Tag: Jazz Heaven
Internet Radio is in Big Trouble and You Can Help Save it!
by jazzcat on May.17, 2007, under News
Our Blessings to Herman Riley; Another Great Departed Hero of the Music
by jazzcat on Apr.25, 2007, under News
§
Herman Riley, 73; master saxophonist
Herman Riley, an unsung virtuoso of the reed instruments,
died April 13 at Brotman Medical Center
in Culver City,
following heart failure. He was 73.
Not one to toot his own horn, Herman let his
soaring solos do the talking. Whenever the
top tenors gathered to jam, Herman had them for lunch! Justo Almario adds, “After hearing Herman one
night, I rushed home to practice!” Expressing
both anxiety and endearment backstage, another popular player asked, “Can’t you
juggle the lineup — Why do I have to follow Herman?” Riley was gracious yet daunting as his robust
tone garnered the respect of fellow musicians and fans alike.
Whether he torched the bandstand, serenaded lovers at dimly lit
tables or navigated charts in the studio, Herman Riley excelled in any
setting. A seasoned reedman who transcended
boundaries, Riley explored a vast spectrum from Jazz and R&B, to musicals
and motion picture scores.
This quiet, wind wizard mastered the tenor
saxophone, b-flat and bass clarinets, the oboe, English horn and several
flutes, displaying total command of his arsenal. Herman weaved engaging, intricate tapestries
while his poignant ballads gently caressed the listener.
A native of New
Orleans, Riley was born on August 31, 1933. He attended Landry High School
where he majored in music. Herman enrolled
at Southern University in Baton Rouge,
proudly high-stepping in its famed Jaguar Marching Band.
Following a two-year stint in the army, Riley
migrated to California
during the late fifties. He performed
with Jessie Belvin and Roy Milton.
Later, while living in New
York, Herman played with Larry Gales, Junior Cook,
Bruno Carr and Bill Hartman. Mr. Riley’s
distinct approach began to captivate audiences around the world. In 1962, he was named Outstanding Solo Artist at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
After studying privately with Kirk
Bradford, Riley shared the bill with the likes of Art Hillary, George Morrow,
Bobby Bryant, Phil Upchurch, Benny Carter, Count Basie, Louie Belson, Bill
Holman, Ray Charles, Benny Powell, Oscar Brashear, Duke Pearson, Philly Joe
Jones, Nelson Riddle, Oliver Nelson, Ray Brown, Gene Ammons, Grady Tate, Donald
Byrd, Jerome Richardson, Blue Mitchell and Lionel Hampton.
During Motown’s heyday, Herman played L.A.’s Five-Four Ballroom
with legendary groups like Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey
Robinson & the Miracles as well as Martha & the Vandellas. Riley has also backed Juliet Prowse, Jimmy
Durante, Dionne Warwick, Wayne Newton, Debbie Reynolds, Diane Carroll, Lorez
Alexandria, Aretha Franklin, Ernie Andrews, Jack Carter and Nancy Sinatra.
Herman toured Japan with Quincy Jones and
performed at the Concord Jazz Festival. In
2003, he even journeyed to war-ravaged Israel. While bombs and mortar shells exploded at his
doorstep, Herman remained secluded in his hotel room. Under severe duress, he bravely ventured out
to the gig, igniting a few sparks of his own.
Mr. Riley is listed in Leonard Feather’s Encyclopedia of Jazz. Pound for pound, he was a prolific titan
of the tenor. Away from the spotlight,
Herman modestly lived The Life of Riley. His dues are paid in full. Mr. Riley is survived by his wife, Thelma;
daughter, Sheenell Riley and grandson, Ethan Boone.
§
Jeffrey
Winston
A native of Los Angeles, Mr. Winston is a jazz historian,
producer and free-lance journalist.
The Wonderful Creative Talent of Andrew Hill has Taken Flight
by jazzcat on Apr.20, 2007, under News
I've been asked by composer and pianist Andrew Hill's family to announce
to
the press that he died at 4 a.m. today, April 20, 2007,
several years after
being diagnosed with lung cancer. He was 75 years old and lived in Jersey
City, NJ.
Hill,
born June 30, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois (contrary to some
previously published places and dates) had a lengthy international
career as performer and recording artist, and educator (at Portland
State
University; he also gave master classes at New York University, and
elsewhere; he
leaves a voluminous and highly varied recorded legacy, dating from the
1950s (So In Love) to his 2006 trio album Time Lines (Blue Note), named
to many
critics' top ten lists. Hill is survived by his wife Joanne Robinson
Hill, and a niece, nephew and cousin, besides a devoted coterie of
friends, typically creative artists and perceptive fans.
As announced on April 11, Andrew Hill will receive an honorary doctorate
of
music degree from Berklee College of Music at commencement May 12; other
honorees “for their achievements in the world of music, and for
their enduring contributions to American and international culture”
this year are Gloria and Emilio Estefan, and The Edge; this distinction
has previously been extended to Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito
Puente, Quincy Jones and Ahmet Ertegun, among a few others. A press
release from Berklee is attached, or can be obtained from Allen
Bush, Office of Public Information, 617-747-2658.
On April 3, 2007 Boosey & Hawkes music publishers
announced the addition of
Andrew Hill “to its distinguished roster of composers” whose works
will be
promulgated through its auspices. For information on that agreement, contact
Adina Williams, via the B&H (Click Link Above). I have attached their press release, too. 
Andrew was voted Jazz Composer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists
Association four times, most recently in 2006; he received the 2003
JazzPar
Award, and was one of the first to receive a Doris Duke Foundation Award for
jazz composers. His recordings have been on Blue Note, Mosaic, Palmetto
and
Black Saint/Soul Note, among other labels.
Funeral and tribute information has not been determined. For further
information, call me at (212) 533-9495. I first met Andrew in 1971, we
kept
in touch and became friendly, I regard him highly and am enriched to have
known him. 
Howard Mandel
Hank Jones and Abbey Lincoln Re-Unite in the Hospital – We Send Our Love, Thoughts and Prayers
by jazzcat on Mar.26, 2007, under News
| 3/21/07 – NY Daily News – Hank Jones & Abbey Lincoln
(Both Hospitalized) |
| Subject: Hank Jones & Abbey
Lincoln -0700 JULIAN KESNER / Daily News Posted Monday, March 19th 2007, 12:26 AM Dr. Sandhya Balaram (standing far l.) and Dr. Daniel Swistel, both heart surgeons at St. Luke's Hospital, join their recovering patients Abbey Lincoln Moseka and Hank Jones. 
|
||||
A Benefit Concert for Larry Willis Feb 26, 2007
by jazzcat on Feb.13, 2007, under Events, News
You may have heard that pianist Larry Willis’s house burnt down… so the community is trying to take care of him…
Please Attend and help spread the word…
Larry Willis Benefit St. Peter’s Church
Fazioli Salon presents:
“Pianists Play for Larry”
Monday, February 26th
7-10pm
Fazioli F-278 Concert Grand Piano
suggested contribution $20
featuring
Randy Weston
Geri Allen
Don Friedman
Bertha Hope
Jean Michel Pilc
Mamiko Watanabe
Ran Jia
Matthias Bublath
Sachiko Kato
Patrick Poladian
Kathy Farmer and others…
Fazioli Salon presents
“Pianists Play for Larry”
Top piano players unite to assist pianist Larry Willis after his house fire
Monday, February 26, 2007, at 7pm at St. Peter's Church (54th and Lexington)
“We have all delighted and benefited from the decades of wonderful
music made by Larry Willis, and in his hour of need, the piano
community has responded, and we are proud to be able to create a great night for him.”
– Jim Luce of The Fazioli Salon at Klavierhaus.
Larry Willis Benefit features the Fazioli F-278 Concert Grand Piano
and a lineup of distinguished pianists (subject to change) including:
Mamiko Watanabe 7:00 – 7:10
Orrin
Evans
7:10 – 7:20
Bertha
Hope
7:20 – 7:30
Sachiko
Kato
7:30 – 7:40
Randy
Weston
7:40 – 7:50
Hal
Galper
7:50 – 8:00
Don
Friedman
8:00 – 8:10
Ran
Jia
8:10 – 8:25
Geri
Allen
8:25 – 8:35
Rachel
Z
8:35 – 8:45
Armen Donelian 8:45 – 8:55
Lenore
Raphael
8:55 – 9:05
Barney
McAll
9:05 – 9:15
Matthias Bublath 9:15 – 9:20
Patrick Poladian 9:20 – 9:30
Kathy
Farmer
9:30 – 9:40
Jean Michel Pilc 9:40 – 9:50
Deanna Witkowski 9:50 – 10:00
Pete Malinverni 10:00 – 10:10
James Weidman 10:10 – 10:20
Ronnie Mathews 10:20 – 10:30
Plus Dr. Billy Taylor, Onaje Allen Gumbs, Gene Perla and others.
This evening is produced by Rev. Dale Lind of St. Peter’s Church, in
association with The Fazioli Salon at Klavierhaus.
Tickets available online at www.pianoculture.com, or at the door.
For more information, contact Jim Luce at lucegroup@mac.com.
See Doug Ramsey’s article for more info: http://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/archives/2007/02/larry_willis_bu.html
For more info contact: lucegroup@mac.com
Saxophonist Michael Brecker dies at age 57 Memorial Tue Feb 20 in NYC
by jazzcat on Jan.16, 2007, under News
MICHAEL BRECKER MEMORIAL
Tuesday, February 20th
Town Hall
123 West 43rd Street
6:00-7:30pm
General Admission
Public Invited
Doors open at 5.15pm
By NAHAL TOOSI
Associated Press Writer
January 13, 2007, 4:52 PM EST
NEW YORK — Michael Brecker, a versatile and much-studied jazz
saxophonist who won 11 Grammys over a career that spanned more than
three decades, died Saturday at age 57.
Brecker died in New York of leukemia, according to his longtime friend
and agent, Darryl Pitt.
In recent years, the saxophonist had struggled myelodysplastic syndrome,
a cancer in which the bone marrow stops producing enough healthy blood
cells. The disease, known as MDS, often progresses to leukemia.
Becker, who had a home in Hastings-on-Hudson, was born in 1949 in
Philadelphia and had won 11 Grammys for his work as a tenor saxophonist.
He was inspired to study the tenor saxophone by the work of jazz legend
John Coltrane, according to his Web site.
He and his brothers led a successful jazz-rock fusion group called the
Brecker Brothers. Throughout his career, he recorded and performed with
numerous jazz and pop music leaders, including Herbie Hancock and Joni
Mitchell, according to the site.
His technique on the saxophone was widely emulated and taught. Jazziz
magazine once called him “inarguably the most influential tenor stylist
of the last 25 years.”
Alice Coltrane's Ascension
by jazzcat on Jan.16, 2007, under News
ALICE COLTRANE
August 27, 1937 January 12, 2007
pianist Alice Coltrane, widow of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, died
on Friday, January 12th at the West Hills Hospital near Los Angeles,
California. She was 69.
Mrs.
Coltrane was born Alice Lucille McLeod in Detroit, Michigan August 27,
1937. As a young girl, she studied classical piano and began playing
organ in local churches. Bud Powell was one of her early teachers. She
played piano with her brother, Ernest Farrow, in several Detroit clubs
before moving to New York in the early 1960s to pursue a career in
jazz. There, while playing at Birdland with vibraphonist Terry Gibbs,
she met John Coltrane. They later married, and she performed in his
quartet beginning in 1966 until his death in July of 1967.
Mrs.
Coltrane continued her career and was a noted jazz artist and composer
throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. She recorded works for
piano, organ, and harp as a leader on the albums: Monastic Trio, Ptah
the El Daoud, Journey in Satchidananda, and Universal Consciousness.
She performed and recorded with Lucky Thompson, Kenny Clarke, Pharoah
Sanders, Ron Carter, Joe Henderson, Jimmy Garrison, Charlie Haden, Roy
Haynes, Reggie Workman, Jack DeJohnette, Carlos Santana and many
others.
Following
a long hiatus from performing, Mrs. Coltrane had recently staged
concerts in Paris, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Newark, and San Francisco,
appearing with her sons Ravi and Oran. These performances followed the
critically acclaimed 2004 release of “Translinear Light,” her first
studio album in 27 years.
From
the beginning, she regarded her music as a part of a greater spiritual
journey. This path would eventually lead her to Eastern religious
studies. In 1975 she founded an ashram, the Vedantic Center, which
later relocated to the Santa Monica Mountains and is currently known as
the Sai Anantam Ashram. Alice Coltrane, also known as Swami
Turiyasangitananda, led her students in meditation and devotional
studies. In 2001 with her daughter Michelle, she founded the John
Coltrane Foundation to encourage the advancement of music performances
in jazz and to award scholarships to young musicians.
Mrs.
Coltranes passing was related to respiratory failure. She is survived
by her sons Ravi and Oran, her daughter Michelle and five
grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the Coltrane family asks that you please send donations to the following charities:
The John Coltrane Foundation – www.johncoltranecom
21777 Ventura Blvd., Suite 253 Woodland Hills CA 91367
St Jude Childrens Research Hospital – www.stjude.org
Musicare Foundation – www.grammy.com/MusiCares
156 W. 56th St. Suite 1701, New York NY 10019
Habitat for Humanity – www.habitat.org/donation
A Public memorial service will be announced at a later date.
OBITUARIES
Alice Coltrane, 69; performer, composer of jazz and New Age music; spiritual leader
By Jon Thurber
Times Staff Writer
January 14, 2007
Alice Coltrane, the jazz performer and composer who was inextricably
linked with the adventurous musical improvisations of her late husband,
legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, has died. She was 69.
Coltrane died Friday at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in West
Hills, according to an announcement from the family's publicist. She
had been in frail health for some time and died of respiratory failure.
Though known to many for her contributions to jazz and early New Age
music, Coltrane, a convert to Hinduism, was also a significant
spiritual leader and founded the Vedantic Center, a spiritual commune
now located in Agoura Hills. A guru of growing repute, she also served
as the swami of the San Fernando Valley's first Hindu temple, in
Chatsworth.
For much of the last nearly 40 years, she was also the keeper of her
husband's musical legacy, managing his archive and estate. Her husband,
one of the pivotal figures in the history of jazz, died of liver
disease July 17, 1967, at the age of 40.
A pianist and organist, Alice Coltrane was noted for her astral
compositions and for bringing the harp onto the jazz bandstand. Her
last performances came in the fall, when she participated in an
abbreviated tour that included stops in New York and San Francisco,
playing with her saxophonist son, Ravi.
She was born Alice McLeod in Detroit on Aug. 27, 1937, into a family
with deep musical roots. Anna, her mother, sang and played piano in the
Baptist church choir. Alice's half brother Ernie Farrow was a bassist
who played professionally with groups led by saxophonist Yusef Lateef
and vibes player Terry Gibbs.
Alice began her musical education at age 7, learning classical piano.
Her early musical career included performances in church groups as well
as in top-flight jazz ensembles led by Lateef, guitarist Kenny Burrell
and saxophonist Lucky Thompson.
After studying jazz piano briefly in Paris, she moved to New York and joined Gibbs' quartet.
“As fascinating — and influential — as her later music was, it tended
to obscure the fact that she had started out as a solid, bebop-oriented
pianist,” critic Don Heckman told The Times on Saturday. “I remember
hearing, and jamming with, her in the early '60s at photographer W.
Eugene Smith's loft in Manhattan. At that time she played with a brisk,
rhythmic style immediately reminiscent of Bud Powell.
“Like a few other people who'd heard her either at the loft or during
her early '60s gigs with Terry Gibbs, I kept hoping she'd take at least
one more foray into the bebop style she played so well,” he said.
She met her future husband in 1963 while playing an engagement with Gibbs' group at Birdland in New York City.
“He saw something in her that was beautiful,” Gibbs, who has often
taken credit for introducing the two, told The Times on Saturday. “They
were both very shy in a way. It was beautiful to see them fall in
love.”
Gibbs called her “the nicest person I ever worked with. She was a real lady.”
She left Gibbs' band to marry Coltrane and began performing with his
band in the mid-1960s, replacing pianist McCoy Tyner. She developed a
style noted for its power and freedom and played tour dates with
Coltrane's group in San Francisco, New York and Tokyo.
She would say her husband's musical impact was enormous.
“John showed me how to play fully,” she told interviewer Pauline
Rivelli and Robert Levin in comments published in “The Black Giants.”
“In other words, he'd teach me not to stay in one spot and play in one
chord pattern. 'Branch out, open up … play your instrument entirely.' …
John not only taught me how to explore, but to play thoroughly and
completely.”
After his death, she devoted herself to raising their children.
Musically, she continued to play within his creative vision,
surrounding herself with such like-minded performers as saxophonists
Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson.
Early albums under her name, including “A Monastic Trio,” and “Ptah
the El Daoud,” were greeted with critical praise for her compositions
and playing. “Ptah the El Daoud” featured her sweeping harp flourishes,
a sound not commonly heard in jazz recordings. Her last recording,
“Translinear Light,” came in 2004. It was her first jazz album in 26
years.
Through the 1970s, she continued to explore Eastern religions,
traveling to India to study with Swami Satchidananda, the founder of
the Integral Yoga Institute.
Upon her return she started a store-front ashram in San Francisco but
soon moved it to Woodland Hills in 1975. Located in the Santa Monica
Mountains since the early 1980s, the ashram is a 48-acre compound where
devotees concentrate on prayer and meditation.
Known within her religious community by her Sanskrit name,
Turiyasangitananda, Coltrane focused for much of the last 25 years on
composing and recording devotional music such as Hindu chants, hymns
and melodies for meditation. She also wrote books, including
“Monumental Ethernal,” a kind of spiritual biography, and “Endless
Wisdom,” which she once told a Times reporter contained hundreds of
scriptures divinely revealed to her.
In 2001 she helped found the John Coltrane Foundation to
encourage jazz performances and award scholarships to young musicians.
In addition to Ravi, she is survived by another son, Oren, who plays
guitar and alto sax; a daughter, Michelle, who is a singer; and five
grandchildren. Her son John Coltrane Jr. died in an automobile accident
in 1982.
jon.thurber@latimes.com
A Celebration For My Beautiful Hydeus
by jazzcat on Nov.09, 2006, under Uncategorized
The celebration of the beautiful life of
Hydeus Kiatta.
Hydeus's Obituary, Services and Mass
On Sunday Nov 12, 2006 – Visitation with Hydeus from 12:00pm to 5:00pm
On Monday, Nov 13, 2006 Visitation with Hydeus from 2:00pm-6:00pm
Rosary service at 7:00pm
Tuesday Nov 14, 2006 Mass at 1:00pm
Celebration at 3pm This is how Hydeus enjoyed living…
A Radio Tribute to Hydeus Kiatta
Click pictures above to listen to A Musical Tribute for Hydeus
on my weekly radio segment “Live with the Jazzcat”. Gary Hamada played
her music and I talked about Hydeus, the Celebration of her life and
the Foundation being set up in her name broadcast on
KRMLradio.com or 1410 AM KRML
The Hydeus Kiatta Celebration of Life
Please check back and I will post the footage!
Thank you
LeRoy Downs and the entire Kiatta family
My Love Sings, Soars and now Lives in our Hearts
by jazzcat on Nov.08, 2006, under Uncategorized
Click Here for Update from Shirley: January 6, 2007
Click Here for an Update from LeRoy: January 7, 2007
The message from her mother below was posted just before I went to bed at 1:16am the morning of Nov 8th. Hydeus was and will always be a nocturnal creature. She would generally start to move around just when everyone was ready to go to bed for the evening. For the last few days of her life, Hydeus had lost her mobilty, could not speak and her eyes, that stayed only halfway open, were her only means of communication.
On Monday night, her sister Jenny and I stayed up the latest with Hydeus. She was moving her arms and her gorgeous eyes were open wide and sparkling as she looked at us both. I spent those remaining hours kissing her and she had just enough energy to return those kisses. I did not wish to leave her but, I went to bed and one hour later, her mother woke me up to tell me that Hydeus was no longer here.
I had bearly went to sleep with thoughts of our beautiful time on this earth together enjoying life, love and jazz music. I spent her remaining days kissing my love and telling her how much I loved her and how much the world has been touched by her presence. It is now 4:00am on November 8, 2006 and my love sings and dances with angels and now lives in the hearts of us all.
There is a beach right outside of Carmel that Hydeus loved called Monastery Beach. It is as beautiful and alive as she will always be. I never had a chance to go there with her but, we all went to put rose pedals in the sea that is now her soul and portal for our love.
LeRoy Downs
Her mother writes below before Hydeus left the earth.
Hello dear family and friends,
Many of you have received part of this information, but we want to be sure it has reached all of Hydeus’ contacts.
The angels continue to carry all of us.
She was admitted to the hospital Thursday October 26, 2006 with breathing difficulty. The day before that, she walked herself into her advisor at University of Southern California (USC) and withdrew from her classes. A week ago, we brought her home to Salinas. She was admitted to Hospice Home Care and we are caring for her. Our team is Lee, the love of her life, Tom and I, Heather, Rick and Baby Cash, Jenny and Kelly Thornberry-Hydeus’ life-long friend. My niece, Kendra and Jenny’s friend Jodi Dick were here for the first several days and Kent, Jenny’s husband will arrive tomorrow. We have a household as dear as it could be under the circumstances. We laugh, sing, cry, welcome visitors—there have been many—and Hydeus responds however she is able at the moment. She has had visitors from her childhood, college days, LA, family friends, high school and on and on and on. Hydeus told us a week ago that she wanted to welcome anyone who wanted to come. Sometimes she meets a person’s eyes, sometimes she speaks their name—one time she wiped the tears from a person’s cheek. It is an honor to be in her presence.
Hydeus has put up an amazing fight. She is now very, very ill—liver failing, kidneys failing, not eligible for any more research studies. We feel she has had the very best of everything—medical care, research studies, support systems, friends, school, a fabulous partner, family and still her journey is not what we ordered.
The doctors say she has days to weeks to live. Without a miracle, we will miss her unbelievably. We are all trying to stay in the present as long as possible.
She is no longer speaking, but we are sure she understands. Jenny read her so many of the email responses and she has some way of expressing that she understands. She seems comfortable—-what a blessing. We are surrounded by friends and food and flowers and love and prayers. We are certainly blessed.
She is loved by everyone. Her colleagues, professors, students and friends gave a benefit concert at USC .
Lee has set up a site that has many pictures and an opportunity to leave responses. Please check the site frequently for updates on Hydeus’ journey,
Much love to all,
Shirley, Tom, Heather, Rick, Cash, Jenny, Kent and Lee
Dewey Redman one of the Few Masters of Freedom in the Music has Passed
by jazzcat on Sep.04, 2006, under News
I
have only seen Dewey perform only one time and that was in a duo
performance with Joshua at the San Francisco Jazz festival a number of
years back. I have had conversations with Ornette where we have talked
about the music and about players like Dewey. I did not have the
opportunity to know him, speak with him or discuss his philosophies on
the music but, I listened and had much admiration. My condolences, love
and blessings go out to Joshua and Sharon.
LeRoy Downs
Click picture below for an article posted by Andrea Canter
Click Picture for article in the New York Times
Purchase albums below
