Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ernest Dawkins was born November 2, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. As a child he was a neighbor of Anthony Braxton as a child. He played bass and drums early in life before switching to saxophone in 1973.
During that decade he began studying with Joseph Jarman and Chico Freeman, members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. He also studied at Vandercook College of Music.
He worked with Ed Wilkerson and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Douglas Ewart before founding his own New Horizons Ensemble. The ensemble played regularly in Chicago into the new century, as well as at jazz festivals and on tour in Europe.
As a leader he recorded sixteen albums, three as an unofficial leader/co-leader of The (AACM) Great Black Music Ensemble and as a guest with the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble.
Saxophonist Ernest Dawkins, who is principally active in free jazz and post-bop, continues to perform, record and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Louis Bacon was born on November 1, 1904 in Louisville, Kentucky. His family moved to Chicago, Illinois when he was a young child. After a short stint playing with Zinky Cohn in Michigan, he relocated to New York City in 1928. There he worked through 1938 with musicians Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, Bingie Madison, Bessie Smith, and Chick Webb among others.
Contracting tuberculosis in 1938, resulting in a performance hiatus, but by early 1939 he was playing with Benny Carter once more. Later that same year, he embarked on a tour of Europe with Willie Lewis and remained there for two years. He recorded under his own name as well as with Lewis and Freddy Johnson.
After his return to the United States he worked with Garvin Bushell, Cootie Williams, and Jesse Stone. Shortly after the end of World War II, he stopped playing once again due to persistent health problems. He did play trumpet again briefly in 1959–60, working in New York, and late in his career taught voice and sang with Wilbur De Paris.
Trumpeter and vocalist Louis Bacon transitioned on December 8, 1967.
Three Wishes
Pannonica finally got the opportunity to ask Lionel Hampton what he would wish for and his retort was:
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- “To be in tune with jazz. Jazz to me is like the human emotion of the Negro. From the time he was in bondage praying to God to give him freedom – that was the blues then, coming from the spiritual vein – and when he was freed some, he would make jazz more happy. It was coming from the Negroes. From the time of the slave in the cotton fields, swinging up, you dig? From the time it got popularized and commercial, and left the cotton fields and railroad tracks, and they were putting it in the cafes. It was the days of King Oliver and Sidney Bechet..”
- “The colored man always has been the one to change the color of jazz. As the country advanced, they changes the music. It’s always been moving along, integrated by Negroes, turning to his feelings as he advanced. From Louis Armstrong up to Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman, Edgar Sampson, and Sy Oliver. They started changing the picture of jaz. It was their orchestrations, their chart that made jazz. They began writing arrangements for Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and so on – for the ofay bands. fats Waller, Jimmie Lunceford, those guys were all great arrangers. Then Monk, Dizzy, Prez, Don Byas, and Charlie Parker, they came in, all influencing the music, all great instrumentalists. As the Negro got free he added more ingredients. You’d need an encyclopedia to tell it all. I hope I’ll always be tuned so I can dig the transitions in jazz. Because there are more transitions coming.”
- “Lots of white folks write about jazz, but they don’t know the pains of it. You should be the one to write about it, because you understand. And musicians will talk to you. Gotta get down on that stand now, but I’ll be over to your pad tomorrow, and we’ll do this with the tape recorder. It’ll take another three of four hours, at the very least. I’ve not done more than get started on the first answer yet, you dig?”
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Raymond Crane was born on October 31, 1930, Skegness, Lincolnshire, England. Refusing to become discouraged with a music instructor who regarded his tooth unsuitable for his designed profession, he started playing trumpet around his city. After being employed in the East Midlands for several years, playing in groupings like the Mercia Jazz Music group, in 1963 he became a member of Bruce Turner’s Leap Music group. This brought him to the attention of the much wider market through concerts and information, such as Heading Places.
Afterwards he played in groups led by Brian Lemon, with whom he previously proved helpful while they had been still in the Midlands, and Stan Greig. Crane frequently accompanied American jazzmen, including Henry “Crimson” Allen, Ray Nance and Costs Coleman.
He occasionally performed as a pianist, which proved helpful to his being a musical pedagogue, teaching and leading a youth jazz band which graduated Martin Taylor and Guy Barker.
Trumpeter Ray Crane, who was a fiery, swing-era-rooted player, transitioned on June 29, 1994 at the age of 63.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Saul Rubin was born in New York, New York on October 30, 1950. He studied at Hartt College in Hartford, Connecticut and was taught by jazz masters. He graduated with a Undergraduate Degree in Composition in 1980.
An accomplished guitarist Saul’s career has taken him around the world as well as occupying a place in the New York jazz scene as a musician, producer, impresario and personality. He is a regular member of Roy Hargrove’s Big Band sitting in the guitar seat as well as writing charts for the band.
He has shared the stage and studio with Sonny Rollins, Kirk Lightsey, Victor Lewis, Jonathan Batiste, Bob Cranshaw, Gregory Porter, Renee Fleming, John Hicks, Johnny O’Neal, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Candido, Winard Harper, Larry Willis, Eric Revis, Sherman Irby, Thomas Chapin, Lew Soloff, and countless others.
Rubin has produced countless recordings and live shows, has run his infamous long- running weekly Jazz Vocalist Series at his ZEB’S performance space and studio, and has played host to many of the world’s greatest jazz artists. This intimate “loft Jazz” style venue became a go-to place for musicians in New York from 2009 to 2016.
His last album as a bandleader aptly entitled, Zeb’s House, is a tribute to the community of great artists, showcasing both his irrepressible sense of humor as well as his signature gritty, purposeful, urbane sensibility, throughout a mix of both originals and standards.
Guitarist, composer and producer Saul Rubin continues to perform and record.
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