Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Toshiyuki Miyama was born on October 31, 1921 in Chiba, Japan. He played in a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force band during World War II. After the war, he joined the Lucky Puppy Orchestra.
From 1950 he led his own ensemble, Jive Ace, however, eight years later the group expanded to big-band size and changed its name to the New Herd. The ensemble’s arranger was Kozaburo Yamaki.
New Herd recorded with Charles Mingus in 1971 and toured worldwide throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Miyama led the ensemble for more than fifty years, continuing to perform into the 2000s.
Clarinetist and bandleader Toshiyuki Miyama died on May 24, 2016 at 94 years.
More Posts: bandleader,clarinet,history,instrumental,jazz,music
The Jazz Voyager
Leaving the magic of Manhattan for the West Coast in preparation, this Jazz Voyager is heading to San Francisco, California to be in the audience at the renowned jazz venue, the Black Cat. Located in the Tenderloin, the supper club will be put to the test to see if their Maryland Crab Cakes asre as good as the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
This week I will witness a once in a lifetime music collaboration between three time Grammy nominated composer De’Sean Jones and Urban Art Orchestra with the drumming of Blaque Dynamite. The Detroit saxophonist is bringing lush textures of music to the stage.
A cover charge including fees range between $20.00 and $50.00. Dinner has its own cost.
More Posts: adventure,club,drums,ensembles,genius,jazz,music,preserving,saxophone,travel
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Carolyn Lee Jones was born on October 30, 1950 in Nebraska to parents who were musicians. Always wanting to be a singer, her musical journey began as a child while growing up in Nebraska. During her formative years she sang in her school choirs and studied voice. After graduation, the lure of the big city drew her to Dallas, Texas where she was a retailer for luxury stores. While traveling as a buyer she sought music opportunities.
By 2008 Carolyn had changed direction and pursued music full time as a vocalist and bandleader. That year she recorded her debut release Bon Appetit! In New York City, in which she sings a duet with guest Bob Dorough.
Over the next thirteen years she recorded four more albums, while performing publicly and privately with her group, Fresh Vintage Jazz Ensemble & The Satin Dolls Band. Vocalist Carolyn Lee Jones continues to perform and tour.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,vocal
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Walter Dobschinski was born Dobrzynski on October 29, 1908 in Berlin, Germany. He received formal musical training on piano at the Berlin Conservatory, but concentrated on trombone once he became interested in jazz.
For most of the 1930s he played with Teddy Stauffer, including tours of western Europe and on the ship SS Reliance. In 1939 he worked with Kurt Hohenberger, and was involved with the German Dance and Entertainment Orchestra during World War II. Following the war, he led a swing jazz ensemble for Berliner Rundfunk, recording extensively with this group with Rex Stewart appearing on some of these recordings. He continued leading ensembles in the 1950s.
Trombonist and bandleader Walter Dobschinski, who in his later career concentrated on arranging and composition, died on February 16, 1996 in Berlin.
More Posts: arranger,bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,trombone
On The Bookshelf
Lush Life: A Biography Of Billy Strayhorn
Billy Strayhorn, one of the greatest composers in the history of American music, the creator of a body of work of standards like Take the A Train. Yet, as a composer with no stage presence many see him as overshadowed by his friend and collaborator Duke Ellington, with whom he worked with for the two and a half decades.
The songwriter and arranger was an integral component of the Harlem Renaissance and the evolution of jazz. Lush Life is a vibrant and absorbing account of the Strayhorn’s life and the times that other jazz musicians led in Harlem and Paris. While composing some of the most gorgeous American music of this century, Strayhorn labored under a complex agreement whereby Ellington took the bows for his work.
Fifty-one years from the date of his birth, Billy Strayhorn transitioned due to cancer and alcohol abuse. The small, shy black composer carried himself with singular style and grace as one of the few jazzmen to be openly homosexual. This biography has sparked an enthusiastic revival of interest in Billy Strayhorn’s work and is already acknowledged as a jazz classic.
Lush Life: 1996 | David Hajdu
Granta Publications