He was also brother of trombonist Keg Johnson (also a big band vet and studio fixture into the '70s). "Ben(jamin Francis) Webster was born in Kansas City, MO on March 27, 1909. In elementary school he studied violin and taught himself piano, inspired by the nearby living Pete Johnson who taught him to play the blues. In 1927 he played for silent movies in Kansas City, but left town a little later to play with a small territory band, but in the spring of 1928 he was again playing for silent movies, this time in Amarillo, Texas. Here he met Budd Johnson who taught him how to make a sound on a saxophone, and Webster got so interested that he borrowed an alto saxophone." Ben Webster Biography — Ben Webster Foundation Budd was also with Basie in the Roulette era: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's another piece of the Hotel Theresa story, hotel manager Andy Kirk, once bandleader of the Clouds of Joy: BHL: Andy Kirk papers "Kirk received his real estate license in the 1950s and later was the manager of the Theresa Hotel in Harlem, New York." Kirk, however, continued to play with bands in his free time." There's also the time the HT 'had a famous visitor to the UN.' ---------------------------- And, as for Joe Venuto, he can also be found here:
Sackville 3034 / WRC1-5177 - Buddy Tate & The Ed Bickert Trio " The Ballad Artisry Of Buddy Tate" - rec. 1981 - Engineer: Bill Whiteacre
From the Roy Porter big band to Santana and beyond... Sideman gets the spotlight as Hadley Caliman plays Tula's | The Seattle Times
Hampton Hawes - All Night Session Vol. 1 (Original Jazz Classics OJCCD-638-2) Hampton Hawes has to be one of the most underrated pianist ever. On the night of November 12, going into the morning of November 13, 1956, the Quartet of Hawes, Red Mitchell (b.), Bruz Freeman (d.) and Jim Hall (g.) recorded without a pause enough material (120 minutes) to fit on three CD. This is volume 1 that starts with a terrific version of Duke Jordan`s Jordu. The interplay between Hawes on piano and Red Mitchell on bass is what makes this music so great. Essential IMHO.
THE SANNIC SOUNDS TOMMY McCOOK DUB (Dwyer/Pantomine) CD Recorded in 1974, Kingston Jamaica. Issued on Japanese CD 2015. An excellent 11 track instrumental album, full of top rhythms and all dubbed up very tastefully at King Tubby's. "One of the rarest, and greatest, horn instrumental dub albums of the seventies featuring the soaring saxophone of Tommy McCook in combination with Glen Brown, 'The Rhythm Master' ". - from Obi strip. Originally issued in Jamaica (1974) on a white label LP. *10 of these tracks were issued in 1976 on a UK LP titled 'Horny Dub'.
Just come across "An evening with Dorothy Fields" .... more show tunes than jazz .... but she starts off talking about her beginings at the Cotton Club in Harlem writing a revue .... It's an interesting listen ...as she tells about her life mixed in with her songs ...
Gerry Mulligan, "The California Concerts" TOCJ Superbit Jazz Classics cd from Japan. Edit to add: lately when I hear Red Mitchell I hear a lot of similarities in his playing to Charles Mingus.
I was just about to start a Budd Johnson festival in my house, and perhaps transfer my vinyl collection as well. I was in a small NYC club on a winter night in 1973 when I heard someone yell, "Budd's here!". I turned to see this large man in a huge fur coat coming in with his horn in a case. It only took him seconds to remove his coat, unpack his tenor and start blowing. That is one of my best memories of a jazz club.
I was visiting with the well known folk-country star Jerry Jeff Walker years ago. Jerry Jeff was a huge jazz fan and serious collector of Chet Baker. I was giving Jerry Jeff a small pile of rare Chet Baker. Jerry Jeff Walker just enjoyed saying the name "Wolfgang Lackerschmid" out loud so much, with a chuckle, that it almost seemed as if he would write a song with that title.
Bob Belden, producer "Miles in Espanol: New Sketches of Spain" I haven't spun this 2 cd set in a while. Very intriguing music.
I saw him live with J.C. Heard in Detroit at the DIA c. 1983 or so, not too long before he left, even got introduced to him on the way in, but it only lasted for a few seconds as he was on his way to the stage. Set my cheap recorder on the table and no one said a thing, so I've got a low grade audience tape too, though when I was making a 'safety' copy, the tape became detached from the spool, so my copy of it only has the first side of the original tape. As I believe that it was also broadcast, and other recordings from the concert series do exist, 'somewhere, there might be a better copy.' Saw Jaki Byard there around the same time.
