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Gerry Wiggins
Gerald Foster Wiggins (May 12, 1922 – July 13, 2008) was an American jazz pianist and organist. Early life Wiggins was born in New York City on May 12, 1922.Vacher, Pete"Wiggins, Gerry" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd edition). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved February 1, 2016. (Subscription required). He studied classical music, but switched to jazz in his teens. Later life and career Wiggins began as a professional career as a musician accompanying comedian Stepin Fetchit. Wiggins worked with Louis Armstrong and Benny Carter. He was in the military from 1944 to 1946. In the 1940s, he moved to Los Angeles, where he played music for television and film. He also worked with singers like Lena Horne (1950–51), Kay Starr, and Eartha Kitt. In 1960, his best recording as an organist appeared, ''Wiggin' Out'', known for the quality of its music and fresh, clear sound. He recorded another LP at the organ with saxophonist Teddy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Live At Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Eight
''Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Eight'' is an album of solo performances by jazz pianist Gerald Wiggins, recorded in 1990. Music and recording The album was recorded in August 1990 at the Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, California. The material is mostly jazz standards. Release and reception ''Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Eight'' was released by Concord Records. The AllMusic reviewer commented that "No matter how familiar the standard, [...] Wiggins finds a fresh approach while retaining the lyrical essence of each piece." ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described it in 1992 as "arguably his best-ever record". A reviewer for ''CD Review Digest'' called Wiggins "one of the most schooled and versatile pianists playing jazz today," and wrote: "His ballads are beautiful, his swingers swing, and his treatment of standards is so refreshing that you might almost be hearing them for the first time." Bill Kohlhaase of the ''Los Angeles Times'' stated that "There's a bit of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helen Humes
Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 9, 1981) was an American singer. Humes was a teenage blues singer, a vocalist with Count Basie's band, a saucy R&B diva, and a mature interpreter of the classic popular song. Early life She was born on June 23, 1913, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Emma Johnson and John Henry Humes. She grew up as an only child. Her mother was a schoolteacher, and her father was the first black attorney in her home town. In an interview, Humes recalled her parents singing to each other around the house and in a church choir. Humes was introduced to music in the church, singing in the choir and getting piano and organ lessons given at Sunday school by Bessie Allen, who taught music to any child who wanted to learn. Humes began occasionally playing the piano in a small and locally traveling dance band, the Dandies. This constant involvement in music would lead to her singing career in the mid-1920s. Career Early career Her career began with her first vocal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
227 (TV Series)
''227'' is an American sitcom television series that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 6, 1990. The series stars Marla Gibbs as Mary Jenkins, a sharp-tongued, city resident gossip and housewife. Other main characters include her husband Lester ( Hal Williams), their daughter Brenda (Regina King), landlady Rose Holloway (Alaina Reed Hall), and neighbors Sandra Clark (Jackée Harry) and Pearl Shay ( Helen Martin). Origins The series was adapted from a play written in 1978 by Christine Houston about the lives of women in a predominantly black apartment building in 1950s Chicago. The setting of the series, however, was changed to present-day Washington, D.C. The show was created as a starring vehicle for Marla Gibbs, who had become famous as Florence Johnston, the maid on ''The Jeffersons'', and had starred in Houston's play in Los Angeles. This role was similar in nature to that of tart-tongued Florence; Gibbs' character, housewife Mary Jenkins, loved a good ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Lowest
''The Lowest'' is an album by bassist and tubist Red Callender, recorded for the MetroJazz label in 1958. accessed February 28, 2018 Reception The review by Ken Dryden states: "These sessions feature quite a few of the rising stars of the West Coast jazz scene... As a bassist, Callender was very much in demand and displays his immense talent in a rather subdued way. He sets aside his bass to play tuba on several tracks, proving himself as a convincing soloist on an instrument almost always relegated to rhythm, in addition to being out of favor once the bass came into jazz ensembles".Track listing All compo ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Callender
George Sylvester "Red" Callender (March 6, 1916 – March 8, 1992) was an American string bass and tuba player. He is perhaps best known as a jazz musician, but worked with an array of pop, rock and vocal acts as a member of The Wrecking Crew, a group of first-call session musicians in Los Angeles. Biography Callender was born in Haynesville, Virginia, United States. In the early 1940s, he played in the Lester and Lee Young band, and then formed his own trio. In the 1940s, Callender recorded with Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, Uffe Baadh and many others. After a period spent leading a trio in Hawaii, Callender returned to Los Angeles, becoming one of the first black musicians to work regularly in the commercial studios, including backing singer Linda Hayes on two singles. He made his recording debut at 19 with Louis Armstrong's band. However, he later turned down offers to work with Duke Ellington's Orchestra and the Louis Arm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chicken Fat (album)
''Chicken Fat'' is the debut album by American blues guitarist Mel Brown recorded in 1967 for the Impulse! label.Impulse! Records discography accessed April 11, 2011 Reception The review by Sean Westergaard awarded the album 4 stars stating "Guitarist Mel Brown is hailed as "An Impulse! Discovery" on ''Chicken Fat'', his debut for the label, and this album does feature a fantastic unique sound... Leave it to Impulse! to put a new spin on the guitar/organ sound. This is hot stuff".Westergaard, S[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mel Brown (drummer)
Mel Brown (born 25 July 1944) is an American jazz drummer, and one of the most prominent jazz musicians in Portland, Oregon, United States. Early life Brown was born in Portland, Oregon in 1944. He had a paper route delivering papers through what is known as Portland's Jazz district. In high school Brown was very involved with the Portland Junior Symphony while attending Portland State University. While at the university, he invested his time playing at local Jazz Clubs and played/recorded with a group called "Billy Larkin & The Delegates" on Aura/World Pacific/ Liberty Records. Brown graduated from Portland State University and moved to Vancouver where he got a steady gig playing with the guitarist Tommy Chong. Martha Reeves happened to be at one of his gigs and hired him in 1967 to join her band. Brown played for Reeves and the Vandellas for a couple of years (she gives him a shout out on her unreleased ''Live at the Copa'' album) before Motown hired him away as a studio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Morello
Joseph Albert Morello (July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011) was an American jazz drummer best known for serving as the drummer for pianist Dave Brubeck, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic lineup" from 1958 to 1968, which also included alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and bassist Eugene Wright. Morello's facility for playing unusual time signatures and rhythms enabled that group to record a series of albums that explored unusual time signatures. The most notable of these was the first in the series, the 1959 album ''Time Out'', which contained the hit songs "Take Five" and " Blue Rondo à la Turk". In fact, "Take Five", the album's biggest hit (and the first jazz single to sell more than one million copies) was specifically written by Desmond as a way to showcase Morello's ability to play in time. Besides playing with Brubeck, Morello also served as an accompanist for other musicians, including Marian McPartland, Tal Farlow a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Art Pepper
Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American alto saxophonist and very occasional tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. Active in West Coast jazz, Pepper came to prominence in Stan Kenton's big band. He was known for his emotionally charged performances and several stylistic shifts throughout his career, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as having "attained his goal of becoming the world's great altoist" at the time of his death. Early life Art Pepper was born in Gardena, California, United States.Dupuis, Robert. "Art Pepper." ''Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music.'' Vol. 18. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1997. 164-67. Print. His mother was a 14-year-old runaway; his father, a merchant seaman. Both were violent alcoholics, and when Pepper was still quite young, he was sent to live with his paternal grandmother. He expressed early musical interest and talent, and he was given lessons. He began playing clarinet at nine, sw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Norvo
Red Norvo (born Kenneth Norville; March 31, 1908 – April 6, 1999) was an American musician, one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments. His recordings included "Dance of the Octopus", "Bughouse", "Knockin' on Wood", "Congo Blues", and "Hole in the Wall". Career Red Norvo was born in Beardstown, Illinois, United States. His career began in Chicago with a band called "The Collegians" in 1925. He played with many other bands, including an all-marimba band on the vaudeville circuit, and the bands of Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, and Woody Herman. He recorded with Mildred Bailey (his wife from 1933 to 1942), Billie Holiday, Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra. Norvo and his wife were known as "Mr. and Mrs. Swing." He appeared as himself in the film ''Screaming Mimi (film), Screaming Mimi'' (1958) and in ''Ocean's 11 (1960 film), Ocean's 11'', accompanying Dean Martin while h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Collections (Red Norvo, Art Pepper, Joe Morello And Gerry Wiggins Album)
''Collections'' is an album by vibraphonist Red Norvo, saxophonist Art Pepper, drummer Joe Morello and pianist Gerry Wiggins recorded in early 1957 which was originally released on the Intro label.Edwards, D. and Callahan, MIntro Album Discographyaccessed October 25, 2016 Reception The AllMusic review by Brandon Burke observed: " the most interesting performances on this record are by the similarly young Pepper, who appears on five of the album's ten tracks. Pepper sticks to alto sax on all but the appropriately titled original 'Tenor Blooz,' and delivers a meatier-than-expected tone for an alto player. Fine performances by both Norvo and Wiggins help make this a timeless West Coast jazz release. No real surprises here, but every track is a gem". Track listing ''All compositions by Art Pepper, except where indicated.'' # "Tenor Blooz" - 4:55 # " You're Driving Me Crazy" (Walter Donaldson) - 5:05 # "Sweet Georgia Brown" (Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, Kenneth Casey) - 2:27 # "Littl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (founded in 1821) are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a subsidiary of News UK, in turn wholly owned by News Corp. ''The Times'' and ''The Sunday Times'', which do not share editorial staff, were founded independently and have only had common ownership since 1966. In general, the political position of ''The Times'' is considered to be centre-right. ''The Times'' is the first newspaper to have borne that name, lending it to numerous other papers around the world, such as '' The Times of India'', ''The New York Times'', and more recently, digital-first publications such as TheTimesBlog.com (Since 2017). In countries where these other titles are popular, the newspaper is often referred to as , or as , although the newspaper is of nati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
