Daily Dose Of Jazz…
John Henry Basil Mayer was born on October 28, 1930 in Calcutta, Bengal, British India, to an Anglo-Indian father and Tamil mother. After studying with Phillipe Sandre in Calcutta and Melhi Mehta in Bombay, he won a scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music in 1952, where he studied composition with Matyas Seiber, as well as comparative music and religion in eastern and western cultures.
He worked for five years as a violinist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra beginning in 1953 and then with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1958 to 1965. During that period John was also composing fusions of Hindustani classical and Western classical forms fused with jazz undertones. His Violin Sonata was performed by Yehudi Menuhin and his Shanta Quintet was recorded by jazz sitarist Diwan Motihar and Denis Preston’s Lansdowne String Quartet in 1967.
In the 1960s he worked extensively with the Jamaican-born jazz musician Joe Harriott, with whom he formed the group Indo-Jazz Fusions. John also composed for film, and the BBC quiz show Ask the Family. From 1989 onwards he taught composition at Birmingham Conservatoire where he introduced the BMus Indian music course in 1997. He continued to compose concert works for chamber, solo and orchestral projects and record jazz-fusion albums.
Composer and sitarist John Mayer, known primarily for his fusions of jazz with Indian music, was fatally injured when hit by a motorist in North London and died on March 9, 2004.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Arild Andersen was born on October 27. 1945 at Strømmen, Norway and started his musical career as jazz guitarist in the Riverside Swing Group in Lillestrøm, Norway from 1961 to 1963, and started playing double bass in 1964. He soon became part of the core jazz bands in Oslo, Norway, such as the Roy Hellvin Trio, the backing band at Kongsberg Jazz Festival, and was named Best Bassist by Jazznytt in 1967. That same year he started as bassist in the Jan Garbarek Quartet.
In 1968 after completing his education he became a professional musician and collaborated with Karin Krog, George Russell, and Don Cherry. He performed with visiting American musicians Phil Woods, Dexter Gordon, Bill Frisell, Hampton Hawes, Johnny Griffin, Sonny Rollins, Sheila Jordan, and Chick Corea. During the same period he worked with Ferenc Snétberger and Tomasz Stańko.
The early Seventies saw Andersen collaborating with Norwegian musicians before leaving for the United States in 1973. A year later he was leading his own bands, worked with the Radka Toneff Quintet and has recorded more than a dozen albums as a leader for ECM Records. Arild founded the critically acclaimed band Masqualero, and appeared as side man on a series of recordings.
In January 2009, he was named “Musicien Europeen 2008” by the French Academie du Jazz and in 2010, Andersen received the Ella Award at the Oslo Jazzfestival. He recorded his latest trio album with American drummer Bob Moses and Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon titled Pure and Simple.
Bassist Arild Anderson, known as the most famous Norwegian bass player in the international jazz scene, continues to perform and record at 80 years old.
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STRAIGHT AHEAD
Out of Detroit’s lively jazz scene, comes the ground breaking, Grammy-nominated jazz group Straight Ahead. A group of strong, inventive instrumentalists and vocalists, they have shown themselves to be powerful and imaginative composers and arrangers. Straight Ahead was the first all-woman group signed to Atlantic Jazz.
Widely recognized for their eclectic and soulful approach to creating music, Straight Ahead is in the Detroit Music Awards Hall of Fame. with a sound that ranges comfortably from mainstream jazz to Latin jazz and jazzy hip-hop. Their live performances are a dynamic celebration of power and joy!
The Group:
Alina Morr- Piano
Marion Hayden – Bass
Gayelynn McKinney- Drums
Kymberli Wright – Vocals
Ingrid Racine – Trumpet
Cover: $20.00
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DR. PROFESSOR LEONARD KING
In late 1962, at age 14, he decided it was time to be a band leader and, with his two brothers and a few neighborhood youngsters, started The Jazz Sextet which later became known as Leonard King and the Soul Messengers (1963-73). The group became very popular providing accompaniment for a variety of single artists and groups who did not have their own bands. Additionally the group provided music for fashion shows, industrial presentations, and many social events.
These experiences served as a basis for other ensembles: Strata Nova (1976-88), Visger Road Drum Band (1991-2006) Proportioned Orchestra (1989-present), Oopapada (1995-present), Dr. Prof. Leonard King “Drum Fun & Vocals, Too” in 1990, and the Dr. Prof. Leonard King Orchestra in 2010 and leads both to the present.
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BRANDEE YOUNGER TRIO
Brandee Younger is revolutionizing the harps’ role in modern music. Over the past fifteen years, she has worked relentlessly to stretch boundaries and limitations for harpists. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best Instrumental Composition.
That same year, she was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award and later, the winner of the 2024 NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album for her latest album Brand New Life. Ever-expanding as an artist, she has worked with cultural icons including Common, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders and Christian McBride.
Brandee Younger: harp
Rashaan Carter: bass
Allan Mednard: drums
Cover: $26.83
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