Daily Dose Of Jazz…
James Benjamin Sherman was born on August 17, 1908 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He played piano in dance bands in the late 1920s and played on and off with Jimmy Gorham in the metropolitan Philadelphia area. In 1930 he began playing on a steamboat in Alphonso Trent’s band, then played in the 1930s with Peanuts Holland, Al Sears, Stuff Smith, Lil Armstrong, Putney Dandridge, Mildred Bailey, and Billie Holiday.
From the mid- to late ’30s Jimmy played in various swing groups but is best known for his hand in composing the jazz standard Lover Man, co-written with Jimmy Davis and Roger Ramirez, and was first recorded by Billie Holiday
He became the pianist and arranger for The Charioteers in 1938, remaining with the group until 1952. Following this he played primarily locally in eastern Pennsylvania. In 1960 he took up a residency at Miss Jeanne’s Crossroad Tavern in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he played until shortly before his death.
Pianist and arranger Jimmy Sherman died on October 11, 1975 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Russ Gershon was born on August 11, 1959 and grew up in Westport, Connecticut. He attended Harvard University where he received a degree in philosophy and was a disc jockey, jazz director and station manager at Harvard’s WHRB radio station. He attended Berklee College of Music for a year in 1984 and the following year the Either/Orchestra played its first live show at the Cambridge Public Library.
Founding Accurate Records he has released albums by Morphine, Medeski Martin & Wood, the Alloy Orchestra, Ghost Train Orchestra, the Either/Orchestra, Dominique Eade, and Garrison Fewell. He has been a member of rock bands and has worked as a studio musician as well as performing in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1997 Russ played arrangements of Ethiopian popular music with the Either/Orchestra. This drew the attention of Francis Falceto, who produced the “Éthiopiques” series of albums to document 20th century Ethiopian music. Through Falceto’s connections his band were invited to Addis Ababa in 2004 and became the first American big band to perform in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington’s in 1973.Their principal concert was released as the album Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis and led to working with Ethiopian musicians such as Mahmoud Ahmed, and appeared with Ahmed’s band at Carnegie Hall in 2016.
Saxophonist, flutist, composer, and arranger Russ Gershon continues to perform with the Either/Orchestra.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
D C DowDell was born on August 9, 1951 in Southern California and studied Music Education at UCLA and earned a Masters of Music Composition at University of North Texas. He has been influenced by Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Kenny Baron and Herbie Hancock. His style and piano technique blends the fine inner voicings of modal with the highly energetic impressions of the avante garde.
He has appeared with Bobby Vinton, Marilyn McCoo and Rosemary Clooney just to name a few. His passion for jazz led him to composing and arranging charts for top vocalists, solo instrumental artists and orchestra. His influences are Gil Evans, Bob Florence and George Russell.
Pianist D C DowDell moved to Ocean Beach, California where he continually plays locally with jazz ensembles and teaches jazz theory and composition at A Passion for Jazz! Music Studios. He first published his Basic Musicianship in 1993, a primary music reference and theory text.
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GORDON GOODWIN’S BIG PHAT BAND
25th Anniversary Year of Celebration of the Grammy Award-winning big band.
Gordon Goodwin is a 70-year-old pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger and conductor. Best known for leading Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, an 18-piece jazz orchestra that blends big band swing with funk and jazz fusion. Goodwin has won four Grammy Awards and three Emmy Awards.
August 15th Fri. – August 18th Mon.8.15 fri., 8.18 mon.
[1st]Open5:00pm Start6:00pm [2nd]Open7:45pm Start8:30pm
Cover: ¥ 11,000 | $74.05
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Brian Priestley was born on July 10, 1940 in Manchester, England and began studying music at the age of eight. In the 1960s he gained a degree in modern languages from Leeds University, while playing in student bands. In the mid-1960s, he began contributing to the jazz press and was responsible for entries in Jazz on Record: A Critical Guide to the First Fifty Years, 1917–1967.
In 1969 he moved to London, England and began playing piano with bands led by Tony Faulkner and Alan Cohen. Priestley helped transcribe Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown and Beige, and Creole Rhapsody for Cohen. He formed his own Special Septet featuring Digby Fairweather and Don Rendell. His compositions include Blooz For Dook, The Whole Thing and Jamming With Jools, based on a live broadcast with Jools Holland.
As a broadcaster he worked on the BBC, London Jazz FM, and for BBC Radio London, and influenced the renewed interest in jazz in the 1980s. Priestley taught jazz piano at Goldsmiths College from 1977 until 1993, and has taught jazz history for various other universities and conservatoires over the years.
Priestley has also written biographies of Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, as well as the book Jazz on Record: A History. He co-authored The Rough Guide to Jazz, as well as contributing to several other reference books, and has compiled and/or annotated more than a hundred reissue compilations.
Writer, pianist and arranger Brian Priestley has lived in Tralee, Ireland since 2006 where he continues playing the piano and presents a show on Radio Kerry.
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