The Jazz Voyager
Back to the Big Apple for this Jazz Voyager to finally hear the luscious voice of Denise King at Minton’s Playhouse 206 West 118th Street, Harlem, New York. This was one of my hangouts in the Seventies when I needed to get away from the R&B and just chill with an appreciative crowd. Harlem was home once I crossed 110th and Lenox. And like everywhere I go, I will be wearing my N95!
To that point, I will be flying in a day ahead and once again come to Harlem to experience vocalist Denise King on October 7th. She has two sets, the former beginning at 7:00pm, the latter set at 9:30, of which I will be attending. Doors open an hour before showtime. The cover is $25.00 with a $20.00 minimum per guest. For additional information, the number is 212-866-1262 or mintonsharlem.com.
This vocalist overflows with energy, enjoying herself as she swings and interprets. She places the listener at the scene to experience every nuance that each character in the song portrays, be it one or many. She lives within each song and brings you along for the ride, be it gospel, r&b, soul, jazz or the Great American Songbook.
And of course this is the city that never sleeps, so I will carouse through the late night haunts of Harlem, Broadway Uptown or head downtown to The Village or may even go across the bridge to Brooklyn while I’m there through the weekend. But Miss King is my priority on this sojourn!
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Alicia Cunningham was born Alicia Rodriguez of Mexican heritage on October 5, 1946 in Los Angeles, California. A classically trained vocalist and pianist, she worked in the L.A. studios and as an educator at Loyola University in her early years.
Meeting her husband Don was fortuitous when he moved to Los Angeles in the early 70s. Their combination of his jazz-influenced energetic singing style and Alicia’s fluid, clear and lyrical sound, established a solid reputation. This would lead to a tour with Count Basie in Europe for five months at major events and jazz festivals in England and Switzerland.
She was an intricate and melodic harmonizer and arranger and paired with the Cunningham stage presentation, they offered enormous panache. They not only kept her hometown audiences satisfied but they traveled around the country and the world thrilling listeners in Europe, Canada, Singapore, Brazil, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea.
In 2012, they released their final album together titled Sao Paulo Lights that was recorded in Brazil. In the autumn of 2014, Alicia made her last performance in St. Louis when Don received a St. Louis Jazz Hall of Fame Award.
Vocalist Alicia Cunningham, who sang hard jazz, transitioned in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 23, 2014 at the age of 68 after battling cancer for a year.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Barbara Paris was born on October 2, 1954 in Denver, Colorado and from an early age listened to Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Mel Torme and Frank Sinatra. Constantly listening to the radio she memorized every song she heard. She sang with her church choir, played violin, took piano lessons and began playing the guitar at 15. She started out singing folk music but gravitated to jazz.
After high school graduation at 16, she moved to Boulder, Colorado and began a successful hairdresser career. However, it was on vacation in St. Thomas that she met Louis Armstrong veteran Eddie Shu and subsequent encouragement led her to the stage.
Barbara made her debut as a jazz singer while in Paris, France. There an acquaintance told her about Denver resident pianist Joe Bonner and upon her return tracked him down and a 23 year musical partnership commenced. She has worked with Freddie Hubbard, Junior Mance, Joe Pass, and recorded with Nancy Wilson’s rhythm section, pianist Llew Matthews, bassist John B. Williams and drummer Roy McCurdy, among numerous others.
Vocalist Barbara Paris continues to pursue performing, composing, recording, and clinics.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rebecca Kilgore was born September 24, 1949 and grew up in Waltham, Massachusetts honing her voice. By the age of thirty she left the East Coast for the West, settling in Portland, Oregon. She began her music career fronting an area swing band dubbed the Wholly Cats and recorded a 1982 LP titled Doggin’ Around. Following the group’s 1984 breakup, she formed her own unit, the Rebecca Kilgore Quintet, and quickly became a mainstay of the Northwest jazz scene. In 1989 she released the cassette-only I Hear Music.
She has recorded twenty-two albums as a leader, performing and/or recording a total of 21 with jazz pianist Dave Frishberg, trombonist Dan Barrett, tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, BED, the Wholly Cats and numerous other musicians. In 2010 she was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame
Vocalist Rebecca Kilgore, who has been slated as one of the best interpreters of the Great American Songbook, continues to perform locally in her Northwest home as well as worldwide at jazz festivals, cruises and other venues.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Charles Bullock, known in the industry as Chick, was born on September 16, 1898 in Montana to immigrants from England.. He belonged to a select group of mostly freelance vocalists who sang the vocal refrains on hundreds of New York sessions, which included Smith Ballew, Scrappy Lambert, Irving Kaufman, Arthur Fields, and Dick Robertson. Some of these vocalists were also musicians leading bands, but their singing was more often featured.
Though he began his career in vaudeville and sang in movie palaces, he rarely performed live because his face was disfigured due to an eye disease. His career as a studio musician took off in the late 1920s, and in the 1930s he sang with musicians such as Duke Ellington, Luis Russell, Cab Calloway, Bunny Berigan, Bill Coleman, Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Joe Venuti, and Eddie Lang.
Bullock’s recordings proved so popular that he used pseudonyms for some recordings, including the name Sleepy Hall. However, in the 1940s the World War II recording ban essentially ended Bullock’s career and he quit the music business in 1942. He moved to California in 1946 and took up real estate, opening his own company.
Chick was mostly associated with the ARC group of labels including Melotone, Perfect, Banner, Oriole, and Romeo. Many of his records were issued under the name Chick Bullock and his Levee Loungers.
Jazz and dance band vocalist Chick Bullock, who recorded some 500 tunes over the course of his career, transitioned on September 15, 1981, in California at the age of 82.
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