Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mike Jackson was born on December 23, 1888 in Louisville, Kentucky. The details of his early life are not known, however, in 1921 he began composing songs for publisher Joe Davis. Soon after he became an accompanist playing piano for a number of early jazz and blues recordings, with Clara Smith, Alberta Hunter, Laura Smith, Thomas Morris, the New Orleans Blue Five, the Dixie Jazzers Washboard Band, Perry Bradford, and Buddy Christian.
He also recorded under his own name as Jackson and His Southern Stompers. With Morris, he worked in the vaudeville show The Wicked Age in 1927. He emigrated to Montreal, Canada in 1928, but returned to New York City in 1930, where he continued working as a composer.
His compositions included The Louisville Blues, written with Bob Ricketts in 1921 and recorded by W.C. Handy in 1923; Scandal Blues and Black Hearse Blues, both written in 1925; and Slender, Tender and Tall and Hey, Knock Me a Kiss, both of which were recorded by Jimmie Lunceford and Louis Jordan among others.
Pianist and composer Mike Jackson passed away on June 21, 1945 in New York City.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Pleasant Joseph, known as Cousin Joe, was born on December 20, 1907 in Wallace, Louisiana. He worked at Whitney Plantation throughout his childhood.
Until 1945 Cousin Joe toured Louisiana, and it was in that year he participated in the King Jazz recording sessions organized by Mezz Mezzrow and Sidney Bechet.
In the 1970s, he toured extensively throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, both individually and as part of the American Blues Legends ’74 revue organised by Big Bear Music. He recorded the album Gospel-Wailing, Jazz-Playing, Rock’n’Rolling, Soul-Shouting, Tap-Dancing Bluesman From New Orleans for Big Bear.
Blues and jazz singer Cousin Joe passed away on October 2, 1989 in his sleep from natural causes in New Orleans, at the age of 81.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Michael Lang was born on December 10, 1941 in Los Angeles, California. He obtained a bachelor of music at the University of Michigan in 1963, and studied under Leonard Stein, George Tremblay, Pearl Kaufman and Lalo Schifrin.
Well versed in various music forms, including jazz, classical, pop and R&B, he has collaborated and recorded more than two-dozen albums with Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Natalie Cole, Robbie Williams, Dusty Springfield, Solomon Burke, Tom Waits,, José Feliciano, Vince Gill, Bette Midler, Kenny Rogers, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Amy Grant, Paul Anka, Melissa Manchester, Neil Diamond, Michael Bolton, Barry Manilow, Carole Bayer Sager, and Barbra Streisand.
Pianist and composer Michael Lang, who has composed more than 2000 film scores, continues to play and compose.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William Moore, Jr., better known as Billy Moore was born on December 7, 1917 in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Chiefly known as an arranger for most of his jazz career, Billy wrote charts for Jimmie Lunceford, Charlie Barnet, Jan Savitt, and Tommy Dorsey in the 1940s. He also worked for publishing companies in New York City.
In the 1950s he relocated to France, where he accompanied and wrote for The Peters Sisters from 1953 to 1960. Following this, he worked from 1960 to 1963 as an arranger for Berliner Rundfunk and then accompanied the Delta Rhythm Boys on tour.
He formed his own music publishing company in order to combat the then prevalent habit of band leaders taking credit for the work of their arrangers and composers. Amongst his uncredited works is the famous countermelody to Barnet’s million-selling hit Skyliner. Moving to Copenhagen, Denmark in the 1970s, he remained active as an arranger. Being friends with Leonard Feather, he sometimes used Moore’s name for songwriting credits.
In his later years in Denmark, he was the administrator of the music foundation established in Ben Webster’s name and for whom he also worked as a business aide. He was also the manager and musical director for the European tours of the Peters Sisters. Pianist and arranger Billy Moore passed away on February 28, 1989 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Quarantined Jazz Voyager
Maintaining my social distancing, wearing my mask when I have to go grocery shopping or to my doctor’s office, I remain in quarantine. Pulling down off the shelves is an August 30, 1960 recording titled South Side Soul. It is the debut album by jazz pianist John Wright which was released in 1960 on the Prestige label. The supervising producer on this swinging soulful hard bop date was Esmond Edwards and engineering the session recorded at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey was Rudy Van Gelder.
TRACKS | 36:06
- South Side Soul (Esmond Edwards) ~ 5:02
- 47th and Calumet (John Wright) ~ 3:57
- La Salle St After Hours (Armond Jackson) ~ 5:21
- 63rd and Cottage Grove (Wright) ~ 4:06
- 35th St Blues (Wendell Roberts) ~ 7:00
- Sin Corner (Jackson) ~ 5:30
- Amen Corner (Roberts) ~ 5:30
- John Wright – piano
- Wendell Roberts – bass
- Walter McCants – drums
During this sabbatical from flying and investigating jazz around the globe, this Quarantined Jazz Voyager wants you to know that live music in clubs and I will be back.
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