Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Michel Camilo was born on April 4, 1954 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and as a young child showed aptitude for the accordion but it was his grandparents’ piano that sparked his interest. At age 9 he asked his parents to buy him one, they first send him to the Elementary Music School of the National Conservancy, and a year later to grant his wish.
Camilo learned to play in the classical style and by 16 was playing with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. During his 13 years of study at the National Conservatory, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Horace Silver, Errol Garner and Scott Joplin influenced him. Moving to New York in 1979 he studied at Mannes College and Julliard, and broke onto the international stage in 1983 with Tito Puente.
Michel became a star with his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1985, toured Europe with Paquito D’Rivera and recorded his first album “Why Not?” that same year. His debut release on the Sony label, Michel Camilo, held the top jazz album spot for ten consecutive weeks.
He has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Tania Maria, Stanley Turrentine, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, David Sanchez, Leny Andrade, Roy Hargrove and Billy Taylor on the very short list, recorded twenty-three albums, has written film scores for several Spanish films, has won an Emmy, a Grammy for the Live at the Blue Note album, and Best Latin Jazz Album at the Latin Grammy Awards for Spain. Pianist Michel Camilo holds honorary degrees at Berklee College of Music, continues to tour extensively, lecture in Europe, the US, and Puerto Rico.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Marilyn Crispell was born March 30, 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and studied classical piano and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music. She discovered jazz through the music of John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor and other contemporary jazz players and composers like Paul Bley and Leo Smith.
For ten years Marilyn was a member of Anthony Braxton’s Quartet and the Reggie Workman Ensemble. She has worked with the Barry Guy New Orchestra as well as a member of the Henry Grimes Trio, the European Quartet Noir and Anders Jormin’s Bortom Quintet.
A resident of Woodstock, New York since 1977 when she came to study and teach at Karl Berger’s Creative Music Studio, in 2005 she performed and recorded with the NOW Orchestra, a year later she was co-director of the Vancouver Creative Music Institute and a faculty member at the Banff Centre International Workshop in Jazz.
Crispell has performed and recorded nearly two-dozen albums as a soloist and leader of her own groups as well as with John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Robert Cogan, Pozzi Escot, Manfred Niehaus, Larry Ochs, Reggie Workman,Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton, Steve lacy and Anthony Davis with the New York City Opera, among numerous others.
Pianist Marilyn Crispell, the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, continues to perform, record and teach throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada and New Zealand, and collaborate with videographers, filmmakers, dancers and poets.
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Requisites
The Last Concert: The Modern Jazz Quartet broke up after this concert documented on this two-fer, double LP recording. After a glorious 22-year career, it would be nearly seven years before the group would come back together but it certainly went out on top. Mostly revisiting their greatest hits, MJQ is heard playing inspired versions of Softly As In A Morning Sunrise, Bag’s Groove, Skating In Central Park, Confirmation, The Golden Striker and Django. This set is a real gem and an essential addition for all serious jazz collections.
Personnel: Milt Jackson – vibraphone, John Lewis – piano, Percy Heath – bass and Connie Kay – drums
Record Date: November 25, 1974
Songs: Disc 1 – Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise, The Cylinder, Summertime, Really True Blues, What’s New?, Blues in a Minor, Confirmation, ‘Round Midnight, A Night in Tunisia, Tears from the Children, Blues in H (B), England’s Carol
Disc 2 – The Golden Striker, One Never Knows, Trav’lin’, Skating in Central Park, The Legendary Profile, Adagio from the Guitar Concerto: Concerto de Aranjuez, The Jasmine Tree, In Memoriam, Django, Bag’s Groove
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Charles Phillip Thompson was born in Springfield, Ohio on March 21, 1918 and became a professional pianist from the age of 10. By age twelve Thompson was playing private parties with Bennie Moten and his band in Colorado Springs. During this time Count Basie played off and on with Moten’s band and at one of these shows Basie called the young Charles up to play.
Throughout his career has chiefly worked with small groups, although he belonged to the Coleman Hawkins/Howard McGhee band in 1944-1945. Throughout the 40s he recorded with Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon and J.C. Heard among others.
Thompson composed the jazz standard “Robbins’ Nest” and was dubbed Sir Charles Thompson by Lester Young. The swing and bop pianist, organist and arranger at age 98, passed away of colon cancer on June 16, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Joachim Kühn was born March 15, 1944 in Leipzig, Germany. He was a musical prodigy and made his debut as a concert pianist, having studied classical piano and composition. Influenced by his elder brother, clarinetist Rolf Kühn, he simultaneously got interested in jazz and in 1961 he became a professional jazz musician.
He put together a trio in 1964 and presented the first free jazz in East Germany. In 1966 he left the country and settled in Hamburg and together with his brother played the Newport Jazz Festival and recorded with Jimmy Garrison on the Impulse Record label.
Kühn moved to Paris in 1968 and has since worked with Don Cherry, Karl Berger, Slide Hampton, Phil Woods and Jean-Luc Ponty among others. As a member of Association P.C. he turned to electronic keyboards and during the second half of the 70’s he lived in California and joined the West Coast fusion scene. This period saw him recording with Alphonse Mouzon, Billy Cobham, Michael Brecker and Eddie Gomez.
Returning to Europe and settled near Paris again, he has played in an acoustic trio with Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair since 1985. In the summer of 1996, he joined Ornette Coleman for two concerts at the Verona and Leipzig festivals, which opened the way for his Diminished Augmented System. He continues to perform and record.
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