Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Barre Phillips was born October 27, 1934, in San Francisco, California. He studied briefly in 1959 with S. Charles Siani, Assistant Principal Bassist with the San Francisco Symphony. In 1962 he moved to New York City in 1962 and during the Sixties he recorded with, among others, Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Giuffre, Archie Shepp, Peter Nero, Attila Zoller, Lee Konitz and Marion Brown.
Moving to Europe in 1967, Phillips’ 1968 recording of solo bass improvisations was issued under three different titles as Journal Violone in the US, Unaccompanied Barre in England, and Basse Barre in France on Futura Records, is generally credited as the first solo bass record.
A 1971 record with Dave Holland, Music from Two Basses, was probably the first record of improvised double bass duets. Since 1972 he has been based in southern France and in the 1970s, he was a member of the well-regarded and influential group The Trio, with saxophonist John Surman and drummer Stu Martin.
The 1980s and 1990s saw Barre playing regularly with the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, led by fellow bassist Barry Guy. He worked on soundtracks of the motion pictures Merry-Go-Round, Naked Lunch together with Ornette Coleman, and Alles was baumelt, bringt Glück!. He has also worked with numerous bassists, guitarists, clarinetists, saxophonists, and pianists.
At 87, double bassist Barre Phillips continues to be active on the jazz scene.
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is flying into Baltimore, Maryland on Thursday for crab cakes and jazz. First stop is breaking bread with friends and enjoying the company and camaraderie. The following night I will be in the audience at the Keystone Korner Baltimore to hear the Bill Charlap Trio. It’s been a few years since I’ve heard the trio with Bill on piano, Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums.
But there’s so much more to the city so during the day this Jazz Voyager will be moving about the city investigating the Top Of The World Observation Deck, the Lexington Market, National Aquarium and the American Visionary Art Museum.
The trio will be in residence for two nights ~ October 21 & 22, two sets each evening at 7:30 and 10:00 pm, with a Sunday, October 23rd late afternoon show at 5:00pm. Tickets range $35.00 ~ $45.00 plus fee.
The Keystone Korner Baltimore address is 1350 Lancaster Street, 21231. For more information, the number is 410-946-6726 or keystonekornerbaltimore.com.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Patrick Cairns “Spike” Hughes was born October 19, 1908 in London, England and spent his childhood mostly with his mother, a psychiatrist who was involved in extensive travel in France and Italy, as well as a more settled period of education at Perse School in Cambridge. By 1923 when he was 15 he spent an extended period in Vienna, Austria studying composition with Egon Wellesz.
He began writing his first music criticism for The Times of London and heard his first jazz at the Weinberg Bar, Weihburggasse, a band led by trumpeter Arthur Briggs. Returning to the UK in 1926, Hughes had a solo cello sonata performed in London and wrote the incidental music for two theatre productions in Cambridge.
His interest in jazz was stimulated by the London revue Blackbirds, starring Florence Mills and Edith Wilson in 1926. It was an enthusiasm he shared with his friends, the composers Constant Lambert and William Walton and the conductor Hyam Greenbaum. He taught himself double bass using a German string bass made of tin, the spike of which led to his nickname. He formed his own jazz group in 1930 and was one of the earliest artists signed to Decca Records in England and recorded over 30 sessions between 1930 and 1933.
Originally billed as Spike Hughes and his Decca-Dents, but it was changed either to his Dance Orchestra or Three Blind Mice for smaller sessions. From 1931, he played regularly with the Jack Hylton Band and his career in jazz culminated in 1933 with a visit to New York, where he arranged three recording sessions involving members of Benny Carter’s and Luis Russell’s orchestras with Coleman Hawkins and Henry “Red” Allen from Fletcher Henderson’s band.
After the New York recordings, Spike ceased performing jazz and orchestrated and conducted shows for C B Cochran and using the pseudonym Mike wrote jazz reviews for Melody Maker, Daily Herald and The Times from 19531 to 1967. He established performance and recording opportunities for American bands in England.
He wrote radio plays accompanied by his own musical scores for the BBC, writing and broadcasting, conducting the BBC Theatre Orchestra, and for BBC Television. As a writer, regular BBC broadcaster and critic his subjects also included food and travel. He wrote sixteen composition, five film scores, fifteen books and recorded four albums,
Composer, arranger and double bassist Spike Hughes, who became better known as a broadcaster and humorous author, transitioned on February 2, 1987.
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CURTIS LUNDY TRIO
Curtis Lundy is arguably one of the most prolific — in-demand bassists on the modern jazz scene — he is a disciple of the mainstream — straight ahead — hard bop school. Highly regarded for his robust, lyrical, ‘lead from the front’ approach to the acoustic bass — he delivers an unsurpassed brand of masterful excellence in performing standards, originals and the American songbook. His fluid voicings and exceptional dexterity allow listeners to delve into a song — in any time signature — with an equal measure of challenge and enjoyment.
Born in 1963, Cyrus Chestnut started his musical career at the age of three, playing piano at the Mount Calvary StaR&Baptist Church at the age of six in his hometown of Baltimore, MD. By age nine, he was studying classical music at the Peabody Preparatory Institute in Baltimore. In the fall of 1981, Cyrus began jazz education in Boston, MA at the Berklee College of Music. In 1985, he earned a degree in jazz composition and arranging. While at Berklee, Chestnut was awarded the Eubie Blake Fellowship, the Oscar Peterson, Quincy Jones, and Count Basie awards for exceptional performance standards at the college. His association with Betty Carter, which began in 1991 significantly affected his outlook and approach to music, confirming his already iconoclastic instincts. Carter advised him to “take chances” and play things I’ve never heard,” Chestnut says. As Cyrus was absorbing experiences as a sideman, he was also developing as a leader, recording and playing live around the world.
Victor Jones, considered a visionary in today’s music business, is a new breed of Drummer/Bandleader bringing new and exciting ideas to the world of jazz and world music. No stranger to traditional or modern jazz, Victor Jones started his career as a teen-age musician playing in local bands in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey and touring world-wide with Lou Donaldson. In his early twenties he toured the world with Stan Getz. Later tours were with James Moody, Michel Petrucciani, Joe, Olivia, Stanley Clarke,, Phyllis Hyman,, Dizzy Gillespie and Chaka Khan as well as others. Victor played on the Grammy nominated EMI Korean recording, Second Moon, which won Record of the Year in 2006. Victor also was featured on the Best Latin Jazz recording in 2008 with Papo Vasquez. When asked about his greatest achievement he replied, “My greatest achievement in life was having five children with my wife Ane Jones.” Since 2003 he has been a Bandleader with his own World Music Band, Cultur-Versy, these days specializing in a new age type of music, a mix of dance music, hip-hop and electro pop.
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MATTHEW PARRISH QUARTET FEATURING HOUSTON PERSON
Jazz bassist Matthew Parrish has ‘come into his own’ as a sought after performer, arranger, composer, producer and instructor. Matthew brings skills and swing as he puts his heart into every note he plays. He has a genuine warmth and loyalty to the music that transcends into every note, every tune, and every interaction with his fellow musicians.
Houston Person grew up in Florence, S.C., studied at the state college there, was later named to the school’s Hall of Fame in 1999, and continued his studies at Hartt College of Music in Hartford, CT. Earlier, in the U.S. Air Force, he played with Don Ellis, Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton, and Leo Wright. Contrary to popular belief, he was never married to the late singer Etta Jones, but did spend many years as her musical partner, recording, performing and touring.
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