Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ariel de la Portilla was born on November 10, 1975 in Matanzas, Cuba where he lived until immigrating with his parents to Miami, Florida when he was five. Growing up in the Little Havana neighborhood he was surrounded by the sounds of Cuban and Brazilian music as well as simultaneously experiencing American music and culture that gave his childhood a distinctly unique dichotomy that later proved to have become a crucial aspect of his life, education, and musical identity.
After graduating from high school in 1994, he left Miami to pursue his interests in the double bass. Awarded a music scholarship to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, he dedicated most of his time to studying classical bass and jazz. He remained at CCM until recruited by the University of Miami in 1996 to study under the instruction of Don Coffman, Matt Bonnelli and Lucas Drew.
Since arriving in New York City, he has performed with jazz and Latin musicians including Ray Vega, Dave Valentin, Patato Valdez, Candido Camero, Edy Martinez, Willie Martinez, Peter Erskine, Eddie Daniels, and Sonny Bravo.
Bassist Ariel De La Portilla is currently a member of the Ze Luis Quartet and a new conceptual guitar trio, Lengua Moderna.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Warren Battiste was born on November 8, 1925 in New Orleans, Louisiana and was taught guitar by his father who played the banjo at Preservation Hall. Completing four year of study at Gruenwald Music School in his hometown, he became proficient not only on that instrument but also bass, banjo, and piano.
He first played with Fats Domino before heading off to New York City for Illinois Jacquet’s band. This gave him a very broad understanding from classic blues to R&B and jazz. Back in New Orleans he played thebest clubs on Bourbon Street, from Preservation Hall and Snug Harbor to the Matador and others.
He appeared in the film Shy People with movie stars Jill Clayburgh and Barbara Hershey. Warren has performed with George Benson, Jimmy McGriff, The Platters and The Inkspots. He went on to teach music at Wequachie High School, Essex County College and the Newark Art Center in New Jersey. He has released three albums as a leader ~ Street Jazz, Just Friends and Quiet Storm In New Orleans, the latter recorded in his 80s.
Guitarist Warren Battiste, who has been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award In Jazz from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, continues to perform.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Lauderic Caton was born on August 31, 1910 in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago was the fourth son and last of the eight children. An autodidact on guitar, which he played professionally from the age of 17, however, he was also proficient on saxophone, double bass, and banjo.
After spending time in Guadeloupe and Martinique, he moved to Europe in 1938, playing in Paris, France with guitarist Oscar Alemán. Soon he was in Brussels, Belgium playing with Ram Ramirez, Jean Omer, Harry Pohl, and Jamaican Joe Smith. While in Antwerp, Belgium he played with Gus Clark and Tommy Brookins.
Influenced by Lonnie Johnson and Charlie Christian, he first began using an amplifier in 1940. Lauderic played in England with Don Marino Barreto and saxophonist Louis Stephenson, with whom he became a frequent collaborator. Together they led a house band at Jig’s Club.
He has worked with Cyril Blake, Johnny Claes, Bertie King, Harry Parry, Dick Katz, and Coleridge Goode. Late in the 1940s Caton played with Ray Ellington and Ray Nance, playing under the pseudonym “Lawrence Rix” for legal reasons. Later in his life he also taught and built custom amplifiers.
Leaving music at the end of the 1950s, he was the musical arranger for Walking on Air. Guitarist Lauderic Caton, who was an early proponent of the use of electric guitar in Britain, particularly in jazz, passed away in London, England on February 19, 1999. He is buried in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gilbert Rovère was born on August 29, 1939, Toulon, France and attended the Conservatory of Nice studying the double bass. He becme one of the most in-demand musicians in France in the Sixties.
He appeared and/or recorded with Bud Powell, Dexter Gordon, René Thomas, Jean-Luc Ponty, Barney Wilen, Al Haig, and Steve Grossman among others. For several years during his career Rovère was a member of the Martial Solal Trio with Daniel Humair.
Bibi was hired by Duke Ellington to play a Paris recording session with the orchestra and Alice Babs in 1963. He also hired him the following year to play with one of Duke’s small groups on the Italian Riviera.
Bassist Gilbert ‘Bibi’ Rovère, who received the Prix Django Reinhardt award in 1967, passed away from cancer in southern France on March 13, 2007 in Gorbio, France. He was 67.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rabih Abou-Khalil ربيع أبو خليل, was born August 17, 1957 in Beirut, Lebanon and studied the oud at the Beirut Conservatory with oudist Georges Farah. After moving to Munich, Germany at 21, he studied classical flute at the Academy of Music under Walther Theurer.
Combining elements of Arabic music with jazz, rock, or classical music, he has earned praise as a world musician years before the phrase became a label. Along with Tunisian oud virtuosos Anouar Brahem and Dhafer Youssef, he has helped establish the oud as an important instrument of Ethno jazz and world fusion.
Among other musicians, Abou-Khalil has worked with ARTE Quartett, Alexander Bălănescu, Luciano Biondini, Milton Cardona, Sonny Fortune, Michel Godard, Joachim Kühn, Howard Levy, Charlie Mariano, Ricardo Ribeiro, Steve Swallow, Kenny Wheeler. He has recorded for ECM, Enja, MMP, Granit, and World Village record labels.
Rabih has hosted the 13 part documentary television series Visions of Music, that explores the blending of jazz with different music styles of the world. The music of the TV-series was released on the album Visions of Music – World Jazz by Enja Records.
Oudist Rabih Abou~Khalil continues to be active in music, composing, recording and performing worldwide.
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