mick’s blog

Roy Ayers Day

September 10, 2020

Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk. He is a key figure in the acid jazz movement, and has been dubbed “The Godfather of Neo Soul”. He is best known for his compositions “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”, “Searchin”, and “Running Away”. At one time, he was said to have more sampled hits by rappers than any other artist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cfW_gfV9EA

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Prince Lasha Day

September 10, 2020

William B. Lawsha, better known as Prince Lasha (pronounced “La-shay“), (September 10, 1929 – December 12, 2008) was an American jazzalto saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist.

He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, where he came of age studying and performing alongside fellow I.M. Terrell High School students John Carter, Ornette Coleman, King Curtis, Charles Moffett, and Dewey Redman.

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Roy Brown Day

September 10, 2020

Roy James Brown (September 10, 1920 or 1925 – May 25, 1981) was an American R&B singer, songwriter and musician, who had a significant influence on the early development of rock and roll and the direction of R&B. His original song and hit recording “Good Rockin’ Tonight” has been covered by many artists including Wynonie Harris, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Ely, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Pat Boone, James Brown, the Doors, and the rock group Montrose. Brown was one of the first popular R&B singers to perform songs with a gospel-steeped delivery, which was then considered taboo by many churches. In addition, his melismatic, pleading vocal style influenced notable artists such as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Elvis Presley, Jackie Wilson, James Brown and Little Richard.

Brown was born in Kinder, Louisiana. Some sources report his birth date as September 10, 1925, but the researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc gave the date as September 10, 1920, on the basis of information in the 1930 census and Social Security records, and stated that 1925 is incorrect. Media reports state that he was either 55 or 56 at the time of his death.

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World Music with BélO

September 10, 2020

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Daily Roots with Prince Far I

September 10, 2020

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Surviving the Pandemic and Realizing Racial Justice

September 9, 2020

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The Cosmos with M45

September 9, 2020

Perhaps the most famous star cluster on the sky, the bright stars of the Pleiades can be seen without binoculars from even the depths of a light-polluted city. With a long exposure from a dark location, though, the dust cloud surrounding the Pleiades star cluster becomes very evident. The featured exposurecovers a sky area several times the size of the full moon. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades lies about 400 light years away toward the constellation of the Bull (Taurus). A common legend with a modern twist is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named, leaving only six of the sister stars visible to the unaided eye. The actual number of Pleiades stars visible, however, may be more or less than seven, depending on the darkness of the surrounding sky and the clarity of the observer’s eyesight.

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David Sánchez Day

September 9, 2020

David Sánchez (born 9 September 1968 in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) is a Grammy-winning jazz tenor saxophonist from Puerto Rico.

Sanchez took up the conga when he was eight and started playing tenor saxophone at age 12. His earliest influences were Afro-Caribbean and danzabut also European and Latin classical. At 12 Sanchez attended La Escuela Libre de Musica, which emphasized formal musical studies and classical European styles and was much taken with a Miles Davis album, Basic Miles, featuring John Coltrane, as well as Lady in Satin, a 1958 album by Billie Holiday with strings, arranged and conducted by Ray Ellis. Sanchez considered a college career in psychology but auditioned at Berklee and Rutgers University. Sanchez chose Rutgers because he got a better scholarship and was near New York which was Sanchez’ goal. While at Rutgers, Sanchez studied with Kenny Barron, Ted Dunbar, and John Purcell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sh8h-csB8k

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Hoyt Curtin Day

September 9, 2020

Hoyt Stoddard Curtin (September 9, 1922 – December 3, 2000) was an American composer and music producer, the primary musical director for the Hanna-Barbera animation studio from its beginnings with The Ruff & Reddy Show in 1957 until his retirement in 1986, except from 1965–1972, when the primary music director was Ted Nichols.

Curtin was a native of Downey, California, and had one son, Chris, with his wife Elizabeth.

In the 1950s Curtin was an in-demand composer for TV commercials. He first met William Hanna and Joseph Barbera when he worked on a Schlitz beer commercial they were producing for MGMin 1957.

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Otis Redding Day

September 9, 2020

Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. Redding’s style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s.

Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, and at the age of 2, moved to Macon, Georgia. Redding quit school at age 15 to support his family, working with Little Richard‘s backing band, the Upsetters, and by performing in talent shows at the historic Douglass Theatre in Macon. In 1958, he joined Johnny Jenkins‘s band, the Pinetoppers, with whom he toured the Southern states as a singer and driver. An unscheduled appearance on a Staxrecording session led to a contract and his first single, “These Arms of Mine“, in 1962.

Stax released Redding’s debut album, Pain in My Heart, two years later. Initially popular mainly with African-Americans, Redding later reached a wider American pop music audience. Along with his group, he first played small shows in the American South. He later performed at the popular Los Angeles night club Whisky a Go Go and toured Europe, performing in London, Paris and other major cities. He also performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

Shortly before his death in a plane crash, Redding wrote and recorded his iconic “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” with Steve Cropper. The song became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. The album The Dock of the Bay was the first posthumous album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. Redding’s premature death devastated Stax. Already on the verge of bankruptcy, the label soon discovered that the Atco division of Atlantic Records owned the rights to his entire song catalog.

Redding received many posthumous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In addition to “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” “Respect” and “Try a Little Tenderness” are among his best-known songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI_zG2eWGE4

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Elvin Jones Day

September 9, 2020

Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed an interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family’s home in Pontiac, Michigan. He served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1949 and subsequently played in a Detroit house band led by Billy Mitchell. He moved to New York City in 1955 and worked as a sideman for Charles Mingus, Teddy Charles, Bud Powell and Miles Davis.

From 1960 to 1966, he was a member of the John Coltrane quartet (along with Jimmy Garrison on bass and McCoy Tyner on piano), a celebrated recording phase, appearing on such albums as A Love Supreme and Live at Birdland. Following his work with Coltrane, Jones led several small groups, some under the name The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. His brothers Hank Jones and Thad Jones were also jazz musicians with whom he recorded. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1995.[

Elvin Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, United States, to parents Henry and Olivia Jones, who had moved to Michigan from Vicksburg, Mississippi. His two elder brothers, Hank Jones and Thad Jones, both became jazz musicians respectively on piano and trumpet. By age two, he said he knew he held a fascination for drums. He would watch the circus marching band parades go by his home as a boy, particularly fascinated by the drummers.

Following his early passion, Elvin joined his high school’s black marching band, where he developed his foundation in rudiments. Jones began service in the United States Army in 1946. He was discharged in 1949. With his mustering-out pay and an additional $35 (US$376 in 2019 dollars) borrowed from his sister, Jones purchased his first drumset.

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World Music with BaBa Zula

September 9, 2020

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Daily Roots with Scientist

September 9, 2020

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Surviving the Pandemic and Realizing Racial Justice

September 8, 2020

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The Cosmos with NGC 2654

September 8, 2020

The NGC 2654 is a Balke spiral galaxis the constellation Ursa Major . The galaxy was discovered in 1882 by astronomer Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Temple with a 28 cm telescope.

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Guitar Shorty Day

September 8, 2020

Guitar Shorty (born David William Kearney, September 8, 1934 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is well known for his explosive guitar style and wild stage antics. Billboard magazine said, “his galvanizing guitar work defines modern, top-of-the-line blues-rock. His vocals remain as forceful as ever. Righteous shuffles…blistering, sinuous guitar solos.”Credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Guitar Shorty has been recording and touring since the 1950s.

Shorty was born in Houston but grew up mainly in Kissimmee, Florida, where he began playing the guitar at an early age and began leading a band not long after. During his time in Tampa Bay, Florida, at age 16 he received his nickname, Guitar Shorty, when it mysteriously showed up on the marquee of the club he was playing as ‘The Walter Johnson Band featuring Guitar Shorty.’[6] He steadily began to garner accolades from his peers and, soon after, he joined the Ray Charles Band for a year. He recorded his first single in 1957, “You Don’t Treat Me Right”, for the Cobra label under the direction of Willie Dixon after Dixon saw him playing with the Walter Johnson Orchestra.

While in New Orleans, Shorty also fronted his own band which played regularly at the Dew Drop Inn where he was joined by special guests such as T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner and Little Richard. Not one to stay in one place long, Shorty next moved to the West Coast at 19 to play with Sam Cooke. He played up and down the west coast and Canada until he met his future wife, Marcia, in Seattle, Washington. Marcia was the half-sister of Jimi Hendrix. Jimi was so enthralled with Shorty’s playing, he went AWOL several times from his Army base to see him perform. Shorty introduced Hendrix to the wah pedal and loaned him one when Hendrix couldn’t afford to buy his own.

Shorty gigged steadily through the late 1950s and 1960s. During the 1970s he worked as a mechanic, playing music at nights and on weekends. He again became a full-time musician in 1975, struggling at times to make ends meet. In 1976 he made an appearance on Chuck BarrisGong Show, winning first prize for performing the song “They Call Me Guitar Shorty” while balanced on his head.

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Patsy Cline Day

September 8, 2020

Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963 Winchester, VA) was an American singer. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to successfully cross over into pop music. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.

Cline’s first professional performances began at the local WINC radio station when she was fifteen. In the early 1950s, Cline began appearing in a local band led by performer Bill Peer. Various local appearances led to featured performances on Connie B. Gay‘s Town and Country television broadcasts. It also led to the signing of her first recording contract with the Four Star label in 1954. She had minor success with her earliest Four Star singles including “A Church, A Courtroom and Goodbye” (1955) and “I’ve Loved and Lost Again” (1956). In 1957 however, Cline made her first national television appearance on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. After performing “Walkin’ After Midnight“, the single would become her first major hit on both the country and pop charts.

Cline’s further singles with Four Star Records were unsuccessful, although she continued performing and recording. After marrying in 1957 and giving birth in 1958, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to further her career. Working with new manager Randy Hughes, Cline would become a member of the Grand Ole Opry and then move to Decca Records in 1960. Under the direction of producer Owen Bradley, her musical sound shifted and she achieved consistent success. The 1961 single “I Fall to Pieces” would become her first to top the Billboard country chart. As the song became a hit, Cline was severely injured in an automobile accident, which caused her to spend a month in the hospital. After recovering, her next single release “Crazy” would also become a major hit.

Between 1962 and 1963, Cline had hits with “She’s Got You“, “When I Get Through with You“, “So Wrong” and “Leavin’ on Your Mind“. She also toured and headlined shows with more frequency. In March 1963, Cline appeared at a benefit show in Kansas City, Kansas. To return home, she boarded a plane along with country performers Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and manager Randy Hughes. Upon hitting rough weather, the plane crashed outside of Camden, Tennessee, killing all those on board.

Since her death, Cline has been cited as one of the most celebrated, respected and influential performers of the 20th century. Her music has influenced performers of various styles and genres.[10] She has also been seen as a forerunner for women in country music, being among the first to sell records and headline concerts. In 1973, she became the first female performer to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In the 1980s, Cline’s posthumous successes continued in the mass media. She was portrayed twice in major motion pictures, including the 1985 biopic Sweet Dreams starring Jessica Lange. Several documentaries and stage shows were released during this time, including the 1988 musical Always…Patsy Cline. A 1991 box set of her recordings was issued that received critical acclaim. Her greatest hits album sold over 10 million copies in 2005. In 2011, Cline’s childhood home was restored as a museum for visitors and fans to tour.

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James Clay Day

September 8, 2020

James Earl Clay (born September 8, 1935 – January 6, 1995) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. Clay was born in Dallas, Texas, on September 8, 1935. While in school, Clay played alto saxophone, and then played with local bands from around the age of 17.

Clay moved to California in 1955, where he initially played in jam sessions. He appeared on recordings with Lawrence Marable the following year. Clay then played with freer musicians including Don Cherry, Billy Higgins, and Ornette Coleman, before returning to Dallas in 1958. He joined the military in 1959, and recorded two albums as a leader the following year. Back in California, he led a quartet with Roosevelt Wardell, Jimmy Bond, and Frank Butler, but soon returned to Texas. He toured with Lowell Fulson in the early 1960s, and with Ray Charles on and off between 1962 and 1977. A reappearance on a recording led by Cherry in 1988 – Art Deco – led to a short resurgence of interest in Clay’s career. He died in Dallas on January 6, 1995.

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Wilbur Ware Day

September 8, 2020

Wilbur Bernard Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double bassist. He was a staff bassist at Riverside in the 1950s, recording with J.R. Monterose, Toots Thielemans, Tina Brooks, Zoot Sims, and Grant Green. Ware taught himself to play banjo and bass. In the 1940s, he worked with Stuff Smith, Sonny Stitt, and Roy Eldridge. He recorded with Sun Ra in the early 1950s. Later in the 1950s, settling in New York City, Ware played with Eddie Vinson, Art Blakey, and Buddy DeFranco. His only album recorded as a leader during his lifetime was The Chicago Sound, from 1957 when he worked for Riverside. He made jazz instructional albums for Music Minus One. In 1958, Ware was one of 57 jazz musicians to appear in the photograph A Great Day in Harlem.

Ware was a member of the Thelonious Monk quartet from 1957 to 1958. He also performed with the Sonny Rollins Trio live at the Village Vanguard.

Narcotics addiction resulted in his return to Chicago in 1963 and a period of incarceration. He was inactive musically for about six years. In 1969, Ware played with Clifford Jordan, Elvin Jonesand Sonny Rollins. He died from emphysema in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1979.

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World Music with Bantu

September 8, 2020

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Interviews