Daily Dose Of Jazz…
George Walker “Big Nick” Nicholas was born August 2, 1922 in Lansing, Michigan. Picking up the tenor saxophone during his teen years, he was strongly influenced by his hero, Coleman Hawkins. He started playing professionally during the 1940s with Hank and Thad Jones, Earl Hines, and Tiny Bradshaw prior to military service.
Once discharged from the Army late in the decade he went on to work with bands led by Sabby Lewis, J. C. Heard, and Lucky Millinder. He would go on to play with Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Charlie Parker, and Charlie Mingus.
Nicholas contributed the 16-bar solo to Dizzy Gillespie’s classic 1947 African-Cuban jazz composition Manteca. At that time, he also started playing with Hot Lips Page, a working relationship that continued until 1954. He then joined Buck Clayton in 1955.
Big Nick influenced a young John Coltrane to compose his tribute Big Nick, included on the 1962 album Duke Ellington & John Coltrane.
Saxophonist and singer Big Nick Nicholas transitioned from heart failure in Queens, New York on October 29, 1997 at the age of 75.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Adam Shulman was born on August 1, 1979 in San Francisco, California. Taking what he learned studying piano during his formative years, he headed to Santa Cruz he matriculated through the University of California with a degree in classical performance. While at UCSC he studied jazz piano with Smith Dobson.
Returning home he became a staple on the city’s jazz scene, leaning towards and playing in the bop genre. Adam has been seen working with countless bay area musicians and vocalists such as Marcus Shelby, Anton Schwartz, Ed Reed and Kellye Gray among many others. Beyond the locals he has played and/or recorded with Stefon Harrism Willie Jones III, Dayna Stephens, Mark Murphy, Alan Harris, Luciana Souza, Sean Jones, Grant Stewart and John Clayton to name a few.
A consummate sideman, Adam is a composer and arranger. He has done much of the arranging for the jazz and cabaret singer Paula West and has released four albums of original music as a leader and continues to perform, arrange and compose.
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Requisites
Ready For Freddie ~ Freddie Hubbard | By Eddie Carter
Freddie Hubbard steps into the spotlight of this morning’s discussion with an excellent 1962 blowing session titled Ready For Freddie (Blue Note BLP 4085/BST 84085). This choice from the library is the trumpeter’s fourth album as a leader and he’s working with a stellar supporting cast. Bernard McKinney on euphonium, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Art Davis on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums complete the sextet. For those who don’t know about the euphonium, it’s a medium-sized, tenor-voiced brass instrument that’s usually featured in a brass band and is a member of the tuba family. My copy used in this report is the 1995 Blue Note Connoisseur Series US Stereo Audiophile reissue (B1-32094).
Arietis by Freddie Hubbard starts Side One with the sextet grabbing the listener’s attention from the opening notes of their swinging melody. Freddie takes us on an exuberant joyride in the opening solo. Wayne continues surging ahead on the second statement, then Bernard digs into the third reading with agility. McCoy soars into a satisfying summation ahead of the song’s finale. Weaver of Dreams by Jack Elliot and Victor Young begins at a deceptively slow tempo with McKinney and Shorter’s introduction segueing into Hubbard’s sensitive theme. The pace picks up for a beautifully delicate opening statement by Freddie. McCoy comes in next for an affectionate interpretation leading to Hubbard’s haunting climax.
Wayne Shorter’s Marie Antoinette affords everyone except Elvin a solo opportunity beginning with the group establishing a relaxed mood in the opening chorus. Wayne begins with an easy-going toe-tapper. Freddie infuses an optimistic spirit into the second solo. Bernard moves things along at a comfortable pace, then McCoy gives us a few compelling moments. Art adds to the fun with a few airy bass notes leading to the closing chorus that dissolves into nothingness. Birdlike by Freddie Hubbard begins Side Two at a brisk beat with the group’s collective melody. Hubbard gets things going first, then Shorter puts together a mesmerizing performance. McKinney has a few attractive lines in the third spot. Tyner and Davis keep the energy going with two quick readings into the quintet’s finale.
Freddie Hubbard’s Crisis opens with the trio’s simple introduction segueing into a soothing melody. Freddie, Wayne, Bernard, and McCoy all make their point in four enchanting interpretations. Elvin offers an impressive climax into the sextet’s reprise and fadeout. Ready For Freddie was produced by Alfred Lion and Rudy Van Gelder was the recording engineer. The reissue producer is Michael Cuscuna and Larry Walsh did the mastering from the original analog tapes. The sound quality is excellent with a spacious soundstage and the instruments come through your speakers vibrantly as if the musicians are playing in front of you. The record is pressed on 180-gram Virgin Vinyl and is silent until the music starts. If you’re in the mood for an excellent Hard-Bop album, I invite you to check out Ready For Freddie by Freddie Hubbard. It’s sure to occupy a proud place in any novice or seasoned jazz fan’s library for years to come!
~ Euphonium – Source: Wikipedia.org ~ © 2022 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mamadouh Bahri was born July 31, 1957 in Sfax, Tunisia and grew up there until the age of 25 when he moved to Montpellier, France where he later taught music at Jazz Action Montpellier (JAM) until 1991.
From 1989 to 1993, he played in a quartet with pianist Horace Parlan, Italian bassist Riccardo Del Fra and New Orleans drummer Idris Muhammad. In 1991, they recorded From Tunisia with Love, live in Carthage, Tunisia. The same year, Bahri moved to New York City, where he joined the collective Spirit of Life Ensemble with saxophonist T.K. Blue, trumpeter Ted Curson and drummer Winard Harper among others. He recorded seven albums with the group between 1993 and 2002.
He has played many concerts throughout France and performed in northern Europe, the Middle East, China and the United States. Mamadouh has appeared on broadcast television in Tunis and Abu Dhabi. His recordings have gotten radio airplay in France, New York City and Tunisia. Guitarist Mamadouh Bahri continues to combine Afro-Mediterranean music with a jazz tradition.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Walt Weiskopf was born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1959 and grew up outside of Syracuse, New York. His father, a physician by profession, was also a serious classical pianist. Classically trained, it wasn’t the albums of Al Hirt or Herb Alpert his mother brought home but Miles Ahead that turned his attention. Already filled with Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane at 14 he set his sight in earnest on jazz. At 16, he began playing alto saxophone in a local big band alongside the great tenorist J.R. Monterose, who became his first mentor.
Heading to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, Walt acquired a B.A. and after a move to New York City at twenty in 1980 he made a name for himself in jam sessions and was drafted into the Buddy Rich Big Band, adding tenor to his arsenal. By 1983, he began a 14-year association with Toshiko Akiyoshi, touring and recording with her jazz orchestra and small group.
The late ’80s, saw him playing with and writing for his first quartet that included his brother Joel, bassist Jay Anderson, and drummer Jeff Hirshfield. In 1989, he released his debut album as a leader, Exact Science, with that band. A sextet album followed as his sophomore project with Conrad Herwig, Andy Fusco, Joel Weiskopf, Peter Washington, and Billy Drummond. This began a long association with Criss Cros,s Jazz in which eleven albums were recorded and released.
His latest project, the debut of the European Quartet takes him further into his composing, arranging and thematic compositions. The group has released a number of albums, such as Worldwide, Introspection and Introspection 2.0, and a three song ep A Little Christmas Music.
As outstanding as this output is and all of his efforts as a sideman are (he is especially great on Billy Drummond’s Dubai), Weiskopf is best known to many fans for his work with Steely Dan over the past 20 years—before and after the untimely passing of its genius co-founder Walter Becker in 2017.
As an educator he has taught at numerous schools including the Eastman School of Music, Temple University, New Jersey City University and the New School. He published numerous books, Intervalic Improvisation, Around the Horn, and Understanding the Diminished Scale. Moving to Virginia, he retired from teaching and working commercially and is concentrating on practicing and composing.
Tenor saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator Walt Weiskopf, who was a 20 year staple of the studio-only jazz rock fusion band Steely Dan, continues to push the realm of his music.
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