Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gregory Herbert was born on May 19, 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and started on alto saxophone at age 12. In 1964 he did a short stint in the Duke Ellington Orchestra, then studied at Temple University from 1965 to 1971.
While a student Gregory recorded with Pat Martino in 1968. From 1971 to 1975 he toured with Woody Herman, then played with Harold Danko in 1975 and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra from 1975 to 1977.
After his tenure with the orchestra, he played briefly with Chuck Israels and Blood, Sweat and Tears. Additionally, Herbert appeared on Chet Baker’s Once Upon a Summertime in 1977 along with Harold Danko, Ron Carter and Mel Lewis.
Saxophonist and flautist Gregory Herbert passed away from a heroin overdose on January 31, 1978 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He never recorded as a leader.
Three Wishes
When Henry Grimes was asked what he would wish for if he had three wishes by Pannonica, he told her:
- “Health. If I had the health, I could do anything else.”
- “The second would be money. Not a large sum of money, but just a constant flow of money to keep me in comfort the rest of my life.”
- “Everlasting peace and everlasting good will amongst everyone. So there’ll be no wars, and no excuse to drop that H~bomb, and all that sh*t. So I’ll live in peace, and spend all that money in peace.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Born May 18, 1894 in North Buxton, Ontario, Canada, Louis Stanley Hooper was raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He attended the Detroit Conservatory, where he played locally in dance orchestras in the 1910s. He then moved to New York City around 1920, recorded with Elmer Snowden and Bob Fuller frequently in the middle of the decade, and performed with both of them in Harlem as well as with other ensembles.
Hooper served for some time as the house pianist for Ajax Records and accompanied many blues singers on record, including Martha Copeland, Rosa Henderson, Lizzie Miles, Monette Moore, and Ethel Waters. He participated in the Blackbirds Revue of 1928.
In 1932 returning to Canada he played in Mynie Sutton’s dance band, the Canadian Ambassadors. Lou did local work solo and in ensembles for the next two decades, then was brought back into the limelight by the Montreal Vintage Music Society in 1962. He released an LP of ragtime piano tunes in 1973 entitled Lou Hooper, Piano.
As an educator he taught at the University of Prince Edward Island late in his life and appeared regularly on CBC television in Halifax. His papers, which include unpublished compositions and an autobiography, are now held at the National Library of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. Pianist Lou Hooper passed away on September 17, 1977, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
David Izenzon was born on May 17, 1932 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Graduating from the Carnegie Institute of Technology, he later received a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music.
Izenzon began playing double bass at the age of twenty-four and played in his hometown before moving to New York City in 1961. There he played with Paul Bley, Archie Shepp, Sonny Rollins, and Bill Dixon, but he is best known for his association with Ornette Coleman, which began in October 1961. He played in Coleman’s 1962 Town Hall concert and played with him frequently from 1965 to 1968, often in a trio format with Charles Moffett.
During this time Izenzon also recorded with Harold McNair and Yoko Ono. He taught music history at Bronx Community College from 1968 to 1971 and played with Perry Robinson and Paul Motian, but reduced his time in music in 1972 when his son became ill. In 1973 Izenzon received a Ph.D. in psychotherapy from Northwestern University. The following year, he co-founded Potsmokers Anonymous with his wife, Pearl.
In 1975 he composed a jazz opera titled How Music Can Save The World, dedicated to those who helped his son recover. From 1977 he worked again with Coleman and Motian up until his death. Double bassist David Izenzon passed away on October 8, 1979 of a heart attack, arriving dead on arrival at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.
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Requisites
To Duke With Love~Art Farmer | By Eddie Carter
I was looking for something to play a few nights ago when I came across a 1976 album by one of my favorite trumpet players, Art Farmer. To Duke With Love (East-West EW-8012) is this morning’s choice from the library submitted for your consideration. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed this record and after listening, began writing about it for this week’s column. This album was one of my Mom’s favorites and she loved the velvety softness of Art’s flugelhorn. It was because of her love of jazz and the joy of listening to the albums together that I became a fan also. Art plays the flugelhorn exclusively on this six-song letter to Duke Ellington and he’s working with a brilliant trio, Cedar Walton on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. My copy used in this report is the 1978 Stereo reissue (Inner City Records IC 6014).
Arthur Stewart Farmer’s first album as a leader was Work of Art (1954). He co-led The Jazztet with Benny Golson from 1959 to 1962. After the group disbanded, he had a successful twenty-year solo career until the band reformed in 1982 to 1986. Art reunited with The Jazztet again during the nineties to perform live at various festivals. He was comfortable in any setting and could play anything, on an uptempo tune, Farmer played vigorously with a fiery passion. At midtempo, his gift of expression was precisely defined, and with slow-tempo ballads and standards, Art skillfully constructed them with innocence and romanticism.
Cedar Walton was an immensely gifted and prolific pianist who typically built perfect solos from simple ideas, proving himself an exemplary accompanist and versatile leader in large ensembles and small groups.
Sam Jones had a beautiful sound on bass with a splendid technique and a marvelous grasp of harmony, he’s best known as one-third of the rhythm section in The Cannonball Adderley Quintet and Sextet. Sam was among the first to make the cello sound plausible on a jazz album, and his bass lines always enhanced any record as the leader of the date or as a sideman. Billy Higgins was the drummer of choice on some of the most memorable Hard-Bop and Free Jazz recordings. He appeared on over seven hundred records including Funk and Rock albums. There was an unmistakable power in his playing, but when called upon, Billy’s drumming could also be considerate and thoughtful, and he brought his A-game every time he sat behind the drums.
Side One opens with the 1935 jazz standard, In a Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington and Manny Kurtz. Art makes an enticingly delicate introduction to the melody, then takes the lead on a slow and sultry statement. Cedar follows with an impressively tender interpretation into the foursome’s luscious close. The 1931 Duke Ellington, Irving Mills standard, It Don’t Mean a Thing begins with an energetic introduction by Jones backed by just Higgins before Farmer and Walton come in to state the theme. Walton takes off first with a briskly stated opening chorus after a brief riff by Higgins. Farmer follows, adding some searing heat on the next performance. Jones gets the last word with an exuberant closing statement ahead of the quartet’s exit.
The Star-Crossed Lovers appeared on Such Sweet Thunder (1957) as part of a twelve-part suite based on the works of William Shakespeare. This Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn tune gives Farmer a showcase to emerge ever so gently on the theme after a luscious introduction by Cedar. Art gives a pretty presentation as sweet as Johnny Hodges achieved on the original song. Cedar also performs beautifully on a gorgeous finale before the coda. Duke Ellington’s The Brown Skin Girl In The Calico Gown was first recorded by Duke and Ella Fitzgerald on Ella at Duke’s Place (1965). It starts Side Two with a duet by Farmer and Jones, segueing into the ensemble’s touching theme. Farmer has the first spot with an attractive interpretation. Walton takes the reins next and is enchanting preceding the unison ending.
The standard Lush Life is afforded a slow, meditative treatment on the opening chorus. Billy Strayhorn wrote the song in 1933 but fine-tuned it until 1938 when he performed it for Ellington. The song’s lyrics describe the author’s weariness of the nightlife after a failed romance. Art paints from a seductive palette of delicacy and elegance on the first solo. Cedar infuses the next reading with a tender expression of love, culminating an exquisite rendition. The album wraps with Duke Ellington’s Love You Madly, written in 1950 and featured on Duke’s Big 4 (1974). After a short Walton introduction, the ensemble provides a happy aura led by Farmer who grooves at midtempo on the melody and lead solo. Walton eases into a medium groove on the final reading that’s an absolute joy.
To Duke With Love was recorded in 1975 by East-West Music in Japan, less than one year after Ellington passed away. The engineer is Ben Taylor and Stan Ricker mastered the album at JVC Cutting Center. It has an excellent soundstage, effectively capturing the essence of Art’s tastefully restrained tone. Farmer recorded over sixty albums as a leader, over seventy as a sideman, and an additional twelve as a member of The Jazztet. He passed away from a heart attack on October 4, 1999, at age seventy-one. If you’re a fan of Art Farmer and in the mood for some soothing jazz, To Duke With Love is a great session honoring one of the greatest composers of all time, Duke Ellington. It’ll repay its owner with many listens for years to come and I highly recommend it for a spot on your shelf! ~Duke’s Big 4 (Pablo 2310-703), Ella at Duke’s Place (Verve Records V-4070/V6-4070), Such Sweet Thunder (Columbia CL 1033) – Source: Discogs.com ~In a Sentimental Mood, It Don’t Mean A Thing, Lush Life – Source: JazzStandards.com ~Art Farmer, The Star-Crossed Lovers, The Brown Skin Girl In The Calico Gown, Lush Life, Love You Madly – Source: Wikipedia.org © 2021 by Edward Thomas Carter
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