Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William “Bill” Takas was born March 5, 1932 in Toledo, Ohio and played in the band that backed Bob Dorough from the mid-1950s. His first recordings with the singer were made in New York City in 1956, Devil May Care for Bethlehem Records.
In the following years Bill also worked with Frank Socolow Sextet, Nat Pierce, Tal Farlow, Dan Terry and Pee Wee Russell. In the 1960s he played with the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band and the bands of Cy Coleman, Don Elliott, Benny Goodman, Doc Severinsen and Les DeMerle. In 1962 he made a guest appearance with Ruby Braff at the Newport Jazz Festival.
From the 1970s to the late 1990s Takas continued to work in a duo with Bob Dorough, recording Beginning to See the Light in 1976, in a trio, heard on Devil May Care II with Al Levitt, and Right On My Way Home in 1979 with Grady Tate, with guest soloists such as Art Farmer and Phil Woods.
Bill was in the all-star formation Children of All Ages with Randy Brecker, Lew Tabackin, Arnie Lawrence, Pat Rebillot, Ron McClure, Buzzy Linhart, among others and Bill Goodwin. Together with Dorough, he released a Charlie Parker tribute album PHililogy in 1995.
Between 1956 and 1997, double and electric bassist Bill Takas was involved in 37 recording sessions in the field of jazz.
More Posts: bandleader,bass,history,intrumental,jazz,music
The Quarantined Jazz Voyager
As life moves forward and I remain steadfast in social distancing, I was reminded of an album produced by hard bop, soul~jazz organist Shirley Scott. This was a very personal album for the artist as it is filled with the music she always wanted to create but the demands of her vibrant career always overshadowed. With her friend and executive producer Maxine Gordon, they produced and recorded the session that became the album titled One For Me. This album was made to please no one but the artist herself.
Given two monikers, The Queen Of The Organ and Little Miss Half-Steps, the latter given to her by saxophonist George Coleman, this Philadelphian raised the funds to make the record, she had complete control over her masters and with her dream band, recorded in November 1974 at Blue Rock Studios in New York City. The album was released on the Strata~East label in Januray 1975. It has been re-released in 2020 on Arc Records.
Track List | 41:54- What Makes Harold Sing? ~ 8:53
- Keep on Movin’ On (Harold Vick) ~ 9:52
- Big George ~ 5:22
- Don’t Look Back (Vick) ~ 8:56
- Do You Know a Good Thing When You See One? ~ 8:51
- Shirley Scott – organ, mellotron
- Harold Vick – tenor saxophone
- Billy Higgins – drums
- Jimmy Hopps – cowbell, triangle (track 2)
More Posts: adventure,album,club,genius,jazz,museum,music,organ,preserving,restaurant,travel
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Barney Jean Wilen was born on March 4, 1937 in Nice, France. His mother was French, his father was an American dentist turned inventor. He began performing in Nice nightclubs after receiving encouragement from Blaise Cendrars who was a friend of his mother.
His career was boosted in 1957 when he worked with Miles Davis on the soundtrack Ascenseur pour l’Échafaud. In 1959, Wilen wrote his two soundtracks Un Témoin Dans la Ville and Jazz sur scène with Kenny Clarke, and two years later composed the soundtrack for Roger Vadim’s film Les Liaisons Dangereuses working with Thelonious Monk. In the mid-to-late 1960s he became interested in rock, and recorded an album dedicated to Timothy Leary.
Returning to composing for French films in the 1980s and 1990s, touring Japan for the first time in 1990. He ventured into the world of punk rockers before returning to jazz in the early 1990s. Barney played with modern jazz musicians until his death in 1996.
In 1987, French comic book artist Jacques de Loustal and author Philippe Paringaux paid homage to Wilen in their “bande dessinée” Barney et la note bleue (Barney and the Blue Note).
Tenor and soprano saxophonist and jazz composer Barney Wilen, passed away from cancer in Paris, France on May 25, 1996.
More Posts: bandleader,composer,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Dupree Bolton was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on March 3, 1929. His father was a musician who earned a meager living working in the defense industry.
The Bolton family later moved to Southern California where Dupree spent most of his childhood and teenage years. He picked up the trumpet at an early age, becoming a professional by the time he was around 15, It was at theat point in his life that he ran away from home to join Jay McShann’s band.
Trumpeter Dupree Bolton, known for his recordings with Harold Land and Curtis Amy, passed away on June 5, 1993.
More Posts: bandleader,instrumental,jazz,music,trumpet
Three Wishes
Pannonica asked Benny Golson his three wishes and replying said:
- “Everlasting life.”
- “Equality for everyone.”
- “Infinite musical knowledge.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
More Posts: baroness,history,instrumental,jazz,music,pannonica,saxophone,three,wishes