Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rhoda Scott was born in Dorothy, New Jersey on July 3, 1938 the daughter of an A.M.E. pastor. She spent most of her childhood in New Jersey, where she learned to play the organ in her father’s churches from the age of seven. Soon she was organist for youth and gospel choirs in her father’s church or in other churches. Later she studied classical piano and focused more on the organ while earning a Masters in Music Theory from the Manhattan School of Music.
During this time, a choir member asked her to be in a small band as a jazz pianist. Accepting under the condition that she play the organ instead of the piano, and overtime on the Hammond organ, she became an outstanding jazz musician. She played the church organ barefoot, and continued this practice earning her the nickname “The Barefoot Lady”. It is considered a role model for many who also play the organ barefoot today. Because of her church training, Scott uses the pedals to play walking bass lines. This leaves her left hand free for more sophisticated chords.
Scott was discovered by Count Basie, who hired her for his club in Harlem, New York. In 1967 she moved to France, where her success was far greater than in the United States. She performed at the Paris Olympia and appeared on stage with many greats such as Ray Charles, George Benson , Ella Fitzgerald, Kenny Clarke and Gilbert Bécaud. In the 1970s she was frequently requested by Joe Thomas, Cees Kranenburg Jr., Bill Elliott, Kenny Clarke, Julie Saury, Sophie Alour, Lisa Cat-Berro, Anne Paceo, Géraldine Laurent, Julien Alour, and Thomas Derouineau.
Her music is a fusion of jazz, gospel, and classical and reflects both her early practice and formal training. Hard bop and soul-jazz organist Rhoda Scott, who has recorded eight albums from 1963 to today, continues to perform and record.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,organ
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Everett Barksdale, born April 28, 1910 in Detroit, Michigan, played bass and banjo before settling on guitar. During early 1930 he moved to Chicago, Illinois where he joined Erskine Tate’s band. He recorded for the first time with violinist Eddie South in 1931, who he remained with until 1939.
A move to New York City saw Everett become a member of the Benny Carter Big Band. Around that same time, he recorded with Sidney Bechet and during the 1940s, he worked for CBS as a session musician.
As a sideman, Barksdale played guitar in many genres, working with vocalists Dean Barlow, Maxine Sullivan, the Blenders, and the Clovers. He played on the hit Love Is Strange by Mickey & Sylvia, was the music director for the Ink Spots, and beginning in 1949, he worked with pianist Art Tatum until Tatum died in 1956.
During the Fifties and Sixties, he was part of the ABC house band and played on recordings with a who’s who list of vocalists and musicians not limited to Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr., Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Milt Hinton, Buddy Tate, Chet Baker, Red Allen, Harold Vick, Oscar Brown Jr., J. J. Johnson, Clark Terry, Kai Winding, Louis Armstrong, The Drifters and Ben E. King. He also played guitar in the studio for pop and soul musicians such as.
Guitarist and session musician Everett Barksdale retired from active performance in the 1970s, moved to the West Coast and passed away in Inglewood, California on January 29, 1986.
More Posts: guitar,history,instrumental,jazz,music
Requisites
Introducing the Fabulous Trudy Pitts is the 1967 debut album that was recorded by the jazz organist and released on the Prestige label. The album is a compendium of mainstream standards and soul jazz covers.
Bill Carney composed thee songs except those indicated: Steppin’ in Minor, The Spanish Flea (Julius Wechter), Music to Watch Girls By (Sid Ramin), Something Wonderful (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers), Take Five (Paul Desmond), It Was a Very Good Year (Ervin Drake), Siete, Night Song (Lee Adams, Charles Strouse), Fiddlin’ and Matchmaker, Matchmaker (Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick).
The personnel included Trudy Pitts on organ and vocals, guitarist Pat Martino, drummer Bill Carney and Carmell Johnson on congas.
More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,organ
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rebecca Coupe Franks was born on November 27, 1961 in San Jose, California. It was natural that she started playing trumpet when she was ten, as her brother, mother, grandfather, and great uncle all were trumpeters.
A professional by the time she was 15, Rebecca moved to New York City saw her attending New York University from 1990 to 1991 and practicing on the roof of the music building overlooking Lower Manhattan.
In the early 1990’s, she made a strong impression with her two albums for the Justice label. Her 1992 release Suit of Armor included appearances by saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Buster Williams. During the 2000s she self-released several records, including Exhibition: Tribute to Joe Henderson.
Trumpeter Rebecca Coupe Franks continues to compose, record, perform and tour with her Groovemobile, which is a five piece band playing a mix of r&b, jazz and soul.
More Posts: trumpet
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rodney Franklin was born on September 16, 1958 in Berkeley, California and at the age of six he took jazz piano lessons at Washington Elementary School. He was taught by Dr Herb Wong who was a jazz journalist, disc jockey and music teacher.
Influenced by McCoy Tyner, George Duke, Chick Corea and Lonnie Liston Smith he would develop his own sound. Franklin worked with John Handy in San Francisco, California as well as Bill Summers, Freddie Hubbard and Marlena Shaw. He recorded his debut album in 1978 In The Center on the CBS label at age of 20.
1980 saw the release of the album You’ll Never Know which garnered some major chart success and additional six albums were albums were recorded for CBS during the Eighties and worked with bassist Stanley Clarke. Though Rodney gained some notoriety in the United States he was much more popular in the United Kingdom.
Moving to the BMG record label in 1988 he recorded Diamond Inside Of You, introducing vocals by Jennifer Holliday, who would go on to find fame on Broadway in Dreamgirls. By the Nineties he produced and released one album on the Nova label, however, pianist Rodney Franklin continues to composer and work in various music genres in and out of jazz.
More Posts: piano