Composer, pianist, educator and broadcaster Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr was born on May 27, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois. He got his first piano lessons at four and got his first jazz gig at 15. Lewis has recorded over 80 albums as a leader with five gold albums and three Grammy nominations. In addition to performing […]
Bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen was born May 27, 1946 on the Danish island of Zealand. By 15 he was already accompanying top musicians and by 17 he had to say no to an invitation to join the Count Basie Orchestra because he was too young. As a member of the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen he […]
Was there any singer cooler than Peggy Lee? With her nearly whispered tone, perfect sense of timing, and balance of sensuality and class, Peggy Lee at her best was one of the hippest singers around. During her prime (roughly 1945-68), Peggy Lee (who was originally inspired by Billie Holiday) was a major influence on other […]
Agitation Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Dewey Davis III was born on May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois, and raised in East St. Louis, Missouri. His first teacher was local musician Elwood Buchanan who was firmly, even violently, against using vibrato on trumpet. After high school, Davis enrolled in the Julliard School of Music. He […]
The veteran drummer is remembered in a tribute Jimmy Cobb passed away on May 24, 2020 at the age of 91 from lung cancer. Born as Wilbur James Cobb on Jan. 20, 1929 in Washington D.C., he began playing drums when he was 15. Three years later he was already working with Billie Holiday; other […]
C.P. Blues Bassist Cecil McBee was born on May 19, 1935 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After getting a music degree at Ohio Central State University and two years conducting a band in the Army, he joined Dinah Washington and then Paul Winter. Miles Davis, Andrew Hill, Sam Rivers, Jackie McLean, Wayne Shorter, Charles Lloyd, Yusef Lateef, […]
Georgia on My Mind Guitarist Mitchell Herbert “Herb” Ellis was born on August 4th, 1921 in Farmersville, Texas. After touring with various swing bands, Ellis joined pianist Oscar Peterson and bassist Ray Brown to form the Oscar Peterson Trio. At a time when jazz was still highly segregated, a white man (Ellis) playing with two […]
Written and published, in 1953, by Jimmy Van Heusen, “Here’s That Rainy Day” made its debut in “Carnival in Flanders” on Broadway. Subsequently it’s been widely covered, including by McCoy Tyner, Ray Brown, Joe Pass (another guitar great), Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Ray Brown, Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, Art Farmer and Oscar Peterson. […]
A birthday tribute to the immortal guitarist Guitarist John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery was born on March 6, 1923 in Indianapolis, Indiana. His brothers were vibraphonist and pianist Buddy Montgomery (1930-2009) and Monk Montgomery (1921-1982), who by the early 1950s had become the first significant electric bassist. Wes was already 19 in 1942 before he started […]
Dirty Old Man Saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader Thomas Wright “Tom” Scott was born on May 19, 1948 in Los Angeles. In addition to leading his own groups, Scott is a much in demand studio musician. He was a founder of the “Blues Brothers Band” and wrote the theme songs for the TV shows […]