsh, Allan Ganley, Phil DeGreg and Bruce Adams.
Cliff has appeared frequently at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in varied settings including Georgie Fame’s Blue Flames, Mike Carr Trio, Irene Reid and the Dick Pearce Sextet. He has worked extensively with visiting American musicians, including Slide Hampton, Nina Simone, George Masso, Spike Robinson, Herb Geller, Lanny Morgan, Harry Allen, Buddy Childers, Lew Tabackin, Mundell Lowe, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jack McDuff, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Richie Cole, and Ken Peplowski.
As an educator he has been teaching jazz guitar at London Trinity College of Music, The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Birmingham Conservatoire, as well as at the Original UK Jazz Summer School, and has taught at the Jamie Aebersold Summer School in London and at the Christiansand jazz course in Norway.
Guitarist and educator Dave Cliff, whose influences from Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery can be heard in his playing, continues to perform, record and teach.
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