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Edward Wilkerson
Edward L. Wilkerson Jr. (born July 27, 1953 in Terre Haute, Indiana) is an internationally recognized American jazz composer, arranger, musician, and educator based in Chicago. As founder and director of the cutting-edge octet 8 Bold Souls, and the 25-member performance ensemble Shadow Vignettes, Wilkerson has toured festivals and concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and the Middle East. "Defender", a large-scale piece for Shadow Vignettes, was commissioned by the Lila Wallace/Reader's Digest Fund and featured in the 10th Anniversary of New Music America, a presentation of BAM's Next Wave Festival. His music can be heard on 14 recordings, including two film soundtracks and the critically acclaimed albums ''Birth of a Notion'', and ''8 Bold Souls'', both on his own Sessoms Records label. One of the great saxophone and clarinet players on the Chicago scene, Wilkerson from the 1980s into the new millennium may have become best known as a bandleader and composer, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. Located along the Wabash River, Terre Haute is one of the largest cities in the Wabash Valley and is known as the Queen City of the Wabash. The city is home to multiple higher-education institutions, including Indiana State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. History Terre Haute's name is derived from the French phrase ''terre haute'' (pronounced in French), meaning "highland". It was named by French-Canadian explorers and fur trappers to the area in the early 18th century to describe the unique location above the Wabash River (see French colonization of the Americas). At the time, the area was claimed by the French and British and these highlands were consid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kahil El'Zabar
Kahil El'Zabar (born Clifton Blackburn; November 11, 1953) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist (mainly a Percussion instrument, percussionist) and composer. He regularly records for Delmark Records. Life and work El'Zabar was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Lake Forest College and joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in the early 1970s, and became its chairman in 1975. During the 1970s, he formed the musical groups Ritual Trio and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, both of which remain active. Musicians with whom Kahil EL'Zabar has collaborated include Dizzy Gillespie, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Simon, Pharoah Sanders, and Billy Bang. In 2017 the film "Be Known - The Mystery of Kahil El Zabar" by filmmaker Dwayne Johnson-Cochran was released. The documentary follows El' Zabar and band on their 2007 Black History Month tour. The film has been available on Amazon Prime. Discography As leader/co-leader * ''Gold ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmie Lunceford
James Melvin Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era. Early life Lunceford was born on a farm in the Evergreen community, west of the Tombigbee River, near Fulton, Mississippi, United States. The farm was owned by his father, James. His mother was Idella ("Ida") Shumpert of Oklahoma City, an organist of "more than average ability". Seven months after James Melvin was born, the family moved to Oklahoma City. The family next moved to Denver where Lunceford attended high school and studied music under Wilberforce J. Whiteman, father of Paul Whiteman, whose band was soon to acquire a national reputation. As a child in Denver, he learned several instruments. After high school, Lunceford continued his studies at Fisk University. In 1922, he played alto saxophone in a local band led by the violinist George Morrison which included Andy Kirk, another musician destined for fame as a bandleader. Career In 1927 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Last Option
''Last Option'' is the fourth album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in August 1999 in Chicago, and was released in 2000 by Thrill Jockey. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Gerald Powell, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley. Reception In a review for AllMusic, Sean Westergaard called ''Last Option'' the group's "finest album to date," and commented: "the results are stellar... Wilkerson's compositions and arrangements are the true star of the show, with everyone in the band playing beautifully in service to the compositions... Every soloist is up to the task." Mark Corroto, writing for ''All About Jazz'', stated: "Wilkerson's writing never muddies or gets stuck in this sound because he can easily shift from New Orleans to uptown Ellington... The band favors odd time signatures ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arabesque Records
Arabesque Records is an American record company and label specializing in jazz and classical music. It was founded by Caedmon Audio as a classical music label. In 1988 it was bought by Ward Botsford and Marvin Reiss, becoming an independent label, and in 1992 added jazz to its production, with early releases by Craig Handy and Carmen Lundy. Its catalogue grew to include Jane Ira Bloom, Thomas Chapin, Dave Douglas, Art Farmer, Billy Hart, Myra Melford, and Charles McPherson, and Horace Tapscott. Discography Jazz Classical (early issues) * ''Schubert and Schnabel – An Historical Recording, Volume IV.'', Therese Behr (1987) * ''Ralph Vaughan Williams'' - Sir Yehudi Menuhin Conducting the English Chamber Orchestra (1988) * ''The Complete Chopin Piano Works'' – Garrick Ohlsson, piano (1989) * ''Music of Alkan'' – Ronald Smith, piano (1985) * ''The Complete Piano Variations of Johannes Brahms'' – Ian Hobson, piano (1994) * ''George Gershwin: An American in Paris, Rhapso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ant Farm (album)
''Ant Farm'' is the third album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in July and August 1994 in Chicago, and was released later that year by Arabesque Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley. Reception In a review for AllMusic, Brian Olewnick wrote: "All the pieces are by leader Wilkerson, tending toward a jaunty swing spiced with a tinge of down-home rhythm and blues and a taste of gospel. Once again, his ensemble is made up of all fine instrumentalists, playing the written parts with verve and improvising imaginatively." The authors of the ''Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings'' awarded the album 3 stars, calling it "a fine continuation" of the band's previous release, ''Sideshow''. They noted that Wilkerson's "debt to Henry Threadg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sideshow (8 Bold Souls Album)
''Sideshow'' is the second album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in November 1991 in Chicago, and was released in 1992 by Arabesque Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley. Reception In a review for AllMusic, Brian Olewnick wrote: "The entire cast of musicians is solid and creative... ''Sideshow'' is one of the finest and most unduly neglected jazz albums of the '90s and is highly recommended." The authors of the ''Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings'' awarded the album 3½ stars, and stated: "By emphasizing the unusual timbres of the instrumentation... heband creates a singular ensemble sound that is finally more interesting than the often impassioned solos... the stealthy, deliberate pace of the record is... hypnotic." The ''Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
8 Bold Souls (album)
''8 Bold Souls'' is the debut album by the jazz group of the same name. It was recorded in 1986 in Chicago, and was released in 1987 by Sessoms Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah S. Jackson, Jr., tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Richard Jess Brown, Jr., and drummer Dushun Mosley. Wilkerson founded Sessoms Records in 1986 in order to release an album by his big band, Shadow Vignettes. He recalled: "I had a car trunk filled with records and all of these dudes would laugh at me, but I didn't care. I had to sell my stuff." Reception The editors of AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars. Writer John Corbett stated: "The record has things in common with the group of jazz composers writing 'architecturally' for chamber-sized ensembles, like David Murray, John Carter, Anthony Davis, and especially enryThreadgill. But it is unique, b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brooklyn Academy Of Music
The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in 1908. The Academy is incorporated as a New York State not-for-profit corporation. It has 501(c)(3) status. Katy Clark became president in 2015 and left the institution in 2021. David Binder became artistic director in 2019. History 19th and early 20th centuries On October 21, 1858, a meeting was held at the Polytechnic Institute to measure support for establishing "a hall adapted to Musical, Literary, Scientific and other occasional purposes, of sufficient size to meet the requirements of our large population and worth in style and appearance of our city." [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sun Ra
Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances. For much of his career, Ra led "The Arkestra", an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible line-up. Born and raised in Alabama, Blount became involved in the Chicago jazz scene during the late 1940s. He soon abandoned his birth name, taking the name Le Sony'r Ra, shortened to Sun Ra (after Ra, the Egyptian god of the Sun). Claiming to be an alien from Saturn on a mission to preach peace, he developed a mythical persona and an idiosyncratic credo that made him a pioneer of Afrofuturism. Throughout his life he denied ties to his prior identity saying, "Any name that I use other than Ra is a pseudonym." His widely eclectic and avant-garde music echoed the entire history of jazz, from ragtime and ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and their first recording. He led the group for almost 50 years, creating innovations like the use of two "split" tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others. Many musicians came to prominence under his direction, including the tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Herschel Evans, the guitarist Freddie Green, trumpeters Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison, plunger trombonist Al Grey, and singers Jimmy Rushing, Helen Humes, Thelma Carpenter, and Joe Williams. Biography Early life and education William Basie was born to Lillian and Harvey Lee Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father worked as a coachman and caretaker for a wealthy judge. After automobiles replaced ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's " Caravan", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz. At the end of the 1930s, Ellington began a nearly thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion. With Strayhorn, he composed multipl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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