| March Birthdays |
| Thursday, 22 February 2007 | |
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March 1, 1939: composer Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Sign up for over 1100 biographies ! Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida (March 1, 1939) Brouwer is a Cuban composer, guitarist and conductor. He was born in Havana, and went to the United States to study music at the University of Hartford and later at the Juilliard School, where he was taught composition by Stefan Wolpe. Brouwer's early works show the influence of Cuban folk music, but during the 1960s and 70s, he became interested in the music of modernist composers such as Luigi Nono and Iannis Xenakis, using indeterminacy in works such as Sonograma I. Other works from this period include the guitar pieces Canticum (1968), La espiral eterna (1971), Parábola (1973) and Tarantos (1974). More recently, Brouwer's works have started leaning towards tonality and modality. The solo guitar works El Decamerón Negro (1981) the Sonata (1990; for Julian Bream) and Paisaje cubano con campanas (1996) exemplify this tendency. Brouwer has held a number of official posts in Cuba, including the directorship of the Cinema Institute of Cuba's music department. Among his works are a large number of solo guitar pieces, several guitar concertos and over forty film scores. Leo Brouwer is involved in the Concurso y Festival Internacional de Guitarra de la Habana. Harold George Belafonte, Jr. (March 13, 1913 - April 26, 1972) The Savoy Ballroom The Savoy regularly staged "Battle of the Bands" promotions that usually occurred between a house and a guest band, although not necessarily. Sometimes the bands would trade numbers at the change-over point between sets. Invariably packed when these events took place, there was little room to dance, and the crowd would vote as to who was their favourite band, band leader, vocalist etc. Two of the most famous "battles" happened when the Benny Goodman Orchestra challenged Chick Webb in 1937 and in 1938 when the Count Basie Band did the same. The general assessment was that they both lost, to Chick Webb. "Stompin' at the Savoy", a 1934 Big Band classic song and jazz standard, was named after the ballroom. Its credits say its music was written by Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, and Edgar Sampson, and the lyrics by Andy Razaf, in reality it was Sampson who actually wrote the number. Quincy Delight Jones Jr. During 50 years in the entertainment industry Jones' work has earned him more than 70 Grammy Award nominations, more than 25 Grammy Awards, and a Grammy Legends Award in 1991. He is best known as the producer of two of the top-selling records of all time: the album Thriller, by pop icon Michael Jackson, which sold 50 million copies worldwide, and the charity song “We Are the World”. In 1968, Jones and his songwriting partner Bob Russell became the first African-Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category. That same year, he became the first African-American to be nominated twice within the same year when he was nominated for Best Original Score for his work on the music of In Cold Blood. Jones was also the first (and so far, the only) African-American to be nominated as a producer in the category of Best Picture (in 1986, for The Color Purple). He was also the first African-American to win the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 1995. He is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the most Oscar-nominated African-American, each of them having seven nominations. Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins Born in Centerville, Texas, Hopkins learned the blues when young in Buffalo, Texas from Blind Lemon Jefferson and his older cousin, country-blues singer Alger 'Texas' Alexander. When Hopkins and Alexander were playing in Houston in 1946, he was discovered by Lola Anne Cullum of Los Angeles', Aladdin Records (although Alexander would not make it out to L.A.) Hopkins' fast finger style is very distinct. He settled in Houston in 1952 and gained much attention. Solid recordings followed including his masterpiece song Mojo Hand in 1960. His style was born from spending many hours playing informally without a backing band. His distinctive style often included playing, in effect, bass, rhythm, lead, percussion, and vocals, all at the same time. His musical phrasing would often include a long low note at the beginning, the rhythm played in the middle range, then the lead in the high range. By playing this quickly - with occasional slaps of the guitar - the effect of bass, rhythm, percussion and lead would be created. In 1968 Hopkins recorded the album Free Form Patterns backed by psychedelic rock band the 13th Floor Elevators. Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole Nat “King” Cole conquered the pop charts in the Fifties and early Sixties as a warm-voiced singer of orchestrated ballads like “Mona Lisa” and “Unforgettable” and breezy, countrified sing-alongs like “Ramblin’ Rose” and “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer.” Less well known is the fact that he played a mean piano (in the style of Earl “Fatha” Hines) and led a swinging jazz trio from 1937 to 1955. Cole’s drummerless trio was an innovation, and no less an authority than Count Basie marveled at their improvisational interplay: “Those cats used to read each other’s minds—it was unbelievable.” Early stirrings of rock and roll can be detected in such swinging, lingo-filled tunes as “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” recorded in 1943 and 1946, respectively, by the King Cole Trio. With its three guitars, honking sax and gritty vocal, the 1957 hit “Send for Me” (#1 R&B, #6 pop) was formally as close as Cole ever got to rock and roll. Nat King Cole Society (http://www.nat-king-cole.org/) Wilson Pickett One of the most popular black singers of the '60s, Wilson Pickett helped introduce the aggressive style of rhythmic style of soul music. Aided immeasurably by the excellent studio bands backing him at the Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, and The Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama, Pickett scored a series of R&B and pop hits on Atlantic Records between 1963 and 1972 that included "In the Midnight Hour," "Mustang Sally," and "Funky Broadway." After crossover hits "Don't Knock My Love - Part 1" and "Fire and Water" Pickett left Atlantic for RCA, with minimum success. Pickett later recorded for several record companies, including his own Wicked label, but failed to have anymore hits. Wilson Pickett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Otis Spann Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Spann became known for his distinct piano style. Spann was Muddy Waters' pianist from 1952 to 1960 before forming his own band. In the late 1960s, he appeared on albums with Buddy Guy, Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac. Fortunately, several films of his playing are available on DVD including the Newport Folk Festival (1960), while his singing is also featured on the American Folk Blues Festival (1963) and The Blues Masters (1966). Following his passing from liver cancer in Chicago, Illinois in 1970, he was interred in the Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, Illinois. Aretha Franklin Franklin's roots in gospel ran extremely deep. With her sisters Carolyn and Erma (both of whom would also have recording careers), she sang at the Detroit church of her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, while growing up in the 1950s. In fact, she made her first recordings as a gospel artist at the age of 14. It has also been reported that Motown was interested in signing Aretha back in the days when it was a tiny start-up. Ultimately, however, Franklin ended up with Columbia, to which she was signed by the renowned talent scout John Hammond. Franklin would record for Columbia constantly throughout the first half of the '60s, notching occasional R&B hits (and one Top Forty single, "Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody"), but never truly breaking out as a star. The Columbia period continues to generate considerable controversy among critics, many of whom feel that Aretha's true aspirations were being blunted by pop-oriented material and production. In fact there's a reasonable amount of fine items to be found on the Columbia sides, including the occasional song ("Lee Cross," "Soulville") where she belts out soul with real gusto. It's undeniably true, though, that her work at Columbia was considerably tamer than what was to follow, and suffered in general from a lack of direction and an apparent emphasis on trying to develop her as an all-around entertainer, rather than as an R&B/soul singer. Diana Ross (March 26, 1944) Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross on March 26, 1944) is an American singer, performer and actress, who first gained prominence in the 1960s girl group The Supremes before establishing a successful solo career. During the 1970s and 1980s, she became one of the most successful female artists of the rock era, parlaying her successes into triumphs, outside of the record charts, in film, television and Broadway. Ross has been nominated for Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and is a Tony Award winner. In 1976, Billboard magazine named her the female entertainer of the century. The Guinness Book of World Records declared Diana Ross as the most successful female music artist to date in 1993, partly due to her combined total of eighteen American number-one singles: six of them recorded solo and the remaining dozen recorded as lead singer of The Supremes. Benjamin Francis Webster After grounding on violin he took to piano naturally, Pete Johnson (a neighbor) taught him how to play the blues and soon after Webster was playing for silent movies in Amarillo, Texas. Here, one night, he met Budd Johnson, who showed him the scale of C on saxophone - Webster had been intrigued with Frankie Trumbauer's "Singin' the Blues" - and not long after he was playing saxophone in the Young Family Band (Lester Young and his father supplied more tips). He worked his way through many bands after leaving Young, including Gene McCoy, Jap Allen, Blanche Calloway (where Johnny Hodges heard him first), Bennie Moten (where he became the featured soloist - "Lafayette" and "Moten Swing" first helped get him recognized), Andy Kirk, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter, Willie Bryant, Cab Calloway, Teddy Wilson and then in 1940 he joined Duke Ellington (the first major tenor saxophonist to do so). Baritone saxophonist Harry Carney said "Ben brought a new life to a section that had been together a long time, he was inspired and he inspired us so that we worked together". Webster stayed with Ellington for three years producing such masterpieces as "All Too Soon" and "Cottontail". He left the band because one night he had been allowed to play piano with the band, stayed too long at the keyboard, and when the Duke took offence and refused to discuss the matter, Ben cut one of Ellington's best suits to bits. After working (1944) with such leaders as Raymond Scott, John Kirby, Sid Catlett and Stuff Smith he started to lead his own groups up and down SWING STREET in New York City, actually rejoined Duke Ellington for almost a year and then became a member of the Jazz at the Philharmonic. Working both in New York and the West Coast he finally (1964) decided to move to Europe where he worked continually until his death. Regular recordings out of Sweden showed that Webster's late music had lost none of its passion and intensity. (check out "No Fool, No Fun" a 1970 session for the Spotlite label for proof of this statement). Sarah Lois Vaughan (nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine One") Jazz critic Leonard Feather called her "the most important singer to emerge from the bop era." Ella Fitzgerald called her the world’s "greatest singing talent." During the course of a career that spanned nearly fifty years, she was the singer’s singer, influencing everyone from Mel Torme to Anita Baker. She was among the musical elite identified by their first names. She was Sarah, Sassy -- the incomparable Sarah Vaughan. Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1924, Vaughan was immediately surrounded by music: her carpenter father was an amateur guitarist and her laundress mother was a church vocalist. Young Sarah studied piano from the age of seven, and before entering her teens had become an organist and choir soloist at the Mount Zion Baptist Church. When she was eighteen, friends dared her to enter the famed Wednesday Night Amateur Contest at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. She gave a sizzling rendition of "Body and Soul," and won first prize. In the audience that night was the singer Billy Eckstine. Six months later, she had joined Eckstine in Earl Hines’s big band along with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. When Eckstine formed his own band soon after, Vaughan went with him. Others including Miles Davis and Art Blakey, were eventually to join the band as well. Within a year, however, Vaughan wanted to give a solo career a try. By late 1947, she had topped the charts with "Tenderly," and as the 1940s gave way to the 1950s, Vaughan expanded her jazz repertoire to include pop music. As a result, she enlarged her audience, gained increased attention for her formidable talent, and compiled additional hits, including the Broadway show tunes "Whatever Lola Wants" and "Mr. Wonderful." While jazz purists balked at these efforts, no one could deny that in any genre, Vaughan had one of the greatest voices in the business. In the late 1960s, Vaughan returned to jazz music, performing and making regular recordings. Throughout the 1970s and '80s she recorded with such jazz notables as Oscar Peterson, Louie Bellson, Zoot Sims, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Don Cherry, and J.J. Johnson. Her recordings of the "Duke Ellington Song Book (1 and 2)" are considered some of the finest recordings of the time. While for many years her signature song had been "Misty," by the mid-70’s, she was closing every show with Sondheim’s "Bring In The Clowns." In 1982, while in her late fifties, Vaughan won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocalist for her album, "Gershwin Live"! While she continued to work without the massive commercial success enjoyed by colleagues such as Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, and Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan consistently retained a special place in the hearts of fellow musicians and audiences alike. She continually performed at top venues, playing to adoring sell-out crowds well into her sixties. Remarkably, unlike many singers, she lost none of her extraordinary talent as time went on. Her multi-octave range, with its swooping highs and sensual lows, and the youthful suppleness of her voice shaded by a luscious timbre and executed with fierce control, all remained intact. In 1990, at the age sixty-six, Sarah Vaughan passed away. Shortly after her death, Mel Tormé summed up the feelings of all who had seen her, saying "She had the single best vocal instrument of any singer working in the popular field." Pearl Mae Bailey She was born in Southampton County, Virginia, to Rev. Joseph & Ella Mae Bailey. In 1954, she took the role of Frankie in the film version of Carmen Jones, and her rendition of "Beat Out That Rhythm on the Drum" is one of the highlights of the film. In 1959, she played the role of Maria in the film version of Porgy and Bess, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. Also that year she played the role of "Aunt Hagar" in the movie St. Louis Blues alongside Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, and Nat King Cole. During the 1970s she had her own television show, and she also provided voices for animations such as Tubby the Tuba (1976) and Disney's The Fox and the Hound (1981). Later in life, she earned a B.A. in Theology from Georgetown University in Washington, DC in 1985. Later in her career, Bailey was a fixture as a spokesperson in a series of Duncan Hines commercials. Bailey took part in a campaign ad for President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. She was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom on October 17, 1988. She was married to jazz drummer Louie Bellson. Pearl Bailey died from heart failure in 1990 at the age of 72.
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