Showing 51 - 75 of 126
Artist: Houston Person
In the 1990s, Houston Person kept the soulful thick-toned tenor tradition of Gene Ammons alive, particularly in his work with organists. After learning piano as a youth, Person switched to tenor. While stationed in Germany with the Army, he played in groups that also included Eddie Harris, Lanny Morgan, Leo Wright, and Cedar Walton. Person... [+] Read More
Artist: Billy & Ricky
R&B duo Billy & Ricky teamed singers James Rickettsand Billy Williams, who first began collaborating in 1953 as co-founders of the Jersey City vocal quartet the Roamers. After releasing a pair of little-heard singles on Savoy -- 1954's "Deep Freeze" and the following year's "Chop, Chop, Ching-A-Ling" -- the Roamers' recording career essentially... [+] Read More
Artist: Geoff Keezer
Geoff Keezer was only 17 when he became the last pianist in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1988-1990), a perfect gig for the talented hard bop musician who fit right in with the tradition of Horace Silver, Bobby Timmons, Cedar Walton, James Williams, and Benny Green. Since Blakey's death, Keezer has recorded steadily as a leader for Sunnyside,... [+] Read More
Artist: Jez Lowe
Jez Lowe is one of northern England's finest singer-songwriters. In addition to being featured on seven solo albums and three albums by Lowe's band, the Bad Pennys, Lowe's songs have been featured on albums by a lengthy list of performers including Fairport Convention, the Tannahill Weavers, the Black Family and Gordon Bok. Lowe's best-known... [+] Read More
Artist: Roamers
R&B vocal combo the Roamers formed in Jersey City, NJ, in 1953. According to Marv Goldberg's profile in the September 1999 issue of Discoveries, the lineup comprised lead James Ricketts, tenor Billy Williams, baritone Sam Walton, and bass Judge Taylor. Originally dubbed the Four Flames, they soon adopted the Roamers in an obvious nod to the... [+] Read More
Artist: BreakdanceCrew
Breakdance Crew are the guys behind breakdancing's premier website, BreakdanceCrew.com. The crew started off as a group of diverse friends attending Okaloosa-Walton College in 2001. They frequented the Panhandle nightclub scene and state college gatherings to goof off and have a good time, never anything serious. BBoy Brutal (Danny) started a... [+] Read More
Artist: Eric Kloss
Eric Kloss, a talented high-powered altoist with an open mind toward funk and certain aspects of pop music, recorded a long series of fine albums for Prestige and Muse from the mid-'60s into the late '70s. Blind since birth, Kloss began playing professionally in Pittsburgh in the early '60s. He worked with Pat Martino in 1965, the same year he... [+] Read More
Artist: Joe Gallant
Starting out rather simply, as a jazz-rock trio in 1982, (electric bass, baritone saxophone and flute), by the time they released their album Terrapin, Joe Gallant & the Illuminati had grown to a 17-member big band. Bringing in as many influences as they did members, the group focused on reinterpreting the music of the Grateful Dead through the... [+] Read More
Artist: Steadman
Formerly known as the Dharmas, Steadman is a melodic Brit-pop, alternative pop/rock outfit that has been compared to Radiohead, Oasis, and Suede, among others. The band was formed in Hastings, England, in 1998, and after playing its share of U.K. gigs, the Dharmas signed with Arista's British division. But things didn't work out with Arista;... [+] Read More
Artist: Greg Hobbs
Raised in the steel town of Hamilton, Ontario, this singer/songwriter took up a variety of instruments at an early age, mastering most of them around the age of four. In his teenage years, Hobbs continued to practice his craft, often writing and performing his own songs in the city while performing with other musicians and other groups. After... [+] Read More
Artist: Bobby Bradford
One of the best trumpeters to emerge from the avant-garde, Bobby Bradford largely fulfilled the potential of Don Cherry (whose chops declined through the years due to the amount of time allocated to performing on flute and other instruments). Bradford grew up in Dallas, playing trumpet locally with such local players as Cedar Walton and David... [+] Read More
Artist: Mark Soskin
A longtime sideman, most notably with Sonny Rollins, Mark Soskin has only had rare opportunities to lead his own sessions. He began taking piano lessons when he was seven. Although he later considered Cedar Walton to be his most important influence, Soskin actually spent his teenage years playing often with R&B bands. He studied classical music... [+] Read More
Artist: The First Gear
When the Beatles broke onto the charts in England in 1963, a lot of bands tried to emulate their mix of hard rocking guitar and harmony vocals. Others likely understood that they would have a better shot at breaking onto the charts with sheer muscle. That was The First Gear's approach, and it went double on "Leave My Kitten Alone." And in case... [+] Read More
Artist: Mayf Nutter
Singer/narrator/actor Mayf Nutter was born Mayfred Nutter Adamson in Jane Lew, West Virginia to a family of local musicians and appeared on the radio at age 12. After leaving college, he landed in Atlanta in the mid-'60s, where he cut his debut recordings. He moved to California in the late 1960s after recording a few songs, and had his first... [+] Read More
Artist: Scott Whitfield
A fine straight-ahead trombonist who considers his main idol to be Carl Fontana, Scott Whitfield has been based in New York since 1993. Earlier on, he had recorded with Pete Petersen's Collection Jazz Orchestra (1985), various North Texas State University bands, and the Jimmy Dorsey Ghost Orchestra in 1992. In addition, Whitfield led the Help... [+] Read More
Artist: Carter Jefferson
A reliable and advanced soloist who spent most of his career as a sideman, Carter Jefferson is best-remembered for his association with Woody Shaw during 1977-1980. Jefferson started on clarinet and played alto before settling on tenor, going on tour early in the backup bands of the Temptations, the Supremes, and Little Richard. In 1971, he... [+] Read More
Artist: Johnny Duhan
The leader of an R&B/soul cover band, Granny's Intention in the late '60s, Johnny Duhan turned his focus to songwriting in the '70s and '80s, penning tunes covered by Christy Moore, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, the Dubliners and the Irish Tenors. His song, "The Voyage," has become a classic of contemporary Irish music, often heard at weddings and... [+] Read More
Artist: Albert "Tootie" Heath
The younger brother of Percy and Jimmy Heath, Albert "Tootie" Heath has long been a top hard bop-based drummer with an open mind toward more commercial styles of jazz. After moving to New York (1957), he debuted on record with John Coltrane. Heath was with J.J. Johnson's group (1958-1960) and the Jazztet (1960-1961), worked with the trios of... [+] Read More
Artist: Brigeen Doran
The sister of Swiss drummer/percussionist Dave Doran, Brigeen Doran has established her own legacy as a world-class jazz saxophone player, while she has collaborated with her brother in several top-notch jazz groups. Their first band, KIOL, formed with guitarist Heinz Affolter, pianist Raoul Walton, and American-born bassist Fernando Saunders,... [+] Read More
Artist: Ezra Weiss
A gifted acoustic pianist, composer, bandleader, and arranger, Ezra Weiss has been a perfect example of what jazz critics like to describe as a "Young Lion" -- that is, a young improviser who started out playing straight-ahead jazz rather than fusion, avant-garde jazz, crossover jazz, or electric jazz-funk. The hard bop/post-bop pianist emerged... [+] Read More
Artist: Dream Syndicate
Dream Syndicate are at the foundation (alongside the Velvet Underground, the Stooges and R.E.M.) of contemporary alternative music sheerly because at the time when most bands were experimenting with new technology, the Syndicate deigned to bring back the guitar. Fronted by Steve Wynn (b. Feb. 21, 1960) and including Karl Precoda (guitar), Dennis... [+] Read More
Artist: Bob Berg
Tenor saxophonist Bob Berg channeled the bold dynamics of hard bop to emerge as one of contemporary jazz's most expressive and resourceful improvisers, honing a richly articulated sound bolstered by flawless technical command. Born in New York City on April 7, 1951, Berg grew up in Brooklyn, initiating piano lessons at age six. At 13, he moved... [+] Read More
Artist: The Distants
Four of the Distants became members of the world renown Temptations, the most popular male recording group ever. They began as Otis & the Siberians with a line up of Otis Williams, Elbridge "Al" Bryant, James Crawford, Arthur Walton, and Vernard Plain. Detroit DJ, Bill Williams discovered them singing at a hop and became their manager, and help... [+] Read More
Artist: Big John Wrencher
The Maxwell Street open air market was a seven- to ten-block area in Chicago that from the 1920s to the middle '60s played host to various blues musicians -- both professional and amateur -- who performed right on the street for tips from passerbys. Most of them who started their careers there (like Little Walter, Earl Hooker, Hound Dog Taylor... [+] Read More
Artist: The Delicates
The Delicates formed in South Central Los Angeles as the Darlenes after Richie Darlene Henderson, aka Darlene Walton, formed the group with Freddie Poole, Billie Rae Calvin, and Brenda Joyce. Discographers always lumped their recordings with a previous and more successful Delicates' group that recorded on Unart, United Artists, Roulette, and... [+] Read More
