Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Jay Hoggard was born September 24, 1954 in Washington, D.C. but grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. His mother taught him how to play piano at a young age and picked up the saxophone long before age 15 when he started playing the vibraphone. He played with Anthony Davis and Leo Smith  in the early 1970s around New England.

After moving to New York City in 1988 Jay worked again with Davis and with Chico Freeman, Sam Rivers, Cecil Taylor, James Newton, and Kenny Burrell. He would go on to collaborate and perform over the next few decades with  Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Tito Puente, Bobby Hutcherson, Billy Taylor, James Newton, Hilton Ruiz and Oliver Lake.

An international performer Hoggard has played on stages and jazz festivals in Africa, South America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean and throughout the United States as well as appearing on television. Since 1978 he has recorded more than a dozen and a half sessions as a leader and many dates as a sideman. Vibraphonist Jay Hoggard currently teaches at his alma mater Wesleyan University.

 

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Requisites

Reflections ~ Frank Morgan Allstars | By Eddie Carter

I discovered Frank Morgan in the 80s while living in Cincinnati, Ohio and listening to WNOP 740 AM, the city’s then jazz station. This morning’s album from the library was his eighth release as a leader and seventh for Lester Koenig’s label. Reflections (Contemporary Records C-14052) by the Frank Morgan Allstars is the only album the group recorded together and isn’t a loose, thrown-together blowing session. The sextet is a powerhouse group of musicians: Frank Morgan on alto sax; Joe Henderson on tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone; Mulgrew Miller on piano; Ron Carter on bass; and Al Foster on drums. I own the 1989 U.S. stereo release.

The first side gets underway with Old Bowl, New Grits by Mulgrew Miller. The sextet’s easy-flowing melody gives way to Joe’s opening solo, inviting us to settle in. Bobby follows with a blissfully happy reading, then Frank continues motoring along next. Mulgrew gets the final word ahead of the theme's restatement and fade-out. The title track, Reflections by Thelonious Monk, shifts the energy toward Frank and Joe taking center stage for the enticingly delicate theme. Frank shows a tender vulnerability in the first interpretation. Joe takes over with a gracefully emotional response, then Bobby takes a sensitive, poignant turn, leading to the theme’s return and gorgeous ending.

Starting Over by Bobby Hutcherson picks the beat back up with a lively opening ensemble. Bobby comes out swinging hard first, then Frank dives into the second solo with surgical precision. Joe jumps right into the third reading next, then Mulgrew provides the exclamation point, soaring cheerfully into the ensemble’s vigorous reprise and climax. Side Two opens with the rhythm section’s introduction to Black Narcissus by Joe Henderson, segueing into a compelling front-line dialogue between Frank and Joe. Frank paints a delicate palette first, then Joe adds a few more elegant colors. Bobby infuses the third statement with tender beauty, and Mulgrew saves the best for last in a gorgeous finale before the close.

Sonnymoon for Two by Sonny Rollins affords everyone solo space and begins with the trio’s introduction to the sextet’s medium melody. Frank’s first solo is a great example of relaxed lyricism. Bobby follows with a bounce that’s pure artistry. Joe sets up the next reading perfectly, then Mulgrew keeps the line moving forward. Ron takes a short, satisfying walk before Al brings the curtain down, preceding the closing chorus. O.K. by Ron Carter is his tribute to album producer Orrin Keepnews, and the ensemble opens with a leisurely paced theme. The solo order is Frank, Joe, and Mulgrew before the melody’s reprise and Bobby, who gets the last word in a gentle fade to nothingness.

Orrin Keepnews produced the album; Danny Kopelson managed the recording console, and George Horn mastered the album. The recording is fantastic, with an exceptional soundstage and outstanding detail that emerges through your speakers with exceptional fidelity. Reflections by the Frank Morgan Allstars is a gorgeous album with an all- star lineup and a wonderful selection of tunes. If you’re a fan of the alto saxophonist and in the mood for a terrific blend of bop and modal jazz, I invite you to check it out on your next record shop visit. I’m sure it’ll be a welcome addition to your library, and you’ll enjoy it as much as I do!

© 2026 by Edward Thomas Carter

CALIFORNIA JAZZ FOUNDATION

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Peter Appleyard was born August 26, 1928 in Lincolnshire, England and became apprenticed to a nautical instrument maker after being forced to leave school due to economical reasons related to the Second World War. At that time the popularity of American Big Band music was growing in England, due to recordings by jazz legends like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

Strongly influencing young Appleyard, he decided to pursue a career as a jazz musician and in the early 1940s began his career playing in the Boys Brigade, a youth organization. He went on to perform as a drummer in several other British dance bands and played in RAF bands.

In 1949 Appleyard moved to Bermuda, spent his holidays in Canada and picked up his first set of vibes, eventually settling in Toronto. He worked as a room booking clerk and a salesman studying music and soon thereafter began playing the vibraphone in concerts with Billy O’Connor in the early 1950s.

From 1954-1956 he played with a band at the Park Plaza Hotel, made numerous appearances on CBC Radio, his own jazz ensemble in 1957 and performed and toured throughout North America, appeared on American television during the 1960s. He would go on to host radio and television programs, work with Benny Goodman’s sextet, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie Orchestra, and continue to perform in Toronto nightclubs and lounges while double as music director for several bands.

In 1982 Appleyard formed the All Star Swing Band that Swing Fever, earning a gold record and a nomination for a Juno Award for Instrumental Artist of the Year. Following Goodman’s death, he formed the Benny Goodman Tribute Band in 1985, leads the “Swing Fever Band”, has had several concert tours for NATO, and has performed for Canadian and American servicemen at the North Pole Christmas Show in Greenland.

With more than two-dozen albums under his belt, vibraphonist Peter Appleyard has received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee award and regularly traveled, toured and performed around the world until his passing of natural causes on July 17, 2013 in Eden Mills, Ontario, Canada. He was 84 years old.

 

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Cecilia Smith was born on August 17th, in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Cleveland Heights. She began her musical odyssey at age eight with piano lessons and by age twelve, she had added drums to her repertoire. At fourteen, she was on to mallet percussion, studying in her early teens music theory with graduate students at the Cleveland Music Institute. This led to her discovery that music would be her life’s quest.

Upon graduating from high school, Cecilia attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and while there she pursued composing, arranging, film scoring and her instrument of choice, the vibraphone. Earning a Bachelor of Music degree in Professional Music from Berklee, Smith continued in a teaching capacity for four years before moving to New York City.

As a professional composer and recording artist, Cecilia Smith has received numerous commissions and grants. She is an avid midi programmer, is currently one of the leading vibraphonist of the Four-Mallet Technique, the first woman to release material on vibraphone on a national and international level and has performed in concert halls, nightclubs and festivals throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. Vibraphonist Cecilia Smith has frequently been highlighted on national radio and television broadcasts and she continues to compose, arrange and perform.

 

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HENDRIK MEURKENS

One of the most unique and captivating voices in jazz brings his quartet to The Side Door. Hendrik Meurkens is a virtuoso on both the chromatic harmonica and the vibraphone and is widely regarded as the most important jazz harmonica player since Toots Thielemans. Born in Hamburg and now based in New York, his path to musical mastery is one of jazz’s most extraordinary stories. As a teenager, a Benny Goodman record with Lionel Hampton lit the fuse — he had to play vibraphone. Then, at nineteen, he heard Toots Thielemans for the first time and knew he had to play harmonica too. He perfected his unique musical voice at Berklee as a vibraphone major, then moved to Rio de Janeiro in the early 1980s to immerse himself completely in the music and culture of Brazil.

His poignant, emotionally affecting harmonica proved to be a sound that Brazilians strongly embraced, and that deep love of Brazilian music , samba, bossa nova, choro, has never left him, infusing everything he plays with a warmth and rhythmic vitality that is entirely his own. Back in Germany by 1983, he became a respected studio musician, recording with European Radio Orchestras and accompanying visiting legends like Harry “Sweets” Edison and Buddy Tate. He then moved to New York on an exclusive contract with Concord Records and has since released over fifteen acclaimed albums as a leader, performing at festivals and clubs around the world.

The Band
Hendrik Meurkens – Harmonica & Vibraphone
Steve Ash – Piano
Joe Fitzgerald – Bass
Ben Bilello – Drums

Cover: $27.98

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