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Full Circle (Leon Thomas Album)
''Full Circle'' is an album by American jazz vocalist and percussionist Leon Thomas recorded in 1973 and released by the Flying Dutchman label.Both Sides Now: Flying Dutchman Label Discography accessed November 18, 2019 Reception reviewer Rob Ferrier stated: "this is sure to please fans in search of more. Let the pimped-out picture on the front cover serve as a warning, though. There are not a lot of jazz fireworks here. ... this is a fairly straight-ahead pop and soul offering. The best moments on the record are those that stick to that groove ... On other, more technically demanding tunes, Thomas sounds a little bored, and dare it be said, average".[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leon Thomas
Amos Leon Thomas Jr. (October 4, 1937 – May 8, 1999), known professionally as Leon Thomas, was an American jazz and blues vocalist, born in East St. Louis, Illinois, and known for his bellowing glottal-stop style of free jazz singing in the late 1960s and 1970s. Life and career Leon Thomas was born Amos Thomas, Jr. on October 4, 1937, in East St. Louis, Illinois. He studied music at Tennessee State University. At the time of his studies, he had begun a singing career as a guest vocalist for the jazz bands of percussionist Armando Peraza, saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, and guitarist Grant Green. His musical development at this time was shaped in part by seeing saxophonist John Coltrane perform in trumpeter Miles Davis's sextet during the late 1950s. Thomas moved to New York City in 1959, singing at the Apollo Theater as a vocalist for acts such as jazz ensemble The Jazz Messengers and singer Dakota Staton. In 1961, he joined the Count Basie Orchestra but soon left after being cons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elliot Willensky
Elliot A. Willensky (August 6, 1943 – March 29, 2010) was an American composer, lyricist and music producer. He wrote Michael Jackson's first solo hit "Got to Be There" and the Jermaine Jackson/Whitney Houston duet "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful." Willensky composed the music for the 1999 off-Broadway musical ''Abby's Song'' and served as the music coordinator for the Tony Orlando and Dawn variety show on CBS. Biography He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey on August 6, 1943, to Raymond Willensky and Gertrude Berlin. He attended Bayonne High School and graduated from Boston University with a degree in biology. He undertook post-graduate studies at Boston University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst and worked as a research scientist of the National Institutes of Health. Willensky left the scientific field to become a songwriter in 1969. Arguably Willensky's most well-known work is "Got to Be There," which was Michael Jackson's first solo hit and reached number 4 on the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leon Thomas Albums
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again from 1296 to 1301 * León (historical region), composed of the Spanish provinces León, Salamanca, and Zamora * Viscounty of Léon, a feudal state in France during the 11th to 13th centuries * Saint-Pol-de-Léon, a commune in Brittany, France * Léon, Landes, a commune in Aquitaine, France * Isla de León, a Spanish island * Leon (Souda Bay), an islet in Souda Bay, Chania, on the island of Crete North America * León, Guanajuato, Mexico, a large city * Leon, California, United States, a ghost town * Leon, Iowa, United States * Leon, Kansas, United States * Leon, New York, United States * Leon, Oklahoma, United States * Leon, Virginia, United States * Leon, West Virginia, United States * Leon, Wisconsin (other), United States, severa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glenn Osser
Abraham Arthur "Glenn" Osser (August 28, 1914 – April 29, 2014) was an American musician, musical arranger, orchestra leader, and songwriter. His birthname was Abraham (Abe), but much of his work was under the name Glenn; he can be found with references under both names. He also worked under a number of other names: Arthur Meisel, Bob Marvel, Maurice Pierre, and others. Biography Abraham "Glenn" Osser was born in Munising, Michigan, United States, the child of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He studied piano, violin, saxophone and clarinet in high school and went on to study music at the University of Michigan, beginning in music education and switching to music theory. After graduating in 1935 he worked with a college dance band and, on advice from the band leader, moved to New York City, where he met music publisher Charles Warren, who became Osser's mentor. With introductions from Warren, Osser began arranging for Bob Crosby, Vincent Lopez, Al Donahue, Charlie Barnet, Bunny Beriga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berimbau
The berimbau () is a single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, originally from Africa, that is now commonly used in Brazil. The berimbau would eventually be incorporated into the practice of the Afro-Brazilian martial art ''capoeira'', the berimbau leads the capoeiristas movement in the ''roda''—the faster the berimbau is playing the faster the capoeirista moves in the game. The instrument is known for being the subject matter of a popular song by Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell, with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. The instrument is also a part of Candomblé-de-caboclo tradition. History The berimbau's origins have not been fully researched, though it is most likely an adaptation of African gourde musical bows, as no Indigenous Brazilian or European people use musical bows. The way the ''berimbau'' and the ''m'bulumbumba'' of southwest Angola are made and played are very similar, as well as the tuning and basic patterns performed on these instruments. The ass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Batá Drum
The Batá drum is a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one end larger than the other. The percussion instrument is still used for its original purpose as it is one of the most important drums in the yourba land and used for traditional and religious activities among the Yoruba. Batá drums have been used in the religion known as Santería in Cuba since the 1800s, and in Puerto Rico and the United States since the 1950s. Today, they are also used for semi-religious musical entertainment in Nigeria and in secular, popular music. The early function of the batá was as a drum of different gods, of royalty, of ancestors and a drum of politicians, impacting all spheres of life in Yoruba land. Bata drums are made by fastening skin of goats with wires on an hollowed wood body.Bata drums are made from a solid wood log from the oma tree. The drum’s shells are carved by hands and assembled in traditionally. The drums are assembled without any metal parts, the playing heads ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herbie Lovelle
Herbie Lovelle (1 June 1924 - April 8, 2009) was an American drummer, who played jazz, R&B, rock, and folk. He was also a studio musician and an actor. Lovelle's uncle was the drummer Arthur Herbert. Lovelle began his career with the trumpeter, singer and band leader Hot Lips Page in the late 1940s, then played in the 1950s with the saxophonist Hal Singer, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers and the pianist Earl Hines. Through working for both Lucky Thompson and Jimmy Rushing of Count Basie's Orchestra, he became house drummer at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City for much of the 1950s. He toured with the tenor saxophonist Arnett Cobb and the pianist Teddy Wilson in 1954. In 1959 he contributed to the pianist Paul Curry's album ''Paul Curry Presents the Friends of Fats'', released on the Golden Crest label. In the early years of television, he performed with the King Guion Orchestra on the Jerry Lester Show and the Ed Sullivan Show. In 1966, he was the lead drummer for the Sammy Da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernard Purdie
Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle." He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2013. Purdie recorded ''Soul Drums'' (1968) as a band leader and although he went on to record ''Alexander's Ragtime Band'', the album remained unreleased until ''Soul Drums'' was reissued on CD in 2009 with the ''Alexander's Ragtime Band'' sessions. Other solo albums include ''Purdie Good!'' (1971), '' Soul Is... Pretty Purdie'' (1972) and the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film ''Lialeh'' (1973). In the mid-1990s he was a member of The 3B's, with Bross Townsend and Bob Cunningham. Biography Purdie was born on June 11, 1939 in Elkton, Maryland, US, the eleventh of fifteen children. At an early age he began hitting cans with sticks and learned the elements of dru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Davis (bassist)
Richard Davis (born April 15, 1930) is an American jazz bassist. Among his best-known contributions to the albums of others are Eric Dolphy's ''Out to Lunch!'', Andrew Hill's '' Point of Departure'', and Van Morrison's ''Astral Weeks'', of which critic Greil Marcus wrote (in ''The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll''), "Richard Davis provided the greatest bass ever heard on a rock album." Music career Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Davis began his musical career with his brothers, singing bass in his family's vocal trio. He studied double bass in high school with his music theory teacher and band director, Walter Dyett. He was a member of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (then known as the Youth Orchestra of Greater Chicago) and played in the orchestra's first performance at Chicago's Orchestra Hall on November 14, 1947. After high school, he studied double bass with Rudolf Fahsbender of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra while attending VanderCook Colleg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Beck
Joe Beck (July 29, 1945 – July 22, 2008) was an American jazz guitarist who was active for over 30 years. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Beck moved to Manhattan in his teens, playing six nights a week in a trio setting, which gave him an opportunity to meet various people working in the thriving New York music scene. By the time he was 18, Stan Getz hired him to record jingles, and in 1967 he recorded with Miles Davis. By 1968, at age 22, he was a member of the Gil Evans Orchestra. Beck described his early success in an interview near the end of his life: My career happened because I happened to be in the right place at the right time in a very unique time of jazz music. ...when I would finish a gig around two in the morning I would go around the corner to the Playboy Club and sit in with Monty Alexander and let Les Spann take a breather and I would finish the gig for him. Then we would go and listen to Kenny Burrell play around the corner or we would go up to Mintons and lis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neal Creque
Earl Neal Creque (April 13, 1940 – December 1, 2000) was an American organist and jazz composer, born in the Virgin Islands; he was based in the Cleveland area, was a professor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and played frequently around northern Ohio up until his death. He also composed music with Mongo Santamaría including the Grammy Award-nominated song "Sofrito" which was sampled by Jennifer Lopez on the album ''J.Lo''. Neal also wrote and played on, Grant Green's "Windjammer." He was a sought after session musician and his credits include Stanley Turrentine, Teresa Brewer, Leon Thomas, Harold Ousley, Bernard Purdie, and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. Neal released three solo albums, the first being ''Creque,'' in 1972, followed by ''Contrast!'' and ''Neal Creque and the Hands of Time'', both in 1974. He died of kidney cancer in Olmsted Falls at the age of 60. His daughter Nina Creque was part of Gerald Levert's group 1 of the Girls. She died of an undisclosed illnes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis
Alfred James Ellis (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown's band in the 1960s, appearing on many of Brown's recordings and co-writing hits like "Cold Sweat" and "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud". He also worked with Van Morrison. In the 2014 biographical movie '' Get on Up'' about James Brown, Ellis is played by Tariq Trotter. Ellis resided in England for the last 30 years of his life. Early life Ellis was born on April 21, 1941 in Bradenton, Florida to his mother Elizabeth and his father Garfield Devoe Rogers, Jr. His father left when he was a young boy, and In 1949, his mother married Ezell Ellis, an organizer of musicians for local dance bands. The family settled in Lubbock, Texas, "a highly segregated town", according to Ellis who gained his nickname "Pee Wee" from musicians staying at the family ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
