Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bill Pierce, known to many as Billy Pierce, was born September 25, 1948 in Hampton, Virginia. He studied with Joe Viola and Andy McGhee at Berklee College of Music, and with Joe Allard.
In the early 1980s he was recruited by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Through the late Eighties and into the late 1990s he recorded simultaneously as a leader while also in Tony Williams’s quintet in the mid-1980s to early 1990s.
As a leader he has recorded seven albums and another 18 as a sideman with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Geoff Keezer, Kevin Eubanks, Makoto Ozone, Superblue, Tony Williams, and Lazlo Gardony.
As an educator Billy says he likes seeing music being carried on by young people developing, achieving their dreams, and being a part of history. Many of his students have made a name for themselves: Antonio Hart, Mark Gross, Javon Jackson, Walter Smith, Mark Turner, Miguel Zenon.
Saxophonist Billy Pierce, who is the former chair of the Berklee woodwind department, continues to perform, tour and educate.
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AXEL TOSCA’S CUBAN JAM
Axel Tosca Trio and the Legendary Xiomara Laugart | The Cuban Jam
Three time Grammy-nominated Cuban pianist Axel Tosca. Blending jazz, classical, hip-hop, and Afro-Cuban rhythms, Tosca creates a genre-defying soundscape that captivates audiences. Born into a prestigious musical family, he was a prodigy on stage by age seven, learning under jazz greats like Miriam Valdez. Tosca has performed with legends such as Roy Hargrove, The Roots, and George Clinton. His weekly “Jam” features collaborations with jazz icons and showcases his virtuosic talent.
Xiomara Laugart has performed Cuban Nueva trova, jazz standards, and Broadway numbers on local and international stages. She joins her son Axel and combines the beloved Cuban sounds of home from the 1950s to today with Tosca’s eclectic take on modern jazz, swing, and bebop.
Cover: $35.00
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Doug Beavers was born September 22, 1976 in Bellflower, California. He received a BA in music from California State University, East Bay, an MA in composition from the Manhattan School of Music. He is the founder of the music production company and record label, Circle 9.
As a performer Doug has worked with Eddie Palmieri, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, Christian McBride, Paul Simon, and others. He also served as an adjunct professor at Los Medanos College and music faculty of Jazz Trombone at California State University, East Bay.
His most recent album recording,Sol, was released in 2020. In 2021, he received a New Jazz Works grant from Chamber Music America. Trombonist, arranger, composer and producer Doug Beavers, a Grammy Award-winning musician, is currently an adjunct faculty member at the College of New Jersey.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jerome Don Pasquall was born on September 20, 1902 in Fulton, Kentucky, and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. As a child, he played the mellophone in brass bands. He served in the United States Army in 1918 in the 10th Cavalry Band, and picked up clarinet during this time.
Following his discharge, Pasquall played with Ed Allen in 1919 and then found work on riverboats playing with Charlie Creath and Fate Marable. He moved to Chicago, Illinois to study at the American Conservatory, and played with Doc Cook’s Dreamland Orchestra as a tenor saxophonist.
Departing for Boston, Massachusetts he attended the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1927 and 1928, he played with Fletcher Henderson. Following this he returned to Chicago and led his own ensemble, in addition to playing with Freddie Keppard, Dave Peyton, Jabbo Smith, Tiny Parham, and Fess Williams.
He toured Europe with the 1934 Blackbirds, Eddie South, Henderson again in 1936, and Noble Sissle from 1937 throught World War II in 1944. After the mid-1940s, he did freelance work in New York City with Tony Ambrose among others, and gradually receded from active performance.
Clarinetist, alto saxophonist, mellophonist Jerome Don Pasquall, who never led his own recording session, dies on October 18, 1971 in New York City, New York.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
David Chevan was born on September 19, 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts. He was musically active from an early age and led synagogue services from the age of 10. His double-bass education has mostly been self taught, but credits bassist, Lisle Atkinson for showing me the pathway to self-education.
As a composer, Chevan focused on works for improvisors, writing for a wide range of artists and ensembles, including collaborations with dance and film. He performs regularly in a duo with pianist Warren Byrd and co-leads The Afro-Semitic Experience.
As an educator he is an Associate Professor of Music at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. David is currently studying the music of bassist Slam Stewart and is a board trustee of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
He has performed and recorded with Ali Ryerson, Joe Beck, Jaki Byard, Harold Danko, Ellery Eskelin, Giacomo Gates, Frank London, Andrea Parkins, and Cookie Segelstein. Bassist David Chevan tours when time permits in his teaching schedule.
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