Three Wishes

It was Al Shorter that she approached with the question of three wishes and he told Nica he had only one wish that summed it all up:

  1. “I want to live more than my life. That’s all my three wishes, really.”
*Excerpt from Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats ~ Compiled and Photographed by Pannonica de Koenigswarter

SUITE TABU 200

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

LeedsLeeCollins was born on October 17, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a teenager he played in brass bands, including the Young Eagles, the Columbia Band, and the Tuxedo Brass Band. The 1910s saw him playing in New Orleans alongside Louis Armstrong, Papa Celestin, and Zutty Singleton.

Moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1924 he replaced Louis Armstrong in King Oliver’s band. He also played with Jelly Roll Morton but the two had disagreements and fell out when Collins claimed that Morton stole the song Fish Tail Blues from him. He returned to New Orleans, where he played on the recordings of the Jones & Collins Astoria Hot Eight in 1929. He traveled to New York City in 1930 and played with Luis Russell.

Arriving back in Chicago he played through the Thirties with Dave Peyton, the Chicago Ramblers, Johnny Dodds and Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton, Mezz Mezzrow, Lovie Austin, and with Jimmy Bertrand in 1945. Lee played around the city during this period in his career as an accompanist to many blues singers and in nightclubs. After 1945, he led his own band at the Victory Club, on Clark Street and gigged with Bertha Hill, Kid Ory, and Art Hodes in the early Fifties.

While in Europe he performed with Mezz Mezzrow in 1951 and 1954 and in California with Joe Sullivan in 1953. In the mid-1950s he retired because of poor health

Trumpeter Lee Collins, wrote an autobiography, Oh, Didn’t He Ramble, and with the aid of his wife, Mary, who published it posthumously in 1974, transitioned in Chicago on July 3, 1960, at the age of 58.

BRONZE LENS

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Ford Lee “Buck” Washington was born October 16, 1903 in Louisville, Kentucky. He and John W. Sublett, known by his stage name Bubbles, first began working together in the 1910s, while in his teens. Their duo was known as Buck and Bubbles.

Bubbles was primarily a tap dancer while Washington sang and played stride piano and sang. They were so popular that the duo moved to Manhattan, New York City in 1919 and by the late 1920s they were on Broadway. They played together in the Columbia Theater, the Palace, performing with Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, and Danny Kaye. They were in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931.

They became the first black artists to perform at Radio City Music Hall. They toured Europe in the 1930s and appeared on television and in films, including Calling All Stars in 1937 and Cabin in the Sky in 1942. They performed live in the first scheduled high definition television program on November 2, 1936 at Alexandra Palace in London, England for the BBC. In 1927, when Buck and Bubbles were performing at the Sunset Café, Buck developed a working relationship and friendship with Louis Armstrong.

As a pianist, Washington also recorded sessions in the 1930s with jazz musicians including Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Benny Goodman and Coleman Hawkins. He also played trumpet, though he only made home recordings on the instrument. He continued working with Bubbles until 1953, and then for a couple of years worked with Timmie Rogers and Jonah Jones.

Pianist, singer and vaudeville performer Buck Washington, with partner Bubbles were the first black artists to appear on television anywhere in the world, transitioned on January 31, 1955 in New York City.

BRONZE LENS

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TERENCE BLANCHARD: ABSENCE

Terence Blanchard has blown audiences away with his bands, film scores, operas, and most recently in performance with Herbie Hancock. Called “a brass-wielding force of nature” by the Los Angeles Times, the trumpeter/composer returns with his 2021 Blue Note release Absence—a powerful tribute to the great Wayne Shorter.

Teaming up with Turtle Island Quartet and his electric ensemble the E-Collective, Blanchard reimagines songs from across Shorter’s vast catalog and shares original music inspired by the legendary saxophonist—resulting in “a lush and dramatic soundscape that calls to mind Blanchard’s career as a successful film composer.” (The New Yorker).

E-Collective

Terence Blanchard (Trumpet/Synths)

Charles Altura (Guitar)

Taylor Eigsti (Piano/Keyboard/Synths)

David Ginyard, Jr. (Electric Bass)

Oscar Seaton (Drums)

Turtle Island Quartet

David Balakrishnan (Violin)

Gabriel Terracciano (Violin)

Benjamin von Gutzeit (Viola)

Naseem Alatrash (Cello)

Showtimes: 7:00pm & 9:00pm

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The Jazz Voyager

Masked up and on the wing to that city by the bay is the next stop for this Jazz Voyager to take in an evening at the Comstock Saloon situated at the crossroads of North Beach, Chinatown, Financial District and Jackson Square. I’ve been hearing about Gaucho Jazz, and having sparked my curiosity, decided to satisfy or see if it will kill this cat. So it’s off to hear them live and experience a performance for myself.

Of course while I’m in this city I’ll ride another trolley, make my way down the crooked street, roll across the bridge to Berkeley, go hang in the Tenderloin, Haight~Ashbury and Nob Hill and just enjoy the sights and sounds. I’ve also heard about this Dynamo Spiced Chocolate Donut that the saloon serves up with vanilla ice cream and during the night I’m going to see what this dessert hoopla is all about.

Showtime is 8:00pm ~ 11:00pm and there is no mention of a cover or reservations required. I guess I’ll be dropping in a little before showtime. The address of the Comstock Saloon is 155 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, California 94133. For more information, the number is 415-617-0071 or comstocksaloon.com.

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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