The Gone Sounds of Jazz with Sid Gribetz

Houston Person

In jazz history, Houston Person is one the great purveyors of the deep throated tenor saxophone sound --dynamically powerful and swinging, but also sultry, bluesy, sensitive and romantic. Houston Person was born on November 10, 1934 in Florence, South Carolina.  He was musically inclined as a child, and then studied at South Carolina State University.  After college, Person entered the service and was stationed in West Germany for several years in an Air Force unit that included Cedar Walton, Lex Humphries, and Eddie Harris, among other jazz musicians who became lifelong friends and influences.Upon discharge from the service, Person returned stateside for further studies in graduate school at the prestigious Hartt Institute in Connecticut.  Person finally began making his way in the professional jazz world in the Boston/New England area.  By the early 1960's he had established his mark and began recording for Prestige Records.  Person’s style also fit into the soulful jazz of the period and graces many live bands and recordings in that groove.By the 1970's, Houston met up with the awe-inspiring vocalist Etta Jones, and after some occasional collaborations they started a steady working partnership that lasted until Etta’s death from cancer in 2001.  Their musical and personal teamwork and connection was so intense that they were often mistaken as a married couple, and feted as a continued legacy of the Lester Young and Billie Holiday collaboration.Person has a masterful and encyclopedic command of the American popular songbook.  He conveys the meanings of these songs, and also the blues, and jazz standards, in a straightforward manner that engages the audience with a direct emotional connection.  This style marked his work with Etta, and even more so his continued regular performances with his own combos, or as a guest artist in demand with countless groups.
originally broadcast October 27, 2024

Ike Quebec

Ike Quebec was a deep-toned, dynamic saxophonist, instrumental in both the swing styles and the modern jazz era.
 
Born in Newark, NJ in 1918, Quebec began his artistic career in show business as a dancer, and then a pianist, but during the World War II years he came of age as a saxophonist.  Quebec’s early roots were in the swing styles, both as a key member of Cab Calloway’s big band in the 1940's, and as a soloist in small group swing and blues combos.  Notably, Ike participated in some seminal Blue Note recording sessions in the early years of the label.  Additionally, his artistry was informed by his presence on the Harlem scene during the formative years of modern jazz.
 
In the late 1950's Quebec emerged as an important figure in the jazz business, serving as a talent scout, A & R man, and confidant for Alfred Lion and the Blue Note company during its modern jazz heyday.  Starting in 1959, Quebec also recorded for the label himself, presenting classic sessions in organ grooves, hard bop, and bossa nova settings, all characterized by a rich harmonic sophistication and a driving, full-throated, yet graceful saxophone style.
 
Unfortunately, Quebec succumbed to the disease of lung cancer and died at the early age of 44 in 1963.
 
originally broadcast in 2015
 

Clifford Brown 1

WKCR presents an annual marathon 24 hour tribute to trumpet virtuoso Clifford Brown on October 30, his birthday anniversary.
Here is my segment from the 2024 edition. It begins with a half hour potpourri of Brown recordings.  That's followed by a detailed survey of Clifford's first commercial jazz records in 1953, when he flowered on the scene in sessions with Lou Donaldson and Elmo Hope; J.J. Johnson; Tadd Dameron; and his first date as a leader for Blue Note in August. Finally, the survey includes material from the famous February 21, 1954 live recording at Birdland with Art Blakey.

Buck Clayton

Buck Clayton was a leading trumpeter and arranger of the swing era.
Coming of age in the Southwestern Jazz Styles, Clayton moved to Los Angeles as a young man and made his name in the California Jazz circles.  In 1934, he assembled a band that moved to Shanghai, China, and brought American Jazz to the Orient. Escaping Shanghai just before the Japanese invasion, Clayton returned to the US and landed in Kansas City, where he joined the nascent Count Basie orchestra.  Clayton served as the lead trumpet soloist (and arranger) in the classic original Count Basie band, and also joined Billie Holiday for her great early recordings.
Drafted during World War II, Clayton did not serve overseas, but was stationed on army bases in New Jersey.  From that perch, he participated in the NY 52nd Street scene and was a major part of the small group swing bands.  In the 1950's and 1960's, he toured the US and France with Jazz At The Philharmonic and others, and made key recordings of "Mainstream Jazz".
Although physical lip troubles curtailed his trumpet playing, Buck continued his career as a composer and arranger, until his death on 1991.
This program was originally aired on May 22, 2011.  It celebrated Buck's centennial that year, as he was born November 12, 1911 in Parsons, Kansas.

Thelonious Monk 2

WKCR presents annual marathon broadcasts to celebrate the October 10 birthday anniversary of Thelonious Monk. 
Here's my segment form the 2024 edition.  It begins with selections from Monk's appearances as a "sideman" on sessions with Clark Terry, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, and Sonny Rollins. Next is a lengthy survey of Monk's recordings for the Blue Note label from 1947-1952, his first record contract and an opportunity to proudly display the initial conceptions of his now legendary original compositions.

Max Roach 1

WKCR presents a marathon broadcast celebrating Max Roach annually, on his birthday anniversary, January 10.
Here's my segment from the 2022 program. The major portion of this episode samples recordings from Debut Records, the independent label owned by Roach and Charles Mingus, and includes material ranging from some esoteric ensembles to the legendary Massey Hall Concert.

George Wallington

George Wallington was one of the legendary pianists of the bebop era but never achieved great fame.  With his early retirement from a musical career, he remains a more obscure figure in jazz history and lore.  However, he was an especially swinging pianist and inventive composer who deserves continued attention.
 Born Giacinto Figlia in Sicily in 1924 (some sources date his birth a little earlier) his family moved to New York when he was an infant, and his father was an opera singer who exposed him to classical music.  But when George heard Lester Young and the Count Basie orchestra as a young teen, he was smitten with the expressive and emotional power of jazz.  He started playing professionally in New York nightclubs as a youth, using the stage name Wallington (taken from a nickname) and befriended fellow teen musicians such as Max Roach.
 Wallington was hired by Dizzy Gillespie to play (along with Roach and Oscar Pettiford) in his innovative early bebop band at the Onyx Club in late 1943 and 1944, a seminal event in jazz history.  Thereafter, Wallington became a figure on the 52nd Street scene along with Bird, Diz, Miles Davis and all the audacious young jazz musicians of the time.  His tunes “Lemon Drop” and “Godchild” became famous bebop anthems popularized in recordings by others.
 After appearing as a sideman on several records by the likes of Gerry Mulligan, Kai Winding, and Al Cohn, by 1949 Wallington began recording as leader.  These albums, especially piano trios playing both his cerebral original compositions and swinging treatments of the American popular song, accompanied by greats such as Roach, Charles Mingus and Curly Russell, remain stunning to listen to and serve as testaments of his musical stature.
 Wallington was in the famous Lionel Hampton band of young turks that toured Europe in 1953.  Later in the 1950's he led jazz combos on the New York scene, including working groups with Jackie McLean, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor, and notably a long running popular band that featured the horns of Donald Byrd and Phil Woods.
 But it was at this point that he left music and started a successful air conditioning business with his brother (Figlia & Sons).  Wallington returned to jazz for occasional brief appearances at concerts in the 1980's, and he passed away in 1993.
originally broadcast January 15, 2017

Lorez Alexandria

Vocalist Lorez Alexandria was a great interpreter of jazz and American popular song.  She sang with deeply felt presentation of the lyrics and a style of improvisational freedom and swing.  While originally from the church and informed by that soul, she was not a “shouter” or gospel singer.  Some records, like her hit version of “Baltimore Oriole”, employed exotic touches, and others had scat interludes.  Like the best instrumental soloists, Lorez communicated with the listener and told her song’s story.  Not overly famous during her lifetime, she is certainly not well-remembered today.  But she deserves to be.Lorez Alexandria (a nickname for Delores Alexandria Turner) was born August 14, 1929 in Chicago, and raised in that city.  She sang with family members in church groups and traveling a capella gospel choirs. It is said that her choir once performed for President Truman.As an adult she turned to a professional career in popular song and jazz, and in the 1950's Alexandria was a leading performer in Chicago nightclubs, often in the groups of pianist King Fleming.  She also performed with Ramsey Lewis, John Young, and other leading Windy City jazz musicians.  In the late 1950's and early 1960's she made seven albums for local independent labels King and Argo which stand up today as classics that should be known (and will be played in depth on our program).In 1962 Alexandria moved to Los Angeles and remained in that city the rest of her life.  In 1964 she made two albums for Impulse with Wynton Kelly but mostly remained beneath the major radar.Over the years she recorded with small California labels, not so widely distributed, although one was nominated for a Grammy award.   In the late 1980's she began a relationship with the more nationally known Muse Records which helped invigorate her reputation..However, in 1993 Alexandria suffered a stroke and gradually retired from the music business.  She died of kidney disease in 2001.
 
originally broadcast January 12, 2020

Benny Golson

Benny Golson is one of the great eminences of jazz, best known as a composer of lyrical compositions that have become enduring staples of the modern jazz repertory.  A key performer in some of the most important jazz groups of the late 1950's and early 1960's, Golson added an element of elegance and refinement to the hard bop sound.  He imposed a steady sophistication and class to the ensemble presentation.
 
Stablemates, Killer Joe, Whisper Not, I Remember Clifford, Along Came Betty, Blues March, Five Spot After Dark, and Are You Real are among the great songs that you’ll recognize during this broadcast and that typify his style.
 
Born January 25, 1929, Golson was raised in Philadelphia and came of age with high school compatriots such as John Coltrane and Jimmy Heath.  Initially inspired by Arnett Cobb, Golson began his professional career in the early 1950's in rhythm and blues bands, sharing these chores with many jazz friends such as Tadd Dameron, who influenced Benny’s arranging style.  He also traveled with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band.
 
Golson’s major breakthrough came upon joining Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1958. As arranger and musical director he helped take Blakey’s combo design to the “next level”.  Later, together with Art Farmer and Curtis Fuller he founded “The Jazztet”, which was an innovative and popular group that expanded the possibilities of the hard bop ensemble.  During this period he also participated in many significant recordings as an instrumentalist and as an arranger in multi-faceted settings.
 
By the late 1960's, Golson left the jazz scene and settled in California where he became a distinctive arranger and orchestrator of major television and movie scores.
         
Returning to jazz during the neo-classic revival period of the 1980's, Golson continued to perform vigorously until his final years.
 
Golson died on September 21, 2024 at the age of 95.
 
Originally broadcast on June 5, 2016
 

Coleman Hawkins 1

WKCR presents an annual marathon broadcast celebrating the Coleman Hawkins birthday on November 21.
 
From the 2023 affair, here's a 185 minute long segment.  It begins with a brief sample of early 1960's recordings with Duke Ellington, and other mainstream sides.   Then the final 149 minutes contains an intensive survey of his career in the period from 1939 through 1944, after his return from Europe.  From Body And Soul through the Apollo early bebop date.