Mulgrew Miller

Mulgrew Miller was born August 13, 1955 in Greenwood, Mississippi. He started playing piano in early childhood and would play gospel music in his church. In high school he formed a jazz trio that would play at parties.

In 1977 he made his recording debut with Woody Shaw on an Album titled "Live Volume 3." In 1984 he played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers on the album "New York Scenes." He recorded 4 albums with Blakey and left that group in 1986.

In 1985 he recorded as a leader for the first time. It was a Landmark recording titled "Keys to the City." Throughout the late 80's and early 90's he recorded almost an album every year on Landmark and Novus.

In 1987 he formed a group called Wingspan and recorded a self-titled album for 32 Jazz. In 2002 he reunited the group on a recording titled "The Sequel" on MAXJAZZ.

In 2006, Miller became Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University. He continues to play as a sideman and leader of a trio. In 2010 he recorded a solo album titled "Solo."

I just finished listening to "The Sequel," with Mulgrew Miller and Wingspan. It is a 2002 release on MAXJAZZ. It is modern mainstream jazz at its finest.

Wingspan is comprised of Miller on piano, Steve Nelson on vibes, Steve Wilson on soprano sax, Duane Eubanks on trumpet, Richie Goods on bass, and Karriem Riggins on drums.

There are 10 songs on the album and Mulgrew wrote 8 of them especially for this recording. The remaining two are the Mancini standard "Dreamsville," and the Rodgers and Hart favorite "It Never Entered My Mind."



Here's a video of Mulgrew in a trio playing "I Hear a Rhapsody."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0v2uT3ONA&feature=player_detailpage

Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee was born Norma Deloris Egstrom on May 26, 1920 in Jamestown, North Dakota. At the age of 14 she sang on local radio shows and in 1937, the manager of the radio station changed her name to Peggy Lee. In 1941 she got her big break. While performing with a vocal group called "The Four of Us" in Chicago, she was hired by Benny Goodman to replace Helen Forest. Her first major success was "Elmer's Tune."

Lee married Goodman's guitarist Dave Barbour and in 1943 she left Goodman's Band. In the late 40's and early 50's she have several successful recordings with Capitol. She moved to Decca and in 1953 recorded "Black Coffee." In 1958 "Fever" was a hit single.

She performed in films and in 1955 she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in "Pete Kelly's Blues." Her most famoust film work was in Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" where she wrote the song "He's a Tramp." She also provided the voices for the characters of Peg and the Siamese cats.

Peggy continued recording during the late 50's and early 60's although she suffered from ill health. She and Dave Barbour ended their marriage in 1963. Lee retired at the beginning of the 80's but made a comeback in 1988 and recorded several albums. Her last album "Moments Like This" was recorded in 1992. She suffered a stroke in 1998 and died from a heart attack January 21, 2002 in Los Angeles.

I just finished listening to "Sugar 'N' Spice" a Capitol recording from 1962. With an orchestra conducted by Benny Carter the songs include "Ain't That Love," "The Best is Yet to Come," "I Believe in You," "See See Rider," "Teach Me Tonight," "The Sweetest Sounds," and "Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now."

The original LP had 12 tunes and they added 3 more for the re-issue. These were "I'll Be Around," "Loads of Love," and "Amazing."

This recording is representative of Peggy's work at her second stint with Capitol in the early 60's. She is in fine voice and the tunes are the popular ones for the time.

Peggy Lee was nominated for 12 Grammy's and won one in 1969 for Best Contemporary Vocal, Female for the song "Is That All There Is?" She also won a Grammy in 1992 for Lifetime Achievement.

Here's a video of Peggy singing "Fever."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYxoAJ3Boyc&feature=player_detailpage

Joe Williams

Joe Williams was born Joseph Goreed on December 12, 1918 in Cordele, Georgia. He moved to Chicago with his grandmother when he was three.

By the late '30's he started appearing in the Chicago clubs but it wasn't until 1954 when he got his big break as the male vocalist for the Count Basie Orchestra. In 1956 he made his solo debut.

Williams left the Basie Band in 1961 and formed his own quartet in 1962. He toured constantly during the 1970's and in 1984 he recorded "Nothin' But the Blues" for which he won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal. He toured throughout the '90's until his death March 29, 1999 in Las Vegas.

I just finished listening to "Count Basie Swings- Joe Williams Sings" released in 1956 on Polygram. This is my favorite Joe Williams recording. There are 12 tunes on this recording including  his signature "Every Day I Have the Blues," the definitive "All Right, OK, You Win," "Roll 'Em Pete," "Teach Me Tonight," and "Too Close for Comfort."


Joe William's smooth baritone voice graced the Jazz world for six decades. He was the last great Big Band male vocalist.


Here's a video of Joe and the Count Basie Band at Carnegie Hall in 1981 doing Every Day I have the Blues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOuCvEMZRbo&feature=player_detailpage

Sonny Rollins

A living legend, Sonny was born Theodore Walter Rollins in New York City on September 7, 1930. He played the alto sax in high school and switched to tenor sax afterwards. The world of jazz would never be the same.Sonny recorded with the vocalist Babs Gonzales in 1948 and with Miles Davis in 1951. In 1956 he joined the Max Roach/Clifford Brown group and a year later formed his own group. From 1959-1962 Rollins left the music business to persue a spiritual path. He went to India where he studied Yoga and then Japan where he studied Zen. He returned with the groundbreaking recording "The Bridge" with guitarist Jim Hall. Beginning in 1971 he recorded a string of successful records for the Milestone label and in 1978 he was a member of the Milestone Jazz Stars and gained even more popularity as a touring headliner.

Rollins was in his NYC apartment, blocks away from the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. From that experience. four days later, he gave a concert in Boston that was filled with emotion. "Without a Song" is the live recording of that concert and Sonny is in top form.

The sextet is comprised of Sonny on tenor, Clifton Anderson on trombone, Stephen Scott on piano, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, Perry Wilson on drums, and Kimati Dini

zulu on percussion.

Rollins won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for "Why Was I Born?"

Now. in his 80's, Sonny continues to play world wide. He is the composer of such standards as "Oleo," "Doxy," "Airegin," and "St. Thomas."

Here's a video of the young Sonny playing "St. Thomas."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4DTR0I7xhA&feature=player_detailpage