Daily Dose Of Jazz…
George Holmes “Buddy” Tate was born on February 22, 1913 in Sherman, Texas and first played the alto saxophone. He began performing in public as early as 1925 in a band called McCloud’s Night Owls, then later in the decade was playing tenor saxophone around the Southwest with bands led by Terrence Holder, Andy Kirk and Nat Towles.
He joined Count Basie in 1939 replacing Herschel Evans and stayed with him until 1948. After his period with Basie ended, he worked with several other bands before finding success on his own, starting in 1953 in Harlem. Buddy’s group worked at the Celebrity Club from 1953 to 1974. In the late 1970s, he co-led a band with Paul Quinichette and worked with Benny Goodman.
In 1979, Tate’s hometown invited him to play a concert at Austin College’s Sid Richardson Center as part of The Sherman Symphony Pops Series. Mayor Virginia Morriss issued a proclamation declaring October 6th as Buddy Tate Day. Accompanying Tate were Jay McShann, Claude Williams, Buster Smith and Paul Gunther.
In 1980, he was injured by scalding water in a hotel shower, which kept him inactive for four months. The 1990s saw him slow down, but he remained active playing with Lionel Hampton among others.
In 1992, Tate took part in the documentary, Texas Tenor: The Illinois Jacquet Story. In 1996, he recorded with reeds player James Carter on the younger man’s second release for Atlantic Records, Conversin’ with the Elders, along with trumpeters Harry “Sweets” Edison and Lester Bowie, and saxophonists Hamiet Bluiett and Larry Smith.
Living in New York until 2001, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona to be cared for by his daughter. Saxophonist and clarinetist Buddy Tate died in Chandler, Arizona twelve days before his 88th birthday on February 10, 2001.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ronald Thomas Verrell February 21, 1926 in Rochester, Kent, England. He initially showed little interest in music until he saw the Benny Goodman Quartet perform in the film Hollywood Hotel in 1938. From that point on he wanted to be a drummer, he taught himself how to play after only one lesson. In 1940, after the outbreak of World War II in Europe, the 14-year-old was evacuated to Porthcawl in South Wales, where he made his first public appearances drumming with local bands in the area.
Returning to Kent in 1943 he worked professionally for a while with the Claude Giddins band, before being conscripted to work as a Bevin Boy in the coal mines for the remainder of the war. Following the war Ronnie began performing with Scottish saxophonist Tommy Whittle and Belgian trumpeter Johnny Claes. Then between 1947 and 1951 he played with several big bands, including those led by Carl Barriteau and Cyril Stapleton.
In 1951 Verrell joined the Ted Heath Orchestra and remained with the band until Heath’s retirement in 1964. They toured America and became the first British big band to break into the US big band arena. His next move focused on session work where he backed Winifred Atwell, Jack Jones, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Jonathan King, Petula Clark and Strawbs. He would go on to join Jack Parnell’s house band and Syd Lawrence’s band in the 80s.
Ronnie performed in several television shows, including The Muppet Show where he played drums for the show’s manic puppet drummer, Animal. He dueled Buddy Rich on the show as Animal and won after Animal smashed a snare drum over Rich’s head.
The mid-1990s had him forming his own quintet he modelled after Benny Goodman’s band. Then a serious road accident forced him to stop performing for almost a year. After his recovery he continued to play, touring with an all-star band, Best of British. His final appearance was on The Frank Skinner Show in 2001.
Drummer Ronnie Verrell died on February 22, 2002 in Kingston-upon-Thames, England from a chest infection he contracted during an operation to fix a crushed vertebra resulting from a fall down some stairs.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mark Gross was born February 20, 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up listening to gospel in his childhood home. His interests in classical music led him to the Baltimore School for the Arts, then studied one semester at Howard University. He matriculated four years at Berklee College of Music, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance and upon graduation in 1988, Gross began his professional music career in jazz.
Gross has toured the world with the Mark Gross Quartet, Buster Williams, Philip Harper, Nat Adderley, Dave Holland, Mulgrew Miller, Nicholas Payton, Delfeayo Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Big Band, Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Tom Harrell Big Band, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Cyrus Chestnut, Regina Carter, Stephon Harris, Walter Booker, Jimmy Cobb, Don Braden, Lenora Zenzalai Helm, among others.
He has performed several times on Broadway including Five Guys Named Moe, Shuffle Along and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. Mark first recorded as a solo act in 1997 with Preach Daddy, followed by his sophomore project in 2000 The Riddle of the Sphinx. In 2013 he recorded Blackside, Mark Gross + Strings five years later and the soon to be released The Gospel According to Mark: A Jazz Suite this year.
Alto saxophonist Mark Gross, who plays in the hard bop tradition, continues to perform, compose and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Corrado Abbate was born on February 19, 1958 in Turin, Italy. Originally trained as a classical pianist, he quickly turned to jazz and soon demonstrated a distinct aptitude for composition and arrangement.
During the 1980s he led a number of groups highly active on the Torinese scene, Arsis, Modal Jazz Quintet, and Sharp Eleventh, playing everything from hard bop to modal, from fusion to free-funk. He helped launch many talented young musicians, and during the same period he played with Massimo Urbani, Gianni Basso, Franco Mondini, Alfredo Ponissi, Luciano Bertolotti and many others.
1991 saw him forming his own quartet with tenor and soprano saxophonist Fulvio Albano, Claudio Nicola on double bass and drummer Raffaele Fontana. Two years later they recorded the album Brecce and played numerous concerts in Italy and important jazz festivals.
His next group was Primitivo, a group that was to become the most important acid-jazz band in the Turin area. With saxophonist Danilo Pala, the Cuban trumpeter Amik Guerra and percussionist Luis Casih, together with Nicola and Fontana they recorded Speed Jazz. In the new millennium he formed the Jazzcom Project and Multiverse Jazz Quartet, and is a member of the Gigi Di Gregorio Ensemble and the Cluzon Big Band.
Pianist Corrado Abbate continues to take on projects in the theatrical field, compose music for stage, and perform as a jazz musician.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jimmy Jewell was born on February 18, 1945 in the United Kingdom and began his career in 1962, participating in several jazz and rhythm and blues bands including Eddie Marten and the Sabres. Going professional the following year he joined the band Kris Ryan and the Questions after the band’s drummer Geoff Wills recommended his inclusion. With Jewell’s participation, Questions shifted genres, from rock to something more soul-oriented. Owing to artistic differences with Ryan, he left the band after final gigs in Germany during 1965.
In 1966 he moved to London, England played for a while in the Freddie Mack Sound and subsequently toured Germany with Chris Andrews and the Paramounts. Jimmy joined the Magics, a Berlin band, and toured Germany. In 1967, back in London, he played gigs with Lord “Caesar” Sutch & the Roman Empire, and the joined soul band Stewart James Inspiration, with whom he toured until their dissolution 1968.
After joining the Keef Hartley Band, Jewell played Woodstock and a couple of albums were released with his saxophone sound: The Battle of North West Six and The Time Is Near. A was a prolific session musician and band member during the 1970s, he recorded during 1973 and 1974 appearing on Ronnie Lane’s Anymore for Anymore. He recorded with the Hollies on their self-titled album. In the Seventies he recorded for Maggie Bell and Andy Fairweather Low, toured with Gallagher and Lyle and appeared on two of their albums.
He recorded with Fairport Convention, Chris de Burgh, performed with Roger Daltrey, John Lodge and with the Hollies. Jimmy went on to release two albums: I’m Amazed and From the First Time I Met You. By the Eighties work became occasional, including small jazz bands and collaboration with bluesman Lonnie Brooks on the 1981 album Turn On The Night.
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