Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Terry Shannon was born on November 5, 1929 in London, England and started playing as a young child and was completely self-taught. He relied on gleaning from records rather than academic training. Never a good sight reader, he played local gigs with the likes of Les Condon but also worked in an office after leaving school. Finally in 1955 he gave up security for music and joined clarinetist Vic Ash, joining his quartet.

He first recorded with Jimmy Deucher and became a regular on Tempo records in the 1950s working with Dizzy Reece, Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes and Victor Feldman. His harmonic sense and his superb sense of time led him to become a favored pianist. Joining the Jazz Couriers in 1957 he stayed until the group broke up two years later, but continued working with Tubby’s various groups for the next five years. During this period he became a member of the Jazz Makers, had his own trio for a period and by 1965 was a part of the Keith Christie/Jimmy  Deuchar Five.

Emerging from this period of performance as a consistent player, his career began to falter in the late Sixties through a combination of jazz vices and bitterness. A stint with the Phil Seamen Trio, leading his own trio, and a long illness eventually removed him from the jazz scene for years. He returned to jazz in the Eighties freelancing occasional gigs before moving to South Humberside in 1988. Moving back to London five years later, Shannon regularly played in various groups.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Lawrence Benjamin Bunker was born November 4, 1928 in Long Beach, California. At first he played primarily drums, but increasingly he focused on vibraphone. He was later highly regarded for his playing of timpani and various percussion instruments.

Bunker is a dependable and in-demand studio drummer and vibist who achieved distinction recording with Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Diana Krall, and many other jazz greats. In 1952, he was the drummer in one of Art Pepper’s first groups. The next two years he played drums in some of the earliest of Gerry Mulligan’s groups.

In the 1950s and 1960s he appeared at Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, and performed with Shorty Rogers and His Giants and others. The Sixties had him intermittently drumming in the Bill Evans trio and played timpani with the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra.

His work in movie soundtracks spanned over fifty years, from Stalag 17 in 1953 and Glengarry Glen Ross in ‘92) to The Incredibles in 2004. Larry’s work included soundtracks by John Williams, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Miklós Rózsa, Jerry Goldsmith, Johnny Mandel, Lalo Schifrin and many other composers.

Drummer, vibraphonist, and percussionist Larry Bunker, who was a central figure on the West Coast jazz scene, transitioned from complications of a stroke in Los Angeles, California at age 76 on March 8, 2005.

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DJAVAN

After a 13-year hiatus, one of the greatest icons of Brazilian music announces his return to the US for a major tour. Four-time Latin GRAMMY winner Djavan will present a brand-new show with his full band, featuring songs from his twenty-fifth studio album “D”, as well as major hits from his 45-year career. Aside from new hit songs like “Iluminado” and “Num Mundo de Paz”, the set list will also include major classics from Djavan’s legendary career, such as “Se”, “Flor de Lis”, ““Eu te Devoro”, “Samurai” and many others.

Djavan was born in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil to a white father of Dutch descent and a black mother. He later formed the group Luz, Som, Dimensão (LSD – “Light, Sound, Dimension”), playing Beatles’ material. In 1973, Djavan moved to Rio de Janeiro and started singing soap opera soundtracks. His first album, A Voz, o Violão e a Arte de Djavan, was recorded in 1976 and included the hit song “Flor de Lis”. Stevie Wonder was a guest on the album Luz.

In 1999, his album Ao Vivo sold 1.2 million copies. In 2016, he was nominated for the 2016 Latin Grammy Awards in the Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Portuguese Language Song and Best Singer-Songwriter Album categories. Djavan’s compositions have been recorded by numerous musicians, including Al Jarreau, Carmen McRae and The Manhattan Transfer. His album Vesúvio was ranked as the 35th best Brazilian album of 2018 by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

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The Jazz Voyager

I’m off to Alpharetta, Georgia to see one of my favorite bassists at The Velvet Note located at 4075 Old Milton Parkway. I enjoy this venue for its coziness and superb sound system. No matter where you sit you are perfectly positioned to hear clearly. There’s no columns to obstruct the view and they even have a sofa if you want to feel like you’re in your living room.

This week it’s the Curtis Lundy Trio with pianist Cyrus Chestnut and drummer Victor Jones. These three in-demand musicians will bring the heat as they do individually when leading their trios or quartets. This promises to be a heavyweight treat. Two nights, two sets each evening at 7:30 and 9:30 pm

As always, coming in a day early to the ATL will give me time to hang out and break bread with friends and relatives. For more information, the number is 855-583-5838 or thevelvetnote.com.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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OJEDA PENN

Ojeda Penn is an accomplished Jazz artist from Montgomery, Alabama. Since moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 1967 he has become a well~known and respected figure in the city’s Jazz scene for over 40 years.

Joe’s Jazz Joint is a Joseph Jennings Production and held in the Paul Roberson Theater | Sundays through November 2022

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