Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Harry Haag James was born on March 15, 1916 in Albany, Georgia the son of a bandleader in a traveling circus, the Mighty Haag Circus, and Myrtle Maybelle Stewart, an acrobat and horseback rider. He started performing with the circus at an early age, first as a contortionist at the age of four, then playing the snare drum in the band from about the age of six.

James started taking trumpet lessons from his father at age eight, and by age twelve he was leading the second band in the Christy Brothers Circus, for which his family was then working. James’s father placed him on a strict daily practice schedule. In 1924, his family settled in Beaumont, Texas and in the early 1930s he began playing in local dance bands when he was 15. While still a student at Dick Dowling Junior High School, he was a regular member of Beaumont High School’s Royal Purple Band, and in May 1931 he took first place as trumpet soloist at the Texas Band Teacher’s Association’s Annual Eastern Division contest held in Temple, Texas.

His first job was playing at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee and played regularly with Herman Waldman’s band, where he was noticed by Ben Pollack. In 1935 he joined Pollack’s band, but left two years later and joined Benny Goodman’s orchestra through 1938. He was nicknamed “The Hawk” early in his career for his ability to sight-read. With financial backing from Goodma, Harry debuted his own big band in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1939, but it didn’t click until adding a string section in 1941. Subsequently, known as Harry James and His Music Makers, he went on to produce hits, appeared in four Hollywood films, and toured with the band into the 1980s.

Trumpeter and big band leader Harry James was a heavy smoker, drinker, and gambler, in 1983 he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. He played his last professional job, with the Harry James Orchestra, on June 26, 1983, in Los Angeles, California dying just nine days later in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 5, 1983, at age 67. Frank Sinatra gave the eulogy at his funeral, held in Las Vegas.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Antonio Ciacca was born in Wuppertal, Germany March 14, 1969 and raised in Italy. He began playing the piano at the age of seven and studied with Steve Grossman, Jaki Byard, Bruce Barth and Barry Harris.

Ciacca toured Europe with the Larry Smith Quartet in 1995 and 1996, played in Japan with the Eiji Nakayama Quartet in 1998, and toured Europe with Wes Anderson and Steve Lacy in 1999. His study with Jaki Byard in 1998–99, and dedicated the album Hollis Avenue to him.

He founded the Detroit Gospel Singers, and toured Europe with them in 2000. He earned his undergraduate Diploma at the G.B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna, Italy. He became Director of Programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center from  2007 to 2011. Earning his master’s degree in jazz studies at City College in New York City and his DMA, Doctor of Musica Arts at Stony Brook University.

Pianist Antonio Ciacca is currently the adjunct professor of Jazz History at Marymount Manhattan College, and Professor of Jazz Arranging and Composition at the G. Nicolini Conservatory in Piacenza, Italy.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Andrew Morgan was born on March 13, 1901 in Pensacola, Florida. He played clarinet with the Imperial Band in the mid-1920s and then joined his brother Isaiah Morgan’s band in 1925. Sam Morgan led this ensemble for its recordings in 1927.

Heading to New Orleans, Louisian he played in the late 1920s and 1930s with Kid Howard, Kid Rena, and Kid Thomas Valentine. In the 1940s he and Isaiah played together again in Biloxi, Mississippi, then moved back to New Orleans to play with Alphonse Picou, Kid Rena again, Herb Morand from 1946 to 1952 and Kid Clayton from 1952.

He played with Percy Humphrey in 1953 and with the Young Tuxedo Brass Band and led the group after 1964. From 1958 he played Sweet Emma Barrett, Kid Howard again, Alvin Alcorn, Onward Brass Band, Eureka Brass Band, and Captain John Handy.

Clarinetist and saxophonist Andrew Morgan, who recorded once as a leader for his 1969 album Down By the Riverside, died in New Orleans, Louisiana at the age of 71 on September 19, 1972.

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CHARLES HEATH

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TARIQ GARDNER & EVENING STAR

Evening Star is a group of long time peers and friends from the Detroit Music Community. The group merges the roots traditions of jazz with the modern sounds of neo-soul, hip-hop, and R&B. Group Leader Tariq Gardner channels rhythms from the vast African Diaspora including Gospel, Rhumba, Samba, Swing, and many many more to make the band’s textures go from smooth to rough to velvety. This group has played many venues within the state as well as out of state including Jazzin’ at the Vanity, Third Place Music Festival, Cliff Bells, Blue Llama Jazz Club, and Detroit Jazz Festival. The band has an afro-futuristic aesthetic with the mission that simply makes music the forefront of positive outlets with original compositions as well as arrangements on popular songs from the Black American Canon. Most Recently they have released their freshman album “GATEWAY DRUG” as well as performed at the international Detroit Jazz Festival 2023.

THE BAND:

Tariq Gardner – Drums

Caelin Amin – Bass

LeRoy Mickens – Piano and Keyboards

Jeffrey Trent – Saxophone

Coleman Ward – Vocals

Tickets: $40.00 Cocktail Table (Pre-Pay $20.00 Cover/$20.00 Bar or Menu) | $75.00 Diner & Show (Pre-Pay $20.00 Cover | $55.00 Dinner)

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