Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rashid Bakr was born Charles Downs on October 3, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois but grew up in Bronx, New York from the age of four. His decision to become a musician came from the profound influence of John Coltrane had on him, along with his uncle, drummer Papa Jo Jones. As a child surrounded by jazz musicians growing up, he was given his first set of sticks by Art Blakey and was soon sitting in with his uncle in a Dixieland band.
He attended Queens College studying chemistry and psychology and on to Brooklyn College grad school gaining a degree in clinical psychology. While in college he never missed a Coltrane or Miles Davis performance and his father bought him his first drum set.
During the Seventies, after college and a stint in the Army saxophonist Bobby Zankel took him to an auspicious audition for him with Cecil Taylor, becoming part of his big band. He was active in the New York City loft jazz scene, performing at venues such as Rashied Ali’s Ali’s Alley and Sam Rivers’ Studio Rivbea. He was a member of Ensemble Muntu with Jemeel Moondoc, among others.
In 1976, Bakr performed in a production of Adrienne Kennedy’s A Rat’s Mass directed by Cecil Taylor at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in the East Village of Manhattan. Also in the production were Jimmy Lyons, Andy Bey, Karen Borca, David S. Ware, and Raphe Malik. Taylor’s production combined the original script with a chorus of orchestrated voices used as instruments. 1981 saw him with Taylor touring Europe for three years before returning to New York City.
Free jazz drummer Rashid Bakr is a member of Other Dimensions in Music with Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, and William Parker.
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Three Wishes
When Nica asked Louis Hayes if he had three wishes what would they be he said his three wishes would be:
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“To stay here until I get tired of being here.”
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“To be free.”
- “To be loved.”
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*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Steve Davis was born on September 10, 1958 in Santa Barbara, California. With Shelly Manne as his godfather, he became interested in the drums at a young age. Following the advice of drum teacher Alan Dawson, he moved to New York City in the early 1980s to begin his career as a jazz drummer.
Once there Steve met jazz educator Jamey Aebersold, and by 1982 joined the Aebersold clinic faculty. Throughout the 1980s while studying privately with Joe Morello he worked in New York City, meeting pianist Lynne Arriale at a jam session soon after she moved to the city in 1991.
As an educator, Davis holds a faculty position at the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Summer Schools in the US and the Jazzwise Summer Schools in the UK. He has taught at Triton College, Webster University, Washington University, Berlin Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, and the University of South Florida.
He has recorded five albums as a leader, and eighteen as a sideman with Arriale, Aebersold, Joe Beck, Ali Ryerson, Manfredo Fest, Monika Herzig, Wolfgang Lackerschmid, and Walt Weiskopf. Drummer Steve Davis, who is a recording engineer, continues to perform and record as a musician.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Phillip Sanford Wilson was born on September 8, 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri and was a third-generation musician. His grandfather, Ira Kimball, was a riverboat percussionist on the Mississippi to New Orleans.
His recording debut was with Sam Lazar, noted for having one of the first interracial bands in the St. Louis area. After moving to Chicago, Illinois he became a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and performed with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
He joined up with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 1967 at a time when the band membership changed greatly, including an added horn section. He recorded three albums with the group. Wilson’s song Love March, written with Gene Dinwiddie, was performed at Woodstock and released in 1970 on the live album from the festival.
Wilson, along with Dinwiddie and fellow former Butterfield Band member Buzz Feiten, formed the jazz-rock band Full Moon in the early 1970s. They recorded a self-titled album which is considered one of the finest early examples of jazz fusion. He was part of the loft jazz scene in 1970s New York City, worked as a session musician for Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee and with Jimi Hendrix at the Cafe Au Go Go and Generation Club in 1968. They recorded with The Last Poets, Fontella Bass, Olu Dara, David Murray, Anthony Braxton, and Carla Bley. He worked extensively with Lester Bowie. In 1985, along with Bill Laswell co-produced the album Down by Law under the group name Deadline.
He recorded four albums as a leader and as a sideman recorded twenty-one albums with Hamiet Bluiett, Lester Bowie, Anthony Braxton, Paul Butterfield, Julius Hemphill, Sam Lazar, Frank Lowe, Roscoe Mitchell, and David Murray.
Drummer Phillip Wilson, while pursuing his musical career, was stalked and murdered in New York City on March 25, 1992. As a result of America’s Most Wanted television program, Marvin Slater was convicted for premeditated murder in 1997 and sentenced to 33 1/3 years in state prison. The reason for his murder has never been revealed.
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Conversations About Jazz & Other Distractions
Conversations About Jazz Features
The Composers on September 3
Hammonds House Digital invites you to join us for Conversations about Jazz & Other Distractions hosted by former jazz radio host and founder of Notorious Jazz, Carl Anthony. Every other Thursday, Carl takes audiences on a unique journey through the world of jazz music with artist talks, workshops, and listening sessions.
On September 3 Conversations about Jazz delves into the subject of influential jazz composers. Carl’s guests for this program will be saxophonist, composer and educator Tia Fuller; trumpeter, composer and leader of the Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra Russell Gunn; and drummer, educator and activist Jaimeo Brown. They will discuss their own music, composers that have influenced them, leadership, making albums and more. This program is for the jazz novice and jazz head alike. The event is FREE, but you must register. To register click HERE.
Saxophonist Tia Fuller is an accomplished solo artist who has recorded five full-length projects with her quartet. Her most recent album, Diamond Cut, received a Grammy nomination in the Best Instrumental Jazz category. She is recognized as well-respected collaborator who has recorded and toured with numerous high-profile artists. She performed as part of the I AM… Sasha Fierce and Beyoncé Experience World Tour on stages across the globe; served as assistant musical director for Esperanza Spaulding’s Radio Music Society tour; and recorded and toured with Dianne Reeves for her Grammy-winning Beautiful Life album. Currently, Fuller is a faculty member at Berklee College of Music.
Trumpeter, composer and band leader Russell Gunn grew up listening to rap and hip hop. At the age of sixteen his dedication to the art of jazz took shape, although hip-hop has remained an influence on his work. Gunn has performed with numerous musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Roy Hargrove, James Moody, and R&B hitmaker Maxwell. In 1999 Gunn released his first solo project, Ethnomusicology Vol. 1, which earned him a Grammy nomination. SmokinGunn followed a year later and, in 2001, Ethnomusicology Vol. 2. Since that time, Gunn has released two more volumes in his Ethnomusicology series. In 2007 the trumpeter paid homage to fellow St. Louis, IL, native and trumpet icon Miles Davis with Russell Gunn Plays Miles. More recently Gunn released Pyramids (2019) and Get It How You Live (2020) with his Afro-Futurist Jazz Big Band, The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra.
Jaimeo Brown (pronounced jah-mayo) began his drum career at age 16 with his father bassist Dartanyan Brown, mother pianist and woodwind specialist, Marcia Miget, and drum teacher, Sly Randolph. In the last 20 years, Brown has worked with musicians including Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, Q-Tip, Carl Craig, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Locke, David Murray, and others. He gained experience performing and educating audiences around the world as an ambassador for the US State Department. In addition to performing, Jaimeo contributed material for the Oscar and Grammy award winning documentary ’20 Feet from Stardom’ and PBS production of Ralph Ellison’s ‘King of the Bingo Game.’ As the Director of Transcending Arts Jaimeo is a passionate educator, working in community service in NJ and NY by giving lessons to kids through programs such as NJPAC and New City Kids.
Hammonds House Museum is generously supported by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Fulton County Arts and Culture, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, AT&T and WarnerMedia.
Hammonds House Museum’s mission is to celebrate and share the cultural diversity and important legacy of artists of African descent. The museum is the former residence of the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, a prominent Atlanta physician and a passionate arts patron. A 501(c)3 organization which opened in 1988, Hammonds House Museum boasts a permanent collection of more than 450 works including art by Romare Bearden, Robert S. Duncanson, Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Hale Woodruff, Amalia Amaki, Radcliffe Bailey and Kojo Griffin. In addition to featuring art from their collection, the museum offers new exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, concerts, poetry readings, arts education programs, and other cultural events throughout the year.
Located in a beautiful Victorian home in Atlanta’s historic West End, Hammonds House Museum is a cultural treasure and a unique venue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they continue to observe CDC guidelines, but look forward to welcoming in-person visitors soon! For more information about upcoming virtual events, and to see how you can support their mission, visit their website: hammondshouse.org.MEDIA: For more information, contact Karen Hatchett at Hatchett PR, karen@hatchettpr.com.
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