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James Leary (musician)
James Houston Leary III (June 4, 1946 — March 22, 2021) was an American double bass player and arranger/composer. Among his notable teachers and mentors was Ortiz Walton, the youngest member to sign with the Boston Symphony and its first African America member. Leary played double bass with the Count Basie Orchestra, Nancy Wilson, Earl Hines, Bobby Hutcherson, Eddie Harris, Dizzy Gillespie with the San Francisco Pops conducted by Arthur Fiedler, Max Roach, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Johnny Hartman, Major Lance, Johnny Taylor, Esther Phillips, Rosemary Clooney, and Don Shirley. His involvement with Broadway shows included '' Eubie!'', ''They're Playing Our Song'', '' Ain't Misbehavin''', ''Bubbling Brown Sugar'', ''Five Guys Named Moe'', ''Timbuktu!'' with Eartha Kitt, Oakland Symphony Bass Section, Pharoah Sanders, Red Garland, Jaki Byard, Randy Weston, and John Handy. Leary was featured as one of the jazz performers at The Blue Spot in the 1996 film That Thing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double Bass
The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions such as the octobass). It has four or five strings, and its construction is in between that of the gamba and the violin family. The bass is a standard member of the orchestra's string section, along with violins, violas, and cellos,''The Orchestra: A User's Manual'' , Andrew Hugill with the Philharmonia Orchestra as well as the concert band, and is featured in Double bass concerto, concertos, solo, and chamber music in European classical music, Western classical music.Alfred Planyavsky [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eubie!
''Eubie!'' is a revue featuring the jazz and ragtime music of composer Eubie Blake, with lyrics by Noble Sissle, Andy Razaf, Johnny Brandon, F. E. Miller, and Jim Europe. The revue features no book, simply showcasing 23 of Eubie Blake's popular songs. The show was conceived by Julianne Boyd and opened in 1978, receiving positive reviews from ''Time'', ''Newsweek'', ''Variety'', ''Backstage'', and ''The Today Show''.Al Rose, ''Eubie Blake'' (New York: Schirmer Books, 1979), 166–167.Hobe, "Legitimate: Shows on Broadway – Eubie", ''Variety'' 292/8 (1978), 96.Sherry Eaker, "Eubie!" ''Backstage'' 39/20 (1979), 50. Production After seven previews, the Broadway production, opened on September 20, 1978, at the Ambassador Theatre, where it ran for 439 performances. The show was conceived and directed by Julianne Boyd, choreographed by Billy Wilson and Henry LeTang, and costumed by Bernard Johnston. Vicki Carter was the musical director, pianist, and conductor. Lou Gonzalez was t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
That Thing You Do!
''That Thing You Do!'' is a 1996 American musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom Hanks, in his feature writing and directorial debut. Set in 1960s rock and roll culture, it chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional one-hit wonder pop band and stars Tom Everett Scott in his film debut along with Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, and Ethan Embry as the band's members, with Liv Tyler and Hanks appearing in supporting roles. Its production and music are key to its narrative, with original scores by a collaboration of artists including Hanks, Adam Schlesinger, and Howard Shore. The soundtrack peaked at #21 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, featuring a mix of diegetic and non-diegetic tracks. The cast practiced for weeks to perform convincingly on camera, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. Despite being well-received by critics, receiving several accolades, and producing a musical hit with the titular song of the same title, which was nominate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Handy
John Richard Handy III (born February 3, 1933) is an American jazz musician most commonly associated with the alto saxophone. He also sings and plays the tenor saxophone, tenor and baritone saxophone, baritone saxophone, saxello, clarinet, and oboe. Biography Handy was born in Dallas, Texas, United States. He first came to prominence while working for Charles Mingus in the 1950s. In the 1960s, Handy led several groups, among them a quintet with Michael White (violinist), Michael White, violin, Jerry Hahn, guitar, Don Thompson (musician), Don Thompson, bass, and Terry Clarke (drummer), Terry Clarke, drums. This group's performance at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival was recorded and released as an album; Handy received Grammy Award, Grammy nominations for "Spanish Lady" (jazz performance) and "If Only We Knew" (jazz composition). After completing high school at McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, Oakland, he studied music at San Francisco State College, interrupted b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Randy Weston
Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, whom he cited in a 2018 video as among pianists he counted as influences, as well as Count Basie, Nat King Cole and Earl Hines."Randy Weston talks about his new solo double CD Sound" YouTube video, March 27, 2018. Beginning in the 1950s, Weston worked often with trombonist and arranger Melba Liston. Described as "America's African Musical Ambassador", Weston once said: "What I do I do because it's about teaching and informing everyone about our most natural cultural phenomenon. It's really about Africa a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jaki Byard
John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for his eclectic style, incorporating everything from ragtime and stride to free jazz. Byard played with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and was a member of bands led by bassist Charles Mingus for several years, including on several studio and concert recordings. The first of his recordings as a leader was in 1960, but, despite being praised by critics, his albums and performances did not gain him much wider attention. In his 60-year career, Byard recorded at least 35 albums as leader, and more than 50 as a sideman. Byard's influence on the music comes from his combining of musical styles during performance, and his parallel career in teaching. From 1969 Byard was heavily involved in jazz education: he began teac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Garland
William McKinley "Red" Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern jazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with Miles Davis, Garland helped popularize the block chord style of playing in jazz piano. Early life and education William "Red" Garland was born in 1923 in Dallas, Texas. He began his musical studies on the clarinet and alto saxophone, having studied with saxophonist Buster "Prof" Smith, who had been an early mentor of alto saxophonist Charlie Parker in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City. He joined the United States Army in 1941 and was stationed in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. While there, Garland began to learn the piano with Army pianists John Lewis (not to be confused with John Lewis (pianist), John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet) and Lee Barnes. At this time, he was also an amateur boxer, having fought Sugar Ray Robinson but losing the match. After being Military discharge, discharged from the military in 1944, G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", Sanders played a prominent role in the development of free jazz and spiritual jazz through his work as a member of John Coltrane's groups in the mid-1960s, and later through his solo work. He released more than thirty albums as a leader and collaborated extensively with vocalist Leon Thomas and pianist Alice Coltrane, among many others. Fellow saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor sax, tenor player in the world". Sanders' take on spiritual jazz was rooted in his inspiration from religious concepts such as ''karma'' and ''tawhid'', and his rich, meditative performance aesthetic. This style was seen as a continuation of Coltrane's work on albums such as ''A Love Supreme''. As a result, Sanders was considered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oakland Symphony
The Oakland Symphony is an American orchestra based in Oakland, California. The orchestra is resident at the Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California). Founded in 1933, the orchestra filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1986. Musicians from the orchestra reorganised in 1988 as the Oakland East Bay Symphony (OEBS). The orchestra reverted to its original name in 2015. History 1933-1986 In 1933, the Oakland Symphony Orchestra was formed under the leadership of conductor Orley See, who became its first music director. The orchestra presented four concerts in the lobby of the Oakland YMCA in its first season. See served as music director until his death in 1957. Piero Bellugi was the orchestra's second music director, from 1957 to 1959. In 1959, Gerhard Samuel became the orchestra's music director. During the 1960s, the home of the orchestra was the Oakland Civic Auditorium (now the Kaiser Convention Center). During Samuel's tenure, the orchestra's season expanded from 8 to 24 c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby". Kitt began her career in 1942 and appeared in the 1945 original Broadway theatre production of the musical ''Carib Song''. In the early 1950s, Kitt had six US Top 30 entries, including "Uska Dara" (1953) and "I Want to Be Evil" (1953). Her other recordings include the UK Top 10 song "Under the Bridges of Paris" (1954), "Just an Old Fashioned Girl" (1956) and "Where Is My Man" (1983). Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world". Kitt starred as Catwoman in the third and final season of the television series ''Batman (TV series), Batman'' in 1967. In 1968, Kitt's career in the U.S. deteriorated after she made Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War, anti-Vietnam War statements at a White House lu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timbuktu!
''Timbuktu!'' is a musical, with lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright, set to music by Borodin, Forrest and Wright. The book is by Luther Davis. It is a resetting of Forrest and Wright's musical '' Kismet''. The musical is set in 1361 in Timbuktu, in the Empire of Mali, West Africa. Production history The musical premiered on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on March 1, 1978, and closed on September 10, 1978, after 221 performances and 22 previews. The original production starred Eartha Kitt as Shaleem-La-Lume, William Marshall as Hadji, Gilbert Price as the Mansa of Mali, Melba Moore as Marsinah, and George Bell as the Wazir. Ira Hawkins replaced Marshall prior to the Broadway opening. It was directed, choreographed and costume designed by Geoffrey Holder, with sets designed by Tony Straiges. Alan Eichler was associate producer. Gerald Bordman noted that the sets and costumes had "a Ziegfeldian opulence." New songs based on African folk music were added t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Five Guys Named Moe
''Five Guys Named Moe'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book by Clarke Peters and lyrics and music by Louis Jordan and others. The musical is based on an earlier musical short of the same name by Louis Jordan from 1943. It had its UK debut at the Cottesloe Theatre at the Royal National Theatre, National Theatre followed by a short run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, before moving to the West End theatre, West End for over four years in, and finally premiering on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1992. It was revived in 2010 at Edinburgh Festival, starring Peters himself, and returned later in 2010 to the theatre in which it originally premiered. The musical won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. Plot summary Nomax, whose girlfriend has left him and who is without money, finds Big Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, Eat Moe, No Moe, and Little Moe emerging from his 1930s-style radio to comfort him. They sing the hit songs of songwriter and saxophonist Louis Jordan, whose ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
