GOTHAM YARDBIRD SANCTUARY RENAISSANCE CIRCLE

Gotham Yardbird Sanctuary is a not-for-profit 501 (C)(3) organization that was founded in response to the 2020 global pandemic and it’s impact on NYC’s Jazz community and local businesses.

After gaining strong collaboration experiences with great local nonprofits and businesses, we are planning to take on meaningful projects and campaigns for social justice causes. One venue is Ornithology Jazz Club.

Tonight they present two bands under the auspices of Renaissance Circle: Orfeu Talks Of Sonnets by @Jayshawn LivesLavish Lee

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Hank Johnson was born Stuart H. Tresser on July 14, 1949 in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York. He began piano study early in life at age three with Mrs. Henryetta Klein as his first piano teacher. Graduating from George W. Wingate High School in 1967, he continued his education and in 1970 was awarded an AAS Degree in Graphic Arts and Advertising Technology, from New York City Community College. In 1973 a BFA degree was awarded from New York Institute of Technology, with a major in Communication Arts.

He continued his private piano instruction with classical pianist Ms. Malady, who taught piano at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. He also received lessons fromMorty Kessler, and Morty Reed, a showband pianist in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as from Horace Parlan and Teddy Wilson..

Hank learned to write music, and developed the friendship and guidance of Ray Cox, who worked for Machito, as a copyist and arranger. In 1977 Johnson had replaced Jimmy Nottingham’s trio at the Village Door Restaurant and Supper Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York. It was at the Village Door that he got the hands-on experience that  ignited his passion to be the best piano player.

He founded the independent record label Jazzbone Records. Presently pianist Hank Johnson is the Director of Tresser Printing Office, a security printer, and a division of Tresser Music, music publishers.

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Requisites

Montreux ‘77 ~ Tommy Flanagan 3 | By Eddie Carter

I’ve admired and been a fan of pianist Tommy Flanagan for many years, so I was delighted to come across a delightful live album with his trio, Montreux ’77 (Pablo Live 2308-202). Tommy, a Detroit native, drew early inspiration from three legends: Nat King Cole, Art Tatum, and Teddy Wilson, as well as local greats Earl Van Riper and Willie Anderson. Throughout a remarkable forty-five-year career, he recorded thirty-six albums as a band leader and appeared as a sideman on over two hundred albums, many of which are regarded as jazz classics. Flanagan’s longest tenure was thirteen years as an accompanist and musical director to Ella Fitzgerald. Joining him on this date are Keter Betts on bass and Bobby Durham on drums. My copy of the album is the 1977 U.S. stereo release.

Barbados by Charlie Parker sets an upbeat tone to begin the trio’s set, with Flanagan’s introduction segueing into a vivacious melody. Tommy takes the lead with a spirited performance. Keter makes every note sparkle in the following solo, while Bobby’s steady rhythms anchor the soloists. The pianist returns for a rousing finale that draws enthusiastic applause from the audience. A pair of timeless jazz standards is up next. Some Other Spring by Arthur Herzog, Jr. and Irene Kitchings offers Flanagan the spotlight for a solo of exquisite tenderness. The trio then moved into “Easy Living” by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin. Tommy remains the only soloist, and he gives a warm, sultry and deeply sincere performance, gracefully supported by Keter and Bobby into a soft, mesmerizing close.

Side Two begins with Flanagan’s gentle introduction to Star Crossed Lovers by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. The pianist enchants the listener in a beautiful solo of heartfelt lyricism until the beat moves upward for “Jump For Joy” by Duke Ellington, Sid Kuller, and Paul Francis Webster. After the trio’s melody swings in unison, Tommy begins the song’s only solo with infectious enthusiasm and an array of inventive ideas preceding a rousing reprise and finish. Dizzy Gillespie’s Woody ‘n’ You is off to the races from the start of Tommy’s introduction, leading to the trio’s vigorous theme. Flanagan forges ahead into the spotlight for the song’s only solo exuberantly until the ensemble reconvenes for a brisk closing chorus and a rousing ovation from the audience.

Blue Bossa by Kenny Dorham opens with the trio’s irresistibly rhythmic and lively theme. Tommy has the first say, and his fingers soar effortlessly across the keys. Keter follows, infusing the second statement with firm bass lines. The song culminates in a spirited conversation between Tommy and Bobby, leading to the trio’s danceable, infectious reprise and an enthusiastic ovation from the audience. Norman Granz produced the album, and Mountain Recording Studios was behind the dials. Val Valentin remixed this live date. The sound quality is very good except on the final track, Blue Bossa. During Keter Betts’s bass solo on this song, there’s a harshness or distortion that, while annoying, especially if you’re listening through headphones, doesn’t fully detract from the music.

Tommy Flanagan’s artistry was marked by clarity and elegance. His piano playing featured a delicate, lyrical touch and a remarkable knack for crafting nuanced phrases. Each of his improvisations unfolded with a natural, narrative flow, as he expertly walked the line between a tune’s structure and the freedom of creative expression. As an accompanist, Flanagan excelled and was attentive to his fellow musicians, always enhancing their sound. His understated comping offered a gentle harmonic support, letting soloists shine. When stepping forward with his own solos, his playing sparkled with wit, grace, and a distinctive sense of swing. Despite facing health challenges later in life, he continued to perform and record right up until his death at age seventy-one on November 16, 2001.

If you’re a fan of a piano jazz trio or live jazz recordings, I can’t recommend this album enough on your next record shopping trip. Montreux ‘77 by the Tommy Flanagan 3 allows listeners to take a delightful trip to the Montreux Jazz Festival without the need for luggage, a passport, or boarding a flight. Just set the record on your turntable, settle into your favorite chair with a preferred drink in hand, and immerse yourself in the moment!

Postscript: Montreux ‘77 by Tommy Flanagan 3 also appears in the eight-record box set, Norman Granz Presents The Montreux ’77 Collection.

~ Norman Granz Presents The Montreux ’77 Collection (Pablo Live 2620-107) – Source: Discogs.com

~ Easy Living – Source: JazzStandards.com

© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Bill Carrothers was born July 13, 1964 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He began playing piano at age five, studying with his church organist before learning jazz from pianist Bobby Peterson. By age 15 he was performing in jazz clubs, and in 1982 he briefly attended North Texas State University.

After a year at North Texas, Carrothers was a member of Irv Williams’ band before a move to New York City in 1988. He performed at the Knitting Factory, The Village Gate, and Birdland as well as Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. He has worked with Buddy DeFranco, Curtis Fuller, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Konitz, James Moody, Gary Peacock, Dewey Redman, Charlie Rouse, James Spaulding, Terell Stafford, Toots Thielemans, and Prince.

He has performed in France,  Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In 2009 Bill played a week-long stand at the Village Vanguard with his European trio Nicolas Thys and Dre Pallemaerts, which resulted in a 2011.

He performs solo piano concerts, made his Monterey Jazz Festival debut and is a regular on the Chicago scene. He is an adjunct professor at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Carrothers was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for Jazz in 2004 and was nominated for the Les Victoires du Jazz, twice.

Pianist and composer Bill Carrothers, who has cited Clifford Brown, Shirley Horn, and Oscar Peterson as influences on his development as a musician, continues to perform without shoes to better feel the piano pedals, sitting in a chair to achieve his preferred seating height.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Brian Priestley was born on July 10, 1940 in Manchester, England and began studying music at the age of eight. In the 1960s he gained a degree in modern languages from Leeds University, while playing in student bands. In the mid-1960s, he began contributing to the jazz press and was responsible for entries in Jazz on Record: A Critical Guide to the First Fifty Years, 1917–1967.

In 1969 he moved to London, England and began playing piano with bands led by Tony Faulkner and Alan Cohen. Priestley helped transcribe Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown and Beige, and Creole Rhapsody for Cohen. He formed his own Special Septet featuring Digby Fairweather and Don Rendell. His compositions include Blooz For Dook, The Whole Thing and Jamming With Jools, based on a live broadcast with Jools Holland.

As a broadcaster he worked on the BBC, London Jazz FM, and for BBC Radio London, and influenced the renewed interest in jazz in the 1980s. Priestley taught jazz piano at Goldsmiths College from 1977 until 1993, and has taught jazz history for various other universities and conservatoires over the years.

Priestley has also written biographies of Charles Mingus, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, as well as the book Jazz on Record: A History. He co-authored The Rough Guide to Jazz, as well as contributing to several other reference books, and has compiled and/or annotated more than a hundred reissue compilations.

Writer, pianist and arranger Brian Priestley has lived in Tralee, Ireland since 2006 where he continues playing the piano and presents a show on Radio Kerry.

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