Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Tatsu Aoki was born on September 19, 1957 in Tokyo, Japan into an artisan family that was a booking and training agent for Geisha ladies. He received at age 4 the important essence of traditional Tokyo Geisha cultural training and studies and became a part of the performing crew in early childhood. After his grandmother died, he had kept the Tokyo music training until early teen, and shifted his musical focus to American pop music and experimental music.
With his movie producer father he began working in small gage films and started to produce experimental films, was active performer during the early 70’s in the mist of Tokyo Underground Arts movement, became a member of Japanese Experimental Music ensemble, Gintenaki, presenting mixture of traditional music and new western music.
After coming to U.S. in 1977, Aoki studied experimental filmmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During the late 80’s, Aoki has become a leading advocate for Chicago’s Asian American community and one of Chicago’s most in-demand musicians on contrabass, taiko (Japanese drums) and shamisen (Japanese lute) and working in both film and music.
An active musician in the field of Asian American jazz, he is the founder and artistic director of Asian Improv ARTS Midwest, The Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival and The JASC Tsukasa Taiko Legacy arts residency program. Double bassist Tatsu Aoki currently teaches at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Earl May was born on September 17, 1927 in New York City first gravitated to drums, but at 14 acquired an acoustic bass, later making his professional debut at the Bronx’s 845 Club. While working an insurance job by day, 1949 saw May moonlighting across the New York club circuit, eventually catching the attention of drummer Connie Kay, who invited him to sit in behind Lester Young at Harlem’s now-legendary Minton’s Playhouse. He continued honing his craft in clubs like Minton’s Playhouse with musicians such as Lester Young and Mercer Ellington. A protégé of the legendary Charles Mingus, in 1951 Earl joined the Billy Taylor Trio, appearing regularly in such clubs as the Hickory House, Birdland and the Downbeat Club.
During the Fifties Earl also worked with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Chet Baker, and Lorez Alexandria, Webster Young among others and recorded the classic “Lush Life” with John Coltrane. He left the Billy Taylor Trio in 1959 to form his own group and act as musical director and arranger for Gloria Lynne.
By the mid-sixties May took up the electric bass and led the Earl May Quartet at The New York Playboy Club and the group rapidly became the epitome of great music in the New York club scene.
Over the years Earl has performed or recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Foster, Cab Calloway, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Junior Mance, Benny Powell, Carmen Bradford, Frank Foster, Dizzy Gillespie, Linda Hopkins, Doc Cheatham, Charles Brown, Claude Williams, Jon Hendricks, Charles McPherson, Marlena Shaw, Ruth Brown, Winard Harper and Phyllis Hyman to name a few more.
Jazz bassist Earl May, one of the most prodigious and prolific bassists of the postwar era, lent his rich, round sound to every session and performance, was the only bassist to play with his left hand but kept the strings in their normal order and was a member of Local 802 since 1947, passed away on January 5, 2008. He was 80 years old.
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Daily Dose OF Jazz…
George Mraz was born Jiří Mráz on September 9, 1944 in Pisek Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, now the Czech Republic. He began his musical studies on violin at age seven and started playing jazz in high school on alto saxophone. He attended the Prague Conservatory in 1961 studying bass violin and graduating in 1966. During that time he was performing with the top jazz groups in Prague.
His first introduction to jazz was through the Voice Of America radio and Louis Armstrong which opened him to a vast new world of possibilities across the ocean. After finishing his studies George moved to Munich and played clubs and concerts throughout Germany and Middle Europe with Benny Bailey, Carmel Jones, Leo Wright, Mal Waldron, Hampton Hawes, Jan Hammer and others.
Mraz was greatly influenced by Ray Brown, Scott LaFaro, Paul Chambers, and Ron Carter. In 1968 he ventured to Boston on a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music and played at Lennie’s on the Turnpike and the Jazz Workshop with such artists as Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Joe Williams and Carmen McRae. By ’69 he was playing with Dizzy Gillespie and then on the road with Oscar Peterson for two years followed by a six- year residency with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.
From the late seventies on he worked with Stan Getz, New York Jazz Quartet, Chet Baker, Hank Jones, Paul Motian, Zoot Sims, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie, Joe Lovano, Carmen McRae, Joe Henderson, Tommy Flanagan and the list of jazz luminaries is to long to elaborate. He was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet and Quest. Bassist and alto saxophonist George Mraz continues to perform, record and tour.
Take A Dose On The Road
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Essiet Okon Essiet was born on September 1, 1956 in Omaha, Nebraska to Nigerian parents. His father worked for the U.S. and Nigerian governments, moving the family from city to city. While living in Wisconsin he began studying violin at age 10 later switching to bass viola at 14.
As a child, his wide travels with his family gave him early exposure to many cultures, folkways, languages, and religions fostered his worldview of strength through diversity. This gave Essiet the ability to fluently mix styles, though he predominantly plays in the modern idiom.
Essiet was Art Blakey’s last bassist, playing with him for 2 years and recording on three sessions. He has performed with Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, Benny Golson, Mulgrew Miller, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Bobby Watson, Billy Higgins, Kenny Kirkland, Joe Henderson, Johnny Griffin, Kevin Mahogany, Kurt Elling and Geri Allen and the Blue Note All Stars to name a few.
Since 1985 he has been at the Conservancy in The Hague as a lecturer. One of the most in demand bassist in jazz, Essiet currently leads Ibo, a Nigerian jazz project.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
George Duvivier was born on Aug 17, 1920 in New York City. He took up the cello and also the violin while in high school before settling on the bass. He also learned composition and scoring before going out on the road with Lucky Millinder and then with the Cab Calloway bands of the early 40s after a stint in the army. An excellent composer, George scored many tunes for those two big bands.
George was a freelance bassist for most of his life, never belonging to any one particular group for any extended period of time, but has played with some of jazz’s greatest, such as Bud Powell, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, and Shirley Scott.
A prolific sideman, Duvivier recorded more than 100 albums with the likes of Kenny Burrell, Gene Ammons, Mildred Anderson, Art Farmer, Jimmy Forrest, San Getz, Etta Jones, Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin and Johnny Lytle among numerous others. In 1956, Duvivier played in the movie orchestra in the film, “The Benny Goodman Story”.
During the 1970s he was a member of Soprano Summit and one of his last performances was on Late Night with David Letterman in 1983, accompanying singer/songwriter Tom Waits.
Double-bassist George Duvivier died of cancer in his Manhattan home on Jul 11, 1985.
Dose A Day – Blues Away
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