#Canadian Jazz Pianist

[canadachronicles]

There weren't too many wet days this past month; but every time the skies would roll out grey and dull, I'd listen to September In The Rain! I truly believe there is an Oscar Peterson song to fit any variation of my moods!

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Lorraine Desmarais

Jazz pianist and composer Lorraine Desmarais was born in 1956 in Montreal, Quebec. Desmarais has released over a dozen albums, and has become known in North America, Africa, and Asia for her solo, trio, and big band performances. In 1984, she won the Yamaha Jazz Competition at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and the following year, she received a Félix Award for the LP Trio Lorraine Desmarais. In 1986, Desmarais became the first Canadian to win the Great American Jazz Piano Competition. Her other awards and honors include a First Prize in composition from SOCAN and the Oscar Peterson Award from the Montreal International Jazz Festival. In 2013, Desmarais became a Member of the Order of Canada.

[mahgnib]

PGR Fleming, “Oscar Peterson”. The Canadian jazz icon would have been 99 today (8/15)

[gotankgo]

«With its sophisticated rosewood cabinet and rotating “sound globe” speakers, there was nothing quite like the Project G stereo, which was produced by Canadian electronics company Clairtone from 1964 to 1967. Hugh Hefner placed one in the Playboy Mansion... Frank Sinatra got one for himself and gave a few more to his Rat-Pack pals. A Clairtone even appeared in several Hollywood films, including “The Graduate.” Unfortunately, the Project G’s hefty $2,000 price tag (about $20,000 today) kept it from becoming a mass-market success, and fewer than 400 Project G’s were manufactured and sold. But in subsequent years, the Project G has gone on to become a collectible design icon, and perfectly embodies the suave 1960s Jet Age style.

Pictured is Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and unknown model; Photographer unknown, circa 1964.»

[jazzdailyblog]

Oliver Jones: A Master of Jazz Piano and Canadian Treasure

Introduction: Oliver Jones, born Oliver Theophilus Jones ninety years ago today on September 11, 1934, in Little Burgundy, Montreal, Quebec, stands as a towering figure in the jazz world. His remarkable career as a pianist, composer, arranger, and educator has left an indelible mark on the landscape of jazz music, both in Canada and internationally. This blog post delves into the life and career…

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 8.14

Beer Birthdays

Eugene L. Husting (1848)

Brandon Hernández (1976)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Halle Berry; actor (1968)

Mila Kunis; Ukrainian-American actor (1983)

Gary Larson; cartoonist (1950)

Steve Martin; comedian, actor, writer, banjo player (1945)

Bruce Thomas; English bass player (1948)

Famous Birthdays

Russell Baker; essayist (1925)

Emmanuelle Béart; French actress (1963)

Catherine Bell; actor (1968)

Herman Branson; African-American physicist, chemist (1914)

Sarah Brightman; English singer-songwriter (1960)

John Brodie; San Francisco 49ers QB (1935)

Lodewijk Bruckman; Dutch painter (1903)

Sharon Bryant; R&B singer (1956)

Kevin Cadogan; rock singer-songwriter, guitarist (1970)

Méric Casaubon; Swiss-English author (1599)

Yannoulis Chalepas; Greek sculptor (1851)

Darrell "Dash" Crofts; singer-songwriter and musician (1940)

David Crosby; rock singer (1941)

Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin; Belgian mathematician (1866)

Mstislav Dobuzhinsky; Russian-Lithuanian-American artist (1875)

Slim Dunlap; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1951)

Tracy Caldwell Dyson; chemist and astronaut (!969)

Richard R. Ernst; Swiss chemist (1933)

Erica Flapan; mathematician (1956)

Francis Ford; actor and director (1881)

John Galsworthy; English writer (1867)

Alice Ghostley; actor (1926)

Larry Graham; soul/funk bass player and singer-songwriter (1946)

Buddy Greco; singer, pianist (1926)

Marcia Gay Harden; actor (1959)

Jackée Harry; actress (1956)

Robert Hayman; English-Canadian poet (1575)

Lee Hoffman; author (1932)

Leopold Hofmann; Austrian composer (1738)

Doc Holliday; dentist, wild west gambler (1851)

James Horner; composer (1953)

Ernest Everett Just; African-American biologist (1883)

Jan Koetsier; Dutch composer (1911)

Margaret Lindsay Huggins; Anglo-Irish astronomer (1848)

William Hutchinson; founder of Rhode Island (1586)

Magic Johnson; Los Angeles Lakers (1959)

Stanley A. McChrystal; American general (1954)

John McCutcheon; folksinger (1952)

Paddy McGuinness; English comedian (1973)

Lionel Morton; English singer-songwriter, guitarist (1942)

Bruce Nash; film director (1947)

Frank Oppenheimer; particle physicist (1912)

Hans Christian Ørsted; Danish physicist and chemist (1777)

Susan Saint James; actor (1946)

Paolo Sarpi; Italian writer (1552)

Ben Sidran; jazz and rock keyboardist (1943)

Stuff Smith; violinist (1909)

Danielle Steel; writer (1947)

Jiro Taniguchi; Japanese author and illustrator (1947)

Bruno Tesch; German chemist (1890)

Ernest Thayer; "Casey at the Bat" writer (1863)

Pieter Coecke van Aelst; Flemish painter (1502)

Carle Vernet; French painter and lithographer (1758)

Claude Joseph Vernet; French painter (1714)

Earl Weaver; Baltimore Orioles manager (1930)

Wim Wenders; German film director (1945)

Lina Wertmüller; Italian film director (1926)

[sfarticles]

‘Baking Yesteryear’ cookbook takes a stroll down memory lane

Check out my latest column

Christmas Crack, from the 1970s chapter, is a confection that longs to sit patiently in a glass jar, eager to offer yet another reason for joy during the season. Dylan indulges here. (Courtesy of Lauren Jones)

‘Tis the season for indulging in our favorite foods, especially decadent desserts, and confections. It’s the time families gather in the kitchen baking their favorite recipes, many handed down through the generations.

These vintage recipes, often written on index cards, tattered and stained from years of use, provoke warm memories of baking with loved ones when we were young. What better way to embrace the season and bring warmth, nostalgia, joy and togetherness to a home. Holiday baking brings back fond memories of simpler and calmer times. It is an escape as well as a connection to the past.

One of the top cookbook titles this year is “Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900’s to the 1980’s,” by B. Dylan Hollis (2023, DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, $32). Hollis’ book will take you down memory lane. The chapters are broken down by decade, beginning with the 1900s and ending with the 1980s.

Hollis shares his favorites from each decade.

1900s: Food for the Gods

1910s: Chocolate Potato Cake

1920s: Ricciarelli

1930s: Whipped Cream Cake

1940s: Applesauce Graham Cracker Torte

1950s: Kiskadee Fantasy

1960s: Haystacks

1970s: Christmas Crack

1980s: The Buster

The final chapter “Worst of the Worst,” is where he writes, “these creations are the kind that make you ponder the sobriety of the recipe developer.” You might be thinking, why were these recipes included? He writes, “I resolved to do so, since the bad experiences of what I do play such a big part in my overall journey of exploring cooking past, and not including them would ignore the fact that some bona fide, published recipes are simply bad — horrendous bad.”

So, what are a few of the recipes included here? Pickle Cheesecake, jellied meatloaf and SpaghettiOs Jell-O Ring (watch these videos at your own risk! https://bit.ly/3Np0cY6 https://bit.ly/48dPage). If you are a fan of these recipes, don’t fret, food is personal, like fashion.

The headnotes to each recipe are intriguing … some history with a good measure of humor as you will see in the recipes shared below.

I had the opportunity to interview Hollis, a larger-than-life personality. The conversation could have gone on and on. Both of us share an interest in vintage cookbooks. I asked how his delight in vintage recipes came about. From a career as a jazz pianist, I thought it was quite a diversion to becoming a baker. Well, he is not just a baker, he is a social media phenomenon with millions of followers patiently (or perhaps impatiently) waiting for his next video showcasing his unique style and humor while cooking. He said it was happenstance.

“During the pandemic I had too much time on my hands and the quarantine caused boredom,” he said.

Hollis always collected old things, including vintage cookbooks. They came in handy to fill the time. One day he looked through a 1912 Canadian cookbook and came across a recipe for pork cake.

“I just stared at it,” he said.

His experiment making the cake on video went viral and the rest is history.

Perhaps these recipes will become part of your holiday repertoire. As Hollis writes in the conclusion of his book, “The experience of putting together Baking Yesterday for you was a pleasure unmatched. Not only as an opportunity to breathe new life into dishes that once held the hearts of those in the old world, but as a celebration of the fact that while the cakes might change, the joys of baking remain timeless. … I sincerely hope that Baking Yesteryear serves you well, and offers you the opportunity to taste just a sliver of the past’s ingenuity, and the magic that I feel comes with it.”

Until my next column, Happy Baking and Happy Holidays!

For the recipe for Potato Chip Cookies from the 1970s visit stephenfries.com/recipes.

Admiral’s Gingerbread, from the 1910s, is a surprisingly soft, light, and buttery ginger loaf, setting itself apart from traditional dense, dark gingerbreads of yuletide. (Courtesy of Kelley Jordan-Schuyler)

Admiral’s Gingerbread (1910s chapter)

The headnote says, “This is a most peculiar variety of gingerbread, and its bizarre method of preparation seems to have been quite popular along the East Coast cities of the United States in the early 1910s under names like New York Gingerbread and Providence Gingerbread. Bakers will notice that it has an impressively backwards order of operation, but despite this (or because of it), the result is surprisingly soft, light, and buttery ginger loaf, setting itself apart from traditional dense, dark gingerbreads of yuletide.”

9 x 5-inch loaf quick bread

1 cup (225g) butter, softened

1½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons ground ginger

3 tablespoons molasses or treacle

Yolks of 5 large eggs, reserve whites

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups (180g) powdered sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and light. Gradually beat in the flour, ginger, and molasses. Beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the salt. Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with which an electric hand mixer is to be used, beat the reserved egg whites to stiff peaks. Beat in the baking powder.

Mix the egg yolk mixture into the creamed mixture, before adding the egg white mixture. Beat thoroughly.

Turn into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center can be removed cleanly.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Christmas Crack (1970s chapter)

The headnote says, “I’ve never before beheld such a perfect meeting of caramel, chocolate, and salty crunch as I did the day I made Christmas Crack. I remember it vividly and has since become my #1 homemade candy. Beginning this recipe by counting and arranging soda crackers in a grid may seem unorthodox, but since the 1970s the making of crack has become a popular yuletide activity for families in the United States…And, just as stockings and candle-glow punctuate the quiet midwinter home, Christmas Crack longs to sit patiently in a glass jar, eager to offer yet another reason for joy during the season.”

40 saltine crackers

1 cup (225g) butter, softened

1 cup (220g) packed light brown sugar

2 cups (340g) semisweet, or milk chocolate chips (one 12oz bag)

Chopped nuts, peppermint candy pieces, M&M’s candies, chocolate bar pieces, or sprinkles, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Arrange a grid of saltine crackers in five rows of eight on the baking sheet. The crackers should all be touching.

Vertically crease the sides of the aluminum foil to create a dam that borders the crackers. In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the butter and the brown sugar, stirring occasionally until it reaches a boil.

Once the mixture reaches a full boil, boil for 5 minutes without stirring.

Carefully pour the mixture evenly over the saltine crackers. The foil dam will prevent the syrup from spilling .Immediately bake for 7 minutes.

Remove from the oven and quickly sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the hot crackers. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, or until the chips appear glossy, indicating they have melted.

Carefully spread the melted chips in a thin, even layer over the crackers.

While the chocolate is still hot, sprinkle on any desired toppings. Chopped walnuts or green and red sprinkles are my favorite options to use.

Midnight Mallowmalt Cake from the 1960s has a deep chocolate, marshmallow sweetness, and hints of malt and sour cream tartness. With a snowy blanket of marshmallows and boiled frosting, it is a winner if there’s ever been one. (Courtesy of Kelley Jordan-Schuyler)

Midnight Mallowmalt Cake (1960s chapter)

Makes two 9-inch layers

The headnote says, “Chocolate cakes are an entire world waiting to be explored, and this 1960s example is just as badass as its name. With deep chocolate, marshmallow sweetness, and hints of malt and sour cream tartness, all needed a snowy blanket of marshmallows and boiled frosting, it is a winner if there’s ever been one.”

CAKE

18 marshmallows, or 2 1/3 cups mini marshmallows (¼ lb, 113g)

4 ounces (113g) bittersweet chocolate

¾ cup (180ml) boiling water

3 large eggs

1¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups (375g) sour cream

2¼ cups (350g) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (36g) malted milk powder

1½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

FROSTING

Whites of 2 large eggs

¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar

1⁄3 cup (80ml) light corn syrup

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mini marshmallows, for garnish

Cake Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans.

Melt together the marshmallows and the chocolate in a double boiler.

Add in the boiling water and beat the mixture smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until thick and foamy. Blend in the sour cream and the cooled chocolate mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.

Turn into the prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center can be removed cleanly. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting Method

In a large bowl that can be placed atop a double boiler, combine the egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, and vinegar.

Over boiling water, beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer until it thickens and soft peaks form. Remove from heat and beat in the vanilla.

Away from the heat, continue beating until the frosting has cooled and is thick enough to spread onto the cake. This will take some time, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Spread a suitable amount of frosting evenly atop the first cake. Invert the second cake atop the filling to form the second layer.

Frost the assembled cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate the top of the cake with marshmallows.

Recipes excerpted from “Baking Yesteryear,” reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2023 by B. Dylan Hollis.)

Stephen Fries, is Professor Emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, Conn. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 15 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Email him at Stephen@stephenfries.com. For more, go to stephenfries.com.

[themusicaldesk]

Remembering Oscar Peterson !! 

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, OOnt(August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, but simply "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won eight Grammy Awards, and received numerous other awards and honours. He is considered to have been one of the greatest jazz pianists, having played thousands of live concerts to audiences worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years. 

Photo by Carel de Vogel

https://www.facebook.com/TheWorldOfJazz

[mutant-what-not]

Remembering Gil Evans!! 💙

Ian Ernest Gilmore "Gil" Evans (born Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader.

Gil Evans had a long and varied career but is best remembered for his three titanic collaborations with Miles Davis, namely the Columbia albums “Miles Ahead,” “Porgy And Bess,” and “Sketches Of Spain.”

Gil and Miles during the recording sessions for “Porgy” in July 1958.

https://www.facebook.com/TheWorldOfJazz

[canadachronicles]

I rang Ava early this morning and played Oscar Peterson's I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm in lieu of Happy Birthday!Although, technically, physically; I don't. We're at the moment on different continents, and often, we're not even on the same day. But we've got each other, and we're happy; and that, I believe, does keep us warm, alright!

[lindsaywesker]

Deaths In 2023

January

1: Fred White (67, American drummer, Earth Wind & Fire)

3: Alan Rankine (64, Scottish musician/producer, The Associates)

6: Gianluca Vialli (58, Italian football player/manager)

10: Jeff Beck (78, English guitarist, The Yardbirds/The Jeff Beck Group/Beck Bogart & Appice)

11: Yukihiro Takahashi (70, Japanese singer/drummer, Yellow Magic Orchestra)

12: Robbie Bachman (69, Canadian drummer, Bachman Turner Overdrive)

Lisa-Marie Presley (54, American singer/songwriter, daughter of Elvis, mother of Riley Keough)

16: Gina Lollobrigida (95, Italian actress)

18: David Crosby (81, American singer/songwriter, The Byrds, Crosby Stills Nash & Young)

27: Sylvia Sims (89, English actress, ‘Ice Cold In Alex’)

28: Barrett Strong (81, American singer/songwriter, co-wrote ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’/‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone’

Tom Verlaine (73, American musician/songwriter/producer, Television)

Lisa Loring (64, American actress, ‘The Addams Family’)

February

2: Calton Coffie (68, Jamaican singer, Inner Circle)

3: Paco Rabanne (88, Spanish fashion designer)

8: Burt Bacharach (94, American songwriter, co-wrote ‘Walk On By’/‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’/‘A House Is Not A Home’/‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’)

10: Hugh Hudson (86, film director, ‘Chariots Of Fire’)

12: David Jolicoeur a.k.a. Trugoy The Dove (54, American rapper, De La Soul)

15: Raquel Welch (82, American actress)

16: Chuck Jackson (85, American soul singer, ‘Any Day Now’/‘I Keep Forgettin’’)

18: Barbara Bosson (83, American actress, ‘Hill Street Blues’)

19: Richard Belzer (78, American actor, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’/’Law And Order: Special Victims Unit’)

Dickie Davies (94, British television personality, ‘World Of Sport’)

23: John Motson (77, English football commentator, ‘Match Of The Day’)

March

2: Steve Mackey (56, English bassist/producer, Pulp)

Wayne Shorter (89, American jazz saxophonist, Weather Report)

3: Carlos Garnett (84, Panamanian jazz saxophonist)

Tom Sizemore (61, American actor, ‘Saving Private Ryan’)

5: Gary Rossington (71, American guitarist, Lynyrd Skynyrd)

8: Topol (87, Israeli actor, ‘Fiddler On The Roof’/’Flash Gordon’)

10: Junior English (71, Jamaican reggae singer)

12: Dick Fosbury (76, American high jumper)

13: Jim Gordon (77, American drummer, Traffic/Derek & The Dominoes)

14: Bobby Caldwell (71, American singer/songwriter)

15: Greg Perry (singer/songwriter/producer)

16: Fuzzy Haskins (81, American singer, Parliament/Funkadelic)

17: Lance Reddick (60, American actor, ‘The Wire’/’Oz’/’John Wick’ films)

23: Keith Reid (76, English songwriter, Procol Harum)

Peter Shelley (80, English singer/songwriter/producer, ‘Gee Baby’/’Love Me Love My Dog’)

28: Paul O’Grady a.k.a. Lily Savage (67, English comedian)

Ryuichi Sakamoto (71, Japanese musician/composer, Yellow Magic Orchestra, composed theme to ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’)

29: Charles Sherrell a.k.a. Sweet Charles (80, American bass player/singer, The JBs, ‘Yes, It’s You’)

April

5: Booker T. Newberry III (67, American singer, Sweet Thunder, ‘Love Town’)

6: Paul Cattermole (46, English singer, S Club 7)

8: Michael Lerner (81, American actor, ‘Barton Fink’)

12: Jah Shaka (75, Jamaican sound system operator)

13: Dame Mary Quant (93, English fashion designer)

14: Mark Sheehan (46, Irish guitarist, The Script)

16: Ahmad Jamal (92, jazz pianist)

17: Ivan Conti (76, jazz drummer, Azymuth)

22: Barry Humphries a.k.a. Dame Edna Everage (89, Australian comedian/actor)

Len Goodman (78, English TV personality)

25: Harry Belafonte (95, American musician/actor/civil rights leader)

27: Wee Willie Harris (90, English rock & roll singer)

Jerry Springer (79, English-born, American TV host)

28: Tim Bachman (71, Canadian guitarist, Bachman-Turner Overdrive)

May

1: Gordon Lightfoot (84, Canadian singer/songwriter, ‘If You Could Read My Mind’)

3: Linda Lewis (72, English singer/songwriter, ‘Rock-A-Doodle-Doo’)

18: Jim Brown (87, American football player/actor, ‘The Dirty Dozen’)

19: Pete Brown (82, poet/singer/lyricist, ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’/’White Room’/’I Feel Free’)

Andy Rourke (59, English bass player, The Smiths)

24: Bill Lee (94, American jazz musician/composer, Spike’s dad, scored ‘She’s Gotta Have It’/‘School Daze’/’Do The Right Thing’

Tina Turner (84, American-born, Swiss singer/actress, ‘River Deep Mountain High’/’Nutbush City Limits’/’What’s Love Got To Do With It?’)

26: Reuben Wilson (88, American jazz organist, ‘Got To Get Your Own’)

June

1: Cynthia Weil (82, songwriter, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’/’Here You Come Again’)

6: Tony McPhee (79, English guitarist, The Groundhogs)

12: Treat Williams (71, American actor, ‘Hair’/’Prince Of The City’)

14: John Hollins (76, English football player, Chelsea/Arsenal/England)

15: Glenda Jackson (87, English MP/actress, ‘Women In Love’/’Sunday Bloody Sunday’)

27: Julian Sands (65, English actor, ‘A Room With A View’)

29: Alan Arkin (89, American actor, ‘Catch 22’/’Little Miss Sunshine’)

30: Lord Creator (87, Trinidad-born, Jamaican singer/songwriter, ‘Kingston Town’)

July

3: Vicki Anderson a.k.a. Myra Barnes  (83, American soul singer, Carleen’s mum)

Mo Foster (78, English songwriter/musician/producer)

5: George Tickner (76, American guitarist, Journey)

16: Jane Birkin (76, French/English actress/singer, ‘Je t’aime … moi non plus’, banned by the BBC in 1969)

21: Tony Bennett (96, American singer, ‘I Left My Heart In San Francisco’)

22: Vince Hill (89, English singer, ‘Edelweiss’)

24: Trevor Francis (69, English football player, Birmingham City/England)

26: Randy Meisner (77, musician/songwriter, Poco/The Eagles, ‘Take It To The Limit’)

Sinead O’Connor (56, Irish singer, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’/songwriter, ‘Mandinka’)

30: Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman (70, American actor/comedian)

31: Angus Cloud (25, American actor, ‘Euphoria’)

 August

4: John Gosling (75, English keyboard player, The Kinks)

7: DJ Casper (58, DJ/artist/songwriter, ‘Cha Cha Slide’)

William Friedkin (87, American film director, ‘The French Connection’/’The Exorcist’)

9: Robbie Robertson (80, Canadian musician/songwriter/singer, The Band)

Sixto Rodriguez (81, American singer/songwriter, subject of 2012 documentary ‘Searching For Sugar Man’

13: Clarence Avant (92, owner of Sussex Records/Tabu Records, film producer, ‘Jason’s Lyric’)

Magoo (50, American rapper, Timbaland & Magoo)

16: Jerry Moss (88, music executive, the ‘M’ in A&M Records)

17: Bobby Eli (77, guitarist, MFSB/songwriter, ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait’)

Gary Young (70, American drummer, Pavement)

19: Ron Cephas Jones (66, American actor, ‘This Is Us’)

24: Bernie Marsden (72, English guitarist, Whitesnake/songwriter, ‘Here I Go Again’/’Fool For Your Loving’)

29: Jamie Crick (57, English radio broadcaster, Jazz FM)

31: Gayle Hunnicutt (80, American actress, ‘Dallas’)

September

1: Jimmy Buffett (76, American singer/songwriter, ‘Margaritaville’)

4: Gary Wright (80, American singer/songwriter, ‘Dream Weaver’/’Love Is Alive’)

Steve Harwell (56, American singer/rapper, Smash Mouth)

8: Mike Yarwood (82, English comedian/impressionist)

13: Roger Whittaker (87, Kenyan-born English singer/songwriter, ‘Durham Town’)

16: Sir Horace Ove (86, Trinidadian-born, English film director, ‘Pressure’)

Irish Grinstead (43, American R&B singer, 702)

25: David McCallum (90, Scottish actor, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’/’N.C.I.S.’/musician)

28: Michael Gambon (82, English actor, ‘Harry Potter’ movies)

30: Russell Batiste Jr. (57, American drummer, The Meters)

October

2: Francis Lee (79, English football player, Manchester City/England)

8: Burt Young (83, American actor, ‘Rocky’)

11: Rudolph Isley (84, American singer, The Isley Brothers/songwriter, ‘That Lady’)

12: Michael Cooper (71, Jamaican musician, Inner Circle/Third World)

14: Piper Laurie (91, American actress, ‘Carrie’/’The Hustler’)

19: DJ Mark The 45 King (62, DJ/musician/producer, ‘The 900 Number’)

20: Haydn Gwynne (66, English actress, ‘Drop The Dead Donkey’)

21: Sir Bobby Charlton (86, English footballer, Manchester United/England)

24: Richard Roundtree (81, American actor, ‘Shaft’)

28: Matthew Perry (54, American-Canadian actor, ‘Friends’)

November

12: Anna Scher (78, founder of the Anna Scher Children’s Theatre)

19: Joss Ackland CBE (95, English actor, ‘White Mischief’)

22: Jean Knight (80, American soul singer, ‘Mr. Big Stuff’)

25: Terry Venables (80, English footballer, Chelsea/Tottenham Hotspur/England manager)

26: Geordie Walker (64, English guitarist, Killing Joke)

29: Sticky Vicky (80, Spanish dancer and illusionist)

30: Shane MacGowan (65, English-born Irish singer, The Pogues/songwriter, ‘Fairytale Of New York’)

December

1: Brigit Forsyth (83, Scottish actress, ‘Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?’)

5: Denny Laine (79, English musician, The Moody Blues/Wings, songwriter, ‘Mull Of Kintyre’)

7: Benjamin Zephaniah (65, English poet/writer/actor, ‘Peaky Blinders’)

8: Ryan O’Neal (82, American actor, ‘Love Story’/’Barry Lyndon’/’Paper Moon’)

Nidra Beard (71, American singer, Dynasty)

11: Andre Braugher (61, American actor, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’/’Brooklyn Nine-Nine’/’Glory’)

Richard Kerr (78, English singer/songwriter, ‘Mandy’)

15: Bob Johnson (79, singer/songwriter/musician, Steeleye Span)

16: Colin Burgess (77, Australian drummer, AC/DC)

17: Amp Fiddler (65, singer/songwriter/producer)

[dustedmagazine]

Kris Davis — Diatom Ribbons Live At The Village Vanguard (Pyroclastic)

Photo by Peter Gannushkin

The bio on Kris Davis’ website borrows a line from the New York Times which described the Canadian pianist as the beacon that told listeners where in New York City one should go on any given night. Diatom Ribbons Live At The Village Vanguard proposes a more expansive understanding of her relationship to jazz, because the ensemble’s music is a zone where Davis’s notions about was worth hearing in the 20th century gets processed and beamed out into the 21st.

The first project’s first, self-titled iteration wasn’t really the work of a band as much as it was the manifestation of a concept. The musicians at its core were Davis on piano, Trevor Dunn on electric bass, Terri Lynne Carrington on drums and Val Jeanty wielding turntables as a source of sampled speech, natural sounds and scratches. They were supplemented by six other musicians playing electric guitar, saxophones, vibes and voice, who enabled Davis to incorporate blues, rock, hip-hop and classical elements into her already-inclusive vision of the jazz continuum. The two-disc Diatom Ribbons was ambitious, but also a bit exhausting to negotiate.

This similarly dimensioned successor comes from a weekend engagement at the Village Vanguard. The latest material, which hinges around a three-part “Bird Suite,” and the ensemble’s lack of augmentation — besides the core group, there are no horns and just one guitarist, Julian Lage — results in a more cohesive statement of Davis’s thesis, which echoes a point that Charles Mingus already made a long, long time ago; you do Charlie Parker no honor by trying to play like him. He is the namesake of the three-part “Bird Suite,” which is the album’s center of gravity. Buttressed by Jeanty’s snatches of speeches by Sun Ra, Stockhausen, and other visionaries, as well as liberally reinterpreted tunes by Wayne Shorter, Ronald Shannon Jackson, and Geri Allen, the music seems to be arguing that today’s jazz musician, like Bird, need to deal with everything that’s happened, and then come up with something personal.

To that end, Davis makes a hash of old, dualistic notions like inside/outside, improvised/composed or jazz + (one other genre) hybrids. Properly prepared, hash is pretty tasty, and that’s the case with this overflowing platter of pristine lyricism, bebop-to-free structural abstractions, shifting rhythmic matrices and multi-signal broadcasts of sound and voice. This is the good stuff, Davis seems to be saying, and a music maker following a jazz trajectory needs to deal with it all. But, while the music of the Diatom Ribbons ensemble is way more creatively inclusive than all those bebop copycats Mingus used to rail against, it’s a highly personal reordering of what is known, not a total paradigm shift into the new. Come to think of it, however, Mingus’ own undeniably magnificent accomplishments were more on the order of what Davis is doing here than Charlie Parker’s transformation of the music of his time.  

Bill Meyer

[projazznet]

Happy Birthday to the outstanding Diana Krall! 🎂 The Canadian jazz pianist and singer was born on November 16, 1964.

[hanspoppe]

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (Order of Canada, National Order of Quebec, Order of Ontario), (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won eight Grammy Awards, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and received numerous other awards and honours. He played thousands of concerts worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, simply "O.P." by his friends, and informally in the jazz community as "the King of inside swing".   #OscarPeterson #Jazz #Musician #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #HansPoppeArt #Artist #Toronto #Montreal # Quebec #Canada #DigitalArt #Portraiture #OrderofCanada #NationalOrderofQuebec #OrderofOntario (at Toronto, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8NlHIvjr3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 7.17

Beer Birthdays

James Pawley Dawes (1843)

Anthony Straub (1882)

Joshua Bernstein (1978)

Five Favorite Birthdays

James Cagney; actor (1899)

Erle Stanley Gardner; writer (1889)

Vince Guaraldi; jazz pianist (1928)

Peter Schickele; music comedian, composer (1935)

Donald Sutherland; actor (1934)

Famous Birthdays

Berenice Abbott; photographer (1898)

Shmuel Yosef Agnon; Ukrainian-Israeli writer (1888)

Ron Asheton; guitarist and songwriter (1948)

John Jacob Astor; zillionaire (1763)

Lou Barlow; guitarist and songwriter (1966)

George Barnes; guitarist and songwriter (1921)

Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten; German philosopher (1714)

Luc Bondy; Swiss film director (1948)

Tim Brooke-Taylor; English comedian (1940)

Mark Burnett; television producer (1960)

Geezer Butler; English bass player (1949)

Diahann Carroll; actor (1935)

Niccolò Castiglioni; Italian composer (1932)

Elizabeth Cook; singer and guitarist (1972)

John Cooper; English car designer (1923)

Chris Crutcher; writer (1946)

Spencer Davis; rock musician (1942)

Paul Delaroche; French painter (1797)

Phyllis Diller; comedian (1917)

Cory Doctorow, Canadian author (1971)

Lyonel Feininger;, German-American painter (1871)

Lionel Ferbos; trumpeter (1911)

Wolfgang Flür; German musician (1947)

Wendy Freedman; Canadian-American cosmologist and astronomer (1957)

Elbridge Gerry; politician (1744)

Sergei K. Godunov; Russian mathematician (1929)

Gordon Gould; laser inventor (1920)

David Hasselhoff; actor (1952)

Hermann Huppen; Belgian author and illustrator (1938)

Bruno Jasieński; Polish poet and author (1901)

Scott Johnson; cartoonist (1969)

Darryl Lamonica; Oakland Raiders QB (1941)

Nicolette Larson; singer-songwriter (1952)

Thé Lau; Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (1952)

Georges Lemaître; Belgian priest, astronomer, and cosmologist (1894)

Art Linkletter; humorist (1912)

Pierre Louis Maupertuis; French mathematician and philosopher (1698)

Robert R. McCammon; author (1952)

Angela Merkel; German chemist and politician (1954)

Craig Morgan; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1965)

Luis Munoz-Rivera; Puerto Rican patriot, poet (1859)

Frank Olson; chemist and microbiologist (1910)

Barbara O'Neil; actor (1910)

Mary Osborne; guitarist (1921)

Quino Spanish-Argentinian cartoonist (1932)

Christiane Rochefort; French author (1917)

Jason Rullo; rock drummer (1972)

Jimmy Scott; jazz singer (1925)

Ephraim Shay, American engineer (1839)

Phoebe Snow; singer (1952)

P.J. Soles; actor (1950)

Red Sovine; country singer (1917)

Christina Stead; Australian author (1902)

J. Michael Straczynski; writer (1954)

Mick Tucker; English rock drummer (1947)

Isaac Watts; English hymnwriter (1674)

Alex Winter; actor (1965)

[lowspectrum]

Kris Davis Trio, Run The Gauntlet

On her new album Run The Gauntlet, Kris Davis celebrates the women pianists that have had the most influence on her creative journey and life. Arguably an unsung hero of avant-garde jazz piano in her own right, Davis’ new offering demonstrates how groundbreaking and influential her music has been in the last three decades. The list of pianists the Canadian-born composer pays tribute to on this…