Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Don Elliott was born on October 21, 1926 in Somerville, New Jersey. He played mellophone in his high school band and played trumpet for an army band. After study at the University of Miami he added vibraphone to his arsenal of instruments.  He recorded with Terry Gibbs and Buddy Rich before forming his own band.

From 1953 to 1960 he won the Down Beat readers poll several times for “miscellaneous instrument-mellophone.” Known as the “Human Instrument”, Elliott additionally performed jazz as a vocalist, trombonist, flugelhornist and percussionist. He pioneered the art of multi-track recording, composed over 5000 jingles with a countless number being prize-winning advertising jingles, prepared film scores, recorded over 60 albums and built a thriving production company.

Don scored several Broadway productions, such as The Beast In Me and A Thunder Carnival, the latter of which he performed with the Don Elliott Quartet, provided one of the voices for the novelty jazz duo the Nutty Squirrels, and lent his vocal talents to such motion picture soundtracks as The Getaway, $ (Dollars), The Hot Rock and The Happy Hooker.

His album Calypso Jazz is considered by some jazz enthusiasts to be one of the definitive calypso jazz albums. He worked with Paul Desmond, Ruby Braff, Bill Evans, Michel Legrand, Art Farmer, George Shearing and Mundell Lowe among others over his career. Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, publisher and producer Don Elliott, who was a longtime associate of Quincy Jones, passed away of cancer in Weston, Connecticut on July 5, 1984.

 

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FRANKIE QUIÑONES & THE LATIN JAZZ COLLECTIVE

Frankie Quiñones & The Latin Jazz Collective for an unforgettable evening of world-class Latin jazz, salsa, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and soulful improvisation. Experience the energy, passion, and musical mastery of Atlanta’s premier Latin jazz ensemble as they bring together vibrant percussion, dynamic horns, and captivating melodies for a night that will move your soul and your feet.

Frankie, aka Frankie Q, started playing drums and percussion in the church and began taking music seriously in hisjunior year of highschool where he joined a local band back home in Buffalo, New York. After high school he applied and got accepted to Berklee College of Music. It was not an easy journey, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. Each setback and disappointment added to his music and has enhanced the story he tells via the drum. He doesn’t believe in overcoming, he believes in staying, fighting and showing up. Every experience adds to who you are and the story that you tell in your music, and choosing to play it and live in every moment.

Frankie Quiñones ~ Congas, Drums, Percussion
Tony Castillo ~ Piano
Jhon Martez ~ Trumpet
Justin Raines ~ Bass
Luis “Chunky” Gonzalez ~ Drums
Solaya ~ Vocals | Special Guest

Cover: $25.00

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PIECES OF A DREAM

Celebrating their 50th anniversary this October, Pieces of a Dream has built an impressive legacy of innovation and eclecticism – talents that have kept them fresh and authentic in a jazz world that’s ever-changing. The story of Pieces Of A Dream, who has opened for such luminaries as Miles Davis, Count Basie and James Brown, is a tale of destiny and brotherhood. Dubbed a “tough act to follow” by the legendary Count Basie, the band will bring their trademark catchy riffs, infectious grooves and compelling vocals to Keystone Korner Baltimore!

The Band:

Curtis Harmon ~ drums
James Lloyd ~ keyboards
Tony Watson ~ saxophone
Elec Simon ~ percussion
Stacey Richardson ~ vocals
Carolyn Brewer ~ keyboards & vocals
John Hall ~ bass

Cover: $65.00 ~ $75.00 | $5.56 – $6.26 fees
Streaming: $15.00 + $2.05 fee

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Norman Hedman was born July 17, 1945 in the West Indies and discovered his first hand drum, a conga, in a Brooklyn garbage can. Instinctively repairing the conga at age 12, he has been playing music ever since.

Hedman founded Tropique in 1995 and the percussion instruments of timbales, cowbells and congas formed his Latin jazz and island flavor sound. This first call percussionist brought together an array of talent from around the globe to create music that spanned teenage to silver  generations appreciating and enjoying his music. His new and inventive concepts, clean, tight lines and original compositions were his hallmark of success.

Over the course of his career Norman composed five number one R&B hits with one receiving 5 Grammy awards, in addition to two platinum and two gold albums, composed three songs for movie soundtracks for Ali,  Shaft and Dr. Doolittle 2. His One Step Closer, Taken By Surprise and Healing Hands albums by his group Norman Hedman’s Tropique were nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album.

He has worked with Arturo Sandoval, Nancy Wilson, Bobby Watson, Grady Tate, Pat Martino, Chico and Vaughn Freeman, Arthur Blythe, George Cables, John Hicks, Gary Bartz, Ahmad Alladeen, Giovannie Hidalgo, Hilton Ruiz, Horacee Arnold, Airto Moreira, Monguito Santamaria, Delmar Brown, Lew Soloff and Marcus Miller.

Percussionist, producer and composer Norman Hedman passed away from acute myeloid leukemia and pneumonia on September 29, 2008 in New York City.

 

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Paulinho da Costa was born Paulo Roberto da Costa on May 31, 1948 in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Learning to play percussion as a child of five by exploring the different sounds of everything he could get his hands on.  While still in his early teens, he joined several musical groups, traveling extensively throughout the world.  Upon arriving in the United States, the multi-versed percussionist carved a sizable niche in the music community,

Over the course of five decades Paulinho has participated in thousands of recording sessions, performed on the soundtracks of nearly two hundred films and television shows, recorded seven albums as a leader for A&M, Concord and Pablo record labels, and has been a part of several Grammy winning albums.

He playing has crossed over to work in a variety of music genres including Brazilian, blues, Christian, country, disco, gospel, hip hop, jazz, Latin, pop, R & B, rock, soul and world.

He has performed, collaborated and recorded with an impressive list of musicians and vocalists from A to Z not limited to Bill Cunliffe, Chico Freeman, Chicago, Miles Davis, Earth Wind and Fire, Ricky Martin, Eliane Elias, Toots Thielemans, Sammy Nestico, Dizzy Gillespie, Cher, The Gap Band, Bobby McFerrin, Michael Jackson, Ramsey Lewis, Chet Atkins, Sadao Watanabe, Tori Amos, Stix Hooper and Quincy Jones to name just a few.

Percussionist Paulinho Da Costa is currently proficient on more than two hundred percussion instruments and is considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times.

 

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