Levine report – Download 2.01M

Famed jazz trumpeter and bandleader Maynard

Ferguson was destined for international stardom.

One of Maynard

Ferguson's greatest gifts was his unlimited repertoire. He played

swing, bebop, funk, rock and classical music. He recorded over 60

albums during a career that began in some of the world's most famous

big bands. His ability to hit extremely high notes with such

consistency and ease amazed both critics and audiences alike.

Maynard Ferguson was born on May 4, 1928, in Montreal, Canada. He

began playing piano and violin at age four. At age nine, he discovered

the trumpet. Four years later, he won a scholarship with the French

Conservatory of Music, and was invited to perform with the Canadian

Broadcasting Company Orchestra. As a student in Montreal, he was the

leader of a warm-up band for some of the era's best-known orchestras,

including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman and

Dizzy Gillespie. In a 1996 interview, Ferguson said Dizzy Gillespie was

second only to Louis Armstrong as his favorite horn player.

“If any of us were to pick an early hero, let's call it, it would be

Louis Armstrong, sure. I think I've heard Wynton Marsalis say that and

I think I've heard a lot of the great players say that,” he said. “And

then of course you start spreading it out and I think we were all

influenced by Dizzy Gillespie's playing and his creative harmonic

sense.”

Maynard Ferguson moved to the United States in 1949. While still in

his teens, became a respected soloist in Stan Kenton's Innovations

Orchestra. Ferguson made his mark as a bandleader after a successful

engagement at a famous New York City nightclub.

“In the beginnings of my American band as a bandleader, I was the

guy that was chosen to be the leader of the Birdland Dream Band, which

was an all-star band that was put together for three weeks at Birdland

for which we recorded two albums,” he said. “This is many years ago.

And from that, I formed a band and I had 14 weeks out of the year in

two-week segments at Birdland, which in the early days was very helpful

in holding a band together and getting it known.”

For the next 20 years, Maynard Ferguson alternated between the pop

and jazz world. In 1977, he landed on the charts with “Gonna Fly Now,”

the theme song from the hit film Rocky.

Fans young and old were drawn to Ferguson's trumpet virtuosity.

Critics said he played higher than any jazz trumpeter in history. Even

into his sixties he was hitting notes that musicians half his age only

dreamed they could play. Ferguson said he never regretted choosing the

life of a jazz trumpeter.

“Even if I had become the world's greatest classical trumpet player,

I think I still would never have become a serious musician. I mean it's

a fun thing that we do,” Ferguson said. ” I think it's very fortunate

that your favorite toy as a kid becomes what you do in life, you know.”

Maynard Ferguson's many bands included such stellar jazz players as

Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Bob James, Slide Hampton and Joe Zawinul.

Ferguson was touring the U.S. as recently as July with his Big Bop

Nouveau Band. The band had just finished recording a new album. The

Ferguson family is planning a memorial concert to take place in St.

Louis, Missouri. Past and present band members are expected to attend.

Pianist Hilton Ruiz Passes this Morning

New York, NY –June 6, 2006–     Famed Puerto Rican/New

York Composer, Pianist and Jazz musician Hilton Ruiz passed away this

morning at 3:51 a.m. at the East Jefferson General Hospital, in New

Orleans, Louisiana. He was still on life support when he peacefully

expired.  His daughter and wife, both named Aida, were by his side.

Hilton Ruiz had been in a coma at the New Orleans hospital Intensive

Care Unit with severe trauma to the face and a fractured skull. The

circumstances surrounding this tragic incident are under investigation

by the New Orleans Police Department.

In the meanwhile, Ruiz’ family and friends will celebrate his life and

music in a special, after-work benefit jam session will be held in

Hilton Ruiz’ honor to assist the family with the medical and now

funeral expenses. Confirmed guest performers include Zon del Barrio (7 pm) joined by saxophonist Ivan Renta & vocalist Frankie Vasquez; Chembo Corniel and Chaworo (9 pm) and Willie Martinez & “La Familia Sextet” (10 pm). Hilton Ruiz’ music and videos will be playing.

WHEN/WHERE:    Tuesday June 6, 2006 @ 6 p.m. – 12 midnight  Doors Open @ 5 p.m.

LQ’s

Suggested donation: $20

Other confirmed guest artists include the following:

Luisito Quintero * Andrea Brachfeld * Robert Glasper,* Annette

Bartz  * Poet Papoleto

Hilton Ruiz’ music and videos will be playing.

Musicians wishing to participate in “A Benefit Jam Session for Hilton

Ruiz” should call Event organizer Eddie Rodriguez at 917-678-6695 or

email Eddie at eddierodriguez01@aol.com to be placed on the Musicians

Guest list.

“This is a very sad day for Latin and jazz music” said promoter Eddie

Rodriguez. The question remains, how did something like this happen to

an Internationally known jazz artist in the City where Jazz was born? 

We are urging all those who care to write letters to the Mayor of New

Orleans:

Ray Nagin

This event will help pay for the medical expenses as well as funeral

and burial costs involved with transporting Hilton to New York.

Hilton Ruiz will be viewed on Monday, June 13, 2006 at the Barrett

Born in New York City on May 29, 1952, Ruiz was a child prodigy,

appearing on the Sandy Becker television show, performing at Carnegie

Recital Hall at the age of eight, and playing in an accordion symphony

at nine. Well-trained in all areas, he studied classical piano as well

as Latin and received jazz guidance from the great Mary Lou Williams.

“I was pretty lucky,” he says, “in being exposed to a lot of different

kinds of music, and studying them with good teachers.”

By his early teens, Ruiz was working with a variety of Latin soul bands

and, at age 14, recorded with a group called Ray Jay and the East

Siders. But jazz was always close to his heart, and his obviously

superlative improvisational skills quickly opened doors. Before he was

twenty, Ruiz had worked with Frank Foster, Joe Newman, Cal Massey,

Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson—an impressive list for an established

player, a remarkable list for a relative newcomer. Rahsaan Roland Kirk,

Freddie Hubbard, Tito Puente, Clark Terry, Ismael Rivera, Mongo

Santamaria, George Coleman and so many others. He was a Student of the

Great Jazz Master, Mary Lou Williams.

A short discography includes:

2005 Tribute to Puente

2003 Enchantment

1997 Island Eyes

1994 Hands on Percussion

1993 Heroes

1993 Excitation

1992 Manhattan Mambo

1992 Live at Birdland

1991 A Moment's Notice

1989 Doin' It Right

1988 El Camino [The Road]

1988 Strut

1986 Something Grand

1984 Cross Currents

1981 Live at Jazz Unite

1977 New York Hilton

1977 Steppin' Into Beauty

1976 Rhythm in the House

1975 Piano Man

This event is sponsored by LQ’s and Latin Works Music.

All donations are to be made payable to Aida Ruiz (check preferred).  

For further information call: Latin Works Music 917-678-6695  

May 27, 2006

Please send all checks to:

All checks should be made out to Joel Chriss & Co. and marked @ the bottom of the check Hilton Ruiz Recovery Fund

May 26, 2006

New Reports regarding the investigation of Hilton Ruiz

We’ve received and urgent appeal for financial assistance from the

family of pianist Hilton Ruiz who remains in a coma in a New Orleans

hospital.

Please wire transfer money to the below bank account. She wants people

to call her when they have sent something so she will know that it's

there.

Aida Ruiz

Her Phone # 201-925-6416 (leave message if she doesn't answer)

Thanks to all for your generosity in this time of need for the Ruiz family.

Jim Eigo

Jazz Promo Services

Here is the most recent news story from today’s Times Picayune.

http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/library-103/114862331818280.xml?nola

 Ruiz's relatives are satisfied with the New Orleans Police

Department's account of the incident as an accident, said Mary Howell,

a local lawyer and spokeswoman for the Ruiz family.

 “Mr. Ruiz was on Bourbon Street and stumbled while walking across the

street, hitting his face on the side of the curb,” NOPD spokeswoman

Bambi Hall said.

 “The evidence is clear. No one beat him, no one robbed him and there was no criminal act whatsoever,” Hall said.

For nearly a week, rumors that the famed jazzman was beaten after

leaving a Bourbon Street bar had circulated from coast to coast.

Newspaper reports quoted family and friends questioning police reports

that Ruiz stumbled and fell, hitting his head.

 “There were a lot of different accounts that the family investigated,”

Howell said Thursday. “The family is now convinced that this was an

accident, a tragic accident.”

 Howell said the family is “very appreciative” of the efforts shown by

NOPD Superintendent Warren Riley in getting to the bottom of Ruiz's

condition.

 Ruiz, whose 54th birthday is Monday, was found unconscious and bleeding May 19 about 4:30 a.m.

 Ruiz's heart stopped on the way to the hospital, but he was

resuscitated, according to Joel Chriss, Ruiz's longtime friend and

manager.

 Howell said Ruiz remained in critical condition Thursday night at East

Jefferson General Hospital. Ruiz, of Teaneck, N.J., was in the city for

radio and television interviews promoting a pending CD showcasing New

Orleans music, Chriss said.

 Ruiz is renowned in jazz circles for his Afro-Cuban jazz and bop

music. His teachers included jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou

Williams, and he spent four years working with saxophone player Rahsaan

Roland Kirk.

 “I'm incredibly saddened,” Chriss said. “But I'm trying to stay

positive. We all know the reality may not turn out well. I know he

wanted to live long and play music until he was an old man. The fact

that that may not happen is very sad.”

 The accident has taken an emotional toll on the family, especially on

Ruiz's ex-wife who is his best friend, Chriss said. Chriss said she's

“a mess” right now and “that no one in the world knows either one of

them better than the other.” Those close to Ruiz said they're hoping

the beat will go on for the one-time child prodigy, who at 8 years old

played a gig at Carnegie Recital Hall.

 Ruiz was performing with Latin groups in his early teens. His first

recording, at age 14, was with a group called Ray Jay and the East

Siders. While still in his teens, Ruiz worked with tenor saxophonists

Frank Foster and Joe Henderson and trumpeters Joe Newman, Freddie

Hubbard and Cal Massey.

The many musicians with whom he has since worked have included Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie and Charles Mingus.

 He was among musicians featured on the 1997 video “The Best of Latin

Jazz,” and his song “Something Grand” is part of the “American Beauty”

soundtrack.

 “We're all praying for a miracle,” Chriss said. “Where there is breath there is hope.”

Trymaine Lee can be reached at tlee@timespicayune.com or (504)-826-3301.

This is the first report that came out about Hilton

greetings all,

sorry to be bringer of such news…

Hilton Ruiz is in a New Orleans

hospital in a coma.  I need to send out

an email message to be passed on telling people what has happened and

to ask for everyone's prayers and healing thoughts.

He has been in hospital five days now… that would be he went in on

Friday, 19 May.  He was punched hard in the face, all his face bones

were broken, he collapsed, was taken in ambulance to hospital, on route

he had cardiac arrest…..  Hilton is in a coma, on life support in

intensive care unit of a New Orleans

hospital.  The condition is

extremely serious.  The doctors are taking very good care of him.

I have spoken to Aida his wife, and to Aida his daughter, who are both

there with him, by his

side, holding his hand, speaking to him, pouring out their love and

asking him to pull through.  Both Aida's ask that everyone pray for

Hilton's recovery.  We also ask that prayers be for them, sending them

strength and courage for all they are going through.  Send LOVE, the

greatest healer of all.

If anyone wants to get in touch with me, that is fine.  I will do my

best to respond.

my email:  johnstub2445@yahoo.com

On Wednesday, 17 May, here in New York City,

Hilton had just finished a

recording dedicated to and to benefit the musicians and people of New

Orleans, who had suffered so terribly from the effects

of Hurricaine

Katrina last year.  He then flew down to New Orleans to make a

promotion video for the recording.  We are all truly shocked and

devastated at learning that he is now in such a dire situation.

Let us let the universe know that we believe Hilton is strong and will

soon be back in New York City and at his home in New Jersey surrounded

by the many who love and cherish him.

peace and harmony through music,

Katherine Gogel-Stubblefield

we are eternally grateful to Jazz Foundation

www.jazzfoundation.org

www.jazzfoundation.org/index2.html 

Thursday, May 11, 2006 9:29 AM CDT

December 21, 1942 – May 10, 2006

Funeral Arrangements

Viewing will be held Thursday, May 18, 2006 from 2-9pm at Saint Mark's

United Methodist Church located at 55 Edgecombe Avenue, New York City.

Homegoing service for Mr. Hicks will be held on Friday May 19, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. at Saint Mark's United Methodist Church.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by John H. Joyce Funeral

Directors located at 2332 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. New York, new

York 10030 

Phone number is 212-690-3500. 

Following the funeral services for Mr. Hicks, the family will have his

body shipped to Atlanta, Georgia to be buried at South View Cemetery in

the

family plot along with his parents, grandparents, and brother, Eldon.

Flowers can be sent to the funeral home.

Thank you

Obituary

By Chris King

Of the St. Louis American

Rich

Henderson, president of the local musical heritage organization

Crusaders for Jazz, had something in common with much of the jazz world

yesterday.

He had a difficult time speaking, even thinking.

On

Wednesday morning, May 10, 2006, the great jazz pianist John Hicks, who

spent his formative years in St. Louis, passed away in New York City.

He was 64.

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At press time, the cause of death was unknown.

Henderson

had received a call Tuesday night from Hicks’ daughter, Naima (who was

named for a John Coltrane composition), informing him that they were

rushing her father to St. Vincent’s Hospital. He was suffering from

internal bleeding.

“He was so thoughtful, such a beautiful

person,” Henderson said of Hicks, whom he first met at a long-forgotten

North Side lounge, El Patio, in the late ‘50s.

Henderson was struggling to speak.

“It just got to me.”

As Henderson remembered

his departed friend, who played St. Louis many times under the auspices

of Henderson’s organization, Hicks’ music was playing on WSIE. Ross

Gentile, who had received the sad news from Henderson that morning, was

dedicating his afternoon “Standards in Jazz” show to the legend we have

lost.

“I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with John and his lovely wife, Elise,” Gentile said.

“He

had such a passion for music. He was one of the most inspirational

pianists I have ever seen, and he had such a lovely personality. God,

he’s going to be missed.”

James Carter, a young saxophonist from

Detroit, had the privilege of touring with Hicks, both as a sideman and

leader, and Hicks played on Carter’s most recent studio effort,

Gardenias for Lady Day.

“He was a real cool cat, cracking jokes,

enjoying the ability to get with some musical comrades, confab and

jam,” Carter said, of touring with H

icks in Japan and on the West Coast.

“But when it came time to

hit, he had his professionalism. He was somebody you could definitely

get your groove with, on and offstage.”

Of Hicks’ playing,

Carter said, “There were certain nuances he could give you, very

soulful and economic – at times. When he got a good vibe going, his

fingers went a-flying and it would happen, a yippety yap!”

John

Josephus Hicks Jr. was born in Atlanta on December 21, 1941. He spent

his early childhood in Los Angeles. He began piano lessons with his

mother at age 6, and by the time his family moved to St. Louis when

John was 13, he was already playing for the choir and for Sunday School

at the church where his father was minister.

Visitors to the

senior Hicks’ church in St. Louis included Erroll Garner, Count Basie

and Duke Ellington. Hicks Sr. wrote a column for the St. Louis Argus.

In

Sumner High School, he became active in the band and choir, with

impressively musical scho

olmates including Phillip Wilson and Lester Bowie. He also woodshedded

locally with John Chapman, Sonny Hamp, Willie Akins and Johnny Mixon,

who he counted among his lifelong idols even though he came to perform

with luminaries.

Hicks

attended Lincoln University in Jefferson City and Berklee College of

Music in Boston before moving to New York in the early 1960's.

“In

New York, John sat with all the old masters,” Henderson said. “He went

to Bradley’s, where all the great players gathered, guys like Tommy

Flanagan, Hank Jones.”

Hicks launched into a career that would

see him take the piano with an astonishing range of leaders, from

bluesmen Little Milton and Albert King, to a jazz who’s who of our

time: Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Woody Herman,

Pharaoh Sanders, Ron Carter, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Freddie

Hubbard, Oliver Nelson, David Murray, Jay McShann, Oliver Lake, Lester

Bowie, Grant Green – the list could be extended.

His di

scography, as a leader and sideman, recording for Strata East, Theresa,

Limetree, DIW, Timeless, Red Baron, Concord, Evidence, Novus,

Reservoir, Mapleshade, Landmark and other labels, is equally vast and

rich.

“He was always nurturing, always looking ahead,” Carter said of Hicks’ playing.

“But

he was still a Rock of Gibraltar in terms of fundamentals, basics,

keeping the vibe, the musical conversation going, with the intent of

imparting musical knowledge. And, at the same time, not showboating.”

Henderson

said, “He paid tribute to everybody – Earl Garner, Billy Strayhorn,

Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines. He was always keeping alive a legacy.”

“He was so gracious in his lifetime, doing tribute to Sonny Clark, Mary Lou Williams, Art Blakey,” Gentile said.

“I hope musicians coming up take time do what he did and pay tribute to him.”

Henderson said Hicks is survived by his daughter, Naima Hicks of Atlanta; his wife, Elise Woods of New York; a son, Jamil Hic

ks; his ex-wife, Olympia George of Atlanta; and jazz musicians and listeners everywhere.

 Henderson

said as recently as Sunday Hicks had performed at his father’s former

church, St. Mark’s in Harlem, a likely site for his final services.

Memorial services for Jackie McLean will be held on Friday, April 7

at 10 a.m. at: Abyssinian Baptist Church, 32 Odell Place (138th St.), between Adam Clayton Powell & Malcom X Boulevards

Rev. Calvin Butts officiating

Viewing:

Thursday, April 6th, 2006

5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Benta's Funeral Home

630 St. Nicholas Avenue

(at 141st Street ~ across from

Harlem School for the Arts)

Condolences/Remembrances:

The McLean Family

261 Ridgefield Street

Hartford, CT 06112

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HARTFORD, Connecticut –Jazz alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, a

performer and educator who played with legendary musicians including

Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, died Friday. He was 73.

McLean, a contemporary of some of the 20th century's most famed jazz

musicians, died at his Hartford home after a long illness, family

members told The Hartford Courant.

McLean was founder and artistic director of the Jackie McLean

Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford's Hartt School. He and

his wife, actress Dollie McLean, also founded the Artists Collective,

a community center and fine arts school in Hartford's inner city

primarily serving troubled youth.

University of Hartford President Walter Harrison said Dollie McLean

called him Friday with news of her husband's death.

Harrison said that despite his many musical accomplishments, McLean

was a modest man whose connections with his students lasted for

decades after they left his classroom.

“He fully understood the way that jazz as an art should be passed down

to students,” Harrison said. “He saw his role as bringing jazz from

the 1950s and '60s and handing it down to artists of today.”

McLean, a native of Harlem in New York City, grew up in a musical

family, his father playing guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's band. McLean took

up the soprano saxophone as a teen and quickly switched to the alto

saxophone, inspired by his godfather's performances in a church choir,

he told WBGO-FM in Newark, New Jersey, in an interview in 2004.

McLean went on to play with his friend Rollins from 1948-49 in a

Harlem neighborhood band under the tutelage of pianist Bud Powell.

Through Powell, McLean met bebop pioneer Charlie “Bird” Parker, who

became a major influence on the young alto saxophonist.

He made his first recording when he was 19 on Miles Davis' “Dig”

album, also featuring Rollins, which heralded the beginning of the

hard-bop style.

In the 1950s, McLean also played with Charles Mingus and Art Blakey's

Jazz Messengers, experiences that he credited with helping him find

his own style.

“I never really sounded like Bird, but that was my mission,” McLean

said in the WBGO radio interview. “I didn't care if people said that I

copied him; I loved Bird's playing so much. But Mingus was the one

that really pushed me away from the idea and forced me into thinking

about having an individual sound and concept.”

McLean made his first recording as a leader in 1955. He drew wide

attention with his 1959 debut on Blue Note Records, “Jackie's Bag,”

one of dozens of albums he recorded in the hard-bop and free jazz

styles for the label over the next eight years. His 1962 album “Let

Freedom Ring” found him performing with avant-garde musicians.

In 1959-60, he acted in the off-Broadway play “The Connection,” about

jazz musicians and drug addiction. McLean, a heroin addict during his

early career, later went on to lecture on drug addiction research.

In 1968, after Blue Note terminated his recording contract, McLean

began teaching at the University of Hartford. He taught jazz,

African-American music, and African-American history and culture,

setting up the university's African American Music Department, which

later was named in his honor.

He took a break from recording for much of the 1980s to focus on his

work as a music educator, but made his recording comeback in 1988 with

“Dynasty,” and later re-signed with Blue Note. His last Blue Note

recordings included “Fire and Love” (1998), featuring his youthful

Macband with son Rene McLean on tenor saxophone, and the ballads album

“Nature Boy” (2000).

He received an American Jazz Masters fellowship, the nation's highest

jazz honor, from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2001, and

toured the world as an educator and performer.    

New York, NY – February 17, 2006 – Family spokesperson

George Rivera announced this morning that Ray Barretto died at the

Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J. at 5 a.m.

For

nearly 40 years, conguero and bandleader Ray Barretto has been one of

the leading forces in Latin jazz. His hard, compelling playing style

has graced the recordings of saxophonists Gene Ammons, Lou Donaldson,

Sonny Stitt, and guitarists Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell.

Born

April 29, 1929, in Brooklyn, Barretto is one of the most prolific and

influential Latin percussionists in the history of modern jazz. With a

musical heritage as deeply rooted in the bebop jam sessions held in

Harlem during the late-'40s as in his Puerto Rican ancestry, Barretto

has spent over four decades refining the integration of Afro-Caribbean

rhythms with the improvisational elements of jazz. Coincidentally, it

was the tune “Manteca” recorded by Gillespie with Chano Pozo on

percussion that drove Barretto to music. And it was a version of that

same tune that became Barretto’s first recording with Red Garland.

Few

artists have been as successful over the years at fusing these two

genres as Barretto, an undisputed master of this style. A pioneer of

the salsa movement, Barretto achieved international superstardom and

released nearly two dozen albums with the Fania label from the

late-'60s until salsa's popularity peaked in the mid-1980's.

Bob Weinstock, Founder of the Jazz Label Prestige, Dies at 77

Another one of our musical brothers needs your help. Sherman Ferguson, from what I understand, is doing 3 hours of dialysis 3 times a week for a problem with his liver. Please come down this Sunday for this all day event. Hear some awesome music and support one of the jazz drummers in the business that has given so much! Check the details below!

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />SHERMAN FERGUSON

ALL-STAR

Tribute & Benefit

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> 

Sunday, December 18^th

2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Musician’s Union, Local 47

Family &

prayer.

A medical

doing what he does best… playing music!

With love &

gratitude,

La Familia

Banda

http://www.bandabros.com/

Make Donations Payable

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