Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Tony Crombie was born Anthony John Kronenberg on August 27, 1925 in London, England’s East End Jewish community. A self-taught musician, he began playing the drums at the age of fourteen. He was one of a group of young men from the East End of London who ultimately formed the co-operative Club Eleven bringing modern jazz to Britain. He went to New York with his friend Ronnie Scott in 1947, witnessing the playing of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, he and like-minded musicians such as Johnny Dankworth, and Scott and Denis Rose, brought be-bop to the UK. This group of musicians were the ones called upon if and when modern jazz gigs were available.

In 1948, Crombie toured Britain and Europe with Duke Ellington, who had been unable to bring his own musicians with him, except for Ray Nance and Kay Davis. Picking up a rhythm section in London, he chose Crombie on the recommendation of Lena Horne, with whom Crombie had worked when she appeared at the Palladium.

By 1956 Tony temporarily left jazz to set up a rock and roll band he called The Rockets, modeling themselves after Bill Haley’s Comets and Freddie Bell & the Bellboys. They released several singles for Decca and Columbia. He is credited with introducing rock and roll music to Iceland, performing there in 1957.

The next year the Rockets had become a jazz group with Scott and Tubby Hayes. During the following year, Crombie started Jazz Inc. with pianist Stan Tracey. During the Sixties he scored for television and film and established a residency at a hotel in Monte Carlo. He toured the UK with Conway Twitty, Freddy Cannon, Johnny Preston, and Wee Willie Harris.

In the early 1960s, Crombie’s friend, Victor Feldman, passed one of his compositions to Miles Davis, who recorded the piece on his album Seven Steps to Heaven. The song, “So Near, So Far”, has been recorded by players including Joe Henderson, who named a tribute album to Miles Davis using the title.

Over the next thirty years, Crombie worked with many American jazz musicians, including Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet, Joe Pass, Mark Murphy and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis.

After breaking his arm in a fall in the mid-1990s he stopped playing the drums, but continued composing until his death. Drummer, pianist, vibraphonist, bandleader and composer  Tony Crombie, was regarded as one of the finest English jazz drummers and bandleaders, transitioned on October 18, 1999, aged 74.

More Posts: composer,drums,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,vibraphone

RICHIE GOODS & CHIEN CHIEN: CONNECTED

“CONNECTED” was formed in 2020. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Richie Goods and Chien Chien had frequent conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement and the unwarranted hate crimes against Asians. They decided to do a project that would unify people and invoke imagery of love and peace. As often happens, music was the catalyst that bridged the gap and resulted in a rare collaboration; a partnership that produced “The Path” Sep. 2020, “We Three Kings” Nov. 2020, and “Rain” Dec. 2021. They decided to cement their musical relationship by creating “CONNECTED”, their band featuring Miki Hayama on keys, Quintin Zoto-guitar and Allan Mednard-drums and of course Richie Goods-bass and Chien Chien-vibes. Together, Richie and Chien Chien are “CONNECTED”, creating an exciting, new, energetic listening experience and attracting new audiences everywhere. Look for their new release, “Richie Goods & Chien Chien – CONNECTED” due in January, 2023. RICHIE GOODS – NY bassist Richie Goods, one of the most versatile and accomplished bass players in the industry and the youngest person ever inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Hall of Fame, came to prominence while touring and recording with the late Mulgrew Miller and credits him for much of his success. Richie went on to make a name for himself through recording and touring with a variety of jazz and popular artists including Sting, The Headhunters, Louis Hayes Lenny White, Milt Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lisa Fischer, The Manhattan Transfer and Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and Common and Chris Botti. He tours the US and internationally extensively, including notable performances at the Monterrey, Montreal, Mendocino, Atlanta, Detroit, San Jose, Rochester, and Jakarta Java Jazz Festivals as well as the Punta del Este International Jazz Festival. Richie, a native Pittsburgher, studied with such luminaries as Ron Carter and Ray Brown. He received critical acclaim for his multiple recordings, including his 2019 release “My Left Hand Man”, recorded with THE GOODS PROJECT, a self- produced tribute to his mentor Mulgrew Miller, which spent 36 weeks on the JazzWeek charts in 2020. CHIEN CHIEN – Chien Chien (Lu) is a vibraphonist, contemporary percussionist, and composer whose Taiwanese upbringing, classical music education, and passion for R&B grooves crystallize into a fresh and distinctive approach to contemporary jazz. Chien Chien’s fierce authenticity and jazz mastery shine bright on her September 2020 debut solo project, The Path, which spent 20 weeks on the Jazz Week Charts Top 20, earned Best Jazz Song in the Golden Indie Music Awards (GIMA)and three Golden Melody Award nominations, four GIMA nominations and led to her being named the “vibraphone rising star” in Downbeat Magazine’s 69th Annual Critics Poll. Her band has also played many prestigious festivals including the Clifford Brown and DC Jazz Festivals. She also toured extensively in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Chien Chien obtained a master’s degree in classical music and jazz. In 2017 she met jazz trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and was invited to join his esteemed quintet where she met and began collaborating with Richie Goods.

More Posts: adventure,album,bass,club,genius,jazz,music,preserving,travel,vibraphone

WARREN WOLF CD RELEASE ~ CHANO POZO: ORIGINS

Celebrate the release of Warren Wolf’s newest album, “Chano Pozo: ORIGINS”, at Keystone Korner Baltimore on July 7th & 8th!

Warren Wolf [vibes]
Alex Brown [piano]
Blake Meister [bass]
Brent Birckhead [saxophone]
Charles Wilson [drums]
Imani-Grace Cooper [vocals]

Warren Wolf is a multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, MD. From the young age of three years old, Warren has been trained on the Vibraphone/Marimba, Drums, and Piano. Under the guidance of his father Warren Wolf Sr., Warren has a deep background in all genres of music. Vibraphonist Warren Wolf is one of the hardest swinging virtuosos in all of modern music.

“Chano Pozo: ORIGINS” is Warren’s 10th record as a recording artist, and is set to release July 7th, 2023. It features himself playing all instruments, except for the horns. All songs are original except for “LADY” by D’Angelo and Raphael Saadiq.

Showtimes ~ 7:00pm & 9:30pm

Ticket Fees: $3.10 – $3.46

Streaming: $10:00 + $1.70

More Posts: adventure,album,club,genius,jazz,music,preserving,travel,vibraphone

SIMON MOULLIER QUARTET

More Posts: adventure,album,club,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,travel,vibraphone

JASON MARSALIS: LIONEL HAMPTON TRIBUTE

From a very young age it was clear that Jason Marsalis had what it took to be great. Jason is the son of pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis and the youngest sibling of Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo. Together, the four brothers and their patriarch Ellis, comprise New Orleans venerable first family of jazz.

As a drummer who established his career on the red-hot New Orleans jazz scene, he spent more than a decade in the Marcus Roberts Trio, one of jazz’s most accomplished and stylistically encompassing ensembles.

Showtimes: 6:30pm & 8:30pm

Fees Applied To All Ticket Purchases

More Posts: adventure,album,club,drums,festival,genius,jazz,museum,music,preserving,restaurant,travel,vibraphone