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Mary Allin Travers (November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009 Louisville, KY) was an American singer-songwriter and member of the folk music group Peter, Paul and Mary, along with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey. Peter, Paul and Mary was one of the most successful folk music groups of the 1960s.Travers, unlike most folk musicians of the early 1960s who were a part of the burgeoning music scene, grew up in New York City‘s Greenwich Village. A contralto, Travers released five solo albums in addition to her work with Peter, Paul and Mary.
more...Jesse Davis (born September 11, 1965 or 11-9-65) is an American jazz saxophonist. Davis began as a student in Ellis Marsalis‘s New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. After graduating, Davis embarked on a productive jazz career, recording eight albums on the Concord Jazz label, alongside collaborations with such artists as Jack McDuff and Illinois Jacquet. Davis has studied music at Northeastern Illinois University, and in 1989 he received a “Most Outstanding Musician award” from Down Beat magazine.
more...This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features the spiral galaxy Mrk 1337, which is roughly 120 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Virgo. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 snapped Mrk 1337 at a wide range of ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths, producing this richly detailed image. Mrk 1337 is a weakly barred spiral galaxy, which as the name suggests means that the spiral arms radiate from a central bar of gas and stars. Bars occur in roughly half of spiral galaxies, including our own galaxy the Milky Way. These observations are part of a campaign to improve our knowledge of how fast the universe is expanding. They were proposed by Adam Riess, who was awarded a Nobel Laureate in physics 2011 for his contributions to the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe, alongside Saul Perlmutter and Brian Schmidt. Links Video of Cosmological Curiosity
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (/reɪt/; born November 8, 1949 Burbank, CA) is an American blues singer, guitarist, songwriter, and activist.
During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of roots-influenced albums that incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country. She was also a frequent session player and collaborator with other artists, including Warren Zevon, Little Feat, Jackson Browne, The Pointer Sisters, John Prine and Leon Russell. In 1989, after several years of critical acclaim but little commercial success, she had a major hit with the album Nick of Time. The following two albums, Luck of the Draw (1991) and Longing in Their Hearts (1994), were multimillion sellers, generating several hit singles, including “Something to Talk About“, “Love Sneakin’ Up On You“, and the ballad “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (with Bruce Hornsby on piano).
Raitt has received 10 Grammy Awards. She is listed as number 50 in Rolling Stone‘s list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” and number 89 on the magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. Australian country music artist Graeme Connors has said, “Bonnie Raitt does something with a lyric no one else can do; she bends it and twists it right into your heart.”
more...Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single “Lovin’ You” and her four octave D3 to F#7 coloratura soprano range. She is also widely known for her use of the whistle register and has been referred to by the media as the “queen of the whistle register.”
Born in 1947, Riperton grew up in Chicago‘s Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. As a child, she studied music, drama and dance at Chicago’s Lincoln Center. In her teen years, she sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group the Gems. Her early affiliation with the Chicago-based Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backing vocals for various established artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971.
On April 5, 1975, Riperton reached the apex of her career with her No. 1 single “Lovin’ You”. The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album titled Perfect Angel. In January 1976, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in April, she underwent a radical mastectomy. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live. Despite the grim prognosis, she continued recording and touring. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with a breast cancer diagnosis, but she did not disclose that she was terminally ill. In 1977, she became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, she received the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award, which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. Riperton died of breast cancer on July 12, 1979, at the age of 31.
more...November 8th 1925
New Orleans native son Warren Battiste, is another one of those unsung heroes in the annals of jazz who deserve more recognition for their contributing efforts to the cause of American music.
Warren Battiste was born in New Orleans in 1925 and was taught to play the guitar by his father who was a banjo player at Preservation Hall. Warren then completed 4 years of instructions at Gruenwald Music School in New Orleans, where he became proficient not only on guitar, but also bass, banjo and piano.
He was the first guitarist to play with Fats Domino on a regular basis, and went on to play with Illinois Jacquet in New York. This has given him a very broad knowledge from classic blues to R&B and jazz, which is displayed in his playing.
In New Orleans Warren has performed at numerous jazz clubs on Bourbon Street, Preservation Hall, Snug Harbor, the Matador and many others. Warren also appeared in the film “Shy People” starring Jill Clayburgh and Barbara Hershey. He has taught music at Wequachie High School, Essex County College and the Newark Art Center in Newark, New Jersey. Warren has performed with fellow guitarist George Benson,organist Jimmy McGriff, and accompanied classic vocal groups as The Platters and The Inkspots to name a few.
In 2000 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 2001 he released his debut CD “Street Jazz” to rave reviews and solid sales.He was back in the studio in 2004 for a second CD entitled “Just Friends.”
more...Kenny Cox (November 8, 1940 – December 19, 2008) was a jazz pianist performing in the post bop, hard bop and bebop mediums. Cox was pianist for singer Etta Jones during the 1960s and was also a member of a quintet led by trombonist George Bohannon. By the end of the late 1960s he had formed his own Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet, which recorded two albums for Blue Note Records before the end of the decade. Cox has appeared as a contributor on various albums, and has also performed live with such musicians as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Eddie Harris, Jackie McLean, Roy Haynes, Ben Webster, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Dorham, Philly Joe Jones, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Roy Brooks, Charles McPherson, and Curtis Fuller. During the 1980s he formed the Detroit-based Guerilla Jam Band, a group which performed with Regina Carter, James Carter, Tani Tabbal, and Craig Taborn. Cox was responsible for the short-lived Strata Records.
He died in his Detroit home of lung cancer at the age of 68.
more...November 8th 1934
A native of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, guitarist, composer, arranger, author, and educator Dale Bruning spent time living, working and recording in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York during the 1940s and 1950s. During his tenure in the United States Navy from 1953-57, he was a guitarist and arranger, and when called upon, he also played piano, bass, vibes, and percussion.
Upon his release in 1957, he studied at Temple University, declaring and graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. He took as many music classes as he could. Concurrently, he studied music and guitar with world renowned educator Dennis Sandole.
In 1961, Mr. Bruning became the leader of the house band for The Del Shields Show, a television variety program that originated from Philadelphia on WRCV, an NBC affiliate. In 1964, he and his family moved to Denver.
An accident in 1988 nearly ended Mr. Bruning’s career as a performing musician. While securing a window pane in the rubbish can, a piece of glass broke and slashed a deep cut across his left wrist. His median nerve to the fingers and the thumb tendon were badly cut. Dr. Charles Hamlin rebuilt the sheath around the nerve, enabling it to regenerate itself.
After this tragedy, his commitment to playing was fueled by his deep passion for the music and his own acts of courage every time he picked up the guitar to practice, knowing the pain would be excruciating. His valor during the slow rehabilitative process was rewarded, however, as he has become an even stronger performer than prior to the accident. Considering that he has little feeling in one finger, he amazes audiences with his ability and agility on the fingerboard.
His prowess as a performer is equaled by his talent in composing, arranging and teaching. During his 45 plus years of private teaching, he has expressed the joy of jazz to more than 1000 students, many of whom went on to become professional musicians. Among those include Bill Frisell, Mark Patterson, Bob Gillis, Tim O’Brien, Pat Donohue, and Mark Simon.
He has been featured in such prestigious magazines as 20th Century Guitar and Just Jazz Guitar, with superb CD reviews found in JazzTimes, Jazz Journal of England, Guitar Player, Cadence, Jazzscene of Oregon, The Denver Post, The Oregonian, The Omaha Herald, 20th Century Guitar, Western Austraila Guitar Socierty newsletter, Berman Foundation newsletter and Just Jazz Guitar.
He is also an entrant in The Jazz Guitar book by Maurice J. Summerfield, Ashley Mark Publishing Company, © 1998, United Kingdom.
In 1996, he and his business partner, writer/concert & CD producer Jude Hibler, began their Jazz Link Enterprises CD label by coproducing The Dale Bruning Quartet: Tomorrow’s Reflections (JLECD-44001). He has since recorded Conference Call with Michael Moore (JLECD-44002); Reunion with Bill Frisell (JLECD-40072), and is heard on Live! at Sherman’s Coffee House (JLECD-44003) with Rich Chiaraluce on reeds/leader and Kenny Walker on bass.
On the 2002 JLE release, The Timeless Music of Harold Arlen, Bruning’s Quartet features Michael Moore, bass; Rich Chiaraluce, reeds; and Paul Romaine, drums. Partner Hibler is the Narrator and is also heard on this recording.
The Timeless Music of Harry Warren CD finds The More I See You, Jeepers Creepers, I Had the Craziest Dream and so many other hits from the 1930s-1950s on this recording.
His 2005 release, Easy Does It! The Music of Charles Eakin features himself, Rich Chiaraluce, Mark Simon, and Paul Romaine.
In 2006, Music of Gershwin, By George! is his latest recording. This CD on the JLE label includes pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Mark Simon, and drummer Paul Romaine. Dale arranged all of the music and is the leader/guitarist.
His other CDs include Music of Gershwin, By George! – Dale Bruning Quartet, Classical Connections, Vol I: with Ali Ryerson
and Classical Connections, Vol II: with Ali Ryerson
Also in 2006, he was the honoree of The Dale Bruning Celebration Day – a four hour tribute to him and his accomplishments in music and in his personal life as being one of the major influences in the jazz world throughout the world. More than 350 people attended this time of recognition, including Bill Frisell and Gene Bertoncini.
In 1997, Bruning authored his first book: The Dale Bruning Jazz Guitar Series, Volume I: Phrasing and Articulation (© 1997, Jazz Link Enterprises Publishers). His Vol II book – The Dale Bruning Jazz Guitar Series, Volume II: Phrasing and Arpeggios (© 2010, (Jazz Link Enterprises Publishers) is available at this website. In 2014, this third book was published titled The Dale Bruning Jazz Guitar Series, Volume III: Phasing: Scales & Intervals.
Thanks for the Memory…Jim Hall is a double-CD as a tribute to the late Jim Hall. On the JLE label, this incredible release in January, 2015 of The Dale Bruning Sextet, includes Bill Frisell, Ron Miles, Mark Patterson, Mark Simon, and Paul Romaine.
Mr. Bruning lives in Longmont, Colorado.
more...It is actually one of brightest and most highly detailed planetary nebula known, composed of gas expelled in the brief yet glorious phase near the end of life of a Sun-like star. This nebula‘s dying central star may have produced the outer circular concentric shells by shrugging off outer layers in a series of regular convulsions. The formation of the beautiful, complex-yet-symmetric inner structures, however, is not well understood. The featured image is a composite of a digitally sharpened Hubble Space Telescope image with X-ray light captured by the orbiting Chandra Observatory. The exquisite floating space statue spans over half a light-year across. Of course, gazing into this Cat’s Eye, humanity may well be seeing the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own planetary nebula phase of evolution … in about 5 billion years.
David Spencer Ware (November 7, 1949 – October 18, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.
Ware was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. While in high school he attended music camp at the University of Connecticut taught by Ron Carter, Charlie Mariano, and Alan Dawson and played in his school’s bands as well as in the New Jersey All-State band. He graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and briefly attended the Berklee College of Music in 1967–68.
Ware moved from Boston to New York City in 1973, where he participated in the loft jazz scene, and later worked as a cab driver for 14 years in order to focus on his own group concept. In the early 1980s, he returned to Scotch Plains with his wife Setsuko S. Ware.
more...Roberta Joan “Joni” Mitchell CC (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and painter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock, classical, and jazz, Mitchell’s songs often reflect on social and philosophical ideals as well as her feelings about romance, womanhood, disillusionment and joy. She has received many accolades, including nine Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her “one of the greatest songwriters ever”, and AllMusic has stated, “When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century”.
Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and throughout western Canada, before moving on to the nightclubs of Toronto, Ontario. She moved to the United States and began touring in 1965. Some of her original songs (“Urge for Going”, “Chelsea Morning“, “Both Sides, Now“, “The Circle Game“) were covered by other folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her debut album, Song to a Seagull, in 1968. Settling in Southern California, Mitchell helped define an era and a generation with popular songs like “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Woodstock“. Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the best albums of all time; it was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone‘s 2003 list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time“, rising to number 3 in the 2020 edition. In 2000, The New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented “turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music”. In 2017, NPR ranked Blue number 1 on a list of Greatest Albums Made By Women. Mitchell’s fifth album, For the Roses, was released in 1972. She then switched labels and began exploring more jazz-influenced melodic ideas, by way of lush pop textures, on 1974’s Court and Spark, which featured the radio hits “Help Me” and “Free Man in Paris“and became her best-selling album.
Mitchell’s vocal range began to shift from mezzo-soprano to more of a wide-ranging contralto around 1975. Her distinctive piano and open-tuned guitar compositions also grew more harmonically and rhythmically complex as she melded jazz with rock and roll, R&B, classical music and non-western beats. In the late 1970s, she began working with noted jazz musicians including Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny as well as Charles Mingus, who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings. She later turned to pop and electronic music and engaged in political protest. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in 2002.
Mitchell is the sole producer credited on most of her albums, including all her work in the 1970s. A critic of the music industry, she quit touring and released her 17th, and reportedly last, album of original songs in 2007. Mitchell has designed most of her own album covers, describing herself as a “painter derailed by circumstance”.
more...Alois Maxwell “Al” Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of “Java” and the accompanying album Honey in the Horn (1963), and for the theme music to The Green Hornet. His nicknamesincluded “Jumbo” and “The Round Mound of Sound”. Colin Escott, an author of musician biographies, wrote that RCA Victor, for which Hirt had recorded most of his best-selling recordings and for which he had spent most of his professional recording career, had dubbed him with another moniker: “The King.” Hirt was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in November 2009. He received 21 Grammy nominations during his lifetime, including winning the Grammy award in 1964 for his version of “Java”.
Hirt was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of a police officer. At the age of six, he was given his first trumpet, which had been purchased at a local pawnshop. He played in the Junior Police Band with friend Roy Fernandez, the son of Alcide Nunez; by the age of 16, Hirt was playing professionally, often with his friend Pete Fountain, while attending Jesuit High School. During this time, he was hired to play at the local horse racing track, beginning a six-decade connection to the sport.
more...Alvin Batiste (November 7, 1932 – May 6, 2007) was an American avant-garde jazz clarinetist born, who was in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He taught at his own jazz institute at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
His final album was a tribute produced by Branford Marsalis, and also featured Russell Malone and Herlin Riley.
Several well-known musicians studied under Batiste while at Southern University. They include Branford Marsalis, Randy Jackson, his brother Herman, Donald Harrison, Henry Butler, Charlie Singleton (Cameo), Ronald Myers and Woodie Douglas (Spirit). Mike Esneault, an Emmy Award-winning composer, pianist, and educator was also mentored by Batiste.
Batiste died in Baton Rouge, of a heart attack in his sleep, aged 74
more...Joe Bushkin (November 7, 1916 – November 3, 2004) was an American jazz pianist.
Born in New York City, Bushkin began his career by playing trumpet and piano with New York City dance bands, including Frank LaMare’s Band at the Roseland Ballroom in Brooklyn. He joined Bunny Berigan‘s band in 1935, played with Eddie Condon from 1936–37, and with Max Kaminsky and Joe Marsala, before rejoining Berigan in 1938. He then left to join Muggsy Spanier‘s Ragtime Band in 1939. From the late 1930s through to the late 1940s, he also worked with Tommy Dorsey and Eddie Condon on records, radio and television. He worked on the soundtrack of Road to Morocco(1942), starring Bing Crosby, and several commercial sessions. Wartime United States army air corp turned him back into a trumpeter; he also recorded with Lester Young on piano and directed music for Moss Hart’s morale-booster Winged Victory on Broadway for six months before serving in the South Pacific. After his service in World War II he worked with Louis Armstrong, Bud Freeman and Benny Goodman.
Bushkin performed with Louis Armstrong and his All Stars with Velma Middleton singing vocals for the ninth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. The concert was produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on June 7, 1953. Also featured that day were Roy Brown and his Orchestra, Don Tosti and His Mexican Jazzmen, Earl Bostic, Nat “King” Cole, and Shorty Rogers and his Orchestra.[4]
He married Francice Netcher, elder sister of socialite Mollie Wilmot. The couple had four children – Nina, Maria, Terasa, and Christina. They lived in Santa Barbara, California, on a ranch.
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