Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ronald Thomas Verrell February 21, 1926 in Rochester, Kent, England. He initially showed little interest in music until he saw the Benny Goodman Quartet perform in the film Hollywood Hotel in 1938. From that point on he wanted to be a drummer, he taught himself how to play after only one lesson. In 1940, after the outbreak of World War II in Europe, the 14-year-old was evacuated to Porthcawl in South Wales, where he made his first public appearances drumming with local bands in the area.
Returning to Kent in 1943 he worked professionally for a while with the Claude Giddins band, before being conscripted to work as a Bevin Boy in the coal mines for the remainder of the war. Following the war Ronnie began performing with Scottish saxophonist Tommy Whittle and Belgian trumpeter Johnny Claes. Then between 1947 and 1951 he played with several big bands, including those led by Carl Barriteau and Cyril Stapleton.
In 1951 Verrell joined the Ted Heath Orchestra and remained with the band until Heath’s retirement in 1964. They toured America and became the first British big band to break into the US big band arena. His next move focused on session work where he backed Winifred Atwell, Jack Jones, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Jonathan King, Petula Clark and Strawbs. He would go on to join Jack Parnell’s house band and Syd Lawrence’s band in the 80s.
Ronnie performed in several television shows, including The Muppet Show where he played drums for the show’s manic puppet drummer, Animal. He dueled Buddy Rich on the show as Animal and won after Animal smashed a snare drum over Rich’s head.
The mid-1990s had him forming his own quintet he modelled after Benny Goodman’s band. Then a serious road accident forced him to stop performing for almost a year. After his recovery he continued to play, touring with an all-star band, Best of British. His final appearance was on The Frank Skinner Show in 2001.
Drummer Ronnie Verrell died on February 22, 2002 in Kingston-upon-Thames, England from a chest infection he contracted during an operation to fix a crushed vertebra resulting from a fall down some stairs.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mark Gross was born February 20, 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up listening to gospel in his childhood home. His interests in classical music led him to the Baltimore School for the Arts, then studied one semester at Howard University. He matriculated four years at Berklee College of Music, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance and upon graduation in 1988, Gross began his professional music career in jazz.
Gross has toured the world with the Mark Gross Quartet, Buster Williams, Philip Harper, Nat Adderley, Dave Holland, Mulgrew Miller, Nicholas Payton, Delfeayo Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Big Band, Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Tom Harrell Big Band, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Cyrus Chestnut, Regina Carter, Stephon Harris, Walter Booker, Jimmy Cobb, Don Braden, Lenora Zenzalai Helm, among others.
He has performed several times on Broadway including Five Guys Named Moe, Shuffle Along and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. Mark first recorded as a solo act in 1997 with Preach Daddy, followed by his sophomore project in 2000 The Riddle of the Sphinx. In 2013 he recorded Blackside, Mark Gross + Strings five years later and the soon to be released The Gospel According to Mark: A Jazz Suite this year.
Alto saxophonist Mark Gross, who plays in the hard bop tradition, continues to perform, compose and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Corrado Abbate was born on February 19, 1958 in Turin, Italy. Originally trained as a classical pianist, he quickly turned to jazz and soon demonstrated a distinct aptitude for composition and arrangement.
During the 1980s he led a number of groups highly active on the Torinese scene, Arsis, Modal Jazz Quintet, and Sharp Eleventh, playing everything from hard bop to modal, from fusion to free-funk. He helped launch many talented young musicians, and during the same period he played with Massimo Urbani, Gianni Basso, Franco Mondini, Alfredo Ponissi, Luciano Bertolotti and many others.
1991 saw him forming his own quartet with tenor and soprano saxophonist Fulvio Albano, Claudio Nicola on double bass and drummer Raffaele Fontana. Two years later they recorded the album Brecce and played numerous concerts in Italy and important jazz festivals.
His next group was Primitivo, a group that was to become the most important acid-jazz band in the Turin area. With saxophonist Danilo Pala, the Cuban trumpeter Amik Guerra and percussionist Luis Casih, together with Nicola and Fontana they recorded Speed Jazz. In the new millennium he formed the Jazzcom Project and Multiverse Jazz Quartet, and is a member of the Gigi Di Gregorio Ensemble and the Cluzon Big Band.
Pianist Corrado Abbate continues to take on projects in the theatrical field, compose music for stage, and perform as a jazz musician.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Anne Phillips was born on February 17, 1935 in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Studyinged piano growing up in suburbia, she didn’t hear jazz until she was a senior in high school. She studied at Oberlin College where she joined a jazz club and sang with the school’s big band and had a radio show.
By the time she turned nineteen she was in New York City playing piano and clubs six nights a week. Phillips started working in demo recordings for songwriters in the 1950s, and was a member of the Ray Charles Singers on the Perry Como Show. In 1959, she recorded her first jazz album, Born to Be Blue, for Roulette Records.
She went on to work as a singer, music arranger, conductor, writer, and producer for national commercials including Pepsi, Revlon, and Sheraton. Her Pepsi campaign included The Turtles, The Four Tops, The Hondells, and the Trade Masters. Anne has worked with Carole King, Burt Bacharach, and Neil Diamond
Composing and arranging then became more of her musical life. She went on to write the Christmas album Noel Noel for 25 singers a cappella. She followed this by writing The Great Grey Ghost of Old Spook Lane, a children’s musical, then an environmental piece What Are We Doing To Our World?, and a full musical, Damn Everything But The Circus. for which I wrote both music and lyrics with book writer Stephanie Braxton, has had several readings and is close to production.
Founding Kindred Spirits, a not-for-profit organization founded with her husband, Bob Kindred, the organization sponsors a yearly performance of Bending Towards the Light – A Jazz Nativity, which she composed. They also have an educational program for inner-city children called The Kindred Spirits Children’s Jazz Choirs which teaches jazz music.
Vocalist, composer, arranger, producer Anne Phillips is celebrating her 90th birthday.
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LIFE, LOVE & LENNY
A Celebration of the life and music of Lenny White
The iconic Grammy-winning drummer, who is among jazz music’s most prolific and celebrated artists, producers, composers and sidemen — will be fêted at a one-night-only celebration filled with music and memories at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Presented by Tzedakah 4 All, the event will feature performances in multiple combinations – Return to Forever w/ Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola and orchestra conducted by Maestro Steve Mecurio, Miles Davis Bitches Brew, Red Clay, Echoes of an Era, as well as exploring material from his illustrious five + decade career. Laurence Fishburne will serve as emcee with appearances from fellow artists Buster Williams, Omar Hakim, Patrice Rushen, Al Foster, Mike Clark, Billy Hart, and Billy Drummond.
Tickets: $175.00~$250.00
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