The Quarantined Jazz Voyager
Songs Of An Unknown Tongue
With the ever-mutating virus now spreading the Omicron variation, I am watching the detection and rise of this more contagious variants in South Africa, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Israel, Denmark, Botswana, Italy, Canada, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands. Suspecting that it is already in America, I am getting my booster as precaution, not necessarily to ward off, and continuing my vigilance in remaining socially distant and wearing my mask.
This week I have selected a talented British vocalist Zara Mcfarlane. Her fourth album, Songs Of An Unknown Tongue, was produced by Kwake Bass and Wu-lu, and released on July 17, 2020 on Brownswood Recordings.
This album pushes the boundaries of jazz meshed with folk and spiritual traditions of ancestral Jamaica. Zara is a part of the British echelon that is converging young and older audiences still seeking the future of jazz.
Tracks | 48:27
Side One
- Everything Is Connected ~ 3:39
- Black Treasure ~ 3:38
- Broken Water ~ 3:54
- Run Of Your Life ~ 3:11
- Saltwater ~ 6:22
Side Two
- My Story ~ 6:37
- Native Nomad ~ 6:07
- State Of Mind ~ 4:52
- Roots Of Freedom ~ 7:35
- Future Echoes ~ 4:32
Players
- Zara Mcfarlane ~ Vocals
- Kwake Bass ~ Percussion, Drums, Drum Machine, Synths, Synth Bass, Guitar, Bass Guitar
- Wu~Lu ~ Percussion, Synths, Guitar, Bass Guitar
- Camilo Tirado ~ Percussion
- Lyle Barton: Rhodes, Biscuit Flute
- Idris Rahman ~ Tenor Saxophone
- Robin Hopcraft ~ Trumpet
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Dick Vance was born on November 28, 1915 in Mayfield, Kentucky, and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He learned violin before concentrating on trumpet and by 1932 was playing with J. Frank Terry before joining Lil Armstrong’s band in 1934.
He moved to New York City and played with Willie Bryant, Kaiser Marshall, and Fletcher Henderson between 1936 to 1938. In Henderson’s band he was lead trumpeter and occasionally sang. By 1939 he joined Chick Webb’s orchestra, remaining in the group when Ella Fitzgerald took over leadership. His next move had him becoming the staff arranger for Glen Grey’s band and, in 1942, joined the Lucky Millinder Orchestra.
From 1944–45 he worked with Charlie Barnet, Don Redman, Eddie Heywood and Ben Webster. From 1944 to 1947 he studied at Juilliard, and moonlighted as a pit orchestra musician and an arranger for Harry James, Cab Calloway, Earl Hines and Duke Ellington. During this time Dick played on notable Broadway productions including Pal Joey, Beggar’s Holiday, and in the off-stage band for Streetcar Named Desire.
In 1950, Vance reunited with Fletcher Henderson, playing in his New York sextet. 1951 to 1952 saw him as a member of Duke Ellington’s trumpet section where he arranged most of the items for the album Ellington ‘55. In 1958 he co-composed Jazz Festival Suite with Ellington for performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. He led Sonny Stitt’s trumpet section on the 1962 album Sonny Stitt & The Top Brass. He toured abroad with his own band in 1969, which later appeared in the film L’aventure du jazz.
He toured with Redman in 1953 and was a regular at the Savoy Ballroom throughout the 1950s. He released two albums in the 1960s and toured with Eddie Barefield in 1969. He appears briefly in episode 9 of the music documentary series All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music. In 1979, he composed for the documentary film No Maps On My Taps, starring Lionel Hampton and Howard Sims.
Trumpeter, vocalist, composer and arranger Dick Vance passed away on July 31, 1985 in New York City at the age of 69.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
James Douglas “Trump” Davidson was born on November 26, 1908 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. He formed one of Canada’s earliest jazz bands in 1925, under the name The Melody Five. From 1929 to 1936 he played in Luigi Romanelli’s orchestra, then led a dance band from 1937 to 1942, which broadcasted on NBC and toured in the United Kingdom with Ray Noble in 1938–39.
In 1942 during World War II he worked in Horace Lapp’s orchestra in 1942, then led a dance band in Toronto, Canada at the Palace Pier from 1944 until 1962. This group appeared often on CBC radio and recorded several times during the 1960s. He led a big band from 1974 to 1978, also singing with this group.
Cornetist, singer and bandleader Trump Davidson passed away on May 2, 1978 at the age of 69 in his hometown.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Claire Austin was born Augusta Marie on November 21, 1918 to Swedish-American parents in Yakima, Washington. She played in nightclubs throughout the northwest in the 1930s and toured with the Chuck Austin Band in the 1940s.
Retiring from professional singing by the early 1950s, Claire began working as an accountant in Sacramento, California. After singing with Turk Murphy, she frequently performed in San Francisco, California for two years. She remained active through the 1970s.
Vocalist and pianist Claire Austin, whose singing style has been compared to Peggy Lee, passed away on June 19, 1994.
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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager
As a nation of thinkers trepidly venture out to events, not out of fear but in caution, we continue to perform the safe practices of mask wearing and social distancing, this quarantined jazz voyager remains steadfast in protecting himself. Today I am playing one of my favorite genres, the big band, and this one is being led by a most wonderful woman. In 2020 Lenora Zenzalai Helm produced a fabulous record For The Love Of Big Band bringing to the fore the Tribe Jazz Orchestra and new arrangements to some of jazz’s classic compositions. There is something wonderful about listening to music that was created with love.
Track Listing | 1:16:00
- Blues For Mama (Nina Simone) ~ 4:42
- Bebop (Dizzy Gillespie, Deborah Brown) ~ 6:22
- Chega De Saudade (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jessie Cavanuagh, Vinicius de Moraes, Jon Hendricks) ~ 6:39
- It Could Happen To You (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) ~ 5:26
- Soul Eyes (Mal Waldron) ~ 5:24
- Everything But You (Duke Ellington, Harry James) ~ 4:30
- I Didn’t Know About You (Duke Ellington, Bob Russell) ~ 5:50
- Sandu (Clifford Brown, Dupresha L. Townsend) ~ 9:00
- But Not For Me (George & Ira Gershwin) ~ 5:26
- A Conversation With God (Dear Lord) (John Coltrane, Lenora Zenzalai Helm) ~ 7:25
- Mississippi Goddam (Nina Simone) ~ 6:06
- Stella By Starlight (Victor Young,Ned Washington) ~ 8:23
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