Daily Dose Of Jazz…
George Holmes “Buddy” Tate was born on February 22, 1913 in Sherman, Texas and first played the alto saxophone. He began performing in public as early as 1925 in a band called McCloud’s Night Owls, then later in the decade was playing tenor saxophone around the Southwest with bands led by Terrence Holder, Andy Kirk and Nat Towles.
He joined Count Basie in 1939 replacing Herschel Evans and stayed with him until 1948. After his period with Basie ended, he worked with several other bands before finding success on his own, starting in 1953 in Harlem. Buddy’s group worked at the Celebrity Club from 1953 to 1974. In the late 1970s, he co-led a band with Paul Quinichette and worked with Benny Goodman.
In 1979, Tate’s hometown invited him to play a concert at Austin College’s Sid Richardson Center as part of The Sherman Symphony Pops Series. Mayor Virginia Morriss issued a proclamation declaring October 6th as Buddy Tate Day. Accompanying Tate were Jay McShann, Claude Williams, Buster Smith and Paul Gunther.
In 1980, he was injured by scalding water in a hotel shower, which kept him inactive for four months. The 1990s saw him slow down, but he remained active playing with Lionel Hampton among others.
In 1992, Tate took part in the documentary, Texas Tenor: The Illinois Jacquet Story. In 1996, he recorded with reeds player James Carter on the younger man’s second release for Atlantic Records, Conversin’ with the Elders, along with trumpeters Harry “Sweets” Edison and Lester Bowie, and saxophonists Hamiet Bluiett and Larry Smith.
Living in New York until 2001, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona to be cared for by his daughter. Saxophonist and clarinetist Buddy Tate died in Chandler, Arizona twelve days before his 88th birthday on February 10, 2001.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Mark Gross was born February 20, 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up listening to gospel in his childhood home. His interests in classical music led him to the Baltimore School for the Arts, then studied one semester at Howard University. He matriculated four years at Berklee College of Music, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance and upon graduation in 1988, Gross began his professional music career in jazz.
Gross has toured the world with the Mark Gross Quartet, Buster Williams, Philip Harper, Nat Adderley, Dave Holland, Mulgrew Miller, Nicholas Payton, Delfeayo Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Big Band, Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Tom Harrell Big Band, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Cyrus Chestnut, Regina Carter, Stephon Harris, Walter Booker, Jimmy Cobb, Don Braden, Lenora Zenzalai Helm, among others.
He has performed several times on Broadway including Five Guys Named Moe, Shuffle Along and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. Mark first recorded as a solo act in 1997 with Preach Daddy, followed by his sophomore project in 2000 The Riddle of the Sphinx. In 2013 he recorded Blackside, Mark Gross + Strings five years later and the soon to be released The Gospel According to Mark: A Jazz Suite this year.
Alto saxophonist Mark Gross, who plays in the hard bop tradition, continues to perform, compose and tour.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jimmy Jewell was born on February 18, 1945 in the United Kingdom and began his career in 1962, participating in several jazz and rhythm and blues bands including Eddie Marten and the Sabres. Going professional the following year he joined the band Kris Ryan and the Questions after the band’s drummer Geoff Wills recommended his inclusion. With Jewell’s participation, Questions shifted genres, from rock to something more soul-oriented. Owing to artistic differences with Ryan, he left the band after final gigs in Germany during 1965.
In 1966 he moved to London, England played for a while in the Freddie Mack Sound and subsequently toured Germany with Chris Andrews and the Paramounts. Jimmy joined the Magics, a Berlin band, and toured Germany. In 1967, back in London, he played gigs with Lord “Caesar” Sutch & the Roman Empire, and the joined soul band Stewart James Inspiration, with whom he toured until their dissolution 1968.
After joining the Keef Hartley Band, Jewell played Woodstock and a couple of albums were released with his saxophone sound: The Battle of North West Six and The Time Is Near. A was a prolific session musician and band member during the 1970s, he recorded during 1973 and 1974 appearing on Ronnie Lane’s Anymore for Anymore. He recorded with the Hollies on their self-titled album. In the Seventies he recorded for Maggie Bell and Andy Fairweather Low, toured with Gallagher and Lyle and appeared on two of their albums.
He recorded with Fairport Convention, Chris de Burgh, performed with Roger Daltrey, John Lodge and with the Hollies. Jimmy went on to release two albums: I’m Amazed and From the First Time I Met You. By the Eighties work became occasional, including small jazz bands and collaboration with bluesman Lonnie Brooks on the 1981 album Turn On The Night.
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LIFE, LOVE & LENNY
A Celebration of the life and music of Lenny White
The iconic Grammy-winning drummer, who is among jazz music’s most prolific and celebrated artists, producers, composers and sidemen — will be fêted at a one-night-only celebration filled with music and memories at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Presented by Tzedakah 4 All, the event will feature performances in multiple combinations – Return to Forever w/ Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola and orchestra conducted by Maestro Steve Mecurio, Miles Davis Bitches Brew, Red Clay, Echoes of an Era, as well as exploring material from his illustrious five + decade career. Laurence Fishburne will serve as emcee with appearances from fellow artists Buster Williams, Omar Hakim, Patrice Rushen, Al Foster, Mike Clark, Billy Hart, and Billy Drummond.
Tickets: $175.00~$250.00
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PATRICK WOLFF QUARTET
Featuring Matt Wilson
Patrick Wolff is a jazz saxophone and clarinet player with a long history in the jazz scenes of New York City and San Francisco. His playing has been characterized by a focus on lyricism and an embrace of the whole lineage of jazz styles. As one of SF’s longest running jazz groups, Wolff’s quartet has spent more than a decade honing a quirky repertoire focusing on overlooked gems of the bebop era and great American songbook in weekly residencies at Club Deluxe and the Redwood Room. For this special show, Wolff is joined in the front line by a frequent collaborator, the Bay Area’s grandmaster of jazz tenor, Noel Jewkes, in a mutual admiration society evoking the great two-tenor tradition popularized by pairings like Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims.
Patrick Wolff – saxophone
Eric Markowitz – bass
Tickets: $31.20 with fee
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