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John Blake Jr.
John Edward Blake Jr. (July 3, 1947 – August 15, 2014) was an American jazz violinist from South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He performed most prominently as a sideman in groups led by Grover Washington Jr. (in the late 1970s) and McCoy Tyner (in the early 1980s), as well as led his own groups. He died on August 15, 2014 from complications of multiple myeloma. Discography As leader * ''Maiden Dance'' (Gramavision, 1984) * ''Twinkling of an Eye'' (Gramavision, 1985) * ''Rhythm & BLU'' (Gramavision, 1986) * ''Adventures of the Heart'' (Gramavision, 1987) * ''A New Beginning'' (Gramavision, 1988) * ''Quest'' (Sunnyside, 1992) * ''Motherless Child'' (Artists Recording Collective, 2010) As sideman With James Newton * ''James Newton'' (Gramavision, 1983) * ''Luella'' (Gramavision, 1984) * ''The African Flower'' (Blue Note, 1985) With McCoy Tyner * ''Horizon'' (Milestone, 1980) * ''La Leyenda de La Hora'' (Columbia, 1981) * ''Dimensions'' (Elektra Musician, 1984) W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Blake Jr
John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Epistle of John, often shortened to 2 John * Third Epistle of John, often shortened to 3 John People * John the Baptist (died c. AD 30), regarded as a prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ * John the Apostle (lived c. AD 30), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus * John the Evangelist, assigned author of the Fourth Gospel, once identified with the Apostle * John of Patmos, also known as John the Divine or John the Revelator, the author of the Book of Revelation, once identified with the Apostle * John the Presbyter, a figure either identified with or distinguished from the Apostle, the Evangelist and John of Patmos Other people with the given name Religious figures * John, father of Andrew the Apostle and Saint Peter * Pope John ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Newton
James W. Newton (born May 1, 1953) is an American jazz and classical flutist. Biography He was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. From his earliest years, James Newton grew up immersed in the sounds of African-American music, including urban blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel. In his early teens he played electric bass guitar, alto saxophone, and clarinet. In high school he took up the flute, influenced by Eric Dolphy. In addition to taking lessons in classical music on flute, he also studied jazz with Buddy Collette. He completed his formal musical training at California State University, Los Angeles. From 1972 to 1975, together with David Murray, Bobby Bradford, and Arthur Blythe, Newton was a member of drummer (and later critic) Stanley Crouch's band Black Music Infinity. From 1978 to 1981, he lived in New York, leading a trio with pianist and composer Anthony Davis and cellist Abdul Wadud. These three played extended chamber jazz and Third Stream composi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Damon Harris
Otis Robert "Damon" Harris Jr. (July 17, 1950 – February 18, 2013) was an American soul and R&B singer, most notable as a member of The Temptations from 1971 to 1975. Twenty years old when he joined the group, Harris was the youngest member of The Temptations during his tenure in the group. As a teenager Harris had formed a Temptations tribute band named ''The Young Tempts'' (a.k.a. ''The Young Vandals''). The group had charted singles released on T-Neck Records, and later had a few minor hits under the name ''Impact''. He also was instrumental in his former singing group partner, Billy Griffin, getting the opportunity to replace Smokey Robinson in The Miracles. Harris later founded, and became the CEO of, ''The Damon Harris Cancer Foundation'' dedicated to promoting the awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer. Biography The Young Tempts/The Young Vandals As a teenager growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, Otis Harris Jr. was a major Temptations fan, and idoliz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carlos Garnett
Carlos Garnett (born December 1, 1938) is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist. Biography Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He was interested in jazz after hearing the music of Louis Jordan and James Moody in short films. He taught himself to play saxophone as a teenager and played with soldiers from the nearby United States Army base. In 1957 he started playing in calypso and Latin music groups. After moving to New York in 1962, he played in a rock 'n' roll group led by Leo Price. Around this time he also started learning music theory, being self-taught and having always played by ear. Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard hired him in 1968 and introduced him to many New York musicians. Garnett's first recording was Hubbard's 1969 album ''A Soul Experiment'', which contained two original compositions by him. In the late 1960s and early 1970 Garnett also played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Charles Mingus and Miles Davis. He led his own g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Will Downing
Wilfred "Will" Downing (born November 29, 1963) is an American singer and songwriter. He is married to singer Audrey Wheeler, who was a member of the R&B group Unlimited Touch. Biography Downing enrolled in Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York. Alumni of the school include record label executives Clive Davis (who founded Arista Records), Kedar Massenburg (who later became president of Motown), Stephanie Mills and singer Barbra Streisand. Downing, who eventually recorded for Motown, graduated with Massenburg in the class of 1981. Downing then attended college at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia. In the mid-1980s, he moved back to New York City, and worked on albums by Mariah Carey, The O'Jays, Billy Joel, Gerald Albright, Billy Ocean, Regina Belle, Rachelle Ferrell and Mica Paris. Later he sang with Arthur Baker's group, Wally 'Jump' Junior. Downing then used Baker as a producer after he signed with Island Records. In 1988, Downing signed a recording con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman Connors
Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is possibly best known for the 1976 hit, "You Are My Starship" on which lead vocals were sung by Michael Henderson. Biography Connors lived in the same Philadelphia neighbourhood as comedian/actor Bill Cosby and had an interest in jazz from a very early age when he began to play drums. Whilst at elementary school, Connors was exposed to jazz extensively and became heavily influenced by the drummer Lex Humphries and the younger brother of bassist and Jazz-Messenger player, Spanky DeBrest. He first met his idol, Miles Davis, aged just 13 in 1960. He once sat in for Elvin Jones at a John Coltrane performance he attended while in middle school. Connors studied music at Temple University and Juilliard. His first recording was on Archie Shepp's 1967 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catalyst (band)
Catalyst was a funk/jazz quartet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose material presaged the work of later jazz fusion artists.Catalystat Allmusic.com The group encountered regional success in the 1970s and have become more widely known since the re-release of their material on CD. The group was discovered by producer Skip Drinkwater, who signed them to Muse Records after hearing them play at a club in West Philadelphia. Drinkwater and Dennis Wilen produced their debut self-titled LP, released in 1972 with the following personnel: Eddie Green (keyboards, vocals), Sherman Ferguson (percussion), Odean Pope (saxophone, flute, oboe), Alphonso Johnson (bass). The group received little label support for major tours and so spent most of their playing time in the Philadelphia and New York areas. The group recorded and released a second album in 1973 on Muse Records, entitled ''Perception''; by this time, bassist Johnson had left the group to join Weather Report, and was replaced by Tyro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colors In Thirty-Third
''Colors in Thirty-Third'' is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1987 and featuring performances of seven of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, John Blake, John Purcell, Dave Holland, Fred Hopkins and Andrew Cyrille. Reception The Allmusic review awarded the album 4 stars stating "Muhal Richard Abrams constantly varied the lineups on the seven numbers that comprised this 1986 session, alternating between trio, quartet, quintet and sextet pieces... Abrams as usual was an inspiring force as an instrumentalist and conceptualist".Allmusic Review accessed 11 July 2011 awarded the album 3 stars stating "This might be thought to be Purce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the United States, Canada and Europe with his orchestra, sextet, quartet, duo and as a solo pianist. His musical affiliations constitute a "who's who" of the jazz world, including Max Roach, Dexter Gordon, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Art Farmer, Sonny Stitt, Anthony Braxton, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago. Early life Abrams's mother, Edna, was born in Memphis. His father, Milton, was born in Alabama and moved with his parents to Chicago. Richard Lewis Abrams was born there, the second of nine children, on September 19, 1930. His father became a self-employed handyman; his mother was a housewife. "Abrams's paternal grandfather was 'what you call a junk man', selling the fruits of neighborhood foraging. Abrams and his brother would pull the cart aro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paradise (Grover Washington Jr
In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, a land of luxury and fulfillment containing ever-lasting bliss. Paradise is often described as a "higher place", the holiest place, in contrast to this world, or underworlds such as Hell. In eschatological contexts, paradise is imagined as an abode of the virtuous dead. In Christianity and Islam, Heaven is a paradisiacal relief. In old Egyptian beliefs, the underworld is Aaru, the reed-fields of ideal hunting and fishing grounds where the dead lived after judgment. For the Celts, it was the Fortunate Isle of Mag Mell. For the classical Greeks, the Elysian fields was a paradisiacal land of plenty where the heroic and righteous dead hoped to spend e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reed Seed
''Reed Seed'' is a 1978 studio album by jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. released on the Motown label. Track listing # "Do Dat" (John E. Blake Jr., Leonard "Doc" Gibbs Jr.) - 4:27 # "Step'n' Thru" (Richard Lee Steacker) - 6:15 # "Reed Seed (Trio Tune)" (Grover Washington Jr.) - 4:54 # "Maracas Beach" (James "Sid" Simmons) - 4:48 # "Santa Cruzin" (John E. Blake Jr., Tyrone Brown, Leonard "Doc" Gibbs Jr., James "Sid" Simmons, Richard Lee Steacker, Millard "Pete" Vinson, Grover Washington Jr.) - 6:54 # " Just the Way You Are" ( Billy Joel) - 4:46 # "Loran's Dance" (Grover Washington Jr.) - 7:37 Personnel * Grover Washington Jr. – soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, arrangements (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7) * James "Sid" Simmons – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, arrangements (4, 5) * John Blake Jr. – Polymoog, ARP Omni, ARP String Ensemble, electric violin, acoustic piano (1), clavinet (1), Fender Rhodes (6), backing voca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Live At The Bijou
''Live at the Bijou'' is a 1977 live album by jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. It was released via Kudu Records label. Reception Recorded live in May 1977 at the Bijou Cafe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Released as a double album in late 1977, this album would chart number one on the Jazz albums chart and number four on the Soul album charts. From the album the single "Summer Song" / "Juffure" was released on March 1, 1978 and reached #57 in the R&B charts. This would be Grover's last album produced by Creed Taylor. A reviewer at Dusty Groove stated "A totally great Grover Washington record – and with 25 years behind us, we really now realize how fantastic all the early Kudu sessions really were! The record was recorded live at the Bijou, and is spread out over 2 long LPs, with lots of room for tasty open-ended solos by Grover and the group". Track listing #"On The Cusp" (Richard Steacker) - 6:15 #"You Make Me Dance" (Tyrone Brown) - 5:41 #"Lock It in the Pocke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
