The Jazz Voyager
Had a great time last night in San Francisco as my flight plan continued west from Austin to that city across from the city by the bay. Once landed will venture to traverse the Golden Gate Bridge to Oakland, California. This Jazz Voyager enjoys the flavor of the city and always the music and ambience of the club Yoshi’s.
I missed this bassist at the Atlanta Jazz Festival over the Memorial Day weekend but I am resolved not to do so this time. I arrived in plenty of time to hang out in San Fran, have my reservation for the 7:30 performance of Aneesa Strings. I’ve heard that she’s a beacon of light for young women, black artists and creatives. I can only be patient to experience this bassist, singer, composer who blends jazz and pop with r&b.
The venue is located at 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 94607. For more information contact the venue at yoshis.com.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Will Lee was born September 8, 1952 in San Antonio, Texas. Greatly influenced to pursue music because of his parents, his father played piano, trumpet and the upright bass professionally and his mother sang with big bands. He took up drums after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, and by the time he was 12 had formed his first band in Miami, Florida.
Due to the great numbers of drummers in Miami, Lee studied French horn for a year before shifting to bass and studying at the University of Miami. He became part of a succession of bands including top 40 bands with names like Chances R, The Loving Kind, Green Cloud and Goldrush.
A move to New York City saw Will selected by trumpeter Randy Brecker to join the jazz-rock group Dreams. He played on the album Imagine My Surprise as a bassist and vocalist. After Dreams disbanded, his career as a session musician flourished, and he toured with many artists. In 1982,he became one of the original members of The World’s Most Dangerous Band, the house band on NBC‘s Late Night with David Letterman.
Bassist Will Lee, who has played in both the jazz, rock and r&b genres, continues his career as a seesion and touring musician and recording artist.
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ANEESA STRINGS
Aneesa Strings is a creative, thought leader, singer-songwriter, performer, influencer, music director, professor and composer. After studying jazz, music theory, and acquiring degrees from USC & Michigan State University, Aneesa has scored and lead countless musical moments within the Jazz, Pop and R&B space.
Indie and A-list artists call on her regularly to compose, create and lead musical direction from the ideation, creation and activation elements of music, scoring and touring. Aneesa brings you storytelling through sounds, rhythm and motion.
She’s a beacon of light for young women, black artists and creatives as a whole and is claiming space across many mediums in real time. Aneesa is an all-encompassing artist and composer with a strong share of voice on the ground of the digital space. She’s a walking viral moment garnering attention from platforms such as Essence, Genius, Hypebeast, Blue Note, Balleralert & recording houses & more. She’s now touring & playing legendary jazz festivals as a solo artist including Newport, Hollywood Bowl & Montreal.
Cover: $43.10 ~ 84.10
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Requisites
Bird Songs ~ Sphere | By Eddie Carter
Sphere initially came together to celebrate the music of Thelonious Monk; however, the quartet soon expanded its repertoire to include original albums as well. I first heard “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” on WNOP, Cincinnati’s then-jazz station, and I immediately purchased the album right after work. Listening to it again a few nights ago inspired me to share my thoughts this morning. Bird Songs (Verve Digital 837 032-1), the quartet’s sixth release, is an excellent showcase of the underrated artistry of tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse. Also on board are Kenny Barron on piano, Buster Williams on bass, and Ben Riley on drums, as the quartet celebrates the legacy of Charlie Parker. My copy of this album is the 1988 U.S. digital stereo release.
Side One opens with the quartet’s introduction and theme to Red Cross. Kenny sparkles with inventive runs and unexpected turns in the opening statement. Charlie follows, paying homage to Bird’s rhythmic playfulness, driven by Buster and Riley’s groundwork into the group’s rousing closing chorus. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart is a beloved jazz standard that was a staple in Parker’s repertoire. Williams and the rhythm section set the scene elegantly. Rouse enters next with a smoky, reflective melody, before taking flight in the first solo. The trio’s brief, tasteful interlude clears the way for Barron’s swinging interpretation. After a second trio interlude nudges the tempo forward, Rouse returns for the reprise, and the song gently fades out with the trio’s subtle touch.
The ensemble moves into Dewey Square next, with the rhythm section’s introduction paving the way for Charlie todeliver the melody. Buster begins the solos with a delightfully spirited walk, then Charlie steps into the second statement with a passionately frisky tone that’s crisp, well-structured and executed vivaciously. Kenny tackles the closing reading with youthful zest that’s right on the beat. Ben adds a concise comment during the theme’s reprise and exit. Moose The Mooche shifts the energy upward to begin Side Two with the quartet’s brisk introduction and theme. Rouse fires off the first solo with an infectiously cheerful solo. Barron leaves a memorable mark in the second reading, then Riley takes the spotlight next with youthful vigor. Barron places a few inserts during the theme’s restatement.
Barbados showcases Parker’s take on the calypso rhythm, infused with a bebop twist. The quartet’s melody is joyous, setting the stage for Charlie’s opening solo, which captures the tune’s Caribbean sunlight. Buster walks with a buoyant swagger next, then Kenny weaves a zesty spell with uplifting confidence. Ben evokes the gentle ebb and flow of island waves, carrying the quartet to the closing chorus. The ensemble’s brisk, buoyant introduction to Ah-Leu-Cha leads to an exuberant melody. Rouse draws on his robust tone and melodic inventiveness in the first solo. Barron opens the following reading with playful fragments derived from the central theme. Williams steps forward last, threading a stream of flawlessly constructed musical thoughts until the quartet reconvenes for the melody’s return and climax.
The album’s closer, Quasimodo, slows the pace one final time, for the group’s medium theme. First up is Kenny, who unfolds his solo gradually, with lines marked by crisp articulation and a deft touch. The baton then passes to Charlie, who enters with a relaxed warmth and expressiveness. He listens and responds to the rhythm section, ahead of the theme’s restatement and finale. Joanne Klein and Sphere produced the album, with Richard Seidel serving as executive producer. Rudy Van Gelder was behind the recording dials, and the album was recorded directly to two-track digital using the Sony 3402 DASH Reel-to-Reel Recorder. The album’s sound quality possesses a superb soundstage that emerges from your speakers as if the musicians are positioned directly in front of your sweet spot.
Bird Songs was the final recording Charlie Rouse made with the quartet, as he sadly passed away from lung cancer eight months later, on November 30, 1988, at the age of 64. The ensemble delivers a tight and cohesive performance throughout, and this is truly one of those thoughtfully crafted sessions that invites listeners to return again and again. For anyone who treasures bebop, I enthusiastically suggest adding Bird Songs by Sphere to your library during your next visit to the record store. The album serves as a stirring homage to Charlie Parker, with four remarkable musicians breathing new life into his legacy, creating an experience rich in pure joy, surprise, and profound artistry!
~ I Didn’t Know What Time It Was – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ Postscript Excerpt: DASH – The Digital Audio Stationary Head standard is a reel-to-reel digital audio tape format introduced by Sony in early 1982 for high-quality multitrack studio recording and mastering, as an alternative to analog recording methods. Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
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BEN WILLIAMS
Washington, D.C. has produced its share of game-changers and that long list of musicians that include Duke Ellington, Chuck Brown, Marvin Gaye, Shirley Horn, Roberta Flack, and Meshell Ndegeocello. Added to that list is bassist Ben Williams
For more than a decade Williams has become an acclaimed bassist in modern jazz. He has won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, which got him a recording contract with Concord Records and he has gone on to release several albums. He has performed with Pat Metheny, George Benson, Stefon Harris, David Sanborn, Lauryn Hill, Wynton Marsalis, Robert Glasper, Maxwell and Nicholas Payton to name a few.
Cover: $45.00 | $70.00 | $200.00
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