Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Isao Suzuki: From Tearful Awakening to Jazz Mastery
On January 3, 1933, in the bustling heart of Tokyo, a future jazz legend was born—though Isao Suzuki wouldn’t discover his destiny until years later.
A Moment That Changed Everything
As a college student, Suzuki attended a concert that would alter the course of his life. When he heard the masterful bass lines of Milt Hinton flowing through the venue, something profound stirred within him. Moved to tears by the instrument’s soulful voice, he knew what he had to do. He asked his mother for what seemed like an unusual gift: a double bass.
Fortune smiled on the young musician—his ability to read music became his passport to rapid progress. Within months, he was skilled enough to land his first professional gig at a Tokyo strip club. In 1950s Japan, these venues were unexpected incubators of jazz talent, regularly employing skilled musicians to create the soundtrack for their shows.
Learning from the Americans
Suzuki’s big break came when he joined a group led by Tony Tekiseira, an American G.I. guitarist stationed in Tokyo. Over four transformative years, he absorbed everything he could from the American musicians who passed through, building both his chops and his confidence night after night.
By 1960, Suzuki had become a sought-after player in Tokyo’s jazz scene. He performed with drummer George Kawaguchi’s Big Four (featuring special guest Sadao Watanabe) and joined clarinetist Tony Scott’s band, which eventually evolved into the Hidehiko Matsumoto Quartet. When the group played at the first World Jazz Festival in 1964, Suzuki found himself meeting his heroes: Miles Davis, Wynton Kelly, and most significantly, the legendary bassist Paul Chambers—a connection that deepened his understanding of his instrument.
Crossing the Pacific
The mid-1960s saw Suzuki working with the Sadao Watanabe Quartet before he became bandleader of the house ensemble at Tokyo’s Five Spot. There, he backed or performed alongside visiting luminaries like Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, Wynton Kelly, and Art Blakey. When Blakey invited him to join the Jazz Messengers in 1970, Suzuki didn’t hesitate—he packed his bass and headed to New York.
That pivotal year in America reads like a jazz musician’s dream: Suzuki worked and recorded with Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Timmons, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Sun Ra, and countless others. He was living inside the music he’d once cried over as a college student.
Full Circle: A Master Returns Home
When Suzuki returned to Japan, he brought with him a wealth of experience and a mission. He performed and recorded with Brazilian guitar master Baden Powell and continued pushing the boundaries of his art. Over the decades, he evolved into something far greater than “just” a bassist—he became a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader, and eventually, a revered grand master of jazz.
Perhaps most remarkably, Suzuki never stopped nurturing the next generation. Through his band Oma Sound, he has consistently enlisted young musicians, mentoring them while keeping his own sound vibrantly progressive and contemporary. The college student who once wept at the beauty of a bass solo has spent a lifetime ensuring that jazz in Japan remains alive, innovative, and deeply felt—just as it was on that transformative day when he first heard Milt Hinton play.
Today, Isao Suzuki’s legacy continues to resonate, proving that one moment of musical revelation can echo across decades and continents.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Henry Goodwin: A Globetrotting Trumpet Voice of Early Jazz
Born in the nation’s capital on January 2, 1910, Henry Goodwin was a musical explorer from the start. As a young boy in Washington, D.C., he didn’t limit himself to just one instrument—he experimented with drums and tuba before the trumpet ultimately captured his heart.
A Teenage Talent Goes International
Goodwin’s talent blossomed early. By 1925, while still a teenager, he was already performing professionally with the bands of Sam Taylor and Claude Hopkins. His youthful career took a dramatic turn at just 15 years old when he traveled to Europe with Hopkins as part of the glamorous Josephine Baker Revue. Though the adventure led him to Berlin, the pull of home proved stronger, and young Henry made his way back to New York.
A Life of Musical Adventure
What followed was a career marked by constant motion and collaboration. Goodwin soon found himself sailing to Argentina with Paul Wyer’s ensemble. Upon returning to New York, he worked with Elmer Snowden and laid down tracks with Cliff Jackson’s Krazy Kats. In 1933, Europe called again—this time with Lucky Millinder—before Goodwin returned stateside to perform with Willie Bryant and settle into a two-year tenure with Charlie Johnson.
The late 1930s brought new chapters: a brief but memorable stint with the legendary Cab Calloway, followed by three years with Edgar Hayes. Finding a comfortable artistic home with Sidney Bechet’s distinctive style, Goodwin went on to collaborate with Cecil Scott, Gene Sedric, and Art Hodes. His freelancing years included a memorable return to Europe for the Nice Jazz Festival with Mezz Mezzrow, and by the mid-1950s, he was swinging on the West Coast with Earl Hines in San Francisco.
Throughout the 1960s, Goodwin remained active in various Dixieland bands before eventually retiring. Though he never led his own recording session—a curious footnote for such a well-traveled musician—Henry Goodwin’s trumpet voice graced countless stages across three continents during jazz’s formative decades.
Henry Goodwin passed away on July 2, 1979, leaving behind a legacy of musical wanderlust and dedication to his craft.
More Posts: history,instrumental,jazz,music,trumpet
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Chris Potter: A Jazz Journey from Chicago to the World Stage
Born on New Year’s Day 1971 in Chicago, Illinois, Chris Potter discovered his musical calling early in life. Though he spent his formative years in Columbia, South Carolina, his extraordinary talent knew no boundaries. A natural prodigy, young Chris explored multiple instruments—mastering both guitar and piano—before finding his true voice in the saxophone.
By age 13, Potter was already holding his own on professional jazz stages, captivating local audiences with his precocious gifts. His passion for the music led him to New York City, where he honed his craft at two prestigious institutions: the New School and the Manhattan School of Music.
A Distinguished Career
As a bandleader, Potter has released more than a dozen critically acclaimed albums, earning recognition from the most discerning voices in jazz. His work has landed in the top ten lists of Jazziz and Slate magazines, as well as The New York Times—a testament to his artistic vision and technical brilliance.
Equally impressive is his work as a collaborator. Potter has shared stages and recording studios with an extraordinary roster of jazz legends, including Patricia Barber, Kenny Werner, Marian McPartland, Red Rodney, Paul Motian, Adam Rogers, the Mingus Big Band, Ray Brown, Dave Holland, James Moody, and Joanne Brackeen—just to name a few.
Today, Chris Potter continues to enchant audiences worldwide as a saxophonist (both alto and tenor), multi-instrumentalist, and composer, constantly touring, performing, and recording new music that pushes the boundaries of contemporary jazz.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Patt Casion was born Patt Spears on December 31, 1963 in the Monterey Peninsula, California and grew up in Marina where she learned to play music while at church. It was there she started building her musical chops that led to her attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where one of her classmates was Lalah Hathaway, daughter of Donny Hathaway.
Opportunity gave way to her playing local gigs and recording two albums and took her to many places around the world, one was as a member of the Church of God Christ International Orchestra based in Memphis, Tennessee.
Soprano saxophonist Patt Casion, who after a two year battle with cancer, died on December 31, 2017 at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula at the age of 55.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
On The Bookshelf
88: The Giants Of Jazz Piano
Ever wondered what made the piano gods of jazz so extraordinary? This captivating hardcover opens the door to 88 legendary artists who didn’t just play the piano—they transformed it into an instrument of revolution, soul, and pure genius.
Get ready to discover the fascinating stories behind the music. Each profile reveals not just what these pianists played, but who they were—their quirks, their breakthroughs, and the unmistakable fingerprints they left on jazz history.
The book takes you on an intimate journey with seven towering figures: Jelly Roll Morton, Earl Hines, Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Keith Jarrett, and Cecil Taylor. But that’s just the beginning. You’ll also meet Mary Lou Williams, James P. Johnson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Nat “King” Cole, Dorothy Donegan, Oscar Peterson, Les McCann, Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, Billy Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Geri Allen, and 67 more innovators who pushed boundaries across every style imaginable—from stride’s joyful bounce to swing’s sophistication, bebop’s lightning-fast complexity to the fearless explorations of the avant garde.
At 344 pages packed with 100 stunning photos, plus a bonus CD featuring 11 essential jazz tracks, this is more than a book—it’s an experience. And with a foreword by Keith Jarrett himself, you know you’re in for something special.
Whether you’re a devoted jazz lover or just beginning your journey into this incredible art form, these stories will inspire, surprise, and maybe even change how you hear music.
88: The Giants Of Jazz Piano | Robert L. Doerschuk | Backbeat Books
