Spotlight for October 10, 2007

Spotlight for October 10, 2007

SPOTLIGHT for
OCTOBER 10TH…

BIRTHDAYS...


1903 Lee Blair, Banjo/guitar
b. Savannah, GA, USA. d. Oct.15, 1966, USA.
He was a self taught musician that played left handed banjo and guitar. He took a few lessons from Mike Pingitore but his natural ability landed his first professional job in 1926 with Charlie Keets. Some of the greats he worked with included Jelly Roll Morton, Luis Russell and Louis Armstrong. The Luis Russell Orchestra became the back-up band for Louis Armstrong during the depression and jazz experts feel that Luis' band may have been the first swing band with Blair playing guitar. During the 1950's Blair played banjo again performing and recording with Wilbur De Paris.

1926 Oscar Brown, Jr., Vocal
b. Chicago, IL, USA.
d. May 29, 2005, Chicago, IL, USA.
In a career that spanned more than 50 years, he became a Jazz giant, revered as a lyricist, songwriter, composer, singer and performer. Upon his demise, Joe Segal, owner of the Jazz Showcase in Chicago and a longtime friend. said " He certainly was a genius,...... he was really a dramatist. He was more than a vocal artist because his shows were very easy and dramatic at the same time." At just age 15, Oscar made his professional debut when he appeared on "Secret City", a national radio show. He graduated from Englewood High School and attended classes at the University of Michigan and Lincoln University, a small college in Pennsylvania, but dropped out of both in order to concentrate on writing songs and musicals. In the 1960s, Brown hosted the West Coast television program "Jazz Scene U.S.A.", and began writing musicals such as "Kicks and Company" and "Great Nitty Gritty, It i estimated that Oscar Brown wrote more than 1,000 songs over his career, of which 125 were published. Despite the respect he received from the larger Jazz community, he never received adequate acknowledgment from the recording industry.
BIO:
www.chitown.com/http/word/OBJbiog.html
Wikipedia Bio:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Brown,_Jr.


1918 Robert "Bobby" Byrne
trombone/singer/leader
b: Columbus, OH, USA.
With Dorsey Brothers Orch. and then the Jimmy Dorsey Orch. Worked with Dorothy Claire; Jimmy Palmer.


1903 Vernon Duke, composer
b. Pskov, Russia, d. 1969.
né: Vladimir Dukelsky.
BIO:
www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/s...bio_duke.html

1915 Harry "Sweets" Edison, Trumpet
b. Columbus, OH, USA. d. July 27, 1999.
Harry got his early experience with Alphonso Trent, - one of the great old New Orleans bands. By 1937, he was playing in the Lucky Millender band in New York City. In Sept '37 he became one of the mainstays of Count Basie's band staying with the Count until the Big Band era ended in the 1950s. He then played briefly with the Buddy Rich band, toured with the wonderful vocalist Josephine Baker, and also played with the JATP. 1957 saw him working with Benny Carter in Hollywood, performing on film sound tracks, and also playing club dates and recording with his own Combo. In Jan. '58, he was briefly with Loius Bellson band, and in Feb '58 he worked with singer Pearl Bailey at New York's prestigious Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In same year he worked with and recorded with Frank Sinatra, and in late '58, he led own quintet in some New York Clubs. Over the years, Harry had played with such men as Dick Hyman, Jimmy Giuffre, Shorty Rogers, Cy Touff, Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Illinois Jacquet, Red Norvo, Barney Kessel, Woody Herman, and many others.
Bio:
www.riverwalk.org/profiles/edison.htm
Bio2:
elvispelvis.com/sweetsedison.htmbio
Bio3:
www.shout.net/~jmh/edison/biography.htm

1908
Johnny Green, composer
b. New York, NY, USA. d. May 17, 1989

1913 Harold Holmes
bass/guitar/tuba/composer
b. Mobile, AL, USA.

1914 "Ivory" Joe Hunter
Singer/pianist/songwriter
b. Kirbyville, TX, USA.

1906 Freddie "Posey" Jenkins
Trumpet, b. New York, NY, USA. d. 1978


1891 Ed Kirkeby, Manager
b: Brooklyn, NY, USA. d. June 12, 1978, Mineola, NY, USA.
Managed the California Ramblers and later on managed Fats Waller.
Ed Kirkeby, who is probably best-remembered for being Fats Waller's manager, had a multifaceted and productive life. A born leader, Kirkeby was a successful businessman with a knack for organization. In 1916 he became a salesman at Columbia Records, and the following year he was promoted to assistant recording manager. Kirkeby recorded some of the first jazz at Columbia and in 1920 helped organize the California Ramblers.
Within a year, the band was recording regularly and it would be one of the most prolific outfits of the 1920's. Kirkeby started singing on their records in Sep. 1926. A few months later Kirkeby (using the pseudonym of Ted Wallace) became a leader on a series of records usually utilizing personnel from the Ramblers. After the Ramblers declined due to turnover, Kirkeby put a greater focus on his own recordings, recording under such names as Ted Wallace, Ed Kirkeby Wallace, Eddie Lloyd and Eddie Loyd. During 1930-32, Kirkeby directed a countless number of studio sessions for ARC although he largely stopped after July 1932. He then spent a couple years managing the Pickens Sisters.
In 1935 he became an A&R person at Victor and, on four sessions with a revived version of the California Ramblers, Kirkeby took some vocals. He also sang on some transcriptions by the Joe Haymes Orchestra and appeared on a final date by Ted Wallace in 1936. In 1938, Kirkeby left Victor and joined the band booking department of NBC. Soon afterward he became Fats Waller's manager, staying with the great pianist-composer until his death in 1943. He spent the remainder of his life as a manager of many groups and personalities including the Deep River Boys, staying active until late 1977. Ed Kirkeby's book Ain't Misbehavin' discusses his years with Fats Waller while the TOM CD Ed Kirkeby Volume One has some of his best recordings from 1927-30.
~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
MORE:
newarkwww.rutgers.edu/ijs/fw/kirkeby.htm

1906 Les Lambert, trumpet
b. London, U.K., d, Dec. 24.

1910 Milton "Tippy" Larkin
Trumpet/valve t'bone/Leader
b. Houston, TX, USA.
d. Aug. 31, 1996. Age: 85.

1911 'Zeke' Manners
Leader/vocals/guitar/composer
b. San Francisco, CA, USA
d. Oct. 14, 2000.
né: Leo Ezekiel Mannes.
aka: The Jewish Hillbilly, and sometimes as 'Zeke Craddock'.
BIO:
delilama.tripod.com/zeke/

1906 Leo Mathiesen
leader/arranger/composer/piano/accordion/vocals
b. Copenhagen, Denmark, d. Dec. 16, 1969.
né: Hans Leo Mathisen.
Leo was very strongly influenced by the American pianist Thomas "Fats" Waller. His band had a core of good musicians and their recordings exhibited this excellence. After the band era had passed, Leo worked as a solist. He was an important pioneer in Danish jazz and dance music, and had the best known Danish band after Kai Ewans'.


1917 Thelonious Sphere Monk, Piano
b. Rocky Mount, NC, USA.
d. Feb., 17, 1982, Weehauken, NJ, USA.
Composed: "Straight, No Chaser"; "In Walked Bud"; "Well, You Needn't"; "Epistrophy"; "Ruby My Dear"; "Rhythm-a-ning"; "'Round About Midnight"; "Off Minor"; "Stickball (I Mean You)"; "Thelonious"; "Misterioso"; and "Introspection".
PBS Bio:
www.pbs.org/jazz/biograp...helonious.htm
Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelonious_Monk

1921 William Howard "Monk" Montgomery, Electric Bass
b. Indianapolis, IN, USA. d. May 20, 1982

1915 Don Pierce
producer/label owner
(Hollywood Records)
b. Ballard, WA, USA.
BIO:
www.countryworks.com/artist_full.asp
Bio 2:
www.washington.edu/alumni/c...erce.html

1907 Raymond Pinder
bass vocals
b. Nassau, Bahamas.
Member: 'The Pinder Family', consisting of Raymond, his wife Edith on lead vocals, and their daughter Geneva singing treble. Edith is the sister of another Bahamian singer, Joseph Spence "The Voice from Heaven".

1899 Billy Ternent
Violin/Saxes/Multi-instrumentalist/Arranger/bandleader
b. Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England, UK. d. March 23. 1977


1904 "Lovin'" Sam Theard
(Blues) vocals/songwriter
b. New Orleans, LA, USA.
d. Dec 7, 1982, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
His composition, " Hey, Spo-Dee-O-Dee", has been recorded (King 4383) by the Paul Williams Sextet (Paul Williams (as, bs); John Lawton (tp); Walter Cox (as, ts); T.G. Fowler (p); Hank Ivory (b); Clarence Stamps (d), and other groups as well, including .Clifton Chenier, -The "King of Zydeco"

1921 Julius Watkins
(Jazz) French Horn.
Watkins began playing French horn at just age nine. Still, during 1943-1946, he was playing trumpet with the Ernie Fields orchestra. He took some French horn solos in the late 1940s, when recording with Kenny Clarke and Babs Gonzales. 1949 found him working in the Milt Buckner big band. The next 3 years were spent studying at New York's Manhattan School of Music, after which he again returned to performing. During 1953-1954, he recorded with Thelonious Monk, as well as on some other dates. In 1956-1959, he co-led "Les Jazz Modes" with Charlie Rouse. During 1959-1961, he was working in the studios (including Miles Davis-Gil Evans collaborations), and also toured with Quincy Jones' big band. From 1965 on, he recorded with such stars as Charles Mingus (1965 and again in 1971), John Coltrane (the Africa sessions), Freddie Hubbard, and the Jazz Composer's Orchestra, and others.

Notable Events
on this date include:

1935.
"Porgy and Bess"
composer George Gershwin's
American opera, opened on
Broadway in New York City.

1958.
"Kid Sox" Wilson, vocals
died in Cape May Court, NJ, USA
Age: 65

1960.
June Lawrence Cole, bass
died in New York, NY, USA,
Age: 45

1964.
Eddie Cantor
comedian/Vocals, died.
Age: 72

1964.
Russ Case, orchestra, arranger for many
bands including the Jackie Gleason show, died.
Age: 52

1976.
Connie Boswell, vocals
died in New York, NY, USA
Age: 68
Member: 'The Boswell Sisters'

Songs Recorded/Released
on this date include:

1927
"Did You Mean It?"
~Lee Morse
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/mo...eanit.ram

1928
"All Of The Time"
~Edwin J. McEnelly's Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/Mc...eTime.ram

1928
"A Siren Dream"
(Vocal refrain by Elliot Shaw)
~Edwin J. McEnelly's Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/Mc...Dream.ram

1928
"Gates Blues"
~Jimmy Wade and his Dixielanders
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/mi...luesa.ram

1928
"Mississippi Wobble"
~Jimmy Wade and his Dixielanders
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/mi...obble.ram

1928 "You're The Cream In My Coffee" ex Broadway show: 'Hold Everything'.

1929
"You Want Lovin' And I Want Love"
~Noble Sissle and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/si...lovin.ram

1929
"Sunny Side Up"
~Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/tr...ideup.ram

1929
"Turn On The Heat"
~Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/tr...eheat.ram

1929
"Collegiate Sam"
~Harry Reser and his Orchestra
LISTEN:
www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/re...amhrs.ram

1930
"A Big Bouquet for You"
~Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
Listen:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wh...buqet.ram

1930
"Body and Soul"
~Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
Listen:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wh...ysoul.ram

1930
"Choo-Choo"
~Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
Listen:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wh...ochoo.ram

1930
"In My Heart - It's You"
~Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
Listen:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wh...yhrtu.ram

1930
"Something to Remember You By"
~Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
Listen:
www.redhotjazz.com/songs/wh...emuby.ram

1940 "Moonlight And Roses", recorded this date by vocalist Lanny Ross. (Victor label.)
1941 "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire ", - Ink Spots
1947 "I Wish I Didn't Love You So ", - Betty Hutto
1947 "Near You ", - Larry Green
1947 "Apple Blossom Wedding, An ", - Sammy Kaye Orch.
1947 "Feudin' And Fightin' ", - Jo Stafford voc.
1952 "Why Don't You Believe Me ", - Joni James voc
1953 "Many Times ", - Eddie Fisher
1960 "Georgia On My Mind ", - Ray Charles
1960 "You Talk Too Much ", - Joe Jones

LYRICS:

You're The Cream in My Coffee
~Lyrics and Music by B.G. De Sylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson
~Originally published in 1923.

You're the cream in my coffee,
You're the salt in my stew
You will always be my necessity,
I'd be lost without you.

You're the starch in my collar,
You're the lace in my shoe
You will always be my necessity,
I'd be lost without you.

Most men tell love tales,
And each phrase dovetails
You've heard each known way,
This way is my own way:

You're the sail in my loveboat,
You're the captain and crew,

You will always be my necessity
I'd be lost without you.

You're the cream in my coffee,
You're the salt in my stew
You will always be my necessity,
I'd be lost without you.

You're the starch in my collar,
You're the lace in my shoe
You will always be my necessity,
I'd be lost without you.

You give life savor,
Bring out its flavor,
So this is clear, dear,
You're my worcestershire, dear!

You're the sail in my loveboat,
You're the captain and crew,
You will always be my necessity,
I'd be lost without you.

You will always be my necessity
I'd be lost without you.

Currently listening : The Columbia House Bands: Ed Kirkeby, Vol. 1 By Ed Kirkeby Release date: 04 February, 1997