Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Walt Weiskopf was born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1959 and grew up outside of Syracuse, New York. His father, a physician by profession, was also a serious classical pianist. Classically trained, it wasn’t the albums of Al Hirt or Herb Alpert his mother brought home but Miles Ahead that turned his attention. Already filled with Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane at 14 he set his sight in earnest on jazz. At 16, he began playing alto saxophone in a local big band alongside the great tenorist J.R. Monterose, who became his first mentor.
Heading to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, Walt acquired a B.A. and after a move to New York City at twenty in 1980 he made a name for himself in jam sessions and was drafted into the Buddy Rich Big Band, adding tenor to his arsenal. By 1983, he began a 14-year association with Toshiko Akiyoshi, touring and recording with her jazz orchestra and small group.
The late ’80s, saw him playing with and writing for his first quartet that included his brother Joel, bassist Jay Anderson, and drummer Jeff Hirshfield. In 1989, he released his debut album as a leader, Exact Science, with that band. A sextet album followed as his sophomore project with Conrad Herwig, Andy Fusco, Joel Weiskopf, Peter Washington, and Billy Drummond. This began a long association with Criss Cros,s Jazz in which eleven albums were recorded and released.
His latest project, the debut of the European Quartet takes him further into his composing, arranging and thematic compositions. The group has released a number of albums, such as Worldwide, Introspection and Introspection 2.0, and a three song ep A Little Christmas Music.
As outstanding as this output is and all of his efforts as a sideman are (he is especially great on Billy Drummond’s Dubai), Weiskopf is best known to many fans for his work with Steely Dan over the past 20 years—before and after the untimely passing of its genius co-founder Walter Becker in 2017.
As an educator he has taught at numerous schools including the Eastman School of Music, Temple University, New Jersey City University and the New School. He published numerous books, Intervalic Improvisation, Around the Horn, and Understanding the Diminished Scale. Moving to Virginia, he retired from teaching and working commercially and is concentrating on practicing and composing.
Tenor saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator Walt Weiskopf, who was a 20 year staple of the studio-only jazz rock fusion band Steely Dan, continues to push the realm of his music.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Alan Lee was born on July 29, 1936 in Melbourne, Australia. He was one of the first Australian jazz musicians to fuse classical music with jazz and to utilize Latin American rhythms in his music.
He led several jazz bands in Melbourne and Sydney from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Some of his recorded albums include his Seventies’ projects Gallery Concerts, The Alan Lee Jazz Quartet, Moomba Jazz ’76, Live from the Dallas Brooks Hall, and Alan Lee and Friends: Jazz at the Hyde Park Hotel in 1990, among others.
Bandleader, vibraphonist, guitarist, and percussionist Alan Lee at 86 continues to dabble in music.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
James David Hughart was born July 28, 1936 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Fritz and Annette Hughart, the father being bassist with the Minneapolis Symphony and San Diego Symphony. He began studying the bass as a child.
Starting his music career working as a musician in 1953, four years later he received a B.A, degree in Music Composition & Theory, Bass from the University of Minnesota. Following graduation, Hughart was drafted into the Army and for two years, traveled throughout Europe performing with the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra. After his discharge he joined Ella Fitzgerald’s touring band following a recommendation from Ray Brown. During his three years with Fitzgerald, he started his extensive recording career.
A move to Los Angeles, California in 1964 put him imposition to become a very active session musician. He studied electric bass under the veteran session musician Carol Kaye.
He performed as a regular sideman for guitarist Joe Pass and singer Tom Waits. He has participated in over 200 record albums, 300 motion picture scores, and many television shows. Jim has recorded with many artists including Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Frank Rosolino, Paul Smith, Barney Kessel, Milt Jackson and Natalie Cole, as well as Diana Ross, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Barry Manilow,
Double bassist Jim Hughart continues to work locally and resides in Los Angeles.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Einar “Pastor’n” Iversen was born July 27, 1930 in Mandal, Vest-Agder, Norway to a pastor. Raised in Oslo, Norway where he studied classical piano under Inge Rolf Ringnes, Artur Schnabel and Finn Mortensen. He quickly established himself on the Oslo jazz scene in 1949. He released his debut album with Rowland Greenberg’s Orchestra in 1953 and became one of the most respected Norwegian jazz musicians, and ws awarded Buddyprisen at 28 years old.
He played with Dizzy Gillespie at Birdland in 1952, on the America Boat with Anthony Ortega and the Modern Jazz Quartet. He was a regular pianist at Metropol Jazz Club, where he played with Dexter Gordon, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Griffin, Svend Asmussen and Stuff Smith, among other visiting musicians. He recorded an album with his own trio, Me and My Piano, in 1967.
Beyond busy session work Einar led his own “E. I. Trio” with bassit Tor Hauge and drummer Jon Christensen. They released Norways first jazz trio recording in 1967, Me And My Piano, containing Jazz standards. The trio would go on to release on Gemini Records Jazz På Norsk, Who Can I Turn To, Portrait Of A Norwegian Jazz Artist – Einar Iversen, and on Hazel Records, Seaview.
Pianist and composer Einar Iversen, who through more than sixty years played with everyone in Norwegian jazz, transitioned on April 3, 2019, at the age of 88.
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Three Wishes
When Nica broached the subject of three wishes with Mose Allison he had but one reply:
- “If that ever happened to me, the first would be that every individual would contain his own destructiveness. And if this wish was granted, I wouldn’t need the others.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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