Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Adelhard Roidinger was born on November 28, 1941 in Windischgarsten, Austria into a musician familyand first learned piano, violin and guitar. When he was 16 he started to play double bass. From 1960 to 1967, he studied architecture at the Graz University of Technology, simultaneously studying double bass and jazz composing at the University of Music and Performing Arts.
Since 1969, Roidinger has played double bass with Joachim Kühn, Eje Thelin, and Karl Berger. From 1971 to 1975 he played in Hans Kollers Free Sound, then founded the European Jazz Consensus with Alan Skidmore, Gerd Dudek and Branislav Lala Kovačev. They recorded two albums. A new band, the International Jazz Consensus was formed by him along with Kovačev, Allan Praskin and John D. Thomas. He went on to perform with Harry Pepl and Werner Pirchner, Herbert Joos, Albert Mangelsdorff, Yosuke Yamashita, George Russell, Maria João, Anthony Braxton, Tone Janša and Melanie Bong.
Roidinger started to teach at Anton Bruckner Private University for Music, Drama, and Dance in Linz in Upper Austria. He was the director of its jazz department and the director of the Music and Media Technology department. He wrote lessons for double bass and bass guitar as well as a detailed publication about jazz improvisation and pentatonic scale.
Bassist, composer and computer graphic designer Adelhard Roidinger, who was awarded Ernst Koref Composition Prize for his computer composition Siamesic Sinfonia, transitioned on April 22, 2022 in Vienna, Austria at 88 years old.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Neil James Sinclair Swainson was born November 15, 1955 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He started his career in his hometown when he supported visiting American musicians Herb Ellis, Barney Kessell, and Sonny Stitt, among others. In 1976 he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia and after playing with the Paul Horn Quintet, he led a band for two years. He moved to Toronto, Quebec in 1977
In the 1980s he played with local and visiting acts including Tommy Flanagan, Rob McConnell, Ed Bickert, Slide Hampton, James Moody, Jay McShann, Moe Koffman, Lee Konitz, Joe Farrell, George Coleman, and Woody Shaw. He went on to collaborate with Woody Shaw appearing on two of his recordings: In My Own Sweet Way and Solid. He toured with Shaw often in New York City and on many European tours.
A collaboration between Swainson and pianist George Shearing would form in 1986, after he replaced Don Thompson in 1988. Their relationship continued until Shearing’s passing in 201 and during their time together they toured across North America, Great Britain, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan. They played with musicians including Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, Diana Krall, Robert Farnon and Mel Tormé.
Together the two recorded eight recordings and he recorded his own album; 49th Parallel on Concord Jazz in 1987. His recordings feature Woody Shaw on trumpet, and Joe Henderson on saxophone along with numerous other musicians such as Jay McShann, Geoff Keezer, Doc Cheatham, Sam Noto, Don Thompson, Peter Leitch, Pat LaBarbera, Joe LaBarbera, Rob McConnell, Ed Bickert, Lorne Lofsky, Kirk MacDonald and JMOG, a cooperative band featuring, Kevin Dean and Pat LaBarbera.
Swainson has also recently toured worldwide with the singer Roberta Gambarini and as well with pianist Gene DiNovi in Japan. As an educator he works at Humber College as a professor in the Bass department after receiving a music degree. Bassist Neil Swainson continues to compose music and freelance in Toronto.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joseph Rupert Benjamin was born on November 4, 1919 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He played with many jazz musicians in a variety of idioms. Early in his career he played in the big bands of Artie Shaw, Fletcher Henderson, Sy Oliver, and Duke Ellington.
He went on to work with Hank Garland, Marian McPartland, Louis Armstrong, Jo Jones, Gary Burton, Roy Haynes, Art Taylor, and Brother Jack McDuff.
Never leading a recording session, Joe recorded three dozen albums as a sideman with Bob Brookmeyer, Kenny Burrell, Dave Brubeck, Harry Edison, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Barry Harris, Roy Haynes, Johnny Hodges, Budd Johnson, Roland Kirk, Gary McFarland, Carmen McRae, Gerry Mulligan, Jerome Richardson, Al Sears, Joya Sherrill, Rex Stewart, Sonny Stitt, Buddy Tate, Clark Terry, The Three Playmates, Sarah Vaughan, Mal Waldron and Kai Winding.
Double bassist Joe Benjamin transitioned on January 26, 1974.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Glen Moore born October 28, 1941 in Portland, Oregon. His performing career began at age 14 with the Young Oregonians in Portland, where he met and played with Native American saxophonist Jim Pepper.
He graduated with a degree in History and Literature from the University of Oregon. His formal bass instruction started after college with Jerome Magil in Portland, James Harnett in Seattle, Washington and Gary Karr in New York, Plough Christenson in Copenhagen, Ludwig Streicher in Vienna, Austria and Francois Rabbath in Hawaii.
His main instrument is an upright bass which was made by Klotz in Tyrol, Austria around 1715. Moore is a founding member of Oregon, but also worked regularly with Rabih Abou-Khalil, Vasant Rai, Nancy King and Larry Karush.
Double bassist Glen Moore, who occasionally performs on piano, flute and violin, continues to perform and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Manny Flores Jr. was born in El Paso, Texas on October 9, 1954. He spent his first eighteen years of life as an army brat, traveling and listening to music in a variety of different places. He began his playing career in the summer of 1971 at a gig at the Fort Huachuca NCO Club. At this time his inspiration for the bass was fellow left-handed bass player Paul McCartney. Graduating from Buena High School in Sierra Vista, Arizona in l972.
He also listened to jazz when he would buy Blue Note LPs at the bargain bin with Eric Dolphy and Charles Mingus among his favorites. He then graduated from Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona in 1974 with an Associates degree in Liberal Arts. By 1975 he was back in his hometown of El Paso and began playing in various groups including Top 40 and Country/Western groups in New Mexico, Wyoming and Arizona. Enrolling at the University of Texas at El Paso, he received his Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1982.
In 1983 he auditioned for and began playing with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Abraham Chavez Jr. He also began teaching instrumental music in the Ysleta Independent School District. During the decade Manny met many musicans who inspired him to make music a way of life including Frank Zappa, Jaco Pastorius, Ray Brown and Julliard cello teacher Harvey Shapiro.
In 1985 he began the first of a four-year trek to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to attend the prestigious Johannesen International School of the Arts. He attended six-week master classes, and spent a summer in New York City studying jazz and listening to live performances of Charlie Haden, Marc Johnson, Harvie Swartz, and Eddie Gomez.
Flores has played with several big bands in addition to Bobby Saunders, Frank Dove and the Sundowners, Mario Otero, Crossroads, El Paso Brass Quintet, Bobby Booth Dixieland Band, M.D. Quartet, U.T.E.P. Lab Band I with Gene Lewis, Mike Francis Quartet, Gerald Hunter and the Quintones, Art Lewis and the Earthmen, Orchestra Puerto Rico, Spice of Life, Bing Browning Trio, Cecile Larochelle, The Platters, The Four Lads, The Four Aces, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Mel Carter, Roger Miller, Johnny Mathis, Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians, Charlie Rouse and Boyz II Men.
By 1998 he made his first trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to fulfill a lifelong desire to experience Brasilian music firsthand and to meet one of his favorite musicans Hermeto Pascoal. He hung out with his friends Albert Suhett, Itibere Zwarg, Marcio Bahia, and Hermeto. Marcio Bahia introduced him to bassist Adriano Giffoni with whom he studied with each summer in Rio.
Bassist Manny Flores Jr. is involved in the Universal Music movement and continues to perform locally in Austin and El Paso.
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