Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Virginia Mayhew was born on May 14, 1959 in San Francisco, California and took up the saxophone as a child. Early in her career she worked with trombonist Al Grey and contributing arrangements for several recordings. In 1987 she became active on the New York jazz scene, playing with the likes of Earl “Fatha” Hines, Junior Mance, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Doc Cheatham, Joe Williams, Kenny Barron, Ingrid Jensen, Chico O’Farrill and the list continues.
She has performed all over the world in concert and festivals, and has twice been a U.S. Jazz Ambassador. Mayhew would go on to work with Brazilian trumpeter Claudio Roditi, become a member of the Howard Williams Big Band, Carl Thompson and Friends, and the Lou Caputo “Not So Big Band” in conjunction with freelancing around New York.
Virginia is currently the Musical Director and saxophonist of the 9-piece Duke Ellington Legacy group, leads her own quartet and septet, recorded and released a Mary Lou Williams project featuring Wycliffe Gordon, and is working on a project that replaces drums with tap dancing.
As an educator she teaches privately, is on the faculty of the summer jazz camps at Stanford Jazz Workshop, Monterey Jazz Festival, Litchfield Jazz Camp along with conducting clinics at U-Mass, University of Louisville, Bloomington University, Williams College among others. She has worked with Don Braden’s “Jazz For Teens” and Melissa Walker’s “Jazz House Kids”. Tenor saxophonist Virginia Mayhew continues to perform, compose, arrange, adjudicate and teach and establish the “Jazz Workshop” at the Greenwich House Music School in New York City.
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Requisites
Speak No Evil: This 1964 release by Wayne Shorter has been considered as one of his finer works and a “must have” for the serious collector. As he was in Miles Davis’ band at the time, this album did not receive the welcome it so deserved.
Personnel: Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone, Freddie Hubbard – trumpet, Herbie Hancock – piano, Ron Carter – bass, Elvin Jones – drums
Recorded by: Rudy Van Gelder
Record Date: Blue Note – December 24, 1964
Cover: Photograph of Wayne Shorter and his first wife, Teruka Nakagami
Songs: Witch Hunt, Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, Dance Cadaverous, Speak No Evil, Infant Eyes, Wild Flower
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gerald Beckett was born in Beaumont, Texas on May 2nd and started playing alto saxophone at the age of 11. As a freshman at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas he switched to playing the flute and during his years at UNT, he played with various local bands.
It wasn’t until a move in 1985 to San Francisco that he began immersing himself in the jazz scene. He started listening to various flutists such as Eric Dolphy, Frank Wess, Herbie Mann, Hubert Laws, Dave Valentin and Paul Horn, among others. For the next 8 years Gerald studied flute at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and privately under Esther Landau.
He has performed in several venues in San Francisco and New York, either as a leader and sideman, showcasing the many facets of the instrument and its uniqueness to the jazz genre. He has self-produced three CD’s to national recognition and airplay, and has been a Grammy Ballot nominee.
As an educator Beckett has conducted Jazz Flute master classes in San Francisco and Paris. Flautist Gerald Beckett continues to perform, tour and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Candido was born Candido de Guerra Camero on April 22, 1921 in Havana, Cuba and learned to play percussion as a child listening to the music of his native land. Early in his career, Camero focused on conga and bongo, recording in his native Cuba with fellow jazz musician Machito. Although he has been credited as the first person to use the congas in jazz music, both Diego Iborra and Luciano “Chano” Pozo Gonzales preceded him in the 1940s.
Moving to New York in 1952 he started recording with Dizzy Gillespie and from 1953-54 he was in the Billy Taylor Quartet. The next year saw him performing and recording with Stan Kenton. During the Seventies Candido enjoyed success during the disco era, most notably with the Babatunde Olatunji-penned track “Jingo” from his Dancin’ and Prancin’ album on the Salsoul Record label, that has been acknowledged as a precursor five years prior to the birth of the house music genre.
He has performed and recorded Errol Garner, Gene Ammons, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, Elvin Jones and Lionel Hampton on the short list of jazz luminaries. Percussionist Candido was honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2008. At 96 years of age he is residing in his home in Cuba.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Issi Rozen was born on April 20, 1967 in Haifa, Israel, his family moved to Tel Aviv during his childhood. His earliest musical memories were lullabies his mother sang. He began playing guitar at age 10, and as a teenager was practicing several hours a day. In 1991, after completing his service in the Israeli Defense Forces, he moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music.
After finishing his studies at Berklee, Rozen settled in the Boston suburb of Brookline, released his debut album Red Sea in 1998for Brownstone Records. A year later he released Homeland Blues and in 2003, he released Dark Beauty.
Issi is clearly influenced by jazz guitarists Pat Metheny and Jim Hall but utilizes musical components from his native Israel leaning towards traditional Hebrew song sung primarily by Mizrah Jews while juxtaposing the bebop of the Charlie Parker tune Segment and his original compositions. This hybrid of different genres has given guitarist Issi Rozen critical acclaim as he continues to perform, record and tour.
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