Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Jim Hession was born on December 10, 1947 in Pasadena, California, where he studied piano with composer Oscar Rasbach. By the time he turned twenty he was a fixture in the traditional jazz scene, with his incredibly accurate two-handed piano style. He was a founding member of the Maple Leaf Club, receiving his degree in composition from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he studied under Paul Chihara and Lalo Schifrin.

Jim met and began recording with Eubie Blake and while recording with Eubie Blake in New York City he began exploring more contemporary jazz venues, while retaining his handle on traditional jazz styles like ragtime, stride and boogie-woogie.

He met his future wife Martha while they were attending UCLA, where she was studying piano and voice. She began singing professionally with Jim and started a professional association with the Walt Disney Company in 1967 until relocating to the Gulf Coast in 2003.

Over the years they have performed with such luminaries as Teddy Wilson, Al Hirt, Bob Crosby, Johnny Guarnieri, Max Morath, Shelton Brooks, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, and Disney songwriters the Sherman Brothers. They have acquired an incredible knowledge of the history of American music and hold 85,000+ pieces, one of the largest privately-held collections of original sheet music in the United States.

They have lectured at many colleges and educational venues across the country. The couple have performed as a jazz duo, headlined the American Jazz Quintet, appeared on television, produced stage shows, and historical lectures. Pianist Jim Hession and Martha Hession continue to bring a level of talent and versatility not often found on the music scene.

More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano

Requisites

Kelly Blue ~ Wynton Kelly Trio and Sextet | By Eddie Carter

This morning’s record from the library is Kelly Blue (Riverside Contemporary Series RLP 12-298/RLP 1142) by The Wynton Kelly Trio and Sextet. It hit the stores in 1959 and was his second release as a leader on the label after Piano a year earlier. Wynton Kelly was an accomplished hard-bop pianist and accompanist who collaborated with many elite musicians and vocalists over his career, appearing on some of the most unforgettable jazz albums ever recorded. Here, he’s working with a superb supporting cast: Nat Adderley on cornet, Bobby Jaspar on flute, Benny Golson on tenor sax (tracks: A1, B2), Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. My copy is the 1982 Original Jazz Classics U.S. Stereo reissue (Riverside OJC-033).

Side One opens with the title tune, Kelly Blue, by Wynton Kelly. Bobby, Paul, and Jimmy introduce this mid-tempo blues with a three-instrument dialogue. The remaining ensemble joins in as the melody unfolds. Wynton begins the opening solo with a relaxing reading. Bobby exhibits some exciting twists and turns next. In the following presentation, Nat raises the temperature slightly with precise articulation. Benny delivers a gorgeous statement with a rich, warm tone as smooth as a sled on new snow before the close. Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II begins with the trio introducing the melody. Kelly sets the solos in motion with a performance that cooks. Chambers’s bass compliments him with a concise solo that is to the point ahead of the climax.

Green Dolphin Street by Bronislaw Kaper and Ned Washington is one of the prettiest jazz standards in The Great American Songbook. The trio gives this old favorite a lively sprucing up on the opening chorus, highlighting Wynton’s ability to captivate the listener in an impeccable performance until the closing ensemble returns. Side Two starts with Ann Ronell’s classic Willow Weep For Me. Chambers gets the nod and brings the song to life in a bluesy, slow-tempo introduction, and then Kelly and Cobb come in to complete the dreamy theme. The pianist opens with an effortlessly elegant solo. Paul expands on that feeling with reflective beauty next. Wynton has another memorable moment, leading to the finale.

Wynton Kelly’s Keep It Moving is an uptempo-blowing session that swings out of the gate with the front line returning for their second and final appearance. Wynton cuts loose on the opening solo vigorously. Benny takes his turn next and keeps the groove going, and then Nat turns in a captivating reading. Bobby makes the following point with a spirited statement. Paul has the last word with an excellent improvisation preceding the song’s conclusion. The trio wraps the album with Wynton Kelly’s Old Clothes. Kelly is up first after a leisurely melody with a light-hearted opening statement. Chambers makes his presence felt in the following reading. Cobb speaks with the leader in a concise conversation before the melody’s restatement.

Orrin Keepnews produced the session, and Jack Higgins was the recording engineer. The album’s sound quality is excellent, transporting the musicians to your listening room as if they were playing before you. Wynton Kelly was also a talented composer, and the level of good spirits demonstrated by him and his colleagues here is incredibly endearing. Kelly Blue is an album characterized by the pianist’s contagious enthusiasm, with everyone in top form. The music will also keep you hooked from start to finish. On your next record-shopping trip, I invite you to check out Kelly Blue by The Wynton Kelly Trio and Sextet. It’s not just a great album; it’s an excellent introduction to his music and a must-listen for any jazz enthusiast!

~ Piano (Riverside RLP 12-254) – Source: Discogs.com

~ On Green Dolphin Street, Willow Weep For Me – Source: JazzStandards.com

~ Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise – Source: Wikipedia.org

© 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter

More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano

DANNY MIXON QUINTET

The Harlem born pianist gained attention in the 1970s and continues to record and play in New York and abroad. Starting off as a tap dancer he attended the Ruth Williams Dance Studio before enrolling at the High School of Performing Arts with dance as his major. Soon after arriving at the school he switched to playing the piano after being inspired by visits with his grandfather to see jazz artists playing at the Apollo Theater.

At 17 he began his professional career playing behind Patti LaBelle & the Blue Bells. He went on to work with Joe Lee Wilson, Betty Carter, Kenny Dorham, Cecil Payne, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Frank Foster, Grant Green, Pharoah Sanders, Joe Williams, Eddie Jefferson and Dee Dee Bridgewater. He formed his own jazz trio and recorded with the Piano Choir.

The quintet features vocalist Antoinette Montague, backed saxophonist James Stewart, bassist Bryce Sebastien, drummer George Gray, and Band Leader Danny Mixon on piano.

Two Shows ~ 8:00pm | 9:30pm

Tickets: $35.00 per set

More Posts: adventure,bandleader,club,genius,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,preserving,travel,vocal

Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Cleopatra Brown was born on December 8, 1909 in De Kalb, Mississippi. She moved to Meridian, Mississippi when her father took a position as pastor and in his church she played piano as a child.

In 1919 her family moved to Chicago, Illinois and she began learning piano from her brother who worked with Pine Top Smith, playing boogie-woogie for dances. Around the time Cleo was 14 she worked in vaudeville, as well as taking gigs in clubs. In 1935, she replaced Fats Waller as pianist on New York radio station WABC.

From the 1930s to the 1950s she toured the United States regularly, recording for Decca Records among other labels along the way and recording many humorous, ironic titles such as Breakin’ in a New Pair of Shoes, Mama Don’t Want No Peas and Rice and Coconut Oil, When Hollywood Goes Black and Tan, and The Stuff Is Here and It’s Mellow.

Cleo’s stride piano playing was often compared to Fats Waller and she is credited as an influence on Dave Brubeck, who played during the intermissions of her shows, and on Marian McPartland. She played regularly at clubs in Chicago, toured widely, and recorded for both Decca and Capitol Records.

Brown began to shy away from singing bawdy blues songs because of her deepening religious beliefs. In 1953, she was baptized, retired from music, and became a nurse in 1959. Jazz biographies frequently listed her as deceased due to her absence from music. The song Sweet Cleo Brown was recorded by Brubeck in tribute.

From the mid-1970s until 1981, she performed under the name of C. Patra Brown on radio shows in Denver, Colorado. She replaced boogie-woogie music with slower, inspirational music. She returned to record again, and performed on National Public Radio^.

Pianist and vocalist Cleo Brown, who was the first woman instrumentalist to receive the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, and also performed and recorded under the name of Cleo Patra Brown,  died on April 15, 1995, in Denver, Colorado.

More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,vocal

BILL CHARLAP TRIO

The Bill Charlap Trio – with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington – is a jazz super-group with three brilliant, accomplished talents.

Their dazzling interplay and near-telepathic communication has earned a Grammy Award and multiple nominations, plus raves from audiences everywhere. Downbeat gave their new live recording, And Then Again, 4 ½ stars, placing them among “the best of the best ensembles in jazz history” playing at “the epitome of their creative powers.”

Two Shows ~ 7:00pm & 9:30pm  | Friday 12.13  ~ 7:00pm Sold Out

Tickets: $40.00 + $3.00 fee

More Posts: adventure,bandleader,bass,club,drums,genius,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,preserving,travel