Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rudolf Dašek was born on August 27, 1933 in Prague, Czech Republic and studied at the Prague Conservatory from 1962 to 1966 with Milan Zelenka.
He was a member of the band SHQ led by Karel Velebný, then followed with several bands for the rest of the 1960s which included a trio with George Mraz, a trio with Lou Bennett, the quintet Jazz Cellula led by Ladislav Déczi, an orchestra conducted by Gustav Brom, and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
By the end of the decade Rudolf was working for two years in the house band at the Blue Note Club in Berlin, Germany. In the early 1970s he formed the duo System Tandem with Jiří Stivín. He also worked with guitarists Philip Catherine, Christian Escoudé, and Toto Blanke.
Guitarist Rudolf Dašek, who played solo performances in the decades following the Seventies, died on February 1, 2013.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Andrew Lamb was born on August 26, 1958 in Clinton, North Carolina and raised in Chicago, Illinois and South Jamaica, Queens, New York. Having studied with AACM charter member Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, he came into New York City’s avant-garde community during the 1970s, becoming an active presence in the Bedford-Stuyvesant arts world and winning a Brooklyn Arts Council grant.
1994 saw him leading a session for Delmark, composing all the pieces on Portrait in the Mist, which featured vibraphonist Warren Smith, bassist Wilber Morris, and drummer Andrei Strobert. Lamb has since recorded duets with Warren Smith, and made a trio recording with Eugene Cooper and Andrei Strobert.
In 2003 released Pilgrimage on CIMP with Tom Abbs and Andrei Strobert, and with his group The Moving Formas released Year of the Endless Moment. As a leader he has recorded five albums beginning with 1994’s Portrait In The Mist, with his latest The Casbah Of Love in 2018 on Birdwatcher Records
Saxophonist and flautist Andrew Lamb, who leads his own ensembles and has been a part of Alan Silva as well as Cecil Taylor’s big bands, continues to perform and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Carrie Jackson was born on August 25, 1959 in Newark, New Jersey and began her musical career when she was 6 years old singing in the children’s choir at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Newark and is a product of the city’s Public School system, attending Peshine Avenue Elementary School, and Weequahic H.S.
She studied piano and voice with teacher, composer and arranger Howard “Duke” Anderson. Under his tutelage she learned the music business and became an accomplished seasoned singer as well as band leader. Coming into her own as a young adult, Jackson worked as a featured vocalist with Anderson’s Big Band. She also studied voice with Inez Mc Clendon, Nadine Herman and Winston Hughes at NCSA in Newark.
Carrie rekindles thoughts of America’s great jazz history, and attributes her vocal style of singing to her mentors, the Great Ladies of Jazz, Sarah “Sassy” Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Nancy Wilson, and Carmen McRae. As a soloist, or with her Jazzin’ All Star Band, Carrie swings and performs the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and musical selections songs from the Great American Song Book.
Jackson has been a featured artist in Women in Jazz, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and the musical review 49th Street Jazz, a tribute to Eubie Blake, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Alberta Hunter. She is President/CEO of Mo-Jazz LLC, has toured both Europe and the United States and has fronted several orchestras.
Vocalist Carrie Jacksom continues to perform, tour and record with a variety of musicians, a list too long to document here.
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Resquisites
Blowing In From Chicago ~ Cliff Jordan & John Gilmore | By Eddie Carter
As a youngster discovering this music, I was always captivated by jazz’s unique and spontaneous nature, particularly the ‘blowing session’ or ‘jam session.’ These impromptu performances, where musicians control the flow of musical ideas from moment to moment, are a testament to the music’s excitement and unpredictability. Whether in a live setting at a club, concert, or jazz festival or captured in a studio session, jazz’s enthusiasm, vitality, and freedom are always present.
This morning’s choice from my library is an excellent LP from 1957 by two tenor saxophonists who made significant impressions in jazz, Clifford Jordan and John Gilmore. Their only album as co-leaders is titled Blowing In From Chicago (Blue Note BLP 1549), which signifies their roots in the vibrant jazz scene of Chicago. The quintet has an excellent rhythm section consisting of Horace Silver on piano, Curly Russell on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. My copy is the 1983 Pathé Marconi-EMI French Mono reissue, sharing the original catalog number. Before I proceed, let me state that this is not a DMM (Digital Metal Mastering) pressing.
The album opener, Status Quo, is a lively tune by John Neely, with both horns leading the charge through the uptempo melody. John rips into the opening solo, aggressively slicing through each verse like a sharp blade. Clifford joins him next in a short exchange, then takes off with a supercharged reading. Horace shifts into high gear on the third statement with a blazing swiftness that’s equally inspired and scintillating. Art engages in a brief conversation with both horns, then brings the solos to a close with an electric performance illustrating his incomparable artistry before the ensemble returns to the theme and quick stop. The first of two originals by Jordan follows.
Bo-Till slows the tempo to a laid-back pace with a Latin flavor. After a short introduction by the trio, the quintet states the theme collectively, stepping aside for Jordan, who makes a profound impression with a beautifully conceived statement displaying a great tone throughout. Silver gets into the groove next with an incredible, smooth reading, one of his best on the album. Gilmore delivers the closing choruses of the song proficiently with meticulous execution. Blakey constructs a concise comment during the ensemble’s end theme and close.
Blue Lights by Gigi Gryce is a catchy tune that opens with the quintet laying down a gorgeous medium beat on the theme and gives everyone a solo opportunity. John steps into the spotlight with a spirited performance. Horace follows with notes of undeniable pleasure in one of his most robust solos. Clifford weaves his way through the next musical improvisation with astounding skill. Curly puts together a condensed reading that walks for one chorus with solid bass lines. Art breezes into a straightforward interpretation that culminates into a splendid summation of the first side.
The second side gets underway with Charlie Parker’s Billie’s Bounce, which gives everyone except Russell a lengthy solo canvas on which to work. Blakey begins with a high-voltage introduction that sets the pace for the following fiery quintet theme. Clifford packs a mighty punch on the opening statement with a fire-breathing showcase, preceding John, who exhibits a robust attack on the subsequent interpretation with extremely hot choruses. Horace takes over next for a scintillating performance, taking his piano on a sizzling uptempo ride. Both horns exchange a few riffs with Art before the drummer gives an unaccompanied propulsive exhibition into the ending theme.
Clifford’s second original is a blues titled Evil Eye, which eases the throttle back from the previous burner to a medium pace with a collective melody by the quintet. Jordan opens the solos with a series of choruses that are smooth and well-structured. In the following presentation, Gilmore shows that he can also interpret blues with plenty of soul, which develops nicely. Silver delivers a lightly swinging performance that expresses pleasure as he moves masterfully through each chorus. Both horns return to share a few more thoughts. Blakey makes a short statement preceding the theme’s reprise and finish.
The album’s final track is Everywhere, a mid-tempo original by Horace Silver, which I believe made its debut on this album. It opens with a simple opening melody by the ensemble in unison, and the solo order is Gilmore, Jordan, Silver, and Blakey. John takes the stage first with a bewitchingly delightful opening statement. Clifford makes his case with a captivating contribution that moves sprightly alongside the rhythm section’s groundwork drive. Horace takes over next, communicating his points well with a pronounced beat. Art puts the joyous exclamation point on the song and album with a compelling statement that leads the group back to the ending theme and close.
Clifford Jordan recorded three albums for Blue Note; the other two LPs are Cliff Jordan and Cliff Craft. He played and recorded with many elite jazz musicians, including Charles Mingus and Max Roach. Clifford also enjoyed success recording as a leader and sideman, and in my opinion, his discography is well worth investigating. He remained in demand over the next three decades and toured worldwide. His final album was a 1992 live recording at Condon’s in New York City for Milestone, where he performed with his big band, Down Through The Years. He lost his battle against lung cancer on March 27, 1993, at age sixty-one.
Blowing In From Chicago was the first of three appearances on Blue Note by John Gilmore. The other two were as a sideman on two of Andrew Hill’s LPs, Andrew and Compulsion. He began playing the clarinet at fourteen, then pursued a musical career after a four-year stint in the United States Air Force, where he took up and played the tenor saxophone. He began a forty-year term with Sun Ra in 1953 and recorded for various labels with his group, Sun Ra Arkestra. During this time, Gilmore also toured with The Jazz Messengers and recorded with Paul Bley, Andrew Hill, Pete LaRoca, McCoy Tyner, and Dizzy Reece. After Sun Ra’s death on May 30, 1993, Gilmore led the Arkestra for two years before his death from emphysema on August 20, 1995, at age sixty-three.
As for the music on Blowing In From Chicago, it’s fantastic, as are the solos on each track, and the sound quality of this reissue is exemplary. The instruments deliver an excellent soundstage throughout the treble, midrange, and bass that places your sweet spot in the studio with the musicians. It’s a cut above the average debut album and a title I recommend as a terrific addition to any jazzophile’s library, particularly if you’re a hard-bop fan or love a good “blowing session” or “jam session.”
~ Andrew (Blue Note BLP 4203/BST 84203), Cliff Jordan (Blue Note BLP 1565), Cliff Craft (Blue Note BLP 1582/BST 81582), Compulsion (Blue Note BLP 4217/BST 84217), Down Through The Years (Milestone MCD-9197-2) – Source: Discogs.com
~ Billie’s Bounce – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ John Gilmore, Andrew Hill, Clifford Jordan – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joni Janak was born August 24 in 1944 in Amarillo, Texas and raised in a musical family. He was taught singing, dancing and piano at the Amarillo College of Music. She gave public recitals from the age of eight and had her first professional singing job at thirteen. Receiving a vocal scholarship to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, he eventually returned to Amarillo and sang with many different bands and with the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra when he was 22.
Heading to Houston, Texas she sang in the Carriage Club at the Sheraton Lincoln Hotel until 1969 when she moved to Denver, Colorado, furthering her career. While there she sang with local and visiting jazz musicians, among them Dale Bruning, Ellyn Rucker, Phil Urso, Peanuts Hucko, Bobby Greene, Todd Reid, the Hot Tomatoes Jazz Band, Howard Davis and Jim Riley.
Meeting Carl Fontana while she worked the El Chapultepec he invited her to Las Vegas, Nevada to work with him. In Vegas she worked with Carson Smith, Tom Montgomery, Vinnie Tano, Bill Berry, Herbie Phillips and Bill Watrous. She also sang on a jazz cruise with the Johnny Carson Tonight Show Allstars, played jazz festivals and concerts
Vocalist Joni Janak continues to perform and record.
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