Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ladislav Déczi was born on March 29, 1938 in Bernolákovo, Czechoslovakia and showed an interest in the trumpet while in elementary school. He went through several music ensembles in high school and during his military service performed in Prague, Czechoslovakia. After his discharge he remained in Prague and started performing with the Rokoko Theater Sextet and then with the Jazz Outsiders. He then went on to work with Karel Velebny’s S+HQ and as the frontman for the Reduta Quartet.
By the mid-Sixties he founded Jazz Celulla, joined the Czechoslovak All Star Band, the Jazz Orchestra of the Czechoslovak Radio, and the Dance Orchestra of the Czechoslovak Radio. He recorded several solo albums, composed orchestral compositions.
Emigrating to America in 1986 he again took the frontman space for Celula New York. He performed with Elvin Jones, Bill Watrous, Junior Cook, Dave Weckl and Sonny Costanzo. He recorded several duo albums with Sarka Dvorak and composed an abundance of music for film and television productions. He has won several awards during his career and has toured Eastern Europe especially his homeland, Germany and Austria.
Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Laco Déczi, who also paints, continues to perform, compose and record.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Burton L. Collins was born on March 27, 1931 in New York City but raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the 1950s he worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Urbie Green, Neal Hefti, Woody Herman, Elliot Lawrence, Johnny Richards, and Claude Thornhill.
Relocating to New York around 1960 he played in Broadway orchestras and in ensembles with Cannonball Adderley, Albert Ayler, Jimmy McGriff, Blue Mitchell, Duke Pearson, and Stanley Turrentine, among others. With Joe Shepley he formed the group Collins-Shepley Galaxy in 1970, recording two albums, including a Lennon/McCartney tribute. Later in the decade he played flugelhorn with Urbie Green again as well as with Janis Ian, Lee Konitz, David Matthews, and T. Rex’s album Electric Warrior.
Over the course of his career he recorded a hundred albums as a sideman with, among others, Manny Albam, Woody Herman, Duke Pearson, Cy Coleman, Frank Foster, Sal Salvador, Pat Moran, Astrud Gilberto, George Benson, Chris Connor, Manhattan Transfer, Tony Bennett, Luiz Bonfa, Airto Moreira, Paul Desmond, Eumir Deodato and Lalo Schifrin.
He played little after the 1970s, though he appeared on record with Loren Schoenbergin 1987. Trumpeter Burt Collins transitioned on February 23, 2007 in Philadelphia.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Linton Garner was born on March 25, 1915 in Greensboro, North Carolina. As a youngster he wanted to play cornet rather than piano, but due to problems with his teeth, was forced to concentrate on the keyboard. From the age of 8 until 10 he had piano lessons, as did his three sisters, unlike his brother.
He was arranger and pianist with Fletcher Henderson’s band before the Second World War, then spent 1943 to 1946 in the army, where he played both piano and trumpet in different bands. Afterwards he was pianist and arranger for a number of distinguished bands including those of Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie. He also accompanied Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Carmen McRae and Della Reese. He also wrote songs, including You’re the One For Me.
Moving to Canada in 1963, by 1974 he was invited by Arni May to Vancouver, British Columbia to accompany him at the opening of the Richmond Inn Hotel. Linton stayed in Vancouver and worked in many venues becoming the resident pianist for seven years at the Four Seasons Hotel.
The 1990s had him playing at the Three Greenhorns in Vancouver. He also sang and played the piano in Rossini’s restaurant in Kitsilano. The Linton Garner Legacy Quartet, featuring drummer Don Fraser, bassist Russ Botten, pianist Ron Johnston, and pianist Miles Black continues to play Garner’s music.
Pianist, trumpet and vocalist Linton Garner, who was Erroll’s older brother, transitioned from kidney failure in Vancouver, at the age of 87 on March 6, 2003.
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MARK RUSSO
Join us, as trumpeter, educator, and composer, Mark Russo, takes us on a musical journey throughout the “The Blue Note Era”, with his jazz quartet.
Line-up: Mark Russo: Trumpet, A.J. Kluth – Tenor Sax, Ian Kinnaman – Bass, Jonathan Hooper – Piano, Ricky Exton – Drums
A freelance jazz trumpet player and educator in the greater Cleveland area. He holds degrees in Music Performance In Jazz Studies From Bowling Green State University and a Music Education from Kent State University (Magna Cum Laude) and is currently the director of bands at Constellation Schools: Parma Community High School.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz
Keith John Smith was born on March 19, 1940 in Isleworth, Middlesex, England. Originally intent on pursuing studies in engineering, he began playing trumpet at the age of 15. Soon after he began playing in local amateur ensembles, including Norrie Cox’s band and the New Teao Brass Band, the latter including Chris Barber and Ken Colyer.
His first professional gig came in 1960 as a member of Mickey Ashman’s Ragtime Jazz Band. In 1962, he started the Climax Jazz Band and began recording. In 1964, Smith visited New Orleans for the first time, where he played with George Lewis. Intending to move to the U.S. permanently, he worked briefly in New Orleans, Louisiana before spending time in California and New York. In 1966, he organized an all-star band to tour Canada and Europe, which included Pops Foster, Jimmy Archey, and Alvin Alcorn.
Moving to Denmark in 1972 he remained there until 1975, playing with Papa Bue in his Viking Jazz Band. Afterwards he returned to England, where he founded a new band, Hefty Jazz. This group lasted over a decade, toured internationally and over the years featured George Chisholm, Mick Pyne, Peanuts Hucko, Nat Pierce, Johnny Mince, and Barrett Deems. Concurrently, he was named leader of the Louis Armstrong All-Stars in 1981, and in 1984 served as producer for Stardust Road, a televised film made as a tribute to Hoagy Carmichael. Late in his life he lived in Germany, still active as a performer.
Trumpeter Keith Smith, principally active on the trad jazz and Dixieland revival scenes, transitioned on January 4, 2008 in London, England from a heart attack at the age of 67.
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