Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Leon Alexander Anthony Abbey was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 7, 1900 to Luther James Robert Abbey and Eva Lee Alexander. He started his career in 1920 as a classical violinist with the orchestra of J. Rosamond Johnson. Five years later, he recorded with Clara Smith on If You Only Knowed and You Better Keep The Home Fires Burning.
By 1926, Leon was leading the Savoy Bearcats and toured with the band the next year in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. For a decade, he toured throughout Europe and performed in India two times.
Abbey led a band with blues singer Ethel Waters. In Chicago, Illinois he led a trio until 1964. His sideman during his career included Fletcher Allen, Emile Christian, Bill Coleman, Peter DuConge, and Crickett Smith. He recorded Jazz and Hot Dance in Denmark as a leader in 1938 on Harmony Records in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was also issued under the name Whoa Babe.
Violinist and bandleader Leon Abbey transitioned in September 1975.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Donald Ernest Friedman was born in San Francisco, California on May 4, 1935 and began playing the piano at the age of four, switching from classical music to jazz after his family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was fifteen. His early jazz piano influence was Bud Powell and he briefly studied composition at Los Angeles City College.
He began playing in Los Angeles and moved to New York City in 1958. During the 1960s, he played with both modern stylists and more traditional musicians. The former included Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Giuffre, Booker Little, and Attila Zoller; the latter, Bobby Hackett and Herbie Mann.
His debut album as a leader was A Day in the City, recorded in 1961. A few of his early albums received top ratings from DownBeat, which also gave him its critics’ poll New Star award. On the West Coast, Friedman performed with Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Buddy DeFranco, and Ornette Coleman. He was also a member of Clark Terry’s big band.
Pianist Don Friedman, who was also an educator in New York and had many fans in Japan, transitioned from pancreatic cancer on June 30, 2016 at his Bronx home.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Léon Clément Doucet was born on April 9, 1895 in Brussels, Belgium. For a time he studied at the city’s Conservatoire under Arthur De Greef, who had been a pupil of Franz Liszt.
His formal training was classical, though as he traveled to the United States where he gained some influence from jazz. Some of his arrangements are still played today, including Chopinata, a jazz tribute to several works by Frédéric Chopin.
After returning to Europe, Clément became the house pianist at the Parisian cabaret Le Boeuf sur le Toit, succeeding Jean Wiéner. He and Wiéner formed a piano duo that spanned 15 years from 1924 to 1939. They performed over 2000 concerts and made over 100 recordings of jazz, blues, and classical music.
They also made a small number of recordings in which they accompanied French chansonniers. These include ten sides with Maurice Chevalier, Édith Piaf, Yvonne George, Jean Sablon and Germaine Sablon and others.
Pianist Clément Doucet transitioned at the age of 55 on October 15, 1950 in his hometown.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bob Shoffner was born on April 4, 1900 in St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up he played drums and bugle before settling on trumpet at age eleven. Playing trumpet in a military band, he served in the U.S. Army from 1917-1919, and after his discharge he played with Charlie Creath and Tommy Parker in territory bands.
Relocating to Chicago, Illinois in 1921, Bob played with John H. Wickcliffe, Everett Robbins, and Mae Brady. He returned to St. Louis, served briefly under Creath before heading back to Chicago to play with Honore Dutrey. Then, in 1924,he replaced Louis Armstrong in King Oliver’s Creole Jazzband, playing with Oliver until 1927. He went on to spend time with Dave Peyton and Lottie Hightower during this time as well, and recorded with Lovie Austin, Jimmy O’Bryant, Ida Cox, and Luis Russell.
Shoffner suffered a lip ailment in 1927, but returned after a few months to hit with Charles Elgar in 1928, Erskine Tate, Jerome Carrington, McKinney’s Cotton Pickers in 1931, and Frankie Jaxon in ‘32. A move to New York City in 1934, had him with Fess Williams, Fletcher Henderson, and Hot Lips Page towards the end of the decade..
Around 1940 he returned once more to Chicago and took a job working for the state but recorded with Richard M. Jones in the middle of the 1940s. Taking a hiatus from music until 1957he came back to play with Franz Jackson’s Original Jazz All-Stars from 1957 to 1963.
Health concerns forced him into semi-retirement after this time. Trumpeter Bob Shoffner transitioned on March 5, 1983.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Pete Johnson was born Kermit H. Johnson on March 25, 1904 in Kansas City, Missouri. Raised by his mother after the father deserted the family, financially distressed, he was placed in an orphanage at three. Homesick, he ran away and returned home. By the age of 12, finding work to ease the financial burden at home, he dropped out of school in the fifth grade as a result of his efforts.
Beginning his musical career in 1922 as a drummer in Kansas City, Missouri. He began piano about the same time he was learning the drums. His early piano practices took place in a church, where he was working as a water boy for a construction company. From 1926 to 1938, he worked as a pianist, often working with Big Joe Turner. with record producer John Hammond that led to an engagement at the Famous Door in New York City, and an in the From Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall. Working locally, touring and recording with Turner, Meade Lux Lewis, and Albert Ammons kept him busy during this period. He appeared in the film short Boogie-Woogie Dream in 1941.
The song Roll ‘Em Pete, composed with and featuring Turner on vocals and Johnson on piano, was one of the first rock and roll records. They went on to record Johnson and Turner Blues and Rocket 88 Boogie.
By 1946 Pete recorded a concept album, Pete Johnson’s Housewarmin’, with J. C. Higginbotham, J. C. Heard, Albert Nicholas, Hot Lips Page, Clyde Bernhardt. Budd Johnson, and a young singer, Etta Jones. It was later re-released as Pete’s Blues.
The Fifties saw Johnson moving to Buffalo, New York, where he suffered health and financial difficulties including being partially paralyzed by a stroke. He held a series of jobs over the next few years supplementing them with occasional gigs. He continued to record, and toured Europe in 1958 with the Jazz at the Philharmonic ensemble, despite the fact that wasn’t in thebest of health. Returning to the States, he accompanied Big Joe Turner, Chuck Berry and Big Maybelle at the Newport Jazz Festival.
Diagnosed with a heart condition, diabetes and plagued with several strokes, Pete lost the mobility in both hands. Four years ater he began losing his eyesight. Royalties were dribbling in from Blue Note and Victor until he was finally accepted into ASCAP, which ensured that some of the royalties would be received on a regular basis.
His final live appearance was the Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall in January 1967, his eighth and final appearance at this event. Pianist Pete Johnson, who played jazz and boogie~woogie, transitioned two months later in Meyer Hospital in Buffalo, on March 23, 1967, at the age of 62, two days before his 63rd birthday.
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