Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Henry Goodwin: A Globetrotting Trumpet Voice of Early Jazz
Born in the nation’s capital on January 2, 1910, Henry Goodwin was a musical explorer from the start. As a young boy in Washington, D.C., he didn’t limit himself to just one instrument—he experimented with drums and tuba before the trumpet ultimately captured his heart.
A Teenage Talent Goes International
Goodwin’s talent blossomed early. By 1925, while still a teenager, he was already performing professionally with the bands of Sam Taylor and Claude Hopkins. His youthful career took a dramatic turn at just 15 years old when he traveled to Europe with Hopkins as part of the glamorous Josephine Baker Revue. Though the adventure led him to Berlin, the pull of home proved stronger, and young Henry made his way back to New York.
A Life of Musical Adventure
What followed was a career marked by constant motion and collaboration. Goodwin soon found himself sailing to Argentina with Paul Wyer’s ensemble. Upon returning to New York, he worked with Elmer Snowden and laid down tracks with Cliff Jackson’s Krazy Kats. In 1933, Europe called again—this time with Lucky Millinder—before Goodwin returned stateside to perform with Willie Bryant and settle into a two-year tenure with Charlie Johnson.
The late 1930s brought new chapters: a brief but memorable stint with the legendary Cab Calloway, followed by three years with Edgar Hayes. Finding a comfortable artistic home with Sidney Bechet’s distinctive style, Goodwin went on to collaborate with Cecil Scott, Gene Sedric, and Art Hodes. His freelancing years included a memorable return to Europe for the Nice Jazz Festival with Mezz Mezzrow, and by the mid-1950s, he was swinging on the West Coast with Earl Hines in San Francisco.
Throughout the 1960s, Goodwin remained active in various Dixieland bands before eventually retiring. Though he never led his own recording session—a curious footnote for such a well-traveled musician—Henry Goodwin’s trumpet voice graced countless stages across three continents during jazz’s formative decades.
Henry Goodwin passed away on July 2, 1979, leaving behind a legacy of musical wanderlust and dedication to his craft.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Chris Potter: A Jazz Journey from Chicago to the World Stage
Born on New Year’s Day 1971 in Chicago, Illinois, Chris Potter discovered his musical calling early in life. Though he spent his formative years in Columbia, South Carolina, his extraordinary talent knew no boundaries. A natural prodigy, young Chris explored multiple instruments—mastering both guitar and piano—before finding his true voice in the saxophone.
By age 13, Potter was already holding his own on professional jazz stages, captivating local audiences with his precocious gifts. His passion for the music led him to New York City, where he honed his craft at two prestigious institutions: the New School and the Manhattan School of Music.
A Distinguished Career
As a bandleader, Potter has released more than a dozen critically acclaimed albums, earning recognition from the most discerning voices in jazz. His work has landed in the top ten lists of Jazziz and Slate magazines, as well as The New York Times—a testament to his artistic vision and technical brilliance.
Equally impressive is his work as a collaborator. Potter has shared stages and recording studios with an extraordinary roster of jazz legends, including Patricia Barber, Kenny Werner, Marian McPartland, Red Rodney, Paul Motian, Adam Rogers, the Mingus Big Band, Ray Brown, Dave Holland, James Moody, and Joanne Brackeen—just to name a few.
Today, Chris Potter continues to enchant audiences worldwide as a saxophonist (both alto and tenor), multi-instrumentalist, and composer, constantly touring, performing, and recording new music that pushes the boundaries of contemporary jazz.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jerry Granelli was born Gerald John Granelli on December 30, 1940 in the Mission District of San Francisco, California. Both his father and uncle played the drums and were passionate about jazz. He initially learned the violin for a year, before switching to drums. He spent a day with drummer Gene Krupa in 1948 and hanging out at the Blackhawk and Jimbo’s Bop City soaking in Ellington, Miles, Monk and Max Roach eventually led to him studying with Dave Brubeck drummer Joe Morello.
After two years with Morello he became a highly sought-after session player, Jerry eventually started playing, recording and touring with the Vince Guaraldi Band. He provides the unmistakable steady swing beats for the classic Charlie Brown “Peanuts” theme song.
In the Sixties he moved on to the Denny Zeitlin Trio with bassist Charlie Haden. A hugely successful recording and touring band, they tied with Miles Davis for Group of the Year in Downbeat magazine’s Critics and Readers Poll in 1965. Throughout the decade he performed with Jimmy Witherspoon, Mose Allison, Lou Rawls, John Handy, Sonny Stitt, Sly Stone, Ornette Coleman and Dewey Redman. His free-form improvisational trio held down the opening slot for comedian Lenny Bruce for three months in 1963, and shared bills with Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Grateful Dead.
From the mid-70s through the 90s he focused on teaching, first at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado and then Seattle Washington’s Cornish Institute, the Conservatory in Halifax, Nova Scotia and the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin, Germany.
During the 80s he toured and recorded in a trio with Ralph Towner and Gary Peacock, and began recording his own projects. From the Nineties until his death, Granelli lived in Halifax and became a Canadian citizen in 1999. In 2010, he released his first solo album, 1313, toured jazz festivals and theaters with his show Tales of a Charlie Brown Christmas, which retold how the Charlie Brown Christmas TV special almost never came to be.
Suffering from a fall in December 2020 that resulted in internal bleeding, he spent three months recuperating in an intensive care unit before being discharged. He died seven months later at the age of 89 on the morning of July 20, 2021, at his home in Halifax.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Tatsuya Takahashi was born December 24, 1931 in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan. He played on U.S. military bases in the early 1950s, and later in the decade moved to Tokyo, Japan.
He worked with Keiichiro Ebihara from 1961, but by 1966 was leading his own ensemble, Tokyo Union, which remained active until 1989. In the 1970s he played at the Monterey and Montreux Jazz Festivals.
After leaving Tokyo Union, Takahashi worked in jazz education, and in 1996 founded a new ensemble, Jazz Groovys.
Saxophonist Tatsuya Takahashi died on February 29, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Peter Charles Strange was born on December 19, 1938 in Plaistow, Newham, London, England. He played violin as a child before switching to trombone as a teenager.
His first major gig was with Eric Silk and his Southern Jazz Band when he was just 18 years old. In 1957, Silk’s clarinetist Teddy Layton split off and formed his own band, and Strange went with him. Called up for National Service in 1958 he became a bandsman in the Lancashire Fusiliers, whilst serving in Cyprus.
Following his discharge from service Peter played with Sonny Morris, Charlie Gall, and Ken Sims, then joined Bruce Turner from 1961 to 1964. After 1964, Turner went into partial retirement for about 10 years, so he played off and on with Freddy Randall, Joe Daniels, and Ron Russell, but not carrying any full-time associations. He returned to play with Turner again permanently in 1974.
In 1978 co-founded the Midnite Follies Orchestra with Alan Elsdon. 1980 saw Strange founding the five-trombone ensemble, Five-A-Slide, which featured Roy Williams and Campbell Burnap. He joined Humphrey Lyttelton’s band in 1983, and remained with the ensemble until he died.
Trombonist, arranger and composer Peter Strange, who played with his own side group, the Great British Jazz Band, died of cancer at the age of 65 on August 14, 2004 in Banstead, Surrey, England.
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