The Jazz Voyager
The friendly skies are seeing me once more flying cross country to our nation’s capital to capture the essence of what I believe will be an unforgettable experience at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. I will continue to mask up whenever I’m on a plane or in enclosed spaces because these variants are not yet inert. Autumn in Washington, DC is a special time of year and to witness the collaboration of Javon Jackson and Nikki Giovanni will be transcendent.
Jackson presents The Gospel According To Nikki Giovanni with appearances by Nnenna Freelon and a rare appearance by Giovanni herself. This is a one evening event, so if you’ve never seen these three performers, I suggest you get your tickets because you are in for a treat.
Hitting DC is always like coming home even though the landscape has changed quite a bit. I have to get my bearings each time years pass between visits but fortunately it doesn’t take long. The Kennedy Center is located at 2700 F Street, NW 20566. For more information visit notoriousjazz.com/event or kennedy-center.org. The Kennedy Center number is 202-467-4600.
More Posts: adventure,album,club,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,saxophone,travel,vocal
BOBBY WATSON & CURTIS LUNDY
Bobby Watson is a saxophonist, composer, and educator. Born in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He attended the University of Miami at the same time as Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, and Bruce Hornsby. He graduated in 1975, moved to New York City, and became music director for the Jazz Messengers from 1977 to 1981. After leaving the band, he was productive as a session musician, recording with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Max Roach, Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Lou Rawls, Betty Carter, and Carmen Lundy. He formed the band Bobby Watson & Horizon with bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Lewis, with whom he played throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Curtis Lundy is a double bass player, composer, producer, choir director and arranger. Lundy is best known for his work as part of jazz vocalist Betty Carter’s band and is the brother to vocalist Carmen Lundy.
More Posts: adventure,album,bass,club,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,saxophone,travel
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Curtis Sylvester Lowe, Sr. was born on November 15, 1919 in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Oakland, California. He first learned to play soprano saxophone as a youth and studied briefly in Alabama before deciding to take up music full-time. Best known professionally as a tenor and baritone saxophonist, he played in traveling bands before the outbreak of World War II. Enlisting in the United States Navy in 1942, his unit band was full of noteworthy jazz musicians, including Vernon Alley, Wilbert Baranco, Buddy Collette, Jerome Richardson, Ernie Royal, and Marshall Royal.
In the 1950s Curtis worked extensively with Lionel Hampton and also played with Dave Brubeck, Little Esther, Johnny Otis, and Gerald Wilson. He led his own five-piece ensemble in 1952-1953. In 1958 he began a decade-long association with Earl Hines.
He was active locally in San Francisco, California and the Bay Area into the 1980s. Saxophonist Curtis Lowe Sr., who never recorded as a leader, transitioned at the age of 73 on October 29, 1993.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
David Theak was born on November 10, 1970 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and was raised in a house of impromptu parties. His childhood found him listening to his downstairs neighbor teaching piano every afternoon which led to lessons and a piano for Christmas. His bandmistress at Mona Vale PS introduced him to the saxophone but paid his dues on the baritone horn for a couple of years. After a brief stint at the Conservatorium High School, he returned to the local high school with some enthusiastic music teachers. They encouraged us to improvise and created opportunities for us to play in jazz and rock bands.
he following years saw David practicing, composing, gigging, releasing his own albums and organizing tours of Australia & Europe for his quartet, theak-tet, but with limited opportunities in the 90’s, he became involved with a musician led organization, the Jazzgroove Association, which received NSW and Federal government funding that allowed presentation of new music every week as well as create a record label and form an original creative jazz orchestra, The Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra.
He went on to become involved with SIMA, WAYJO and the formation of the Australian National Jazz Orchestra and ANJO Youth Big Band. David has been running a boutique international jazz festival for the past five years, is currently a Senior Lecturer in Jazz at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Artistic Director of the Australian National Jazz Orchestra, an advisory panel member of the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra, President of the Sydney Improvised Music Association and Artistic Director of the Sydney Con Jazz Festival.
Jazz saxophonist, composer, bandleader, educator, festival director and jazz protagonist, David Theak, who continues to compose, perform and tour, is the artistic director of the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra and collaborates with a who’s who of international jazz musicians.
More Posts: bandleader,composer,educator,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Brian Leake was born November 9, 1934 in South Wales, Wales. He first played the clarinet in Mike Harris’ jazz band while studying architecture. After completing his military service, he moved to London, England where he worked full-time as a salesman. He was also active in the British trad jazz scene from the early 1960s and his first recordings were made in 1962 with Mick Mulligan and George Melly on At the Jazz Band Ball.
He also played with Dick Charlesworth on P&O ships and in 1964 he appeared on the BBC program Jazz Club with Charlesworth and His City Gents. By the end of the decade it was owned by Alan Elsdon & His Jazz Band. Leake led a mainstream jazz sextet called Sweet & Sour with the bassists Paul Bridge and Ron Rubin were members. He led the Al Fresco Marching Band, in which he played alto saxophone.
He was involved in recordings by The Nottingham Barbers’ Shop Quartet and singer Clinton Ford. Recordings of Leake’s BBC radio appearances from 1979 to 1990 appear on the album Benign Jazz. As a pub pianist, he appeared in an episode of the television series Nick Lewis, Chief Inspector .
Pianist, saxophonist, clarinetist Brian Leake, who composed traditional jazz, transitioned on November 10, 1992.
More Posts: bandleader,clarinet,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,saxophone