Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Leslie Priestley Carew was born on August 15, 1908 in London, England but spent his formative years in Shipley, Yorkshire. The son of theatrical parents, it wasn’t till after working in the local mills in his post-school years that he found himself drawn to music and the trombone, upon which he progressed rapidly.
Known to the music world as Les, he began playing in dance bands and eventually returned to London and caught the eye and ear of Jack Hylton. In the 1930s he became a featured trombonist in the Jack Hylton Orchestra during their international heyday performing all over Europe.
He was known for his comedic performances, as an actor and a natural comedian, Carew appeared with his Hylton bandmates in films She Shall Have Music (1935), The Playboy (1938) and Calling All Stars (1937).
Leaving Hylton in the Forties he added vocals to his performance arsenal and recorded as a member of Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra. By the time World War II ensued, military service was curtailed by health deficiencies, and during the latter part of it he led the Ambrose Octet.
After the war Carew freelanced in London with Geraldo, Eric Robinson, Mantovani, George Melachrino and many others. In 1970 his first wife, Elsie, died and he subsequently married the music lecturer Avril Dankworth – founder of the children’s music camps bearing her name – a partnership which lasted the rest of his life.
Trombonist Les Carew died of Parkinson’s disease, shortly after completing his autobiography in 1994 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Anthony Dowd was born on August 14, 1957 in Richmond, Virginia and started playing piano by ear at age six. Listening to what he heard on television he figured out on the piano before beginning formal lessons at age 12, studying for about five years. During high school he came across his parent’s big band records and got hooked on swing and looked for more jazz piano.
A few weeks after graduating Benedictine High School, Anthony got a job playing piano with a local big band, The Kings Of Swing, at Kings Dominion Amusement Park. That led to jobs with Busch Gardens and Carnival Cruise Lines. In the early 80s’ he moved to Hartford, Connecticut and honed his solo piano skills at local restaurants, modeling his playing after pianist Dave McKenna.
Returning to Richmond in 1985 he landed a residency leading the house trio at Benjamin’s Restaurant until 1992. In 1994, while playing at the Jefferson Hotel, he hit a high point. Frank Sinatra was in town for some concerts, and after finishing his dinner, joined Dowd at the piano and sang a few tunes. After playing in the mid-Atlantic region, he took a break from playing piano, moved to Tennessee and spent time raising his daughter.
He returned to Virginia in 2003 and found his reputation as an all-around pianist as strong as ever. His style mixes the playing of Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. His debut release as a leader was Can’t Sleep in 2009. He is featured on bassist Jason Jenkin’s albums and with Roger Carroll on their duet release. He recorded with the Children’s Miracle Network
As an educator he has lectured on jazz piano history for the Retired City of Richmond Employees, Rappahanock Community College and the Northumberland Library System. He formed the Richmond Association of Jazz Artists to promote concerts.
Pianist, singer and songwriter Anthony Dowd, who has composed close to 60 songs, continues to perform, record, compose and sell his tunes to publishers.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Nico Assumpção was born Antônio Álvaro Assumpção Neto on August 13, 1954 in São Paulo, Brazil. His father was a professional bass player, but he debuted in music by playing the acoustic guitar at the age of 10. He took classes with Paulinho Nogueira but changed to bass six years later to fill in the void in a schoolmate’s band.
At 16, he came to the United States to study harmony and orchestration at the University of California. Returning to Brazil he went to study at CLAM, with Brazilian bassists Luis Chaves and Amilton Godoy. In 1976 he again left Brazil and landed in New York City to study and perform on a deeper level. He played with among others Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny, Sadao Watanabe, Larry Coryell, Fred Hersh, Larry Willis, Joe Diorio, John Hicks, Steve Slagle, Victor Lewis, Dom Salvador and Charlie Rouse.
While in the States he mastered various bass playing techniques, and became one of the pioneers of fretless and 6-string bass in Brazil when he came back in 1981. That same year he released the first bassist solo album in the country, titled Nico Assumpção. The following year he moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where he lived for the rest of his life.
He was one of the most popular bassists in Brazil having played and/or recorded with Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, João Bosco, Maria Bethânia, Edu Lobo, César Camargo Mariano, Toninho Horta, Luiz Avellar, Wauke Wakabaiashi, Marco Pereira, Ricardo Silveira, Nelson Faria, Gal Costa, Hélio Delmiro, Maria Bethânia, Márcio Montarroyos, Raphael Rabello, Léo Gandelman and Victor Biglione, among others.
Bassist Nico Assumpção died from cancer on January 20, 2001 in Rio de Janeiro at age 47.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Andrew James Quin was born August 12, 1960 in London, England. Not from a musical family, he was offered a scholarship to study classical piano at the Royal College of Music, but turned down the place in order to pursue his growing interests in improvisation, composition and music technology.
He works in TV and film and his music has appeared in Hollywood movies, advertising campaigns, and television programs. His work has appeared in British TV shows such as Coronation Street and Holby City.
Pianist, theatre organist and composer Andy Quin, who has well over one thousand published tracks, continues to perform, compose and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Russ Gershon was born on August 11, 1959 and grew up in Westport, Connecticut. He attended Harvard University where he received a degree in philosophy and was a disc jockey, jazz director and station manager at Harvard’s WHRB radio station. He attended Berklee College of Music for a year in 1984 and the following year the Either/Orchestra played its first live show at the Cambridge Public Library.
Founding Accurate Records he has released albums by Morphine, Medeski Martin & Wood, the Alloy Orchestra, Ghost Train Orchestra, the Either/Orchestra, Dominique Eade, and Garrison Fewell. He has been a member of rock bands and has worked as a studio musician as well as performing in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1997 Russ played arrangements of Ethiopian popular music with the Either/Orchestra. This drew the attention of Francis Falceto, who produced the “Éthiopiques” series of albums to document 20th century Ethiopian music. Through Falceto’s connections his band were invited to Addis Ababa in 2004 and became the first American big band to perform in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington’s in 1973.Their principal concert was released as the album Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis and led to working with Ethiopian musicians such as Mahmoud Ahmed, and appeared with Ahmed’s band at Carnegie Hall in 2016.
Saxophonist, flutist, composer, and arranger Russ Gershon continues to perform with the Either/Orchestra.
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