Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mark Wagnon was born on October 26, 1956 in Lausanne, Switzerland and his talent as a percussionist was immediately evident. His early musical tastes focused on progressive rock bands like King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Yes and Genesis. He was impressed with the fusion sounds of Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. However, it was a Gary Burton concert, which helped him focus his desire to become a musician.
He entered the Geneva Conservatory to study classical percussion, including the vibraphone, which would become his instrument of choice. The five years that Wagnon spent at the Geneva Conservatory he also spent a year at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. While there he met Dave Douglas, and Dave Kikowski, who would become his consistent collaborator.
After his stint at Berklee, Mark moved to New York City where he began a series of projects and really began to develop his own unique style. He formed Dr. Nerve with Kikowski, a band described as Schoenberg meets the Sex Pistols. As a member of Tunnels with bassist Percy Jones and drummer Frank Katz, their album featured a more straight-ahead jazz fusion sound showing his skill on the vibes.
With Dr. Nerve, they released seven albums, and with No No Diet Bang, a collection of Swiss musicans, one cd titled Profan, and kicked off his new music service company, Buckyball, by releasing a collaboration with vocalist and Buckyball co-founder Sarah Pillow titled Paper Cuts, which was a collection of jazz standards. They would go on to release several other Wagnon releases, including a reissue of a late ’80s project, Shadowlines.
Vibraphonist Mark Wagnon has since delved into experimental jazz territory, and is consistently showing off his ever evolving technical mastery.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Tony Jackson was born Antonio Junius Jackson an epileptic on October 25, 1882 into a poor Black family of freed slaves in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana. His twin brother died at fourteen months of age. Showing musical talents at a young age by 10 he constructed a crude properly tuned harpsichord out of junk in his backyard. He played hymns he heard in church and soon the neighborhood was offering the use of their pianos and reed organs to practice on. This led to his first musical job at age 13, when he began playing piano during off hours at a Tonk run by bandleader Adam Olivier.
Jackson became the most popular and sought after entertainer in the red light district Storyville. Able to remember and play any tune he had heard once and was hardly ever stumped by obscure requests. His singing voice was also exceptional, and he was able to sing operatic parts from baritone to soprano range. He became a mentor to Jelly Roll Morton.
Tony wrote many original tunes, a number of which he sold rights to for a few dollars or were simply stolen from him; some of the old time New Orleans musicians said that some well known Tin Pan Alley pop tunes of the era were actually written by Jackson.
Well dressed always with a pearl gray derby, checkered vest, ascot tie with a diamond stickpin, with sleeve garters on his arms to hold up his cuffs as he played. This became a standard outfit for ragtime and barrelhouse pianists.
Moving to Chicago, Illinois hoping to have more of an influence on his career. Jackson was a resident performer at the De Luxe and Pekin Cafes in the city. In his later years his voice and dexterity were impaired by disease, syphilis or cirrhosis of the liver in addition to chronic epilepsy. Pianist, singer, and composer Tony Jackson died on April 20, 1921.
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is heading west once again to the Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley where film producer Mack Sennett built his studio lot on twenty acres in 1927 and subsequently where the surrounding area became known as Studio City. It is there that I will be entertained at The Baked Potato jazz club. This small storied venue offers up an array of its namesake and world class jazz.
I’ll be flying in a day early to visit LA’s Natural History Museum, a nostalgic architecture drive-by of the Brady Bunch house and for some stargazing at the Griffith Observatory. This weekend performance heating up the stage is by six time Grammy winner, pianist and composer Billy Childs. A recipient of several commissions he has worked with orchestras and symphonies, as well as leading his ouw groups.
The Baked Potato is located at 3787 Cahuenga Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604. For more information visit https://www.thebakedpotato.com.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Tony Carr was born George Caruana on October 24, 1927 in Malta. Moving to the United Kingdom in 1953, he joined bandleader Billy Eckstine for a tour in Europe. He played regularly at the Bull’s Head in Barnes SW London, accompanying the cream of British and American jazz musicians.
He eventually became a most sought-after session player in London, England between 1954 and the early 1980s. During the Sixties pianist, conductor and arranger John Cameron recruited Carr as his first-call session player. His career would see him working with Ella Fitzgerald, Sixto Rodriguez, Donovan, Alan Price, Paul McCartney among others. In Malta, he also played with Frank Bibi Camilleri, Joe Curmi il-Puse, Juice Wilson, Freddie Mizzi and Sammy Galea, to name a few.
He has been a member of Daylight, Directions In Jazz Unit, Harold McNair Quartet, John Cameron Quartet, Mike Batt And Friends, Señor Funk and Frog, the latter put together for a horror film soundtrack.
Drummer and percussionist Tony Carr, at 96, no longer performs in public
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Rick DellaRatta was born October 23, 1961 in Schenectady, New York. The oldest of five children, he studied at the New England Conservatory, earning a bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and a master’s degree in Jazz Composition. He studied jazz piano with Jackie Byard, Kenny Werner, Charlie Banacos, and Richie Bierach and classical piano with Thomas Stumpf.
In 1997 Rick along with Eddie Gomez, Dave Liebman, and Lenny White released the album Thought Provoking. In 2000 he was nominated for a MAC award for Recording of the Year.
Witnessing the 9/11 attacks from a New York City rooftop Rick was inspired while watching the unfolding tragedy to write a poem which became known as Jazz for Peace. The poem would later become a worldwide movement promoting peace through jazz.
Pianist and singer Rick DellaRatta, who has recorded five albums, continues to perform, tour and record.
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