Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Sue Evans was born on July 7, 1951 in New York, New York and played piano, violin and clarinet as a young child before switching to drums. She studied under Warren Smith and Sonny Igoe, and graduated in 1969 from The High School of Music & Art. She went on to earn a BA in Music from Columbia University, as well as a Master of Music and Doctorate from the Juilliard School.

Becoming one of the top recording percussionists in New York she has recorded jingles, movie scores, and numerous albums with many jazz, folk and pop artists. She was Judy Collins’s touring drummer from 1969 to 1973 and worked with Gil Evans from 1969 to 1982. During the Seventies she worked with Steve Kuhn, Art Farmer, Bobby Jones, George Benson, Urbie Green, Yusef Lateef, Idris Muhammad, Lalo Schifrin, Jeremy Steig and Roswell Rudd’s Jazz Composers Orchestra. In addition Sue played with The New York Pops, the New York Philharmonic, the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

The 1980s saw her working with Michael Franks, Mark Murphy, Suzanne Vega, Tony Bennett, and Morgana King. Other associations include touring or recording with Aretha Franklin, Sting, Spike Lee, James Brown, Billy Cobham, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Philip Glass, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Don Sebesky, Sadao Watanabe, Hubert Laws, Randy Brecker, David Sanborn and Terence Blanchard.

For several years she played at the Tony Awards and the Grammy Awards. She won National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Most Valuable Awards in 1984, 1987 and 1989. Drummer and percussionist Sue Evans continues to perform and record.

GRIOTS GALLERY

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Michael Baird was born Lusaka, Zambia on July 5, 1954 and moved to the Netherlands at an early age, where he learned to play drums. Since the mid-1970s he has worked with several Dutch jazz groups and from 1975-83 he played and recorded with Gijs Hendriks, Slide Hampton, Kenny Drew, Raul Burnet, Sonny Grey, Siggi Kessler, Michel Herr, Michel Grailler, Joe Diorio, Jan Akkerman, Wim Overgaauw, Stan Tracey, and Kenny Wheeler.

He founded his own label SWP Records in 1986, led his group Sharp Wood for a decade beginning in 1986 and the octet Utrecht Deep Artment for two years. In 2000 he put together a quintet CapeAbility, followed by sextet Trendy 3D Junk and by 2002 was performing solo concerts along with various other projects and composition commissions.

He has compiled and produced a 22 Cd series “Historical Recordings by Hugh Tracey” of African music from the 40s and 50s, made his own field recordings in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and released both on SWP Records.

Drummer, percussionist and keyboardist Michael Baird continues to perform, record and push the boundaries of jazz.

GRIOTS GALLERY

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Ken Hyder was born June 29, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland. He began playing jazz in his native Scotland before moving south to London, England where he studied under John Stevens and played at the Little Theatre Club at Garrick Yard, an avant garde haunt, run by Stevens.

Over the course of a 40 year career Hyder has worked with and recorded with Elton Dean, Chris Biscoe, Tim Hodgkinson, Paul Rogers, Maggie Nicols, Don Paterson and Frankie Armstrong, just to name a few in a long list.

He composes music and has produced more than three dozen albums of original material. In 1970, Hyder formed Talisker and during the decade began moving away from jazz and into collaborations with musicians from different musical backgrounds, including Irish, South African and South American players. This led him to explore spiritual aspects of music with spiritual practitioners like Tibetan and Japanese Buddhist monks, and Siberian shamans.

As an author he has published three e-books based on shamanism in Siberia, cyber crime and cyber terrorism, and a memoir. Jazz fusion drummer and percussionist Ken Hyder, best known for combining folk, ethnic and Celtic music with jazz, continues to perform and record.

GRIOTS GALLERY

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Mick Hutton was born on June 5, 1956 in Chester, United Kingdom. Making a name for himself in the British jazz scene, he worked with a number of musicians and groups including but not limited to Harry Beckett, Julian Argüelles, Iain Ballamy, Django Bates and Ken Stubbs of First House, the Chris Biscoe Sextet and Bill Bruford’s Band Earthworks.

A hand injury forced Mick to abandon the upright bass and he started working as bass guitarist, percussionist, and synthesizer player and as a composer. He works with his own band of saxophonist Andy Panayi, pianist Barry Green, and drummer Paul Robinson. With his quartet, including saxophonist Iain Ballamy, pianist Ross Stanley and drummer Paul Robinson, he frequently visits venues around the world.

Throughout his career Hutton has performed with Alan Barnes, Peter Erskine, Tina May, Jim Mullen, John Scofield, Alan Skidmore, Tommy Smith, John Taylor, Stan Tracey, and Kenny Wheeler. In 2002 he recorded on Robin Williamsons album Skirting the River Road, and the same year he played in a trio with Martin Speake and Paul Motian, recording Change of Heart.

Bassist, guitarist, percussionist and composer Mick Hutton, who also plays synthesizer, continues to perform and record.

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The Jazz Voyager

So after a jazz packed holiday weekend in Atlanta, this Jazz Voyager is leaving the gateway to the South and the States for destinations across the pond. It’s time to see how those on the continent and in other parts of the world are doing post pandemic.

It’s off to Italy to hang at one of my favorite spots TramJazz in Rome. It’s 7 days out of 7, a lively sound with carioca nuances alternating with passionate romantic ballads. The evening features Camilla Noci on Vocal & Percussion, Dario Troisi on piano and harmonium, and guitarist Gianluca Figliola.

What I love about this venue is it offers an evening of entertainment combining a jazz concert and an excellent candlelit dinner with a night tour in the center of Rome, all aboard a historic tram from the ATAC collection, restored and rearranged as a traveling restaurant and concert hall.

Tramjazz is located at Artour Sas of Rossella Taverna & C. – Via Giorgio Vasari 14, 00196 Rome – P.I. 16376741001. Tickets range from €75.00 ~ €90.00. You can reach the venue by phone at +39 342 072 0089 and can always get ticket information at https://tramjazz.com.

As the saying goes, When in Rome…

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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