Musicman Magazine 2022

Spring 2022

Gathering great musicmen together!

Issue #3

spring 2022

Alvin Carter-Bey Producers, Promoters, and DJ’s

2022

A Jazzy Cabaret

Featuring The Music of Joan Cartwright

SATURDay March 5th, 8PM

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This project is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council of Arts and Culture (Section 286.25, Florida Statutes).

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Blue Muse Jazz

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Ann Hampton Callaway

APRIL 23, 2022

MARCH 11 & 13, 2022 MARCH 26, 2022

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APRIL 1, 2022

MAY 7, 2022

APRIL 8, 2022

MAY 14, 2022

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artsgarage.org | 561-450-6357 artsgarage is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

This project is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council of Arts and Culture (Section 286.25, Florida Statutes).

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS

94 NE 2ND AVE. DELRAY BEACH, FL 33444

2

MAY 20, 2022 MAY 22, 2022

MAY 29, 2022

JUNE 10 & 11, 2022

Dr. Joan Cartwright, Executive Director Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. 954-740-3398 Men supporting women musicians!

Dr. Joan Cartwright Editor-in-Chief

Musicman Magazine©®™ TEAM Publisher: Founder/Executive Director: Creative Director: Executive Administrator: Social Media: Editorial Staff: Creative Team: Contributing Writers: CONNECT General Inquiries: Sponsorships: Musicwoman Podcast : Social Media:

Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. Dr. Joan Cartwright – divajc47@yahoo.com Dr. Joan Cartwright Mimi Johnson – mimijohnson.wijsf@gmail.com Mimi Johnson, Marika Guyton Dr. Joan Cartwright, Cheryl Wooding Jodylynn Talevi, Melton Mustafa, Jr. Alvin Carter Bey, Dr. Joan Cartwright, Melton Mustafa, Jr., La Quetta Shamblee, Lawanda Joseph info@wijsf.org wijsf@yahoo.com wijsf@yahoo.com www.blogtalkradio.com/musicwoman www.wijsf.org www.musicmanmagazine.com www.issuu.com/joancartwright/docs/musicman22

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Table of Contents Producers

The Women Behind The Motowners

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Talent Spotlight Willerm Delisfort by Melton Mustafa, Jr. Shareef Clayton by Melton Mustafa, Jr.

Promoters

Keith Valles Eric Trouillot

13 15 17 19

Tales from the Dusty Road Three Men In My Life by Joan Cartwright

DJs

James Janisse by La Quetta Shamblee Leroy Downs by La Quetta Shamblee Alvin Carter Bey Ahmad Jamal by Alvin Carter Bey Benny Golson Jr. by Alvin Carter Bey Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. by Alvin Carter Bey Jimmy Cobb by Alvin Carter Bey Jimmy Edward Heath by Alvin Carter Bey Monty Alexander by Alvin Carter Bey Yusef Lateef by Alvin Carter Bey Rodney Whitaker by Alvin Carter Bey Bernd Appel by Warie Porbeni

21 23 25 27 29 33 37 43 47 51 55 59 65

In Memoriam Jim Harrison, Barry Harris & Dr. Lonnie Smith by Joan Cartwright

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Dr. Joan Cartwright Editor-in-Chief Letter from the Editor In 2022, WIJSF celebrates its 15th year of musical service, promoting women musicians, globally!

The lateral move to telling the stories of musicmen was an easy choice. Despite COVID, DELTA, and OMICRON, the third issue of Musicman Magazine features interviews by DJ Alvin Carter-Bey, the Impresario of Jazz. Each year, Alvin featured our compilation CDs of women composers. We are happy to publish his lively interviews with eight Jazz giants on WHPK in Chicago, Illinois.

This issue celebrates producers, promoters, and DJs, without whom most musicians would have little representation. Our members tell stories about concert production and promotion. On radio and podcasts, Disc Jockeys enhance the careers of musicians. Since 2008, my podcast Musicwoman Radio at BlogTalkRadio has featured over 400 musicians. The power of archived episodes is that they are available forever. Online, 134 episodes that I hosted are archived at www.blogtalkradio. com/musicwoman.

Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. has 394 members with 244 musicians, including 69 men who support our mission to promote women musicians, globally. WIJSF is proud to celebrate these seasoned men. Students of the music business who read these stories will learn how to hone production and promotional skills. These men compete in the huge music market and their contributions to the careers of musicwomen and musicmen are commended and documented, herein.

Thanks to Conquest Graphics for our 8th Free Printing grant. We could not publish this magazine without their support.

Love and music,

Dr. Joan Cartwright Editor/Publisher

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In Memoriam These two men MADE my career as a songwriter and vocalist in Philadelphia.

Although I was born and raised in New York City, where I met so many jazz giants, BEFORE I met them, Gerald Price taught me EVERYTHING I know about music theory. Bernard Samuel included me in his band rehearsals on a regular so that I had the opportunity to learn songs in a full band setting. I owe them a great deal. Thank you! ~ Joan Cartwright

GERALD PRICE Bernard Samuel is behind Gerald.

Willie Williams Wow, Joan. It’s hard to believe how quickly time had flown by. I remember these two gentlemen and their dedication to jazz and the Philly school of thought. I’m also grateful for Gerald insisting on me finding my own voice at a young age! Learn the language and don’t imitate. That’s the important thing. The younger generation of today is missing this one important thing sometimes. I’m fortunate beyond belief that I had many opportunities to work with Bernard! We used to jam all the time at his place in Logan. He played with all of the local musicians while holding down a full-time job and supporting a family! Something to be admired. And he did that effortlessly! Rest In Peace gents, you are and will be secured in our history.

Gail Jhonson Wow, Joan, you know my Philly hero! Gerald Price!

an ARTICLE! T I M B U S ! rg and get .o f s ij SUBSCRIBE .w w w E! JOIN! w BERSHIP! M E ADVERTIS M r u o y e with this magazin

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THE WOMEN BEHIND THE MOTOWNERS 7

The Women Behind The Motowners

By Lawanda Joseph

Recognition of women in the entertainment industry is understated but women are making their mark on all levels. The women behind the scenes of The Motowners, Inc. are Co-Owner and Vice President Revella Hadley and Lawanda Joseph, Business and Band Manager. They are the beat at the heart of The Motowners’ production team.

Their multiple roles to support the production extend beyond titles. These women are integral to the popularity and success of Motown Tribute Production.

The Motowners Ultimate Motown Tribute Show was created by Revella Hadley with her husband, Derrick Hadley, President and Producer of The Motowners, Inc. Their catering and entertainment service Black Swan Special Events is the parent company formed in 2005. They have progressed to a full show production, featuring the Motowners Men and Ladies, singing classic Motown songs with a Funk Brothers vibe-like band. The Motowners tour as the main act on numerous stages and theaters around the United States.

Revella Hadley is a graduate of Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, Leadership North Broward, and she is certified in Meeting and Events Management from Florida Atlantic University.

“Our shows are produced at performing art theaters and big stages. The production mirrors the Motown module to maintain the authenticity expected and appreciated by our audiences. Our work ethic is foremost and our team presents a professional production.

As a former singer of the group, I understand the mindset of the singers and I am there for them on and off the stage. I think about the women of Motown and in the industry, who paved the way for women entertainers, musicians, writers and producers in a male-dominated industry. I’m proud to model and honor their accomplishments, and I do my part to support women in the entertainment industry,” said Revella Hadley.

Lawanda Joseph is a native of Detroit, Michigan, where she has fond memories of the Motown Reviews. With over 20 years of legal, business, public relations and marketing

8

experience, she brings extensive experience in business management, entertainment, and productions projects, nationally and internationally.

Lawanda obtained the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Contract Advisor certification to further her knowledge of sports management, negotiations, and marketing.

“Behind the scenes is where the magic begins. From the office to the stage, there is an ongoing plan for negotiation, public relations, social media, and company development.

This is where my professional expertise is valuable. Our plan for The Motowners is consistent with the owners’ desire to move beyond statewide shows and become a national and international production company. They are well on their way and my intention is to take them to a higher level, one day at a time, until we achieve our goals and beyond.

My thoughts are often beyond the present. I’m constantly thinking and taking action to get them where they are destined to be as a major tribute production show. The road to success and perfection is a long

The Women Behind The Motowners

By Lawanda Joseph (con’t)

road, but we tweak it as we go along. I take my role seriously in managing and presenting The Motowners in the best light from the business matters, behind the scenes and to their appearance on stage,” said Lawanda Joseph.

The Four Tops, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Marvelettes, and Stevie Wonder. The search resulted in the right combination of five male singers, three female singers, and On the road to nationwide success, five musicians.

The Motowners have performed on the same stage with national artists before high-profile individuals like First Lady Michelle Obama. The Motowners shows received positive reviews for their consistent delivery of authentic Motown sounds, dazzling costumes, and decorum that contribute to their sold-out shows.

audiences to enjoy and reminisce about the beauty of the music. The tribute group recaptures the feelings associated with these songs.

“The Motowners’ shows are nostalgic, classic, and upbeat. They inspire sing-along and dancing. Once you see a Motowners Show, you can’t wait to see them again! They bring back memories of times past and leave you with a happy feeling,” said Joseph with a proud smile.

The Motowners are on the move The Motown Sound is the most as a show and an entertainment significant musical accomplishment production company with a of African Americans in the 20th professional team on the road to Century. The Motowners shows success! transport you to a time of amazing For more information regarding hit songs and soulful classics, The Motowners Motown Tribute when Motown changed the Show or bookings, please contact: American music scene. It changed Lawanda Joseph, Business Manager our society and captivated diverse 305-525-0338 audiences, nationally. During the lawandajoseph9@gmail.com illustrious Motown years, that www.themotowners.com sound dominated the airwaves with www.facebook.com/Motowners hundreds of hit songs by superstars. www.instagram.com/themotowners

While the owners pursued a premier Motown Tribute Show, it was imperative to engage the most dynamic and powerful vocalists with a syncopated, tight rhythm section that captures the grooves of Motown artists, including The Temptations, The Motowners aim is for their

9

As the women behind the scenes of The Motowners, Revella Hadley and Lawanda Joseph have not reached their milestone.

They are optimistic about their recognition as businesswomen in the entertainment industry, who contribute to the progress of the Motowners. Meanwhile, they keep their eyes on the prize and know that it will happen in due time with God’s Grace. As The Temptations said, “Get Ready – Here We Come!”

youtu.be/OlZWM-YEnkY

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ARTS GARAGE 2021 Jesse Jones, Jr & Melton Mustafa, Jr. 11

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Talent Spotlight

Jazz Pianist, Composer

WILLERM DELISFORT 13

WILLERM DELISFORT

by Melton Mustafa, Jr.

You performed at the Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival? What other festivals have you played at?

Yes, I was honored to be a part of the 20th Annual Melton Mustafa Festival in 2017. Since I left Miami in 2002, I performed at jazz festivals, worldwide, including the Chicago Jazz Festival, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, and the Jazz & Blues Festival in Switzerland, Japan, and Africa.

Who inspired you to become a musician and how long have you been performing?

As a child, I stumbled upon playing the piano to fill an hour of my day, before my brother got home from school to play with me. in 1994, on our first day of class, I heard John McMinn play the piano and I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I’ve been on this journey for 27 years.

I like to think of my playing & writing as honest. It took years to get here, but to play or write something because it’s what’s in my heart rather than me trying to prove to anyone that i can play.

Did you learn music in school? If so, who was your music teacher and what impact did they have on you?

I studied piano for one year before auditioning for Charles R. Drew Elementary. There, I studied music with John McMinn from 1994 to 1996. These years were some of my happiest moments of learning and playing music. Every day was an adventure, learning about

the history of music and theory, and learning new songs with the ensembles. Mr. Mac Introduced me to incredible musicians and educators like Melton Mustafa, Sr. and another pianist, Phineas Newborn Jr.

What are you doing to inspire the next generation of musicians?

I teach my students how to survive as a performer, musician, writer, educator, and entrepreneur.

What are some the challenges you face in the music industry?

The inability of most people to view and treat us as the borderline geniuses that we are.

IG, Twitter, Facebook all under #wdelisfort. My music streams on Spotify, Appel, and iTunes.

Visit my website at http://www.willermdelisfort.com.

Who are your favorite male and female artists and why?

Why did you pick your instrument and Favorites are tough. But my favorite was it your first choice? male and female deceased artists are I picked the piano because of the Oscar Peterson and Sarah Vaughn, flyer on the school bulletin board who symbolize peak greatness. and I am so happy with that decision. My favorite living artists are Eric Reed and Dee Bridgewater because What was your favorite song or original they represent honesty. When they composition to perform and why? perform, it’s all them.

On Autumn Leaves, I learned to walk a bass line. I realized the value Who are you listening to? of learning a song well so I could I like to spend a week listening to manipulate it the way that I want my peers. I just listened to Jonathan to. That lesson helped me with my Barber’s collection of work. Next, I church music. As far as original am checking out the music of pianist compositions, I don’t have a favorite Addison Frei. one. They were all created at different points through my journey What’s your greatest accomplishment?

A couple told me that they heard of of life. the Willerm Delisfort Project date How do you describe your playing or night vibe and they came to see us compositional style? perform in New York. A little later, I like to think of my playing and they conceived a child. writing, honestly. It took years to get here. But I play or write something Are you working on any new projects? because it’s in my heart rather than Yes, I am working on my sophomore from trying to prove to anyone that I album that is 12 years overdue. I am can play. It’s like getting called for a looking for a Fall release. gig and trying to convince the leader Where can we buy your music and that you belong on the gig. Just play, how can we keep in contact with you? you got the gig, already.

You can find me online YouTube,

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American Jazz Trumpeter, Composer

SHAREEF CLAYTON 15

SHAREEF CLAYTON

by Melton Mustafa, Jr.

You performed at the Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival? What other festivals have you played at?

Yes, that festival was a great experience. Even though I was a guest performer, I learned a lot, listening to the other teachers. I played at North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and Tabarka Jazz Festival in Tunisia.

Who inspired you to become a musician and how long have you been performing?

My father, Anthony Clayton was my first inspiration. He played the saxophone and we played duets together when I was a kid. The second person was trumpeter Melton Mustafa. I took lessons with him at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Miami. He inspired me to become a professional. He represented excellence on the highest level.

Did you learn music in school? Who was your music teachers and what impact did they have on you?

Yes, I’ve been in a lot of arts schools all of my life. I attended the New World School of the Arts. The environment was awesome because I was surrounded by people who wanted to be great. I left Miami, after high school, and moved to New York to study at the Manhattan School of Music. I was well-prepared at New World by my teachers Melton Mustafa, Rodester Brandon, Jim Gasior, Brian Neal, Adam Bookspan, and Laurie Frink.

Why did you pick your instrument and was it your first choice?

What are some the challenges you face in the music industry?

Learning all the new trends. The industry changes, every day, and you must keep up with what is happening now versus how we use to do it. Now, I’m sounding old. Ha ha.

My favorite original composition to perform is “ Going Home “ because it reminds me of growing up Miami with my family.

What are you doing to inspire the next generation of musicians?

I am showing them, by example, things I have done. I teach them how to get there and what to avoid, which is important.

Who is your favorite male and your favorite female artist and why?

Male Singer: Donny Hathaway; Female Singer: Whitney Houston.

I started studying drums with Jack When they sing, I feel every word!

Ciano. But I wanted something new, Who are you listening to? so, I picked up the trumpet.

Lately, I’ve been checking out What is your favorite song or original classical composers like Modest Mussorgsky from Russia. composition to perform and why?

This changes all the time, depending on the mood. I love songs from the What’s your greatest accomplishment?

Earth Wind & Fire Song Book. I Being in a position to help others. like them all. My favorite original composition to perform is Going Are you working on any new projects?

Home, which is reminiscent of I’m writing music for my new big band. growing up Miami with my family.

How do you describe your playing or compositional style?

I play a lot of different styles. What matters most to me is playing soulfully. I like to connect with people. When I write, I use my ears.

I am never satisfied with something that is technically right but not good, musically. Listening is one of the best tools.

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Where can we buy your music and how can we keep in contact with you?

You can buy my music on all digital platforms.

You can find me at: http://www.shareefclayton.com facebook.com/shareefclayton instagram.com/shareefclayton

Salutes Jazz Promoter

KEITH VALLES

Son of The Maharaja of Jazz Radio, China Valles, Keith Valles took good notes to continue his father’s legacy of promoting jazz music in South Florida. “Duke Ellington nicknamed Charles China Valles “The Maharaja,” a Sanskrit word denoting greatness and royalty.

For 89 years, 50 spent in Miami, China Valles was a tremendous force of good in music,” according to Miami New Times reporter Jacob Katel.

17

The Mahj was a mainstay at Miami radio stations WDNA and WTMI-FM (93.1), where he spent 24 years playing bop, blues, and fusion. Although China transitioned in 2014, his non-profit Sunshine Jazz Organization carried on with the work of Keith’s mother Thelma, who was at China’s side for every event they produced, promoted, or attended in the tri-county area. Keith took the reins and the rest is history.

In 2017, Dr. Joan Cartwright was inducted into the South Florida Jazz Hall of Fame by SJO. Enjoy SJO’s ongoing concerts, workshops, events and promotions as we proudly enter our 36th Season of Jazz! www.sunshinejazz.org 18

Salutes Jazz Promoter

ERIC TROUILLOT Eric & The Jazzers is a dynamic jazz band that plays tunes from the great era of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzy Gillespi, and other jazz giants. Although our passion is swing and bebop, we play R&B, Funk, Blues, Bosso Nova, and anything on lead sheets. Every band member has over 30 years experience and is a master of the craft. Graduates from Berklee, University of Miami, and Indiana Conservatory has prepared them to become the professional musicians they are.

Eric & The Jazzers consists of a drummer, sax/flute, keys, vocalist, trumpet and MC. Based in South Florida, the band has performed in venues in the tri-county area, from South Beach to West Palm Beach. If you're looking for a REAL Jazz band for entertainment, hire Eric & The Jazzers. www.thebash.com/jazz-band/eric-trouillot

Eric Trouillot is “A man with a drive that only God can stop!

If you can't keep up, step aside.

Life is too short!”

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Juju Cornelius (RIP), Eric Trouillot, Yamin Mustafa, Doc Allison, Ken Burkhart, Yvette Norwood-Tiger, Stephen Tiger

20

Joan & Her Jazz Men

These two men appeared at the beginning and middle of my life and career. Saxophonist Budd Johnson from Dallas, Texas, was my first musical mentor. His wife, Bernice Johnson was my dance teacher.

From the age of four to eight, my parents dropped me off at the Johnson’s home, where I waited for Mrs. Johnson to pick me up for dancing school in Jamaica, New York. In the interim, Budd Johnson took me down to his basement studio, where he played his saxophone. The stairwell leading to the basement was plastered with photos of legendary jazz musicians.

It was like being in a museum at their house. It was not until I was 27, when I realized that I learned to scat from listening to Budd Johnson practice his saxophone. Ultimately, I was the only women to speak at his funeral at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in New York City, in 1984, where I related this story and the folks in attendance understood my stake in the music.

The other gentleman is Quincy Jones, who granted me a 45-minute interview at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1993, for my Master’s thesis, The Cultural Politics of Commercial Jazz. I met

Quincy at Abyssinia Baptist Church, Artie Simmons and the Jazz in July 1984, at Count Basie’s funeral Samaritans played on the streets in Harlem. of New York City in the 1980s.

After completing my BA in Music and Communication at LaSalle University, I moved from Philadelphia back to New York City. I was living with Artie and he asked me to sing with his band at Columbus Circle, in front of the Plaza Hotel, and near the New York City Library. I did this for a few months but the lure to sing to the top of the skyscrapers was taxing on my vocal cords. So, I stopped singing outside and booked my band at places like Freddy’s, St. Nick’s Pub, and the Blue Note, where Artie joined me with Cecil McBee (b) Ironically, I worked with Quincy’s and Kuni Makami (p). Kim Clarke first wife, Jeri Jones, at the Keypunch was the first women on bass that Academy off of Columbus Circle I sang with. She was on my demo in Manhattan, in 1982. So, at the tape with Artie on drums and Bross church, I approached Quincy and Townsend on piano. My song Makin’ told him that I knew Jeri and his Love To You is on the WIJSF MUSIC eldest daughter, who said I looked COLLECTION VOL. 3 like his niece, Patti Austen. Then, in 2013, I had the opportunity to present him with my book, A History of African American Jazz and Blues that includes his interview. We were in Montreux, again, and he was celebrating his 80th birthday. This was quite an honor for me.

Unknown (flugelhorn), Artie Simmons, Cindy Blackman, George Braith, and Kim Clarke

Jeri Caldwell Jones, first wife of Quincy Jones, mother of Jolie Jones Quincy and Jeri

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for his philosophical inspiration and for mapping the route to Live Again.

You, me, we are forever Making it last, no end in time He, she, they are forever We’re making it last, no end to this ride No end to your life You only live once, is a lie

featuring mitch talevi ~ electric & acoustic guitars, vocals bill keis ~ electric & acoustic keyboards

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Baby girl, sweet music was her world She could sing before she could talk She would be another Diva But mamma had other plans Thirty years at the ofce, and she never sang again No it’s not over, don’t think that it’s the end In the end, you Live Again

musicians tom walsh ~ drums (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11) adam cohen ~ electric & acoustic bass (3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11) steve billman ~ electric bass (1, 6) bill keis ~ keyboard bass (2, 5, 10, 12) bill & mitch ~ drum programing (2, 5, 10, 12) ric erabracci ~ electric bass solo (9)

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Live Again

That you only live once, it’s a lie Only live once, it’s a lie That you only live once, it’s a lie Only live once, it’s a lie That you only live once, it’s a lie

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We’d like to thank: www.billkeis.com/powerjazz

Produced & arranged by Mitch Talevi & Bill Keis - ℗ & © 2011 Bill Keis Music, Inc. - All rights reserved. - Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. - Manufactured by Bill Keis Music. - Printed in USA. - 1259 Bruce Ave. Glendale. CA 91202 Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a ne of $250,000.

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www.billkeis.com/powerjazz

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produced & arranged by Mitch Talevi & Bill Keis recorded, mixed, mastered by Bill Keis at 1st Choice Studio, Glendale, CA assistant engineer - Mitch Talevi

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JAMES JANISSE 23

James Janisse

By LaQuetta Shamblee Radio DJ, Master of Ceremonies, Voiceovers, Radio Station Owner, James Janisse embraced Los Angeles, California, when his family moved from Houston, Texas. He was a child and their love of jazz impacted James by the time he attended Locke High School. He was enjoying much of the same music as some of his classmates who became successful recording artists, including Patrice Rushen, Indugo Chancler, and Raymond Pounds, drummer for Dru Mitchell in high school. Their music teacher, Reggie Andrews, won a Grammy with Earth Wind and Fire.

After attending UCLA and joining the military, James served a tour of duty in Vietnam. Like so many veterans, he grappled with the demons of warfare. His relationship with jazz was a life raft on which he surfed back to the mainstream of life, after years of struggling with substance abuse. During a workshop he attended in a recovery home, James heard about a radio production training program but he did not have the money to enroll. He panhandled and took odd jobs to raise the registration fee.

He landed a part-time job at KLON 88.1FM, that featured the premier jazz radio broadcast in Southern California. Known as America’s Jazz and Blues Station, it was renamed KKJZ in August 2002. While working other fulltime day jobs, James hosted the weekend and overnight radio show for 15 years. He made good use of many isolated hours in the studio, learning

everything he could about the musicians on the CD’s he was spinning. His knowledge of all of the members in the band, on every tune is unparalleled, as he insists on announcing all of the members in the band on every tune. The only exceptions are big bands and recordings by some vocalists that don’t announce their bandmembers. It is this reputation that has endeared him to “sidemen/women” musicians who are typically overlooked.

By the time he left this gig, he was working full-time for many years and was one of the station’s most popular DJs in demand as an MC for annual, regional festivals and venues. He MCed a series of annual concerts throughout Southern California that led to the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. He was the MC for major jazz festivals in Los Angeles, including the Long Beach Jazz & Blues Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Idlewild Jazz Festival, Watts Towers Jazz Festival, City of Angeles Jazz Festival, and Jazz at Drew. James

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applied what he learned from voiceover icon Dave Fennoy and went on to entertain millions of listeners tuned to his series Voice of Jazz on Continental and United Airlines flights.

After leaving the radio station, James was searching for a new direction. His wife said, “Do what you do!” This was the spark he needed to produce a daily, two-hour radio program. A short time later, he established his radio station at www.KJMJRadio. com offering jazz and blues programming 24 hours, 365 days of the year. The playlist includes a variety of historic recordings and live performances of straight-ahead jazz, avant garde, bebop, and blues curated by Janisse to share, introduce, and celebrate jazz and blues icons, lesser-known, and upcoming indie jazz artists. Log on to www.

KJMJRadio.com to enjoy “Some of the Best Jazz & Blues” brought to you by Mr. James Janisse, L.A.’s original Gentleman of Jazz.

www.KJMJRadio.com

Jazz Radio DJ

LEROY DOWNS 25

Leroy Downs

By LaQuetta Shamblee Every Sunday night, this Los Angeles Jazz Cat takes to the airwaves in Santa Monica, California, on KCRW 89.9, for a live broadcast of his radio show Just Jazz. This broadcast professional created an impressive portfolio of jazz radio and television shows with the goal of producing a masterpiece.

Leroy Downs started his radio career at 1580AM KDAY, one of the top R&B stations in the region. He was heard KUTE 102FM, playing contemporary music. Although he enjoyed the music, he “got tired of listening to the same songs in rotation over and over, so I started searching for new music.”

This led him to KKGO 105FM, a jazz station where he became intrigued with songs he had not heard before. He accumulated a jazz library from Aaron Brothers, a record store across the street from Fairfax High School. They sold 99 cents used albums with a notch in the cover from radio stations. So, Downs built his collection, slowly. “For only $20 bucks, I would come out with 20 albums.”

Besides being an avid listener, had was immersed in learning history of this music he had grown to love. Downs listened to

Chuck Niles on KLON 88.1FM. His interest in being a jazz radio host was peaked, listening to some type of Rat Pack, Martini show. That show made him think that he could get a gig on the radio. He recorded cassette tapes to present to the station but all of their slots were filled.

Undaunted by this barrier, he was intent on finding his place in that environment. He volunteered until the night he substituted for Sam Fields on his five-hour show.

The listeners liked him and the station management offered him a show one night a week, which expanded to five nights a week.

“The radio station’s music library gave me access to a treasure trove,” Janisse revealed.

They provided a little box that held two rows of CDs that DJs could pull in preparation for each show. For five nights a week, Downs selected from the extensive collection that filled two rooms from floor to ceiling.

He associated music labels with artists and jazz genres.

“This helped me to establish a relationship with the music,” he said.

His dedication paid off in other ways, positioning him to MC jazz events like the Monterey Jazz Festival for 20 years, and the Monk Institute of Jazz at USC’s Winter Jazz Festival in NY. His job is blending jazz sounds of yesterday and today, for people to enjoy the entirely of the jazz experience. “I’m 100% the opposite of being stuck on nostalgia,” he declared.

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A seeker of the music, Leroy does not settle on what he already knows. He grows with the music, while expanding his playlist of new music by established artists and those new to the scene. As an industry professional, he knows that radio stations exist to make money and the focus is on popular tunes. But this broadcast professional is clear about what he brings to the party. He said, “I am not a safety guy, I like to take it way past the edge. The music is like a wave that needs to ebb and flow.”

Visit www.TheJazzCat.net to sample Leroy Downs gallery of talent, archives, and productions.

Download JazzCat to ebb and flow with this jazz broadcasting professional.

ALVIN CARTER-BEY

The Impresario of American Classical Music

Alvin Carter-Bey is a radio disc jockey with 55 years on the air. He is a music consultant for the Chicago Jazz Spotlite (WDCB) Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. He is the musical host and consultant for the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. Alvin is the Holder of the New City Black Achiever Award and the U.S. Presidential Points of Life Award from President George Bush. Al continues to serve by sharing his musical knowledge with communities in Chicago. He facilitated the street-naming of Dinah Washington Way.

Alvin was instrumental in getting this street renamed for Dinah Washington.

His interviews with notable jazz musicians are featured in this issue of Musicman Magazine and his book It Was Jug That I Dug, a short biography of saxophonist Gene Ammons (1925-1974).

Dan Bindert is the station manager at WDCB. 630-942-3706 (office) 708-790-8729 (cell)

WOJO

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American Jazz Pianist, Composer, Bandleader, Educator

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AHMAD JAMAL

by Alvin Carter-Bey

Ahmad Jamal was born July 2, 1930, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before he formed his first trio in 1951, Jamal worked in Pittsburgh.

This is the radio interview with Ahmad Jamal by Alvin Carter-Bey on September 28, 2014.

ACB: We have a legendary piano stylist and I want to say Chicago’s own. The great Ahmad Jamal is here at WHPK. But he’s from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lives on the East Coast, when he’s in the United States.

Good afternoon, sir.

AJ: Alvin Carter-Bey, I’ve been waiting for you, my friend. Thank you very kindly. I have been preparing for you with your erudite self.

ACB: Listen, You’re such a wonderful man and we really appreciate you.

AJ: Well, I appreciate your contribution to the culture of the world, Mr. Alvin Carter-Bey. ACB: Thank you very much, sir.

AJ: You’re delving into one of the world’s greatest art forms, American Classical Music. You coined that phrase for someone, I think.

ACB: Hey, listen, for you. And I got into a little trouble. I had a lot of different discussions. Just recently, I read something about Gray Bartz dismissing the word Jazz altogether because he thought it was a word of profanity and it should not be used.

AJ: He’s well-versed in the sodash,

defined as profanity in Webster’s Dictionary. That’s correct. Gary Bartz is a scholar.

ACB: So, you’re saying that he’s on target in respect to AJ: Yeah, sure. That’s one of the definitions of jazz and a word that I don’t think correctly defines what we do, you know. Ellington didn’t call himself a jazz artist. John Coltrane didn’t. At least, I don’t think he did. I don’t call myself a jazz musician. I call myself an artist who plays American Classical Music. I’m not paranoid about the word Jazz because what we’ve done is sophisticated. But Jazz is not a sophisticated word. It was never meant to rise to the status that we know it as a worldwide cultural. Thousands of youngsters are learning this artform in the United States. You’ve heard of Berklee School of Music and the

30

New School. Juilliard has Jimmy Heath as a graduate and tenured professor. He taught there for years. The late Dr. Yusef Lateef taught at Amherst, [where Archie Shepp taught]. People are studying this musical art form. It is powerful music. This is powerful stuff.

ACB: I’m glad that I am a part of it and it’s a wonderful thing that you do.

We listened to some tracks from your recording in 2008. It’s magic in the piece. What’s the name?

AJ: Arabesque ACB: Arabesque. Where did that come from?

AJ: It’s a Moorish ornament design [or style that employs flower, foliage, or fruit and sometimes animal and figural outlines to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines] with Arabic writing in the background. Also, it is a dance where you’re standing on one leg extending the other leg horizontally. I used certain tonalities that are reminiscent of the Arabic scale. That’s why I called it Arabesque because it is based on musical tonalities.

ACB: Was this Idris Muhammad’s last date with you?

AJ: No. He was a great drummer.

What a loss. He was a great man, a great character, and a great drummer. I think he did more recording, after that, I’m not sure.

I have over 60 records. I lost count.

ACB: We played your early Okeh recording, That Gal in Calico, which

AHMAD JAMAL

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t) took us back some years, when Miles Davis was saying that you were a great inspiration to his song styling and how he wanted one of his piano players Red Garland to sound just like Ahmad Jamal.

AJ: Well, you have to get that from a compilation. If you dropped that record it would break. Those were acetate recordings I made in 1951.

I have both of them framed. So, you must have gotten that from the compilation that John Hammond did that included Gal in Calico. You have the old acetate recording? No. ACB: Yes. This is actually Okeh epic.

AJ: Are you kidding me?

ACB: Oh, no. I kid you not.

AJ: On 78?

ACB: Yes, we do have a 78.

AJ: I’m going to come and get it. It’s worth some money.

ACB: Oh, well, I better try to hold on to it then.

AJ: I will be in Chicago on October 10, 2014, at the Chicago Symphony Center.

ACB: We’re looking for a great turnout to welcome you, Mr. Jamal.

AJ: My second home, Chicago. I know a little bit about that town.

ACB: You were here for how long?

AJ: 12 years. From 1948 until 1960.

ACB: And you had Club Alhambra?

AJ: I did. With 43 employees in one of my more adventurous years.

ACB: Did you regret having a show club?

AJ: It was a nightmare for me.

ACB: Really?

AJ: 43 employees. I bought that building and gutted it out. It was a learning experience. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. These things make you the person that you are, today. Hopefully, you have a positive finish, regardless of the negative things you may get involved in. The restaurant was a

negative thing for me.

ACB: Tell us about AJ. Describe yourself.

AJ: You want me to write a book?

ACB: No, no. Give me a minute or two.

Let people know who AJ is.

AJ: 84 years young. My daughter thinks l am 18, but I’m not. I’ve been around. We just left Tokyo.

The artist, whom we co-manage with Yamaha Music Foundation, wanted me to be on stage with her, again. I presented her with George Wein and Talla Penja, in Perugia, Italy, and in Marsiac, France. Irony is a pianist, who is making a lot of waves. She wanted me to come to Tokyo. I’m going to Prague, after I leave Chicago. Then, I’m going to stay home for the rest of the year.

Because the old man is backing off now, Al Carter-Bay. I’m going to stay home and work on my publishing and enjoy my house.

ACB: So how would you describe your personality?

AJ: I can’t describe it. You’ll have to describe it.

ACB: Well, I think you’re a wonderful person.

AJ: I am an introvert who has become an extrovert. I was withdrawn but I’m a talkative, outgoing person, now. I am different from when I was in Chicago, in the early years. I was very withdrawn with a lot of responsibilities. But, after hardship, there’s ease. I had a lot of hardships, a lot of knocks and bumps on the road. But that’s what makes a person. Sometimes, you have to have pain for gain. No pain no gain. I had a lot of pain.

ACB: You’ve been with this music for a long, long, time and still hanging with it.

AJ: I’ve been with a lot of things a long time. I was in Egypt, in 1959. I planned the trip when I was 11 years

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old. I almost stayed there. I didn’t because my mother was still living, I wanted to go back but I went to Sudan, in 1959, which was reported on the front page of the New York Times. They wrote about what I was doing in Egypt!

ACB: Well, it’s a great place but I don’t want to go back right now.

AJ: No, It’s not as peaceful as it was then. In 1959, it was peaceful.

I spoke at Al-Azhar University and had a wonderful host, Dr. Sharodoby, who’s gone now. My host in Sudan was Ex-minister of the interior Sheikh Ali Abdul Rahman. He’s gone. A great man in a great experience for a young guy only 29 years old. I left the Blue Note, after we sold out, and I had $2.50 in my pocket. I fulfilled a lifetime dream, a childhood dream, by going to Egypt. I left the Blue Note in Chicago, where we broke all the records with just three pieces. But that’s the strength of that record. We did it at the old Pershing Hotel in Chicago. My career was launched in Chicago.

ACB: That particular record of 1958, was that your best-selling record?

AJ: It still is.

ACB: Okay. So, has there been anything else, since then, that you think would go beyond that in terms of your talent, your artistry?

AJ: People asked me what is the best record I ever made. I said, “The next one.”

ACB: Okay. Okay. Okay.

AJ: Is that a good answer or not?

ACB: Well, I found the Naked City Theme [2008] to be a great one.

AJ: Well, there’s been no parallel as far as record sales are concerned like the historic recording at the Pershing. It doesn’t happen

AHMAD JAMAL

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t) anymore. The great Diva Shirley Horn was a friend of mine and one of the most talented women that I ever knew. She made a record Here’s To Life with Robert and Johnny Mandel that should have been on the charts, until today. It doesn’t do that anymore. I had record sales on the charts are 108 weeks. That doesn’t happen anymore. There is too much of a glut on the market.

Independent record companies no longer exist. There are only a few big conglomerates. But when we made The Pershing that was in an era that is not coming back. Shirley’s record Here’s To Life should have stayed on the charts for 108-110 weeks like The Pershing but that doesn’t happen anymore. Very rarely.

ACB: Well, you know I wish you forever life. And are you enjoying what you do?

AJ: If you don’t make discoveries every day, you’re dead. You might be walking around but you’re dead if you don’t make discoveries. So, I enjoy life because I’m happy to say I make discoveries, every day, mostly about myself.

ACB: Okay.

AJ: And when I make discoveries about myself, I may make discoveries about others like Al Carter-Bey. I made a discovery about you now.

ACB: Oh, man, listen.

AJ: Discoveries every day. And when you make discoveries, everyday, life is interesting. It took me a long time to get there.

ACB: Is James Cammack still performing with you?

AJ: Manolo, Reginald Veal, Herlin Riley, and myself.

ACB: Oh, that sounds like a great group.

AJ: I’m taping at the Prague with the Saturday Morning group.

ACB: Okay.

AJ: The one with Blue Moon that was nominated for the Grammy, Whatever that means.

ACB: You’re listening to WHPK 88.5 FM Hyde Park Chicago, streaming at www.whpk.org. We’re talking to the legendary piano stylist of American Classical Music, the one and only Ahmad Jamal. Several weeks ago, you and I talked about a particular word that is Ebonics from the black or African American words ‘fitnah’. That is in a song you wrote entitled, It’s Magic. A lot of black people use the word ‘fitnah’.

They say, “I’m fitnah go to the store.

I’m fitnah run an errand.” But it’s I’m fitnah. So, where did this word come from f-i-t-n-a-h?

AJ: It’s an Arabic word meaning many trials or testing. It may be a word that we used as people who came here as slaves who did not speak English. They were speaking something else. So, fitnah may be a word that was the residue of what they were speaking when they came here. There’s a connection. It may be one of the words used in Arabic.

ACB: Well, that’s often.

AJ: You’re telling me that this is a word that you’re familiar with?

ACB: Very much so.

AJ: We use that word in the AfroAmerican community. We weren’t speaking English when we came here. It may be a carryover. We spoke AJ: He’s going to do Prague with me when we came here, could well be. but Reginald Veal is going to do the There are many other occasions Chicago date. where that happened.

ACB: Would that be a trio?

ACB: Well, it’s a word that locked into AJ: No, I’m using my small ensemble the community because certainly 99.9% of four pieces. of the African-American community ACB: Manolo Badrena? says fitnah. It’s wonderful

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and I’m going to play fitnah next. But listen, thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you October 10th at the Chicago Symphony.

AJ: Is that your birthday?

ACB: Yes, sir, that is my birthday.

AJ: I don’t celebrate birthdays. I don’t think you do. I don’t celebrate my own birthday but other people do, so happy birthday.

ACB: Thank you.

AJ: In advance ACB: Well, other people celebrate my birthday because of someone like you.

But it’s enjoyable because each day is a birthday so long as I’m still alive and well. It’s always a pleasure to talk to you and I can’t wait to see you in concert.

AJ: Al, thank you.

ACB: Thank you very much. Have a wonderful day. Thank you very kindly, sir.

AJ: Have a good one.

ACB: Sure, bye-bye AJ: Chow ACB: The great Ahmad Jamal, here at WHPK. And we were speaking of fintah, so we want you to listen to this here at WHPK.

American Jazz Saxophonist, Composer, Educator

BENNY GOLSON 33

BENNY GOLSON Benny Golson was born on January 25, 1929, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This interview was conducted on the radio by DJ Alvin Carter-Bey. ACB: We have on the live line, here at WHPK, a young man who knew the great John Coltrane, very well. A legendary composer, the one and only Mr. Benny Golson. Next line. Mr. Golson, how are you, Sir? BG: If I were doing any better, I’d be like you.

ACB: You are such a wonderful person.

And you knew John Coltrane well.

BG: I knew him extremely well. We knew each other from teenagers on up the line.

ACB: In respect to the arts, what type of person was he, even as a teenager?

BG: Usually, he was in kind of a quiet period. He didn’t have a lot to say, until he put that saxophone in his mouth.

ACB: And what happened? He blew everybody away. Even today, a lot of his music is just being transcribed in some way-out method. Some people thought he was too way out and too far ahead.

BG: Oh, you’re always going to have that. You know, you can’t please everybody. And people should feel free to have their opinions. The whole world has opinions. There is nothing we can do about that. Sometimes, they are right. Sometimes, they’re wrong.

by Alvin Carter-Bey

Nevertheless, we’re surrounded by opinions that affect our lives, every day.

ACB: So, what about the music we call jazz? So much controversy has come from that.

BG: Why do people bother themselves with titles? Somebody asked Miles that years ago and his answer was profound. He said, “I don’t title it. I just play it.” People get so involved in names and categories that they miss the music, which is about feelings. We’re not playing musical arithmetic in categories and where it fits on a shelf. Whatever we feel comes out, like when we talk, like I’m talking to you, now. I haven’t rehearsed what I’m going to say to you. I’m talking off the top of my head. Jazz is about talking off the top of our heads, stating whatever occurs to us at the time. Improvisation is what jazz is about. People who pursue titles, categories, and groups miss the music. They can talk about categories, but they can’t talk about

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the music. I just play the music. I play what I feel. I’m hampered if I’m trying to play in a certain niche or category. Oh, my goodness.

ACB: Last night, you gave us a description of the song Along Came Betty. Repeat that to our WHPK audience.

BG: Oh, I can’t repeat that whole thing, but we play songs and create things because we are motivated by certain people and incidents. It can be something that you remember in your mind. It can be a smell. It can be the voice of a child. It can be the voice of your wife, whom you love. We can be motivated to write because of many things and it’s wonderful. That’s what makes it such an adventure.

ACB: I read that Charlie Parker thought the same about music as you described. Bird thought a great deal of Lester Young, bought all of his music,

Jazz is about talking off the top of our heads, stating whatever occurs to us at the time. and copied Lester note for note. Who inspired you? Who were some of your favorite artists?

BG: Oh, many, many, and not just saxophone players. Piano players, trumpet players, trombone players, and base players inspired me. I

BENNY GOLSON

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

have many favorites. But it doesn’t determine what I do. I do what I do.

I’m not in the business of pursuing what somebody else does to imitate them. I developed my own voice and took it forward. Should one spend his whole life imitating somebody else? No, I’m much broader than that.

ACB: You have done some great things for this American Classical Music that I call Jazz. Along Came Betty and I Remember Clifford is one of the greatest jazz ballads ever composed.

BG: I hear that a lot but I don’t quite understand it.

ACB: Really, you don’t?

BG: No. I’m glad about it. But, in my head, I don’t really understand it.

There are so many beautiful ballads.

My favorite is ‘Round Midnight [by Monk].

dear friend. He and John Coltrane were something. That broke my heart when he died. I had to write something. It took me almost two weeks to write that.

ACB: We’re talking to the one and only living legend and composer, Mr. Benny Golson, who is in our town at the Jazz Showcase on South Plymouth Court. I think this is your last day here, isn’t it, sir?

BG: My last day here? You’re talking about my last day on earth?

ACB: No, no, you’re last night in Chicago. We said you’ve got a long way to go. When people see this cat, Benny Golson, they swear he’s not a day over 45. He’s got a lot of strength and energy that he cooks with on stage.

BG: Well, that’s what some people think. The youngsters are hardpressing us and that’s how it should

things are old and thrown into the garbage. Just move them aside on the same shelf. Louie Armstrong is not dead. Just move him aside and make room for the new things.

They’re on the same shelf.

ACB: You did some great things on Blue Note with Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers. How long were you with that group with Lee Morgan, Bobby Timmons, and Jymie Merritt?

BG: About one year. There was the matter of recruiting the right people, forming ideas that benefit the group, uniforms, and things like that. Art thought I was crazy, when I talked like that. I asked him to trust me. He didn’t want to record Blues March. But it became one of his best-known recordings. He played it until he died. No matter who came in that group, they had to play Blues

ACB: Some of us can appreciate I Remember Clifford, a memorial and a tribute to one of your great friends Clifford Brown, correct?

BG: Yes, that’s the reason that it was written. I wish I hadn’t written it because I’m sorry he was killed.

I wouldn’t have written it if he had not been killed. But I was so in love with him as a person, he was a

be. Music should never stay in one place. Nothing else does. Cars change, architecture changes, medicine changes, the way we eat our food changes, and our diets change. We change. I used to have hair. I don’t have hair, anymore. So, why shouldn’t music change, too?

The youngsters come in with lots of ideas. It doesn’t mean that the other

March and Along Came Betty. When I became a member of the band, he wasn’t making a great deal of money.

I said, “Art, with all that talent you have, you should be a millionaire.”

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So, I went to work. He opposed a lot of things, but he listened, and he saw that things began to change. He made more money. He recorded the

BENNY GOLSON

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

right things. He stopped playing a drum solo at the end of a tune like every other drummer on the scene.

That’s why we did Blues March, which he didn’t want to do. He played his feature at the beginning, like he did with Thelonious Monk on Straight No Chaser. He played his drums right at the beginning.

You would not believe it. I said, “Art, you don’t want to play the drums at the end, when everybody’s tired and blown out. No, you’re the leader.

You’re up front.”

He said he never asked. I said okay, I’m asking. Let’s go. It was time to do things. You can’t stay in one spot.

You have to stretch up and hope that your reach doesn’t exceed your grasp. That’s what it’s about, moving ahead, not staying in the same place.

When you move ahead you become better than you were yesterday.

That’s what we do, intuitively. We want to improve as we play. We don’t want to stay in one spot.

ACB: That was wonderful. Listen, we won’t keep you long. We thank you very much for being my guest and, you know, you’re a tremendous person, a wonderful man.

BG: Oh, thank you. That’s encouraging.

ACB: You’ve done so much for this great music.

BG: That’s encouraging. I can use that.

ACB: Oh, yes, you’ve done so much for this wonderful music and there’s a lot ACB: Before your dates with Blakey, more that you’re going to give. you formed a band with Curtis Fuller BG: I hope so.

Art had to understand things like and the Farmer Brothers?

ACB: Thank you, very much, sir. I that and we were able to move ahead. BG: Yeah, the Jazztet. appreciate your time.

I stayed year and I was effective. He ACB: The Jazztet. Killer Joe was the BG: Thanks for having me. I hadn’t been to Europe. I called the song here in Chicago. Everyone loved appreciate that. Thank you so much. booking agency and asked why had Killer Joe. That was you narrating?

ACB: Sure ‘nough. Take care. Have a Art Blakely never been to Europe? BG: Yeah, that was me. good one and swing tonight!

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American Jazz Pianist, Composer,Bandleader,Patriarch, Educator

ELLIS LOUIS MARSALIS, JR. JR. November 14, 1934 – April 1, 2020

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ELLIS LOUIS MARSALIS JR.

by Alvin Carter-Bey

Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. (November 14, 1934 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and educator born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This is a radio interview with Ellis Marsalis by Alvin Carter-Bey on April 28, 2013 ACB: The applause was for a great band, the Marsalis family, America’s first jazz family. My guest is the senior member of that family, an outstanding individual. It took me a lifetime to get an opportunity to talk to Mr. Ellis Marsalis. How are you sir?

EM: Fine. how are you?

ACB: I like that voice. Your voice gives me a feeling of warmth, right away.

EM: Ha ha ha ha ha.

ACB: You are in New Orleans. How is everything with you?

EM: Fine ACB: Musically? Healthwise?

EM: I’m doing ok. I could stand to hit the gym a little bit, but other than that, I’m good.

ACB: There are so many things that I want to talk to you about. You have six sons. Are all of them musicians?

EM: No, just four.

ACB: Wynton was born in 1960. That was the year I graduated from high school.

EM: 1961.

ACB: Oh, a year after I graduated from high school. You had a son born in 1960?

EM: Branford.

ACB: That was the year I graduated from high school. Those were turbulent years, yet, there was time for your sons.

How were you able to deal with six boys?

EM: Well, I always tell people when they ask me that, I was fortunate to marry a great lady. Which makes all the difference in the world because I was around a lot of guys who had children. Looking back on it, now, I don’t know that any of us were great parents.

ACB: [Laughing.]

EM: Keeping families together was a primary role of the wife for a lot of reasons. We could see a big improvement, in turns of what is taking place in athletics, today. I remember listening to Dr. Phil on TV. He said that when a child gets to be thirteen years old, he’s going to join something. Whatever that something might be.

ACB: True EM: In the 20th century, opportunities for young Black males increased because people in power understood that they made more money by putting the skids on prejudices. The music industry has never been a money-making endeavor. In the early days, when Ed Sullivan got the Supremes, the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, when it was rare to see Black people on television. In the 1950s, we heard recordings on some radio stations in New Orleans.

ACB: It was the same in Chicago. There wasn’t much difference. Were you a musician at the time that you were

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raising your children?

EM: Yes. ACB: You never changed your style of playing from what I am hearing in your recordings. It has always been the same, but it’s getting gooder. A lot of artists who have changed over because the cash registers were calling. But you have maintained your style.

EM: Wynton and I talked about that with different people. It boils down to one’s personal philosophy.

I played in and out of New Orleans, over the years. There were times when I was without Herb’s band that was good, economically, and a stable situation. The music was ok, but it didn’t prevent me from practicing and staying on track to be as good as I could be. When people look at my progeny, they see Branford and Wynton, Donald Harrison, and lots of young brothers. Those who are Branford’s age are 60 years old, now.

Opportunities were measured by their personal philosophy, which helped them make decisions about what was important. When Wynton first went to Columbia, he heard the same story that a lot of people heard.

The first thing you have to do is get a hit. Then, you could do whatever you wanted to do.

EM: Wynton asked the guy who did that? Unless you have a philosophy about what you want to do and pay the dues to continue in that direction, you can go chasing hit records forever.

ELLIS LOUIS MARSALIS JR.

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

playing with our band and make more money than our Daddy.”

ACB: Really?

EM: Yes, that was true. It didn’t bother me because it was part of the learning process for them.

When they got, it was time for them to decide what they were going to do, musically. They had good instruction.

ACB: I’m sure.

EM: Good instruction created options for them. A lot of young brothers who don’t get good instruction, across the board, can’t make good decisions in a timely manner because of the way that the In American Classical world moves. Some of us are still Music within the idiom thinking neighborhood. of jazz, the oldest art form ACB: Yeah. here in America, aside from EM: But the plan is moving toward Native American music, we the global community.

ACB: You can’t get past the added other musical forms. neighborhood. Let me ask you about music from Earth, Wind, and Fire this band the American Jazz Quintet? I in high school. They didn’t escape was familiar with them because he and it. They were playing gigs and I had the same birthdate in different made jokes, saying, “Man, we be years, of course. I was born on October 10. How was that relationship? How was that band and where did the idea come from?

EM: The came from me. We were native New Orleanians and the eldest statesman was Harold Baptiste.

ACB: Okay.

EM: Harold was three years older than me. Alvin Baptiste was older than me, also. I don’t remember by how much. It was not much because Alvin and I met in elementary school.

ACB: So, you were the baby of the group?

EM: Yes, essentially. I never thought about that but you‘re right.

ACB: Go ahead Ellis Marsalis Jr. (seated) is pictured with four of his six sons: Jason, EM: It was an interesting period Mboya, Delfeayo and Ellis III. (Undated photo, The Times-Picayune) because the group had Alvin ACB: I noticed the change in Wynton’s music for a long time. In American Classical Music within the idiom of jazz, the oldest art form here in America, aside from Native American music, we added other musical forms. That is why I assume people call themselves hit makers. How did you introduce Wynton and Branford to this music in the 1970s, when all this other music was coming up. It seems that they would have adapted to other music styles rather than Jazz.

EM: I had a problem with friends who referred to Jazz as America’s Classical Music because of the creation of a lot of music by Black musicians that was never heard but was notated. When you put the word classical in front of anything, you change the structure of how it is created and notated. So, when it comes down to it, there are several musicians of different stripes like Arnold Nathaniel Deck who had piano and vocal music. William Gladsdale was one of the great composers. Howard Swanson, and

several female composers were overlooked. It is not that I see those people as classical musicians in the sense of what that means.

Duke Ellington did not recognize the term, Jazz. He tried to make a campaign out of it. He thought there were three kinds of music, good music, bad music, and whatever that other kind was. When Branford and Wynton were in high school, they played in a local band called the Creators that did music from Parliament Funkadelic. They were one of the few groups that could do

39

ELLIS LOUIS MARSALIS JR.

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

Baptiste, Harold Baptiste, Chuck Barry, and a couple of bass players.

Eventually, Chuck Barry left New Orleans to join Lionel Hampton with Jim Gardner. There were some good jazz players here. The music we were playing was close to Rhythm and Blues. There wasn’t a wide margin. At the beginning of segregation, bands came to town to play at the Booker Washington Auditorium in the neighborhood.

Ray Charles came to town with David “Fathead” Newman, Marcus Belgrave, and Hunt and Leroy Cooper, who were good jazz players.

Ray had good musicians. We would get together and jam. I was surprised that Alvin Baptiste wrote a piece called Cold Cheese that Marcus Belgrave, Fat Head Newman learned. When I went on the road with Branford in Detroit, Marcus Belgrave remembered Cold Cheese.

It must have been 30 years later.

There was a lot of activity in urban centers. There were musicians in Little Rock, Houston, and Los

Angeles who came from different places. I was in the military and I used to go to this club on Sundays called the Le Cris in east LA. I sat in, one night, with Dexter Gordon because Elmer Holt was in the band but he had some other business to attend to.

ACB: Alright.

EM: So, a lot changed. The country changed and the world changed.

Um, we may be a little too close to it to scrutinize it, objectively.

ACB: Yea, but I don’t want to see it disappear. I really love your son, his ideology, and his ability to make people aware of this music. There was a point, in the 1970s, when it disappeared in comparison to the 1950s and 1960s, swing and blues. I call jazz “swing, blues and lyricism” with that toe tapping, thigh slapping, swinging good stuff. I feel good about that and I thought that it disappeared to be replaced by another type of music. So, your son brought back the history of who these great masters were, including you, Louis Armstrong, and a host of others, which made people

40

aware of this great art form.

EM: Yeah, he made a strong contribution. I know what you mean when you say disappeared.

I can remember when Branford and Wynton were in high school and they were playing in the rock band Creators. They played a lot of engagements along with other local rock bands in the city. When our 4th son, a trombone player, Delfeayo came along, all of that was gone. There were no more rock band because those musicians were playing jazz. I was teaching at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. I introduced young people to Jazz. But I was learning how to teach it. It was like a pendulum. It would swing one way, then, swing back another way. I ran into people who met Wynton and Branford in the band in different cities. Wynton said, “I met a lot of young brothers out here trying to learn how to play, especially those from St. Louis, Missouri.” I was not a consistent world traveler. So, there were a lot

ELLIS LOUIS MARSALIS JR.

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

who I would see, vicariously.

ACB: Right!

EM: I started teaching at the University of New Orleans in 1989.

Some students were influenced by what Branford and Wynton were doing.

ACB: Hold that thought. You’re listening to WHBK, 88.5 FM, streaming on www.whbk.org. I’m Al Carter-Bey, empresario, here with the one and only fantastic composer, musician, and educator Ellis Marsalis. Mr. Marsalis, we’re winding down, you didn’t forget that point, did you?

EM: No. ACB: Go head, continue.

EM: Yeah, I started to see more and more younger people coming into the university who were playing this music under the influence of Branford and Wynton. I saw a dearth of young African American youngsters trying to play, from 1989 to 1992. Later, I saw more and more

young African Americans. Our youngest son Jason is teaching at the New Orleans Center of Creative Arts. He had some drummers that he taught who sound really good. Also, he plays with Marcus Roberts. In fact, Marcus Roberts just completed a concerto. I haven’t heard it yet.

ACB: Was Marcus Roberts one of your students?

EM: No. I did a workshop when Marcus was a student at Florida State, where I met him. The next time I saw him he was playing with Wynton’s band. He has a trio with Rodney Jordan, a bass player, who’s on the faculty at Florida State. My son Jason was the drummer in that trio. Jason has been playing with Marcus since he was 15 years old.

ACB: Hey listen, I want to thank you. I could talk to you for another hour and I would like to do this again. Whenever you are in Chicago, you have my number. Please call me. I want to talk to

41

you some more I need your knowledge.

You have been helpful in supporting this great music.

EM: Okay.

ACB: I will see you soon. Keep swinging.

EM: Yeah, the whole idea of swing slid away because we lost the connection with people dancing.

ACB: And a lot of other things. That’s why I need another hour or two with you to talk about it. Thank you very much Mr. Marsalis. I appreciate you.

EM: Aww, you’re welcome.

ACB: Enjoy the rest of your day.

EM: You too.

ACB: Take care. You’re listening to WHBK, 88.5FM Hyde Park, Chicago. I have been speaking to my good friend, Mr. Ellis Marsalis, who was on the line and, oh my God, I guess we could go on and on and on talking about him. Here’s some music by Ellis.

Dear Conquest Graphics, The gift of printing from Conquest Graphics for the past eight years has kept us in business. When the pandemic hit, our music organization would have gone belly-up, if it were not for the publications we were able to print with our free printing grant. In the fourth issue of Musicwoman Magazine and the third issue of Musicman Magazine, we are able to continue our mission to promote women musicians, globally, and the men who support them.

We have an online presence for both publications. But they do not result in the interest that people have when they are handed copies of the printed magazines. Aside from editorial about our artists, we have benefitted from advertisements that boost our annual income.

This gift from Conquest Graphics enables us to move forward with our projects. Since so many musicians are unable to perform, these days, being featured in our magazines is a boon to their careers. We are ever appreciative of this opportunity to share their stories with our readers. We could not print these publications without the free printing grant.

Another useful service that we use is direct mailing to our distributors in Chicago, California, New York, and Atlanta. This service saves us many postage dollars and enables us to distribute our magazines to members who get them in the right hands.

The quality of our publications is very high. We have people coming back for more because the magazines are printed so beautifully.

They do justice to the artists featured, giving them a quality product to promote their talent and career. We feature musicians from all over the world. The first Musicwoman featured Aretha Franklin’s last drummer, Gayelynn McKinney on the cover. The second issue featured musical icons young and elderly. The third issue featured women who pluck strings. The fourth issue, in 2022, features producers, promoters, and DJs who support the careers of musicians, nationwide and abroad.

With people communicating on social media more than they read, you would think the magazine era was passe. But it is not. It is alive and well, and we are on top of telling the stories of our members, only because we partnered with Conquest Graphics in this contest. The list grows with qualified, competing non-profit organizations. But that does not prevent us from continuing to compete for this grant, each year. We vote vigorously and encourage our members and supporters to vote for us. We need this grant to fulfill our mission.

Conquest Graphics printed our business cards, books, and bookmarks. We used them to print flyers, brochures, and postcards for events. There is no substitution for good printing. Printing materials keep our brand on top of the pile of our members and supporters. Each new issue of Musicman and Musicwoman Magazine presents us with opportunities to recruit new members, align with new advertisers, and attract new sponsors and donors.

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For all of your printing needs, call Conquest Graphics at 804.591.3386 www.conquestgraphics.com www.conquestgraphics.com/news/nonprofit-partners-2020/women-in-jazz-south-florida-inc 42

Legendary Jazz Drummer, Bandleader, Educator

JIMMY COBB

January 20, 1929 – May 24, 2020 43

JIMMY COBB

by Alvin Carter-Bey

ACB: We have Jimmy Cobb on our live line. Good afternoon, Mr. Jimmy Cobb.

JC: Good afternoon, my brother, how are you doing?

ACB: We’re doing great now that we have you on the telephone. Talking to you is such a thrill for me, here on WHBK, and streaming online at the www.whbk.org. So how have you been?

JC: Pretty good. First of all, I would like to say, seasons greetings to all your listeners and you people in Chicago. I had a lot of fun, when I used to come here a lot.

ACB: Yeah, the first time I saw you was at the Civic Opera House in the 1950s.

Do you remember that set? How old were you?

JC: In 1950, I was 21.

JC: I was 27, when I was with Miles.

ACB: What type of drummer are you?

JC: I’m the guy who tries to make the rest of the band sound good. I try to be a part of the whole band. I give up what I can to be complicit with it.

ACB: You began your career in the 40s?

JC: Yeah, I started to play when I was a teenager. I started late, unlike other guys. I started when I was a teenager in Washington DC. ACB: Who were some of your influences?

JC: I listened to Billy Eckstine’s band. There was the sound of biddy bop. I listened to Max Roach. Billy Eckstine had Art Blakey on drums.

There was a whole lot of guys including Gene Grouper and Buddy Rich. There were 18-20 large bands that you could hear with good

drummers in all of them. I listened to all of those guys. Also, there was Syd Catlett and Kenny . . .

ACB: Kenny Clarke?

JC: Yeah, and I’m trying to think of all the other people who were around then. There were a few guys in my town that I played with. One of them was Max Simpkins, who was my age or a little older. He was the youngest prominent be-bop drummer in the town, except for an older guy, George Dude Brown, who had been out on the road with some big bands. He was with Louis Armstrong’s band. Those guys were available at that time. I can’t think of their names, now, so many of them.

ACB: I understand. Was Miles the first major performer that you performed with in the 1950’s?

JC: No, no. I went on the road at 21, with Earl Bostic, who worked with Dinah Washington. That’s how I met Dinah. When she sang, she traveled with a pianist Wynton Kelly. When we played for her, Keter Betts and I played with Wynton but not with her. Later on, we formed her first trio. Before that, she didn’t have a trio. She traveled with musicians to different places and picked up others. She traveled with a piano player and picked up a drummer.

Unless she was married to a drummer, at the time, she picked up the musicians that she needed.

ACB: Were you Dinah Washington’s music director?

44

JC: Yes, I could say that.

ACB: You were her husband, right?

JC: Yeah, probably what happened, she made most of her husbands the music director.

ACB: So, you weren’t the first music director, I would assume?

JC: No, I remember seeing her with a drummer named Teddy Stewart.

He was the music director.

ACB: On this piece we just played, Someday My Prince Will Come, tell us about that set. How was it working with Coltrane and Miles Davis? Was that setting difficult? Was Miles a herethere, start-stop type of artist or band leader?

JC: Miles was okay. He could get along with people that he liked. So, it wasn’t a problem, if he liked you.

If he didn’t like you, it might be a problem.

ACB: [Laughing.]

JC: If he liked you, it was cool.

ACB: Yeah, I’m pretty sure he liked his band members?

JC: Yeah, he probably didn’t hire anybody he didn’t like.

ACB: I remember reading a story about how Philly Joe Jones just left because you replaced him in the band. Is that correct?

JC: Yeah.

ACB: Philly left because of health problems, so Miles had to find someone else. So, how did that happen with you coming on-board?

JC: While I was with Dinah, I went to Florida and met Julian

JIMMY COBB

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t) Cannonball Adderley. We were talking and, eventually, he wanted to come to New York. Prior to that, Charlie Parker died. Cannonball figured he had a spot, if came to New York and played. All of those guys, Lou Donaldson and the regular alto players around town did not do too much when Charlie Parker was there. After he died, he figured it cleared out a little bit and he might have a chance. So, that’s what he was talking about, coming to New York. He was a band teacher in Fort Lauderdale and wanted to come to New York. So, that’s how met him.

Cannonball came in town and found me. We talked about what the guys were doing in New York. Where everybody was working and who was there. So, he was interested in coming to New York. A little later, he got a band and this manager, John Levy, wanted to hear the band. So, he brought guys from Florida that he was working with down there. They consisted of Junior Mance, who he had been with in the Army, his brother Nat Adderley on saxophone, and a drummer that I never knew his name but they called him St. Mary or something like that. He was West Indian and his name was Sam Jones, I think. So, he brought that band to New York to audition for John Levy, who said, “The drummer is kind of weak. You probably need to get another drummer and we can do something. He knew about me because we had talked and played a couple of times when he came to New York. I was working someplace and he would come by and play. So, he told Miles about me. When he got in Miles’ band, Philly Joe was there with Paul, Red, and Coltrane. They were a quintet, until Cannonball made it a sextet. Philly Joe was having problems and, sometimes,

he wouldn’t show up for the gig.

Julian wanted to keep the gig and stay with Miles. So, he said to me, “Joe isn’t showing up, sometimes.

Why don’t you come by and sit in with us? If Joe doesn’t show up, you can play. So, I did that a few times.

I sat through the night and listened to the band and the arrangements.

One time, Joe didn’t show up for a record date. They were doing Porgie and Bess and Joe had done half of it. This particular day, 25 guys were sitting in the studio, waiting for Joe to show up.

ACB: You’re talking about Philly Joe Jones, right?

JC: Yeah, they were waiting for Joe to show up. So, Miles looked at me and said, “Okay, you got it.” I said, “Okay.” So, that’s what happened.

I finished the other half of the recording date. A little while after that, Miles called me, one night, and told me that I was in the band.

It was 6 o’clock in the evening, New York time, and the phone rang. It was Miles saying, “I want you to come into the band because Joe is not going to be here anymore. We talked about where I was working.

We never talked about money, just where I was working. He said, “I’m working tonight.” I asked where. He said, “In Boston.” I didn’t know, but he was probably in Boston while he was talking to me. I said, “What time do you start? He said, “9 o’clock.” I reiterated that, “It’s 6 o’clock in New York, now right? How am I going to make it tonight?

He said, “You want the gig don’t you.”

I said, “Yeah man.”

There was a shuttle plane from Washington, DC to New York in 55 minutes and New York to Boston in 55 minutes. I packed my bag, caught a cab to the airport for the

45

shuttle. I was up there in 55 minutes.

When I got there, they were on the bandstand playing at the Storyville Club owned by George Weems.

Miles figured he better start on time so he could get his money. They were playing ‘Round About Midnight.

Quietly, I crept up there, while they played, and got the drums set up in time to play the part in the tune that goes, “Bop bop baaaa bop bop.”

ACB: Yeah!

JC: “Bop dong bop!” I played that with them and I was in the band.

ACB: How was it playing behind Coltrane, when he would really get off and go to firing?

JC: Well, it was something that you had to play with because he was searching for what he was trying to do. He used to play for a long time and you had to lay with him. I was lucky enough to have the stamina to do that. It took some stamina because he would play 20-30-minute solos, ya know. After that, he would go stand in the corner. He did that in Chicago at the hotel, where you were standing outside in the snow.

ACB: North Park Hotel?

JC: Wasn’t the North Park, it was the other one, what’s the other hotel?

ACB: The Southern?

JC: Yeah, The Southern, yeah, The weather was so bad that, when I got off the train, I stepped off the train in some Italian shoes with snow up to my knees. When we got to the hotel, there were people around the block.

You said that you were one of them?

ACB: Yes, I was.

JC: We got inside, set up, getting ready to play. Across from the lobby was a travel agent booth. The electric wiring had done something funny and started to smoke. We thought the place was on fire because it got smokey. But nobody left. You could have hollered “Fire!” in there but

JIMMY COBB

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t) nobody left. So, I got up and made them leave. We were there two weeks. It was so cold that I didn’t come out of that hotel.

ACB: What was the story about you almost hitting Coltrane with a stick?

JC: Well, it’s about John playing a long time. I start perspiring right after the first tune. So, by the time he gets to play, I’m already wet. The stick flipped right out of my hand and flew right over his head. When we came off the stand, he said, “Damn.

I didn’t know what was happening. I thought you threw a stick at me for playing too long.” I said, “No man, that was an accident.”

ACB: You were with Miles for five years. How does the music you played then compared to the music Miles was playing, after you left? What music was more influential for today’s artists? The music that you were doing or the music Miles played, later on, in the 1970s?

JC: It’s an interesting difference. I think it’s a personal thing, I think the music I was doing probably appeals more to people that were my age now, back then. I remember when he changed. Miles got with Sarah Vaughn and she said, “I don’t know why Miles changed his way of playing. I used to like the way he

played.” She didn’t care for what he was trying to evolve into. He was always looking to do something new.

He never wanted to look back. He was always trying to find something different. After I left the band, he had Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Wayne Shorter. I left when George Coleman was there. George was searching, trying to find himself.

For a moment, he was trying to play what we were playing, but they were

Quietly, I crept up there, while they played, and got the drums set up in time to play the part in the tune that goes, “Bop bop baaaa bop bop.” playing it faster. Until Miles found something that he could do, he was searching for things. He evolved to all the things you heard after that.

ACB: Well, the man was a creative genius in different time frames and elements.

JC: What he used to say, he thought about how he hired guys. He would not hire anybody that he heard but didn’t get anything from. He said, “You see, I can bounce some stuff off of them and they can bounce something back. If they bounce

46

something back and I like it, that’s how he hired guys.” That’s probably how he hired Herbie. He used to ask people, “Who should I hire?”

He would get the consensus of opinion. The guys would tell him Herbie Hancock, “Why don’t you get Herbie?” He had a few people say that. Then, he said, “Yeah, maybe.”

He listened to the consensus of opinion for all the people he picked.

ACB: We’re talking to the great Mr. Jimmy Cobb. It was a pleasure to talk to you Jimmy Cobb. You know you are a hero to a young man by the name of Vince Welborn, Jr.?

JC: Yeah, I know Vince.

ACB: Vince said that you are his hero.

He loves Jimmy Cobb.

JC: I see him, every now and then.

He’s very busy with what he does, I guess.

ACB: Yes. JC: He’s taking care of business.

ACB: Yes, he is and doing a great job of keeping the man’s name alive and the whole Miles Davis philosophy. Hey listen, Thanks very much, Jimmy. I appreciate your time.

JC: Okay, brother. Have a nice night.

Nice talking to you ACB: Peace to you. Bye, bye.

Legendary Jazz Saxophonist, Composer, Educator

JIMMY EDWARD HEATH

October 25, 1926 - January 19, 2020 47

JIMMY EDWARD HEATH

by Alvin Carter-Bey

Jimmy Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 - January 19, 2020) A saxophonist known as “Little Bird”, a nickname that young Jimmy Heath acquired on the local Philadelphia scene at the end of the 1940s.

Jimmy Edward Heath Radio Interview by Alvin Carter-Bey on WHPK in Chicago, IL, on August 30, 2011.

ACB: Hey, you know, here’s a cat we’ve been trying to reach. I’m dialing the wrong number and he’s waiting for me to give him a call. A great composer and saxophonist, the legendary, the one and only, Jimmy Heath. Good afternoon!

JH: Al Carter-Bey, how you doing, man?

ACB: Well, listen, I’m doing fine now, man. I thought I was going to have to run, leave up outta here, man, with a rope around my neck or something.

JH: 1t’s not my fault, listeners. It’s not my fault.

ACB: Of course.

JH: I was waiting.

ACB: Listen, we’ve got about ten good minutes with you. So, dig, let me ask you this, man.

JH: Okay.

ACB: Back in the 1940s, they were calling you “Little Bird”. Why? JH: Because I was playing alto saxophone and I was nuts about

Charlie Parker.

ACB: So, what was so great about Charlie Parker that you wanted to sound and be like Charlie Parker?

Everybody wanted to sound like Charlie Parker, man. He was the hippest cat out there at that particular moment.

JH: Well, no. People went generational like they do now. Bird came along and blew everybody’s mind. After hearing Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, and people like that on alto saxophone, here comes Charlie Parker with a new sound.

ACB: So, how long did you play the alto saxophone?

JH: Until 1952, when I started playing tenor.

ACB: Okay. You played tenor saxophone with Art Farmer? That was your main guy, right?

JH: Oh, he wasn’t my main guy.

I played with Kenny Dorham. I played with Dizzy. I played with Miles, in 1953.

ACB: Let me ask you about some of the cats that you grew up with in Philadelphia, Benny Golson and John Coltrane. Lee Morgan was much younger than you, right?

JH: Yeah, Lee Morgan was with my brother Tootie and Bobby Timmons and them. Bill Barron was with me. Kenny Barron’s older brother was a tenor player. There were other cats around at that time,

48

until Trane came out of the Navy to Philadelphia. But there were cats around there who could really play.

Benny Golson was there. Then, there was a cat we called “The Little Bad Man”- Jimmy Oliver, The Satin Doll. A little black brother who could play the tenor really good. In fact, he could wipe me and Trane and Golson out. They call him Satin Doll. But he couldn’t read music. A lot of people wanted him but he couldn’t read, you know, he’d just played, man. He just had God’s gift.

ACB: Let’s talk about some of your compositions, The Big Thumper, C.TA, Gemini, Sassy Samba. I’m interested in C.TA. When I was young, I thought that song was about Chicago Transit Authority. What does it mean?

JH: Somebody put that on the record, it was wrong. It was my girlfriend. She happened to be a mixed lady. Her father was Chinese, her mother was African-American.

Her name was Connie Teresa Ang. But somebody put “Chicago Transit Authority” on the record and that’s how that started.

ACB: So, how did you deal with that?

JH: Well, how could I deal with something in print. People liked the song and they didn’t care. “Play C.TA,” you know. They didn’t care where it came from.

ACB: I like Gingerbread Boy. JH: Oh, Gingerbread Boy was written and that’s ironic, I was

JIMMY EDWARD HEATH

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

just telling you about Jimmy Oliver. Jimmy Oliver named that song because my wife happens to be a white lady, beautiful, we’ve been married 55 years. When she was pregnant, Jimmy Oliver said, “You’re going to have a Gingerbread Boy.” That’s why I named the song Gingerbread Boy from the mix, cross cultures.

ACB: Jimmy, You have been around this music for how many years?

JH: Well, I started playing alto saxophone when I was about 13 or 14, in high school. Last night, my son, Mtume, he came to see me at the Vanguard in New York. I said, “Mtume, I’m keyboard shorty, 88.”

ACB: Listen, I Sonny Rollins’ quote, “America, where Jazz originated, was too blended by its opinion of black people to give the music jazz and the

ACB: Oh, yeah.

JH: That’s right, man. See that’s what we’ve got, creativity. Boy, that goes all over the world.

ACB: Right.

JH: It started here in this country.

ACB: True.

JH: And we don’t get the respect that we should. That’s what Sonny is talking about and I agree, wholeheartedly.

ACB: Is it because it’s black culture or

artists the credit we deserve.”

JH: Yeah.

ACB: What do you think?

JH: I think he’s right. In fact, Sonny and I are very close. Saturday, we’re going to hear Take 6, man.

ACB: Okay.

JH: We’re going to hear those brothers get down, man.

the black experience that people are not really appreciative of the music and it’s pushed on a back burner?

JH: Well, that is true. So, when someone else comes from another culture and plays our music, they get more acclaim than we do, than African Americans. And our people started the music.

I go around the world.

People in other countries respect this stuff as being very unique from the USA. I’ve been to Japan, Australia, and South America.

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ACB: So how does Jimmy Heath feel about that?

JH: I have to take what I get, brother.

I had a very good life in music because I went into a lot of different directions. I was a professor at colleges and still performed. I just came back from doing a program with WDR Radio in Cologne, Germany. I go around the world.

People in other countries respect this stuff as being very unique from the USA. I’ve been to Japan, Australia, and South America. They love this music that we play. Over here, the critics and the television are the number one [outlets] that won’t put us. They don’t have enough jazz on the television. If they had, when the kids came up and saw it, they would have loved like they love hip hop or contemporary [music]. If they saw

it, you know. That’s a very strong medium, television.

ACB: There was a question that was brought up, a couple of days ago, by a Chicago columnist, asking why jazz was not as popular as other music. You just mentioned why, because it’s not as commercialized as other music.

JH: Well, it’s not that it’s not

JIMMY EDWARD HEATH

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

commercialized. It’s not as visible and audible. You can hear it, occasionally, on a few stations. But the television is the most important medium. That’s where its absence is obvious.

ACB: We’re talking to Jimmy Heath, the fantastic composer and saxophonist. You are in New York City, now, right?

JH: No, I’m in Queens. I live in Queens. I live around the comer from the Louis Armstrong house in Astoria. It’s a National Landmark.

ACB: In your hometown of Philadelphia, some happenings are going on. Did you know about Jazz Appreciation Month in Philly that the mayor is planning?

JH: Yeah, I know. Every year. But I’ve been here so long, I just read about that, unless they call me to come back, you know. I’ve been in New York since 1964.

ACB: Okay.

JH: I love New York. This is the entertainment capital of the world.

You can go out tonight and hear so many different people in so many different genres. It’s incredible, man. My friend walked by Cedar Walton’s wife, she said, “oh, I didn’t know you were playing in the Vanguard. She was going to another club to hear somebody else. So, she doubled back and came by to see the Heath Brothers at the Vanguard. That club’s been there 80 years.

ACB: The Village Vanguard?

JH: Yeah. Joe Segal is doing a fine job. In fact, I’m going to introduce

Joe at the NEA Awards.

ACB: That’s the Jazz Masters Awards?

JH: I met Joe in Philadelphia, before he moved to Chicago. Everybody thinks he’s from Chicago. He’s been there so long and done so much.

ACB: Right.

JH: He is maintaining our music in the area. I love Joe Segal, man. You know what I’m saying?

ACB: Yes. JH: We have people like that in certain cities still supplying these gigs for us to come through at whatever level we can to keep this continuum of America’s most important artistic achievement, the music they called Jazz.

ACB: The great Jimmy Heath. You’re so well respected and admired by a lot of us. I was raised under you. I’ve seen you so many times, each time Joe brought you to the different locations he had in the city.

JH: Yeah.

ACB: When Percy was alive, people followed the MJ. Was there a reason that you all didn’t stay together as a band?

JH: Well, I had problems. I was off the scene for a minute. But Percy was out for 10 years.

JH: Me and my brother Tootie, two out of three ain’t bad. You know what I mean?

ACB: Yeah, and you guys are hitting it. So, how is the book? What is it, “Walking With Giants”?

JH: “I Walked With Giants”. Oh, somebody is always coming up to me with the book to sign it for them. I’m still selling the

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book. It was chosen by the Jazz Journalists as one of the best books of that particular era, three or four years ago. The reason is it’s about everybody people know as Jazzmen, when I speak about a certain subject. Then, there’s an interview by that person like Art Farmer, Dizzy, and Miles. Trane is in there talking, Dave Brubeck, and Billy Taylor. You’ve got Benny Golson, everybody that I’ve played with in my life. You know, they say something. It’s like call and response, which jazz is like. So, my book is jazz history.

ACB: Ahmad Jamal labeled the music that you play . . .

JH: He’s in the book.

ACB: As the American Classical Music. He said, “Jass.” He said it’s the second art form to that of the Native Americans here in America.

JH: That’s true ACB: Jimmy Heath, I gotta thank Melvin Williams for calling me. I was hung up with your number 3688 but it was 3638.

JH: I gave it to you right. You didn’t remember it right. We all make mistakes, brother, but you got me.

ACB: Hey, man, thank you very much.

JH: And thank you.

ACB: Appreciate you. Hey, keep on swinging, will you?

JH: All right. Thank you.

ACB: You’re welcome. Have a great one. Bye-bye JH: All right. Bye-bye.

ACB: The great Jimmy Heath here at Hyde Park Chicago, finally got him on the line.

Jamaican Jazz Pianist, Composer, Bandleader, Educator

MONTY ALEXANDER 51

MONTY ALEXANDER

by Alvin Carter-Bey

Born Montgomery Bernard, MA was born June 6, 1944, in Kingston, Jamaica. He is one of a handful of Jamaicans to make any significant impact on Jazz.

MA Interview by Alvin Carter-Bey on April 5, 2015.

ACB: And we have one of the most fantastic pianists in the world, a cat who comes from the island of Jamaica, who is a great individual. The last time I saw him in person was on the far south side with the Burgess Gardner Orchestra. He and laid us out with a great piano work. We’re talking about the one and only Mr. Monty Alexander.

Monty, how are you, sir?

MA: I’m very good, Al, and glad to be speaking with you on this beautiful Sunday, sir.

ACB: You’re up in New York dealing with the cold weather.

MA: It still got the chill in the air, brother, for sure.

ACB: Oh, listen to you. You are such a wonderful person. The last time I saw you was 10 years ago.

MA: Yeah.

ACB: I was with WBEE and we did a jazz show that included you and the Burgess Gardner Orchestra at the Harambee House.

MA: I have a recollection of that. It was a good event. I had a good time.

Yes, sir.

ACB: Good. Listen, talk about your relationship with Ray Brown and Milt

Jackson, how were they?

MA: Oh, they were beautiful relationships. Deep, life affecting.

Those were great men, human beings, besides being masters of jazz. They accepted me in friendship and respected me as a musician. I felt like my whole world increased by being in company with them.

I had so many adventures in their company, traveling on the road, playing in Europe and Japan. And the way we came together. I met Milt when I was playing at Jilly’s in New York, where Frank Sinatra used to spend time when he was in New York, in the 1960s. I got to know Milt very well. One of my other heroes of music that I had seen on the record cover was Ray Brown. I got to meet Ray and, then, we made music together. In fact, the 1969 album was beautiful. We did Savage Man Hold.

That’s what it was called. They were big-time individuals in my life.

ACB: So, how was the feeling? They were the big-time individuals and you were a young guy, right?

MA: The feeling is indescribable.

When I think back to those times when they were Royalty. They owned it. They weren’t trying to do this thing. They did it. That’s who they were. Every note they played was who they are. And to come from Jamaica, just a few years before, and be so grateful to be in the U.S., this land that gave us so much, so many riches with our music and to be

52

there with them, to be one of them and being a part of what this contribution was, you know, you’re sitting on the piano with three other men. Somebody is playing the drums and there’s Mr. Ray Brown on the bass and Milt Jackson heating it up.

And the smoke is coming from their heads, it was a good feeling. You’re saying, “I’m not going there. I’m there!” That’s the way it happened.

This is the real place. I mean, these are the descendants of Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, and the Kings of all music. To have been with them was just indescribable and I keep this legacy alive when I play music, today. All of what those men shared with me and whatever I picked up, that’s what I play, today, when 1’m doing something relative to my home culture of Jamaica. It has to do with how you go about it.

You don’t mess around. You go right for the jugular.

ACB: Yes. We’re talking to Monty Alexander and it’s a pleasure to talk to you from Hyde Park, Chicago, at WHPK 88.5 FM. I’m your impresario, Al Carter- Bey. Listen, Monty, who were some of your early influences?

MA: You know, growing up in Kingston, Jamaica you hear all the island music around you, which was a big influence to me. When I started hearing the music from the U.S.A., I heard Rhythm and Blues music that we all loved. I saw so many guys come to Jamaica and perform.

MONTY ALEXANDER

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

When I saw Pops Satchmo, Louis Armstrong, one of my forever eternal heroes, that was a great moment. My other hero was Nat King Cole, who I saw in Jamaica, also. Those two men made me realize, that living in that world of jazz is a higher form of expression. But it was also uplifting, making people feel good. So, those were my heroes. Other pianists who impacted me were the great Eddie Haywood in Jamaica and Errol Garner was another master. Many instrumentalists, saxophones, and trumpeters like my dear friend who just departed, Clark Terry. I played with Clark a lot. I played with Harry Sweet Edison. Those are the people that accepted me. So, I have heroes, man. But not just in jazz. In popular music, too. I’ve heard whole American repertoire. I saw Sam

years old. I ventured over to the keys and made sounds. This was my best friend, this thing called piano. It was a big toy. I had a lot of enjoyment, sitting there, making sounds, melodies, and rhythms. By the time I was seven years old. I was putting on a show for the neighbors who would come by and say, “Monty,

play the piano.” I’d have to go play it. I did it because I loved doing it, you know.

ACB: And you ‘ve really been playing some great music. In fact, you‘ve got some new music, now, Harlem-

of my home country, Jamaica. As a kid, I used to play in the recording studios. Sneaking out of school, going to the studios recording, playing on the piano, behind some of those popular artists who preceded Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. So, I was there in the beginning. I loved to hook up with fellow Jamaicans who know are masters of that whole scene. I had a wonderful time, doing two recording, where I made a salute to Bob Marley’s music. Those recordings were well-received by many. So, I started doing more of it.

I called it Harlem-Kingston as a way of expressing this is a part of my life journey. I was in my 20s, in New York City, playing in Harlem at Minton’s Play House, and, again, in the 1970s.

Coming from Kingston to Harlem was a journey. And there are all the

Cook. Jackie Wilson, and Brook Benton. Those guys brought us the music that made you tap your foot.

ACB: Yeah. Were you always a pianist?

MA: There was a piano in the house.

I had the good fortune that my mother had a piano and she wanted to learn to play it. It was an old upright piano. I was three or four

Kingston.

MA: Kingston Express.

ACB: And The River Rolls On. Tell us about this recording.

MA: Well, that’s probably my 70th CD in my career. I’ve made so many in different idioms, always jazz. But, 15 to 20 years ago, I was enjoying the new versions of what came out

other points in between. So, it’s the Harlem-Kingston Express. I’ve been doing that to great satisfaction, traveling, worldwide. Just two weeks ago, I played in Germany.

I go to Japan and people enjoy it because it’s a coming together of two different worlds that meet, seamlessly.

When I saw Pops Satchmo, Louis Armstrong, one of my forever eternal heroes, that was a great moment.

53

MONTY ALEXANDER

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

ACB: Were there ever any discouragements in your life from popular to R&B to Jazz? At one point, in the world of music, Jamaican music was popular. But you chose to stay within the idiom of jazz.

MA: I played what I liked. When you have a love for something and passion, and you’re not thinking about ulterior motives, you know.

We all want to pay the rent and live well. And have the biggest house, a big car, and all that stuff. But that wasn’t important to me. I enjoyed playing music in a way that I wanted to. I tapped into the world of jazz.

Jazz is not what you do but how you do it. It’s how you go about it. So, I can take any song and make it in Monty Alexander’s style. And it’s going to be freedom for me. I never had any discouragements because, when you love something, you’re not thinking about you shouldn’t be doing this or you shouldn’t be doing that.

ACB: That brings me to my next question. Monty Alexander and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra on April 11th,

we look forward to hearing you and seeing you on South Michigan Avenue.

You haven’t been in Chicago, since the last time I brought you here, almost ten years ago.

MA: I’m telling you it’s such a long.

It’s an historic moment. My first time playing in Chicago may have been in 1969, at the London House. I played at the London House several times and other places. I used to play on Rush Street at the Backroom. You remember the Backroom?

ACB: Yes, sir.

MA: And I used to play at Casablanca? No, Rick’s Cafe.

ACB: Yes. MA: Milt Trenier had his club and all the beautiful spots with great music that Chicago has given the world. Chicago is very important to me. I feel like I am returning home.

I’m looking forward to a diverse audience who supports the jazz orchestra and who are jazz lovers who get the word out to some of my home country people. There’s a large group of people from Jamaica living in Chicago. So, I’m looking

54

forward to seeing the folks from there too.

ACB: Hey, Monty, thank you very much for your time. I’ve got to thank Ahmed Benbayla for hooking you and me up, after ten years. It’s a wonderful feeling.

MA: I’m so glad that Ahmed got us together.

ACB: Absolutely.

MA: And he really has done wonderfully. So, I look forward to seeing you.

ACB: Yes. MA: Thank you for playing my music.

ACB: All right. Thank you very much.

Have a wonderful day and a beautiful life.

MONTRY ALEXANDER: You too, my brother, bye-bye.

ACB: Take care. Bye-bye.

American Jazz Multi-instrumentalist, Composer, Educator

YUSEF LATEEF

October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013

55

YUSEF LATEEF

by Alvin Carter-Bey

Born in Chattanooga, TN, on October 9, 1920, William Emanuel Huddleston was the amazing Dr. Lateef. He played Jazz music for more than 60 years. He started on alto saxophone then switched to tenor. Lateef died in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, on December 23, 2013.

Yusef Lateef interview by Alvin Carter-Bey 2012.

Alvin Carter-Bey: Hey, Jazz fans, we told you we were going to have a great delight for you and we’ve got the Doctor on the telephone, right now. Dr. Yusef Lateef, how are you, sir?

YL: 1’m fine and you?

ACB: 1’m good and so glad to have you back. We talked a couple of weeks ago.

YL: Oh, yes.

ACB: It’s always a pleasure to have you here. You have a birthday coming up soon. Our birthdays are close together.

YL: My birthday was the 9th of October.

ACB: Mine is October 10th. How old will you be?

YL: 92 ACB: 92 years young! You’ve been playing music for 60 years.

YL: Yeah.

ACB: Is 60 enough or do you want me to add some more?

YL: No, I started in 1938.

ACB: With whom?

YL: I started to study the saxophone.

ACB: Oh, really. I understand you started playing the alto saxophone.

YL: Yeah, the first year I played alto.

ACB: What made you jump to the tenor?

YL: Influences like Ben Weston, Lester Young, and Coleman Hawkins.

ACB: Let me ask you this, sir. You started back in the 1930s.

YL: 1938, yeah.

ACB: Has music changed from your standpoint? Has it gotten better?

Bigger?

YL: Well, yeah, of course it has.

There’s always someone moving ahead.

ACB: For example, Charlie Parker was considered avant-garde in the 1940s?

YL: Well, I don’t know about avantgarde but I know he was considered to be a genius.

ACB: As yourself.

YL: Well, that’s for someone else to decide.

ACB: Hey, listen, we enjoy your music.

I was raised on Prayer To The East and The Phoenix and The Centaur and other great recordings you did on the Atlantic label. The early Savoy sessions were wonderful.

YL: Oh, thank you.

ACB: Now, you lived in Chicago for a period of time. Do you perform here?

YL: Yeah, for two years I worked at the Cedar and in the Boogie Woogie, on the west side, with the Wally

56

Hayes Quartet from 1946 to 1947.

ACB: Where you doing the same music in the 1940s as in the 196os and 1970s?

YL: No, it was beginning to take on its own voice.

ACB: Now, something I read talked about Mystic Music. Could you explain that?

YL: No, I haven’t used the word mystic. I don’t remember using that.

ACB: Okay.

YL: But my music is autophysiopsychic music.

ACB: Describe the music.

YL: It means music from the physical and mental and spiritual self. It’s music from the heart.

ACB: Some musicians said it comes from the soul. Would that be similar or the same?

YL: That’s a simonimic, the two terms.

ACB: What about the world music?

Is that not mystic? That’s what I was looking for, the world music. You had a label?

YL: Well, it’s because I utilize some instruments indicative of other cultures other than the culture in the USA. I use the Indian double reed shehnai played by Bismillah Khan and the double reed bamboo flute used in Syria.

ACB: In the early 196os, you did a recording with an oboe.

YL: Yes, I play oboe.

ACB: What was that, a bassoon?

YL: Yeah, I use the bassoon, also.

YUSEF LATEEF

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t) ACB: When did you start with the flute?

YL: In 1950, when I returned to Detroit from New York, I was playing with Kenny Burrell who asked me why I didn’t study the flute. I took him up on it.

ACB: What were some of your successes?

YL: I enjoyed writing a tone poem for the Koln Radio Orchestra and The African American Epic Suite recorded by the Koln Radio Orchestra. Those were landmarks for me.

ACB: Now, you had 10 years with Julian Cannonball Adderley?

YL: Yeah, I worked for him for two years.

ACB: How were those sessions?

YL: Oh, it was wondrous and it was an education with Cannonball, an astute saxophonist, musician, performer, and composer.

ACB: So, what was the difference between him and Kenny Burrell? They play different instruments, but in respect to their ideas?

YL: Kenny Burrell had his own voice.

Cannonball had a distinct voice, too, which both of them were striving for. I think they accomplish that.

ACB: You performed with the great Dizzy Gillespie back in the 1940s.

YL: From 1948 to 1949, I was with Dizzy Gillespie.

ACB: Were you playing tenor or flute?

ACB: I guess that was some real, hard swinging Bebop, huh?

YL: No, I was very intellectual with my music.

ACB: Okay.

YL: The word Bebop; if you read Music is my Mistress, Duke Ellington told Dizzy Gillespie, “You shouldn’t let the people call your In 1950, when I returned music Bebop because they were to Detroit from New York, capable of understanding it in more I was playing with Kenny comprehensible terms.” Dizzy said, Burrell who asked me why “I was given so much attention, at that time, that I neglected to do that.”

I didn’t study the flute. I So, Bebop is a nonsensical term. It took him up on it. had nothing to do with melody and YL: I was playing tenor, then. harmony.

ACB: Who was in that band with you? ACB: What did Diz do after that YL: John Brown played first alto. conversation with Duke?

Ernie Henry played third alto and YL: He continued to develop his Umberto was on sax. Joe Gano music, until he left the planet. played drums for the four tenors. ACB: Okay. But, in respect to using I played second tenor. There was a the term Bebop? People associate Jazz baritone player from Cab Calloway’s with what is called America’s Classical Orchestra. Teddy Stewart played Music. drums. Halmar Kibbon played base. YL: Well, it certainly was classical.

Herbert Liddell from Detroit, also. I don’t deny that. But Bebop had Pancho Hagood was the vocalist. nothing to do with it.

57

YUSEF LATEEF

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t) ACB: Okay. That’s good to hear from a master and you are that. We’re talking to Yusef Lateef and it’s a wonderful feeling to be talking to someone as great as you here at WHPK 88.5 FM. The last time we talked, you said that you went to Nigeria for a couple of years.

YL: Four years, from August 1981, to August 1985, I was at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria. I was researching the Fulani flute called the Sarewa. It’s an end-blown flute.

I had the pleasure of developing an afenyal (phonetic) chart. Originally, it was made from the wood of

Pagoda tree. With the chemistry department, we made the Sarewa in glass. We changed the shapes. I took part in some of the development.

ACB: And the music in Nigeria, did you bring any of those great musical ideas back to America?

YL: What I learned in Nigeria can be found in the record I did, The Little Symphony recorded in 1987, after I returned. It won a Grammy. They called it New Music.

ACB: New Music! Listen, thank you very much. I really appreciate your time.

58

YL: Oh, you’re welcome. I appreciate and I thank you for letting me reach your audience.

ACB: Without question. We appreciate you for all the great music you’ve given the world and to America. Your ideas, your music, your whole personality, you’re the greatest.

YL: Oh, thank you so much.

ACB: And thank you. Have a wonderful day.

American Jazz Bassist, Composer, Educator

RODNEY WHITAKER

59

RODNEY WHITAKER

by Alvin Carter-Bey

Rodney Whitaker was born on February 22, 1968, in Detroit, Michigan Rodney Whitaker interview by Alvin Carter-Bey on May 24, 2015.

ACB: I have a great guy on line with me.

He is a beautiful man. I must ask him if he run track because he has a great bass line that will knock you out! Hey. Rodney Whitaker, welcome to Jazz Rap here at WHPK. RW: Thanks for having me, Al. I’ve been looking forward to talking to you.

ACB: Oh, man, the last time we talked, as you said, it was a cool day, right?

RW: Oh, yeah. It’s a little bit warmer now.

ACB: For those fans that might not recognize you, Rodney Whitaker was the great bassist with Houston Person at our event in Lakeside, Michigan, three years ago.

RW: Oh, yeah.

ACB: And he had everybody booming off their seat. Rodney Whitaker is a renowned bass player, known throughout the world. He’s a Professor of Jazz at Michigan State University.

So, this cat has a rich background.

Rodney, tell me what’s been going on.

RW: Well, I’ve been promoting my new record, When We Find Ourselves Alone (Mack Avenue Records, 2014). Then, I play as much as possible. This record was

important to me because it was my way of introducing my daughter to the jazz scene and the world. We had a good time and maybe we’ll be at the Showcase or the Green Mill playing. That’s been my focus, these days.

ACB: Is this your daughter’s first recording?

RW: Yeah, and it was nice that I was able to be a part of her first recording.

ACB: She does a great job on Mister Magic.

RW: Oh, yeah, she loved that and it was her first take in the studio. She nailed it on the first take. We did two more takes and we liked the first one. So, it was a great experience.

ACB: What do you think of your family member being a part of what you do?

RW: I didn’t grow up in a musical family but I have one, now, because my wife is a musician. She composes and directs a choir. All of my children sing and play. So, it’s a family affair and we play together. One daughter is a singer and songwriter. Another daughter is a drummer. I’ve got a son that plays guitar. And a couple of bass players. So, this is a musical family and we all sing, although my singing is not very good. But we won’t go there.

ACB: What interesting things do you tell them to encourage them to play American Classical Music, Jazz?

RW: If you grow up in it, you know.

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For my kids, jazz is a way of life. On any given day, Wynton Marsalis could be in our house. They had lunch with Johnny Griffin and Dianne Reeves at the house. That’s a normal part of music. They grew up knowing all the musicians and having an opportunity to hang and be a part of that whole thing. So, they love the music. All of them don’t play jazz. Two play rock and folk music.

But they love jazz. It’s on their iPod. I can’t believe it, sometimes. I’ll walk into the kitchen and the kids are at the house, hanging, and listening to jazz. Even when I ain’t there, they’re digging it. So, it’s a part of their life. I don’t think they think of it as something special. It’s just music.

ACB: We’re talking to one of the hardest working bass men or I should say great musical artists Mr. Rodney Whitaker.

Were you a long-distance runner? I have to ask bass players that because 1’ve heard your music and you really be hitting. I mean, you really be booming it. You are keeping up with what you’ve got to work with, man. Seems like it’s a hard job and you’ve got to have a lot of energy. So, were you a long-distance runner?

RW: Well, you know, I used to play football. Growing up, I was a football player.

ACB: Okay.

RW: My specialty was defense.

You’re chasing folks around the field. That work ethic paid off and

RODNEY WHITAKER

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

certainly helps my music. There is a heavy legacy for bass players from Detroit and a great responsibility.

But being from Detroit and a bass player is about survival. I was telling some young folks yesterday that this music is about survival. It helped me survive turbulent times. A lot of folks that I grew up with in my neighborhood didn’t make it this far.

Music put me on another path but it was about survival, also. I attack the bass with vengeance, you know. I come at it with everything I’ve got. I

taught me a lot about music, style, and dressing up for the gig. When I first went on the road with those guys, I was country, man. I didn’t want to spend money on clothes.

Those guys were sharp dressers and they would shame you. Fortunately, it grew on me and I had the chance to play. This was my first road gig with Donald, Terence, Carl Allen, and Cyrus Chestnut. They were a little bit older than me and they took me under their wings and schooled me about learning music, being

they get up on stage to perform.

RW: My father-in-law was a blues musician and he believed that you were supposed to look better than the people in the audience. You had to give them something to aspire to.

And Chicago, shoot, it’s a good thing I don’t live here, man. I wouldn’t have no money. I’d be shopping all the time.

ACB: You did stints with Kenny Burrell, Cyrus, Eric Reed, and a few others. How long were you with Kenny Burrell?

RW: Well, I really wasn’t with him but

play from my soul and my spirit. I’m in love with playing the bass. It’s my passion.

ACB: And trust me, Rodney, you hit well. You had a lot of applause from people here in Chicago who remembered your playing and thought you were excellent.

RW: Thank you.

ACB: You did a stint with Donald Harrison and Terence Blanchard. How were those sets?

RW: That was my first road gig. I was 20 years old and they were great mentors, Terence and Donald. They

serious about being a musician, and dressing sharp, man. You’ve got to project. I’ve learned from Carl and Terrance and all those guys that, if you look like you don’t have no money, nobody’s ever going to pay you any money. They looked good.

I started buying fancy watches and nice clothes and all that. They started that addiction.

ACB: I heard Art Blakey say that you’re seen before you’re heard.

RW: Oh, yeah.

ACB: In Chicago and some other places, cats don’t care what they look like when

I played some shows with him, over the years, in Detroit, New York, and around the world. But freelancing.

When I left Roy Hargrove’s group, I freelanced for a couple of years.

Then, I got the gig with Wynton Marsalis. After leaving his band, I freelanced. I had my own group and I play with whoever called. So, I got a chance to play with him a lot, over the years. I was with the Detroit Jazz All-Stars. I was fortunate to be in that group. Kenny Burrell worked with that group, sometimes.

Usually, it was Hank Jones, Tommy

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RODNEY WHITAKER

by Alvin Carter-Bey (con’t)

Flanagan, or Geri Allen on piano.

Louis Hayes played drums and I was fortunate to be the bass player.

We had Charles McPherson, Curtis Fuller, and Marcus Belgrave, who passed away, today.

ACB: Yeah, I’m sad about that.

RW: Frank Foster would play. He’s not from Detroit but he spent the last year of high school there and he went to Wayne State. So, he considers himself a Detroiter. I got to be the young guy in a band with those greats. I played with those Detroit giants, plus the great Kenny Burrell, who I in November. He told me how proud he was of what I was doing with the school.

ACB: So, what high school did you go to in Detroit?

RW: I went to Martin Luther King High School. I didn’t go to Cass Tech.

ACB: Okay.

RW: Although I’m listed as one of the 300 top musicians from Cass Tech, I didn’t go there. I tell people I did not go to Cass Tech but I am listed in the Alumni. They just claimed me.

ACB: Here in Chicago, we talk about DuSable High School.

RW: Oh, yeah, that’s one of the best places in the world.

ACB: Right. There were bets here that DuSable had more artists within the idiom of jazz performance than Cass Tech.

RW: I might have to agree with that.

I was telling somebody, in Chicago, how many great bass players came from Detroit and we have the most players. Then, somebody showed up with a list. Chicago’s is four or five time the size of Detroit and you produce more jazz musicians.

I attack the bass with vengeance, you know. I come at it with everything I’ve got. I play from my soul and my spirit. I’m in love with playing the bass.

It’s my passion.

ACB: Okay.

RW: You have us by the number but we’ve got some great players like Paul Chambers and Ron Carter.

ACB: That’s a killer.

RW: That trumps a lot but, pound for pound, Chicago outnumbers us in musicians.

ACB: So, who was your inspiration?

Who did want to be like?

RW: The two people who inspired me to play the most were Paul Chambers and Ron Carter. I heard they, growing up, and that made me want to do this. Then, I heard Oscar Pettiford, Sam Jones, Ray Brown, Dave Holland, and Percy Heath, who just passed away. He was the number one person that I emulated.

I did my homework, every day,

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listening to Percy Heath. So, it’s all in me. I listened to him, every day, for hours.

ACB: Has it always been a bass that you’ve played?

RW: Well, my original instrument was violin. At 13, I switched to bass.

At that point, I listened and really got into jazz. The bass got me into jazz.

ACB: Wonderful. Say, thank you, very much, Rodney. I appreciate the boom.

We’re going to let the audience listen to When We Find Ourselves Alone.

Eventually, we might get you here in Chicago to let people hear you, again.

RW: Well, I’ll be there Friday and Saturday with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

ACB: Okay. Friday and Saturday where?

RW: I’m not sure where but it’s in Chicago. It’s Jeff Lindberg and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra doing Mingus and Maynard. I’m excited about it.

ACB: Well, I’ll get a chance to catch up with you, so you can autograph my CD. I appreciate you.

RW: Looking forward to it.

ACB: Thank you very much, Rodney.

Have a wonderful time and keep on swinging!

RW: Thank you. You too!

e p o r u E o t G oe s

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Peabo Bryson Grammy Award Winner

Saturday June 4, 2022 Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater 6801 Miramar Pkwy, Miramar, FL 33027

Nestor Torres Kayla Waters

PEABO BRysON

Hosted by

Kim Waters

NESTOR TORRES

KIM WATERS

KAYLA WATERS

southfloridasmoothjazzfestival.com facebook.com/SFSJFest • instagram.com/SFSJFest

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Bernd Appel

by Warie Porbeni

I started as a Jazz DJ in a famous Jazz club and piano bar in the south of Germany. I was 23 years old. As a young white boy, it was difficult to impress the GI’s, who were mostly black guys that patronize the club.

I had to learn fast to prove that I was good enough to keep a crowd of people happy.

I am a music connoisseur, who adapted to the request of the clients loves music for the love of music. who called the shots.

My big break came when a Swiss DJ promoter invited me for a test run in Zurich, Switzerland. He was so impressed with the way I worked that he hired me, immediately, and gave me my first contract with good allowances, benefits, and facilities.

I had to travel over 100km to collect Again, I had to learn fast to adapt my records from a special shop that to the commercial music. imported directly from the USA. I spent a lot of money on records and The owner of the club insisted on I have one of the best collections of having commercial music. It was music in Europe, which I converted not my preference but I was ready.

I was an entertainment DJ. So, to the digital format. despite my preference of music, I

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When asked if he worked with a team. His response “My name is Bernd Apple. I have enough apples.

I don’t need any more apples”.

DJ

BERND APPEL

In Memoriam

Barry Harris, December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021, Detroit, MI Maestro Barry Harris, pianist bebop keeper, dies at 91. Kira and Jon Webster organized a virtual memorial in the coming days so look for an email from me with further details and links to the Livestream.

Although his beautiful light has dimmed, his legacy will live on through each one of his students and musical colleagues. We hold him close to our hearts and rejoice in the beautiful music that we shared with him. So many enjoyed his workshops and he appreciated everyone who attended them. He was amazed that he could meet with his worldwide musical family from his piano at home.

produced the three brothers Hank, Thad, and Elvin Jones, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Tommy Flanagan, and dozens of other Motor City jazz icons. Harris was a consummate sideman with top Jazz Masters for 70 years. He was a leader and recorded over 25 albums. He recorded several acclaimed releases on Prestige and Riverside Records. (Discography www.barryharris.com/discography)

Barry Harris spoke the truth. Barry was the deep resource for the theory, logic, style and application of understanding and playing jazz. He lived his life with a neverending passion and commitment to teaching, performing and sharing the word of jazz. To this day I still try to unlock the genius and teachings of Barry Harris. ~ Alex Leonard

Barry Harris was a National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) Despite suffering a stroke in 1993, Jazz Master who devoted his life Harris remained active into his to playing bebop and teaching nineties, playing at venues around the language of straight-ahead New York and leading weekly jazz improvisation to younger bebop workshops. In November, he generations. performed in a high-profile concert, featuring this year’s recipients of the Learn more about jazz legend Barry Barry hailed from Detroit, Michigan. NEA Jazz Masters award at Flushing Harris at www.barryharris.com He was part of the Bebop scene that Town Hall in Queens, New York.

Kim Clarke hosts the BARRY HARRIS’ JAZZ CULTURAL THEATRE on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/197744296931150 More articles about Barry Harris • https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2021/12/15/jazz-notes-2/ • https://downbeat.com/news/detail/in-memoriam-barry-harris-1929-2021 • https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/arts/music/barry-harris-dead.html • https://www.npr.org/2021/12/08/1062389633/barry-harris-beloved-jazzpianist-devoted-to-bebop-dies-at-91 Kim Clarke plays bass at Barry Harris’ Wake on December 15, 2021, NYC

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O’Hara’s Great Day on Las Olas-photo © Robert Stolpe Janice Vandivort, Joan Cartwright, Lonnie Smith, Bob Vandivort & Juanita Dixon (R.I.P.) photo © Sandy Ireton

In Memoriam The Doctor of Groove

By Dr. Joan Cartwright

Dr. Lonnie Smith (July 3, 1942 – September 28, 2021)

Three pianists influenced my career.

My teacher and first accompanist Gerald Price was the musical genius who taught me piano, music theory, and vocal phrasing in the 1970s, in Philadelphia. My musical director Maestro Giovanni Mazzarino coproduced my first album, Feelin’ Good (1995) in Sicily, and booked tours with me throughout Italy and Switzerland for four years. But I sang with Dr. Lonnie Smith for 10 years in South Florida and we burned the stage up every single time we hit.

like George Benson, Lou Donaldson, Norah Jones, and Marvin Gaye.

Lonnie Smith was a legend in his own time and I had the fortune of being one of his Divas!

It was Lonnie who made my first demo tape a huge success. He brought all of his musical prowess to this project that resulted in a cassette tape, which got me every gig I had in Europe from 1990 to 1995. Our rendition of Dizzy Gillespie’s tune, A Night in Tunisia with my lyrics on my sophomore CD, In Pursuit of a Melody, is FIRE!

From 1990 to 2000, I had the fortune of performing with Lonnie, who is often confused with Lonnie Liston Smith, from Virginia. Many times, I had to clarify that Dr. Lonnie Smith was the one I sang with at O’Hara’s Pub in Fort Lauderdale. We were in concert at Bailey Hall at Broward College and we performed on Sundays on a Jazz cruise for several months. I delighted in joining Lonnie and Lou Donaldson on stage In 2016, Smith became an NEA Jazz Lonnie Smith was the virtuosic at the Jazz Inn in London, in 2004.

Master and collaborated with Norah funk-jazz Hammond B-3 organist Jones and The Roots. Dr. Lonnie whose work impacted players and When I engaged Lonnie to perform Smith's final albums, All In My audiences in all genres, including with me at several middle schools, Mind and Breathe, were released in Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul, Funk, Fusion, he told me, “Those were the best gigs 2018 and 2021.

Hip-Hop, and Rock, since the 1960s. because the kids love the music!”

Smith was born on July 3, 1942, in The truth was the kids loved Lonnie, Lonnie Smith transitioned on Lackawanna, New York. He became just like every fan that saw him live September 28, 2021, in Fort known as The Doctor of Groove, or heard his organ playing on Blue Lauderdale, Florida. The music while performing with top names Note, CTI, or Palmetto Records. world lost a hero and so did I.

In Memoriam

Jim Harrison and Jazz Spotlight Productions

by Dr. Joan Cartwright

Marcus Miller, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Heath, and Roy Haynes discuss Miles on YouTube. The elders were featured in New York venues by Promoter Jim Harrison in the 1960s and 1970s [Photo: John Rogers] Mentors are rare but those who check up on you for over 50 years are the real deal. Jim Harrison operated his company Jazz Spotlight Productions in New York City, since the 1960s. His partners Hilly Saunders and Jesse White contributed to the nut to showcase the talents of jazz trumpeters, saxophonists, trombonists, flautists, vocalists, pianists, drummers, and bassists. They rented clubs like the St. Mark’s Ballroom in mid-town Manhattan and Club Ruby out on Long Island. Some of the musicians they highlighted became household names for jazz enthusiasts. At Club Ruby, I met Betty Carter, who influenced my vocal style. JSP featured trumpeter, Freddie Hubbard, who recorded my composition Sweet Return (Atlantic Records, 1983).

Metropolitan New York area. Jim printed a few articles I wrote about jazz, while I was attending LaSalle University in Philadelphia, where I sang with notable jazz artists like Philly Joe Jones, Shirley Scott, Trudy Pitts, and Gerald Price. My articles looked good in print and Jim Harrison was my first publisher.

For the next 40 years, Jim stayed in touch with me. He sent me birthday cards. A common practice he had was remembering the birthdays of In the 1970s, Harrison published prominent musicians. Jim expected the Jazz Spotlight News, a quarterly reports from me, whenever I traveled newspaper full of articles and overseas. He and his wife, Fannie information about musicians in the Harrison, were my Jazz Godparents.

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They observed my progress and gave me lots of encouragement and confirmation that I was on the right track with my career.

Jim’s promotional talents and documentation of the jazz idiom spilled over into my penchant for keeping the art of jazz and its creators alive in books, recordings, and on social media. I learned how to create flyers and distribute them from Jim and his street team in 1969, when we promoted the Jazzmobile series throughout the boroughs. We met in Brooklyn, Uptown in Harlem, at Grant’s Tomb, and wherever the Jazzmobile rolled in.

The excitement of attending a jazz concert was infectious in those days. Clubs, parks, and halls were jam-packed with music lovers. My favorite watering hole that featured every major jazz artist was Slug’s in the Far East. We dug the uptown and midtown scenes but this club in lower Manhattan we frequented most often. Although I left New York

In Memoriam for Florida, in 1970, Jim Harrison and Jazz Spotlight Productions groomed me to be the promoter I am, today, and I am ever-grateful for the association with them all.

James Thomas Harrison, Jr. was born on September 11, 1932, in Queens, New York, the eldest of four children, with Stella, Donald, and Raymond Harrison. James T. Harrison, Sr. was a locksmith and Jim’s mother, Emma Mitchell Harrison was a hospitality consultant. After graduating from City College in 1956, Jim joined the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1958. He went into retail as a salesman.

Jim listened to the music of Count Basie, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker and got the bug to get involved in jazz. For six decades, Jim received awards including the Jazzmobile Jazzy Award in 2019, when he was a Jazz Hero at the Jazz Journalists Association. In 2018, Jim promoted jazz vocalist Antoinette Montague, pianist Lisle Atkinson, and Jazzmobile.

Jim’s dedication to presenting and promoting jazz in a swift and professional manner was a staple for jazz greats like Art Blakely, Betty Carter, Jackie McLean, Charles Tolliver, Billy Taylor, Barry Harris, Frank Foster, Mary Lou Williams, Jimmy Heath, Hank Mobley, Irene Reid, Chris Anderson, Frank Foster, Houston Person & Etta Jones. He is featured in Maxine Gordon’s biography, Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon (University of California Press, 2018).

Jim began promoting in the 1950s, with live bands and dancing at

Jim Harrison

Harlem’s St. Charles Auditorium and Club Ruby’s in Queens.

Admission was only $3. In 1961, Jim formed a fan club for saxophonist Jackie McLean. He promoted McLean in non-traditional jazz settings where a cabaret card was not needed. He promoted a McLean concert at Judson Hall, across from Carnegie Hall. That year, he met Fannie Henderson. They married and enjoyed 44 years of bliss before her transition in 2006.

published in magazines, he published Jazz Spotlight News from 1979 to 1982. The newspaper started with 12 pages and, before closing, boasted 144 pages with 60 freelance writers.

Today the closest resemblance to this publication is Hot House and All About Jazz. Jim ran an ad in the paper, thanking his wife Fannie for her support, “Thank you, Fannie Harrison, for allowing me to blow the rent money, food money, and Jim promoted McLean’s concert at everything to allow me to become a Town Hall in 1963, and worked with jazz promoter.” him, until 1965. McLean connected Jim with the management at Slug’s She worked at the door for his jazz In The Far East, a jazz club, where events and typed up the flyers. Jim he was the promoter from 1965 to stopped publishing the paper when 1972. He promoted concerts for he joined Barry Harris and Larry trumpeter Lee Morgan in Staten Ridley at the Jazz Cultural Theater Island and the Bronx, before the from 1982 to 1987. He promoted the trumpeter was fatally shot in Slugs, Barry Harris Ensemble and worked in 1972. with Ridley at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, In 1963, Jim promoted trombonist promoting concerts.

Benny Powell. Jim stated during an interview for the Amsterdam News “It’s been a very interesting life “I wanted to get a full-time job but and delightful journey,” said Benny said, we need you out here.” Jim, who is survived by his sons Kevin and Gregory Harrison, Dr. Jim did concert productions at Club James E. Chambers, III, Michael Ruby in Queens for Powell’s Ben G Chambers, Kenneth Chambers, Enterprises. The pianist, composer, and daughter Denise Chambers and educator Dr. Billy Taylor co- Robinson; 22 grandchildren; 13 founded Jazzmobile in 1965, to bring great grandchildren, 2 great-great live jazz to New York’s five boroughs. grandchildren; a host of nieces, He hired Jim as the promotion nephews; great and great-great consultant, a position Jim held for nieces and nephews.

55 years, until his retirement in 2020.

Jim promoted for Maxine Gordon and Hattie Gossett’s Ms. Management. He was the promoter of record for the popular jazz clubs Boomer’s and Sweet Basil’s from 1976 to 1981. When Jim realized that black writers were not getting

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Michael Serrano is a member of WIJSF. He distributes our magazines at events in New York City and surrounding areas.

Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. Dr. Joan Cartwright, Executive Director 300 High Point Boulevard, Unit A Boynton Beach, FL 33435 954-740-3398

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Spring 2022

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