Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Wilfred Theodore Wemyes, known to the world as Ted Weems, was born on September 26, 1901 in Pitcairn, Pennsylvania. He learned to play the violin and trombone, and his start in music came when he entered a contest, hoping to win a pony. He won a violin instead and his parents arranged for music lessons, and was a graduate of Lincoln School in Pittsburgh. While still at Lincoln, he organized a band there, initially providing some instruments himself.
As an enterprising young man he reinvested money given him by his teacher and that collected from band members to buy better instruments for the band. His family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he enrolled at West Philadelphia High School, joined the school’s band and became its director. Ted went on to the University of Pennsylvania, where he and his brother Art organized a small dance band that became the All American Band. They soon started receiving offers to perform in well-known hotels throughout the United States. They were one of the bands that played at the inaugural ball of President Warren G Harding in 1921.
Going professional in 1923, Weems toured for the MCA Corporation and began recording for the Victor Talking Machine Company. His first #1 hit was Somebody Stole My Gal in early 1924 and recorded for Victor/RCA Victor and their Bluebird Records arm. He then signed with Columbia, and on to Decca. He also co-wrote several popular songs: The Martins and the McCoys, Jig Time, The One-Man Band, Three Shif’less Skonks, and Oh, Monah!, which he co-wrote with band member Country Washburn.
Moving to Chicago, Illinois with his band around 1928, his orchestra charted more success in 1929 and the band gained popularity in the 1930s, making regular radio broadcasts. He would go on to enlist with his entire band into the United States Merchant Marine in 1942, directing the Merchant Marine Band. After the war, with his new-found popularity of the 1938 Heartaches, Decca continued to re-release several of his hits, however, he reaped no benefit as his contract expired while he was in the military.
Weems made front-page news in 1947 when he publicly repaid his debt to disc jockey Kurt Webster, who had revived Heartaches and thus his career. He staged a benefit performance by his band and gave all proceeds going to war veteran Webster. Decca cashed in once again on his new popularity by reissuing another oldie, I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now with vocals by Perry Como, which became another major chart hit.
The hits dried up after 1947 but Ted continued touring until 1953 then accepted a disc jockey position in Memphis, Tennessee, later moving on to a management position with the Holiday Inn hotel chain.
Violinist, trombonist and bandleader Ted Weems, who operated a talent agency in Dallas, Texas with his son, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, died of emphysema in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 6, 1963.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
John L. Thomas was born September 18, 1902 in Louisville, Kentucky but relocated to Chicago, Illinois as a child where he received his formal education. He slid into on-stage trombone performances with the Clarence Miller Orchestra around 1923. Between 1927 and 1928 he worked with Erskine Tate, leading to Louis Armstrong’s Hot Seven. He continued freelancing with a wide range of classic jazz bandleaders Freddie Keppard, Tate and Reuben Reeves.
He was briefly with McKinney’s Cotton Pickers in the Thirties and in 1937 he was part of a touring revue fronted by pianist and singer Nat King Cole. Thomas was once again with Tate as well as drummer Floyd Campbell’s outfit. During WWII he gave up his trombone case for a tool box in a defense plant.
His performance hiatus from playing took place prior to dropping out completely during the ’50s, as he did gig once again in a group led by guitarist Walter Dysett in 1944. Trombonist John L. Thomas died on November 7, 1971 in Chicago, Illinois.
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WYCLIFFE GORDON & ERIC REED
Wycliffe Gordon and Eric Reed are veteran members of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and original members of Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Wycliffe Gordon has had an impressive career touring the world performing hard-swinging straight-ahead jazz, receiving great acclaim from audiences and critics alike. His unmatched modern mastery of the plunger mute and his exceptional technique and signature sound, has solidified Gordon a place in musical history known as one of the top trombonists of his generation.
When you think of hard-driving swing, daring expression, sophistication and elegance in artistry, formidable technique and a thunderous sound, there are only a very small handful of contemporary pianists you think of and one of them is most assuredly Eric Reed. But don’t think of him as just a pianist; Eric is one of his generation’s most advanced thinkers in music.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gerald Graham Valentine was born on September 13, 1914 and received formal training in music when he was young, learning piano, composition, and music theory. He learned to play the trombone on his own.
In the early 1940s Jerry composed and arranged for Earl Hines and worked in Chicago with Dallas Bartley, King Kolax and he booked shows for the Club DeLisa. He then joined Billy Eckstine’s band from 1944 to 1947 and worked later in the decade with Wynonie Harris and Buddy DeFranco.
From 1950 to 1952 Valentine was an artist and repertory man for National Records. He played with Gene Ammons in 1954, and in 1958-1959 wrote arrangements for Pepper Adams, Art Farmer, and Coleman Hawkins in the group Prestige Blues Swingers.
Trombonist, composer and arranger Jerry Valentine died in October 1983.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Wolter Wierbos was born on September 1, 1957 in Holten, Overijssel, Netherlands. Self-taught, he started on a wind instrument in a drum band. He created a unique sound on his trombone and beginning in 1979 he became active in the Dutch creative jazz music scene.
He plays contemporary and improvised music, making excursions to post-punk and toured with various formations throughout Europe, Canada, the US and Asia. Wolter has played with Cumulus, JC Tans & Rockets, Theo Loevendie Quintet, Guus Janssen Septet, Loos, Maarten Altena Ensemble and Podiumtrio. He’s led his own band, Celebration of Difference, and has been involved in theater, dance, television and film projects. He has also played with Henry Threadgill, The Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, the European Big Band led by Cecil Taylor, the John Carter Project, Mingus Big Band.
Maintaining a solo career he has a running project under the name Wollo’s World, and has recorded on more than 100 compact discs and LPs, has released two solo cds, and a round-trip tour of his horn. The highlight in his career was the Boy Edgar award in 1995 and the Podiumprijs for Jazz and Improvised Music.
Trombonist Wolter Wierbos, who is best known as a member of the ICP Orchestra and is currently performing with Misha Mengelberg’s ICP, the Gerry Hemingway Quintet, Franky Douglas Sunchild and Bik Bent Braam, continues to perform, compose and record.
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