Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bobby Orr was born Robert on August 15, 1928 in Cambuslang, Scotland and began playing drums at the age of three, encouraged by his father, a drum major. From the age of 16 he started playing the trumpet, as a member of Basil Kirchin’s band; however, he had difficulties with his embouchure and returned to the drums.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Orr was a fixture on the London jazz scene, including as a founder member of Joe Harriott’s quintet, which he left and subsequently rejoined, and played for Tubby Hayes among others. He also served as a house drummer at Ronnie Scott’s Club, backing top American visitors such as Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Milt Jackson, and Dizzy Gillespie.
He had three tours with Benny Goodman, then as a freelance musician from 1970, he also toured with Billy Eckstine and Sammy Davis Jr., as well as Tommy Whittle and Don Lusher. In the 1990s, Bobby toured extensively with the UK Glenn Miller Tribute Band.
Over the course of his career he recorded with Sandy Brown, George Chisholm, Digby Fairweather, and Shake Keane. Drummer and session musician Bobby Orr, who played on many recording sessions for pop and rock artists such as Donovan and Dusty Springfield, passed away on March 12, 2020.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mikio Masuda 益田 幹夫, also known as Mickey Masuda, was born on August 14, 1949 in Osaka, Japan. Largely self-taught, he played bass at the age of 16, before switching to piano and performing in various Osaka clubs. Moving to Tokyo, Japan In 1969 he played around the Japanese jazz scene, notably in a quartet with Motohiko Hino, Shunzo Ohno and Terumasa Hino.
Recording his debut album Trace for East Wind Records in 1974, he followed it with his sophomore jazz-fusion album Mickey’s Mouth in 1976. The following years saw Masuda working with a number of Japanese musicians prior to moving to New York City in 1978. He recorded the album Corazón, and worked in New York City with David Matthews. He recorded the trio album Black Daffodils in 1996 with Ron Carter and Lewis Nash, and Blue Dumplings in 1998 with Ron Carter and Grady Tate.
In the field of jazz he was involved between 1972 and 1998 in 46 recording sessions, most recently with Chie Ayado. Pianist Mikio Masuda continues to be active on the jazz scene.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Billy Douglas was born on August 12, 1912 in New Haven, Connecticut. He played with Larry Ringold while young, both having been in the same boys’ institution. He played locally in his teens, then moved to New York City in 1932 as a member of Earle Howard’s band.
In 1933-34 he went on to play with Percy Nelson in Hartford, Connecticut. He then played in the South with Jimmy Gunn. Don Albert picked him up in 1934, and Douglas remained in Albert’s orchestra through 1937.
Doing freelance work for a time, he then worked with Earl Hines for several years in the early 1940s. After 1945 he returned to New Haven where he performed locally until his retirement. Trumpeter and vocalist Billy Douglas passed away in 1978.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Bruz Freeman was born Eldridge Freeman on August 11, 1921 in Chicago, Illinois. With his brothers, guitarist George Freeman and tenor saxophonist Von Freeman, he played for several years in the house band at the Pershing Hotel.
In 1950, he was a member of John Young’s trio with LeRoy Jackson on bass, and recorded with Young’s orchestra backing vocalist Lurlean Hunter. That same year with his brothers George and Von, originally misidentified as Claude McLin, LeRoy Jackson, and Chris Anderson, he played with Charlie Parker shortly before his death, at a jam session recorded at Bird’s apartment which was released in 1960 by Savoy Records.
The mid-1950s saw him as a member of the Hampton Hawes Quartet, with Red Mitchell and Jim Hall, and with line-ups led by Herb Geller. In 1977-8, he joined a short-lived band based in California, led by Kenny Mann and with Britt Woodman on trombone. Drummer Bruz Freeman, who was also known as Buzz and the uncle of Chico Freeman, the son of Von Freeman, passed away in 2006.
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Three Wishes
Upon receiving the question of three wishes from the Baroness, Frank Rehak responded with:
“Improvement of the caliber of recorded music. In general, the public has been exposed – via radio, TV, disc-jockeys, etc. – to bad sounds for many years, which in turn has caused a yardstick of poor music to measure by. If, on the other hand, good music had been given the same exploitation, the taste of John Q. Public would have been made vastly more musical, if by nothing more than the repeated playing and hearing of music worthwhile. I.e.: If any person is exposed to any sound continuously, and for a long period of enough time, it will begin to sound musical to him.
Classic example: The audience hisses, booed, and left the auditorium when Bach first used the sixth in addition to a triad-which of course is now one of the most common sounds used in any type of music. Ditto the dominant seventh which, when first employed, was considered completely distasteful, dissonant, and disgusting to the uneducated ear.
To sum this rambling up, I wish that more good music could be brought across to the general public via any medium. It would make we musicians’ jobs so much more fun and educational.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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