#larance marable

[joshhaden]

"Modern Sax" is an unauthorized CD compilation that includes the 1994 Charlie Haden Quartet West version of my father's tune "Always Say Goodbye", found on their CD of the same title. w/ Ernie Watts, sax.

[sunset-supergirl]

@vintagemusic-es

[blewnotes]

Jazziversaries May 21st

Bill Holman (saxophonist) 1927 :: Birthday greetings to Bill Holman, an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter. 

Although he has performed and recorded as a tenor saxophonist, Holman is best known as an arranger. Through his acquaintance with Gene Roland, Holman was auditioned by Stan Kenton and hired as a tenor sax player around 1951.

Kenton was apparently attracted to Holman’s ability to integrate counterpoint and dissonance in subtle yet distinctive ways, and for his knack for making the usually unswinging Kenton band “swing” in its own particular fashion. Holman became Kenton’s chief arranger, and wrote much of Kenton’s 1950s repertoire; including one of Kenton’s finest albums, Contemporary Concepts. He continued to write for Kenton, on and off, throughout the 1960s and 70s.

In addition to his work for Kenton, Holman has provided charts for Woody Herman, Doc Severinsen, Buddy Rich, Terry Gibbs, Count Basie, Gerry Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band and others. He formed his own California-based band in 1975 and continues to perform with it in the U.S. and worldwide. His 1997 recording Brilliant Corners/The Music of Thelonious Monk won a Grammy award.

in 1969, Ella Fitzgerald recorded “Give Me the Simple Life" with Holman’s arrangement on her live album Sunshine of Your Love.

Bill Holman is also credited with brass arrangements on The Fifth Dimension's 1969 album, The Age of Aquarius.

He received his honorary doctorate through Elmhurst College of Illinois.

Dave Specter (guitar) 1963 :: Many happy jazziversary returns to Dave Specter. Dave is an American Chicago blues and jazz guitarist.

His teacher was Steve Freund, who taught Specter between the latter’s duties at Jazz Record Mart, and Delmark Records. Freund ultimately organised a concert tour for Specter alongside Sam Lay and Hubert Sumlin. Contacts made while working at the B.L.U.E.S. nightclub secured gigs as a sideman to Johnny Littlejohn, Son Seals, and The Legendary Blues Band. By 1989 Specter had organized his own backing band, known as the Bluebirds.

By 1998 Specter had released five albums on the Delmark label, combining a mixture of blues (Specter listed his influences as T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush) and jazz (Kenny Burrell is another inspiration).

Specter does not sing, and he enlisted Barkin’ Bill Smith as his first vocalist, performing on Specter’s 1991 debut album, Bluebird Blues. Specter then made a guest appearance with Jesse Fortune, providing accompaniment on Fortune Tellin’ Man (1993). Harmonica player and singer Tad Robinson took over on the Bluebirds’ Blueplicity (1994) and Live in Europe (1995). Following Robinson’s departure, Lynwood Slim became the band’s vocalist.

Jazz influences prevailed as time passed, and Specter invited Brother Jack McDuff to play the Hammond organ on the next album, Left Turn on Blue (1996). Lenny Lynn took over vocal duties on the following release, Blues Spoken Here (1998). In 2000, Speculatin’ appeared, but here Specter eschewed vocals altogether, issuing thirteen instrumental tracks. Is What It Is (2004) was followed by Live in Chicago (2008).

Fats Waller (piano) 1904-1943 :: born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer.

He started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father’s church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem’s Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag. Waller’s first piano solos (“Muscle Shoals Blues” and “Birmingham Blues”) were recorded in October 1922 when he was 18 years old. He was the prize pupil, and later friend and colleague, of stride pianist James P. Johnson.

Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Squeeze Me”.

In 1926, Waller began his recording association with Victor Records, his principal record company for the rest of his life, with the organ solos “St. Louis Blues” and his own composition, “Lenox Avenue Blues”. Although he recorded with various groups, including Morris’s Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller’s Buddies (1929) (one of the earliest interracial groups to record), and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers (1929), his most important contribution to the Harlem stride piano tradition was a series of solo recordings of his own compositions: “Handful of Keys”, “Smashing Thirds”, “Numb Fumblin’”, and “Valentine Stomp” (1929). After sessions with Ted Lewis (1931), Jack Teagarden (1931), and Billy Banks’s Rhythmakers (1932), he began in May 1934 the voluminous series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This six-piece group usually included Herman Autrey (sometimes replaced by Bill Coleman or John “Bugs” Hamilton), Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey.

Waller wrote “Squeeze Me” (1919), “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929), “Blue Turning Grey Over You”, “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling” (1929), “Honeysuckle Rose” (1929), and “Jitterbug Waltz” (1942). He collaborated with the Tin Pan Alley lyricist Andy Razaf. He composed stride piano display pieces such as “Handful of Keys”, “Valentine Stomp” and “Viper’s Drag”.

His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the “surprise guest” at Capone’s birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters did not intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.

Waller composed many novelty tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller. Waller’s son Maurice wrote in his 1977 biography of his father, that once he was playing “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby” when he heard his father complaining from upstairs and came down and admonished him never to play that song in his hearing, saying that he had to sell that song when he needed some money.

 Larance Marable (drums) 1929 -2012 :: was a West Coast jazz hard bop drummer born in Los Angeles, California, probably best known for his work with Charlie Haden in his Quartet West. 

However, Marable also had a strong career first as a bop musician in the 1950s working with the likes of Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker, among others. In the 1960s he started to venture into the cool jazz idiom with musicians like Zoot Sims, George Shearing and Chet Baker, although he worked with Baker as early as 1956 on the album “Chet Baker Sings”.

Earlier in his career, he was known as Lawrence Marable.

Larance was a relative of Mississippi riverboat bandleader Fate Marable.

[blewnotes]

Jazziversaries May 21st

Bill Holman (saxophonist) 1927 :: Jazziversary greetings to Bill Holman, an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter.

Although he has performed and recorded as a tenor saxophonist, Holman is best known as an arranger. Through his acquaintance with Gene Roland, Holman was auditioned by Stan Kenton and hired as a tenor sax player around 1951.

Kenton was apparently attracted to Holman’s ability to integrate counterpoint and dissonance in subtle yet distinctive ways, and for his knack for making the usually unswinging Kenton band “swing” in its own particular fashion.

Holman became Kenton’s chief arranger, and wrote much of Kenton’s 1950s repertoire; including one of Kenton’s finest albums, Contemporary Concepts.

He continued to write for Kenton, on and off, throughout the 1960s and 70s.

In addition to his work for Kenton, Holman has provided charts for Woody Herman, Doc Severinsen, Buddy Rich, Terry Gibbs, Count Basie, Gerry Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band and others.

He formed his own California-based band in 1975 and continues to perform with it in the U.S. and worldwide. His 1997 recording Brilliant Corners/The Music of Thelonious Monk won a Grammy award.

In 1969, Ella Fitzgerald recorded “Give Me the Simple Life" with Holman’s arrangement on her live album Sunshine of Your Love.

Bill Holman is also credited with brass arrangements on The Fifth Dimension's 1969 album, The Age of Aquarius.

He received his honorary doctorate through Elmhurst College of Illinois.

Fats Waller (piano) 1904-1943 :: born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer.

He started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father’s church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem’s Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag.

Waller’s first piano solos (“Muscle Shoals Blues” and “Birmingham Blues”) were recorded in October 1922 when he was 18 years old. He was the prize pupil, and later friend and colleague, of stride pianist James P. Johnson.

Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Squeeze Me”.

In 1926, Waller began his recording association with Victor Records, his principal record company for the rest of his life, with the organ solos “St. Louis Blues” and his own composition, “Lenox Avenue Blues”.

Although he recorded with various groups, including Morris’s Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller’s Buddies (1929) (one of the earliest interracial groups to record), and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers (1929), his most important contribution to the Harlem stride piano tradition was a series of solo recordings of his own compositions: “Handful of Keys”, “Smashing Thirds”, “Numb Fumblin’”, and “Valentine Stomp” (1929).

After sessions with Ted Lewis (1931), Jack Teagarden (1931), and Billy Banks’s Rhythmakers (1932), he began in May 1934 the voluminous series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm.

This six-piece group usually included Herman Autrey (sometimes replaced by Bill Coleman or John “Bugs” Hamilton), Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey.

His playing once put him at risk of injury.

Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play.

A terrified Waller realized he was the “surprise guest” at Capone’s birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters did not intend to kill him.

According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.

Dave Specter (guitar) 1963 :: Many happy jazziversary returns to Dave Specter.Dave is an American Chicago blues and jazz guitarist.

His teacher was Steve Freund, who taught Specter between the latter’s duties at Jazz Record Mart, and Delmark Records. Freund ultimately organised a concert tour for Specter alongside Sam Lay and Hubert Sumlin.

Contacts made while working at the B.L.U.E.S. nightclub secured gigs as a sideman to Johnny Littlejohn, Son Seals, and The Legendary Blues Band. By 1989 Specter had organized his own backing band, known as the Bluebirds.

By 1998 Specter had released five albums on the Delmark label, combining a mixture of blues (Specter listed his influences as T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush) and jazz (Kenny Burrell is another inspiration).

Specter does not sing, and he enlisted Barkin’ Bill Smith as his first vocalist, performing on Specter’s 1991 debut album, Bluebird Blues. Specter then made a guest appearance with Jesse Fortune, providing accompaniment on Fortune Tellin’ Man (1993). Harmonica player and singer Tad Robinson took over on the Bluebirds’ Blueplicity (1994) and Live in Europe (1995). Following Robinson’s departure, Lynwood Slim became the band’s vocalist.

Jazz influences prevailed as time passed, and Specter invited Brother Jack McDuff to play the Hammond organ on the next album, Left Turn on Blue (1996). Lenny Lynn took over vocal duties on the following release, Blues Spoken Here (1998).

In 2000, Speculatin’ appeared, but here Specter eschewed vocals altogether, issuing thirteen instrumental tracks. Is What It Is (2004) was followed by Live in Chicago (2008).

Larance Marable (drums) 1929 -2012 :: was a West Coast jazz hard bop drummer born in Los Angeles, California, probably best known for his work with Charlie Haden in his Quartet West.

However, Marable also had a strong career first as a bop musician in the 1950s working with the likes of Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker, among others.

In the 1960s he started to venture into the cool jazz idiom with musicians like Zoot Sims, George Shearing and Chet Baker, although he worked with Baker as early as 1956 on the album “Chet Baker Sings”.

Earlier in his career, he was known as Lawrence Marable.

Larance was a relative of Mississippi riverboat bandleader Fate Marable.

[blewnotes]

Jazziversaries May 21st

Bill Holman (saxophonist) 1927 :: Birthday greetings to Bill Holman, an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter. 

Although he has performed and recorded as a tenor saxophonist, Holman is best known as an arranger. Through his acquaintance with Gene Roland, Holman was auditioned by Stan Kenton and hired as a tenor sax player around 1951.

Kenton was apparently attracted to Holman’s ability to integrate counterpoint and dissonance in subtle yet distinctive ways, and for his knack for making the usually unswinging Kenton band “swing” in its own particular fashion. Holman became Kenton’s chief arranger, and wrote much of Kenton’s 1950s repertoire; including one of Kenton’s finest albums, Contemporary Concepts. He continued to write for Kenton, on and off, throughout the 1960s and 70s.

In addition to his work for Kenton, Holman has provided charts for Woody Herman, Doc Severinsen, Buddy Rich, Terry Gibbs, Count Basie, Gerry Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band and others. He formed his own California-based band in 1975 and continues to perform with it in the U.S. and worldwide. His 1997 recording Brilliant Corners/The Music of Thelonious Monk won a Grammy award.

in 1969, Ella Fitzgerald recorded “Give Me the Simple Life" with Holman’s arrangement on her live album Sunshine of Your Love.

Bill Holman is also credited with brass arrangements on The Fifth Dimension's 1969 album, The Age of Aquarius.

He received his honorary doctorate through Elmhurst College of Illinois.

Fats Waller(piano) 1904-1943 :: born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer.

He started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father’s church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem’s Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag. Waller’s first piano solos (“Muscle Shoals Blues” and “Birmingham Blues”) were recorded in October 1922 when he was 18 years old. He was the prize pupil, and later friend and colleague, of stride pianist James P. Johnson.

Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Squeeze Me”.

In 1926, Waller began his recording association with Victor Records, his principal record company for the rest of his life, with the organ solos “St. Louis Blues” and his own composition, “Lenox Avenue Blues”. Although he recorded with various groups, including Morris’s Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller’s Buddies (1929) (one of the earliest interracial groups to record), and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers (1929), his most important contribution to the Harlem stride piano tradition was a series of solo recordings of his own compositions: “Handful of Keys”, “Smashing Thirds”, “Numb Fumblin’”, and “Valentine Stomp” (1929). After sessions with Ted Lewis (1931), Jack Teagarden (1931), and Billy Banks’s Rhythmakers (1932), he began in May 1934 the voluminous series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This six-piece group usually included Herman Autrey (sometimes replaced by Bill Coleman or John “Bugs” Hamilton), Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey.

Waller wrote “Squeeze Me” (1919), “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929), “Blue Turning Grey Over You”, “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling” (1929), “Honeysuckle Rose” (1929), and “Jitterbug Waltz” (1942). He collaborated with the Tin Pan Alley lyricist Andy Razaf. He composed stride piano display pieces such as “Handful of Keys”, “Valentine Stomp” and “Viper’s Drag”.

His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the “surprise guest” at Capone’s birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters did not intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.

Waller composed many novelty tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller. Waller’s son Maurice wrote in his 1977 biography of his father, that once he was playing “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby” when he heard his father complaining from upstairs and came down and admonished him never to play that song in his hearing, saying that he had to sell that song when he needed some money.

Dave Specter(guitar) 1963 :: Many happy returns to Dave Specter. Dave is an American Chicago blues and jazz guitarist. His teacher was Steve Freund, who taught Specter between the latter’s duties at Jazz Record Mart, and Delmark Records. Freund ultimately organised a concert tour for Specter alongside Sam Lay and Hubert Sumlin. Contacts made while working at the B.L.U.E.S. nightclub secured gigs as a sideman to Johnny Littlejohn, Son Seals, and The Legendary Blues Band. By 1989 Specter had organized his own backing band, known as the Bluebirds.

By 1998 Specter had released five albums on the Delmark label, combining a mixture of blues (Specter listed his influences as T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush) and jazz (Kenny Burrell is another inspiration).

Specter does not sing, and he enlisted Barkin’ Bill Smith as his first vocalist, performing on Specter’s 1991 debut album, Bluebird Blues. Specter then made a guest appearance with Jesse Fortune, providing accompaniment on Fortune Tellin’ Man (1993). Harmonica player and singer Tad Robinson took over on the Bluebirds’ Blueplicity (1994) and Live in Europe (1995). Following Robinson’s departure, Lynwood Slim became the band’s vocalist.

Jazz influences prevailed as time passed, and Specter invited Brother Jack McDuff to play the Hammond organ on the next album, Left Turn on Blue (1996). Lenny Lynn took over vocal duties on the following release, Blues Spoken Here (1998). In 2000, Speculatin’ appeared, but here Specter eschewed vocals altogether, issuing thirteen instrumental tracks. Is What It Is (2004) was followed by Live in Chicago (2008).

Larance Marable(drums) 1929 -2012 :: Larance Marable was a West Coast jazz hard bop drummer born in Los Angeles, California, probably best known for his work with Charlie Haden in his Quartet West. However, Marable also had a strong career first as a bop musician in the 1950s working with the likes of Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker, among others. In the 1960s he started to venture into the cool jazz idiom with musicians like Zoot Sims, George Shearing and Chet Baker, although he worked with Baker as early as 1956 on the album “Chet Baker Sings”.

Earlier in his career, he was known as Lawrence Marable.

Larance was a relative of Mississippi riverboat bandleader Fate Marable

Tommy Bryant (bass) 1930-1982 :: Tommy Bryant was an American jazz double-bassist.

Bryant grew up in a musical family in Philadelphia; his mother was a choir director, his brother Ray Bryant is a pianist, and another brother, Len Bryant, is a vocalist and drummer. He began playing bass at age twelve and played in many local outfits, including Billy Krechmer's. In the late 1940s he joined Elmer Snowden's band, staying there until 1952, when he took a tour of duty during the Korean War. In 1956 he returned and formed his own trio, though he is better known for his work with musicians such as Jo Jones (1958), Charlie Shavers (1959), Roy Eldridge Dizzy Gillespie, Barney Wilen, Benny Golson, Big Joe Turner and Coleman Hawkins. In the last ten years of his life he played in the follow-up band to The Ink Spots.

Bryant also recorded with Mahalia Jackson under the name Tom Bryant.

[blewnotes]

Jazziversaries May 21st

Bill Holman (saxophonist) 1927 :: Birthday greetings to Bill Holman, an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter. 

Although he has performed and recorded as a tenor saxophonist, Holman is best known as an arranger. Through his acquaintance with Gene Roland, Holman was auditioned by Stan Kenton and hired as a tenor sax player around 1951.

Kenton was apparently attracted to Holman's ability to integrate counterpoint and dissonance in subtle yet distinctive ways, and for his knack for making the usually unswinging Kenton band "swing" in its own particular fashion. Holman became Kenton's chief arranger, and wrote much of Kenton's 1950s repertoire; including one of Kenton's finest albums, Contemporary Concepts. He continued to write for Kenton, on and off, throughout the 1960s and 70s.

In addition to his work for Kenton, Holman has provided charts for Woody Herman, Doc Severinsen, Buddy Rich, Terry Gibbs, Count Basie, Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band and others. He formed his own California-based band in 1975 and continues to perform with it in the U.S. and worldwide. His 1997 recording Brilliant Corners/The Music of Thelonious Monk won a Grammy award.

in 1969, Ella Fitzgerald recorded "Give Me the Simple Life" with Holman's arrangement on her live album Sunshine of Your Love.

Bill Holman is also credited with brass arrangements on The Fifth Dimension's 1969 album, The Age of Aquarius.

He received his honorary doctorate through Elmhurst College of Illinois.

Fats Waller (piano) 1904-1943 :: born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer.

He started playing the piano when he was six and graduated to the organ of his father's church four years later. At the age of fourteen he was playing the organ at Harlem's Lincoln Theater and within twelve months he had composed his first rag. Waller's first piano solos ("Muscle Shoals Blues" and "Birmingham Blues") were recorded in October 1922 when he was 18 years old. He was the prize pupil, and later friend and colleague, of stride pianist James P. Johnson.

Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in his homeland and in Europe. He was also a prolific songwriter and many songs he wrote or co-wrote are still popular, such as "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Squeeze Me".

In 1926, Waller began his recording association with Victor Records, his principal record company for the rest of his life, with the organ solos "St. Louis Blues" and his own composition, "Lenox Avenue Blues". Although he recorded with various groups, including Morris's Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller's Buddies (1929) (one of the earliest interracial groups to record), and McKinney's Cotton Pickers (1929), his most important contribution to the Harlem stride piano tradition was a series of solo recordings of his own compositions: "Handful of Keys", "Smashing Thirds", "Numb Fumblin'", and "Valentine Stomp" (1929). After sessions with Ted Lewis (1931), Jack Teagarden (1931), and Billy Banks's Rhythmakers (1932), he began in May 1934 the voluminous series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This six-piece group usually included Herman Autrey (sometimes replaced by Bill Coleman or John "Bugs" Hamilton), Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey.

Waller wrote "Squeeze Me" (1919), "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now", "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1929), "Blue Turning Grey Over You", "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" (1929), "Honeysuckle Rose" (1929), and "Jitterbug Waltz" (1942). He collaborated with the Tin Pan Alley lyricist Andy Razaf. He composed stride piano display pieces such as "Handful of Keys", "Valentine Stomp" and "Viper's Drag".

His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the "surprise guest" at Capone's birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters did not intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.

Waller composed many novelty tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for relatively small sums. When the compositions became hits, other songwriters claimed them as their own. Many standards are alternatively and sometimes controversially attributed to Waller. Waller's son Maurice wrote in his 1977 biography of his father, that once he was playing "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" when he heard his father complaining from upstairs and came down and admonished him never to play that song in his hearing, saying that he had to sell that song when he needed some money.

Dave Specter (guitar) 1963 :: Many happy returns to Dave Specter. Dave is an American Chicago blues and jazz guitarist. His teacher was Steve Freund, who taught Specter between the latter's duties at Jazz Record Mart, and Delmark Records. Freund ultimately organised a concert tour for Specter alongside Sam Lay and Hubert Sumlin. Contacts made while working at the B.L.U.E.S. nightclub secured gigs as a sideman to Johnny Littlejohn, Son Seals, and The Legendary Blues Band. By 1989 Specter had organized his own backing band, known as the Bluebirds.

By 1998 Specter had released five albums on the Delmark label, combining a mixture of blues (Specter listed his influences as T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush) and jazz (Kenny Burrell is another inspiration).

Specter does not sing, and he enlisted Barkin' Bill Smith as his first vocalist, performing on Specter's 1991 debut album, Bluebird Blues. Specter then made a guest appearance with Jesse Fortune, providing accompaniment on Fortune Tellin' Man (1993). Harmonica player and singer Tad Robinson took over on the Bluebirds' Blueplicity (1994) and Live in Europe (1995). Following Robinson's departure, Lynwood Slim became the band's vocalist.

Jazz influences prevailed as time passed, and Specter invited Brother Jack McDuff to play the Hammond organ on the next album, Left Turn on Blue (1996). Lenny Lynn took over vocal duties on the following release, Blues Spoken Here (1998). In 2000, Speculatin' appeared, but here Specter eschewed vocals altogether, issuing thirteen instrumental tracks. Is What It Is (2004) was followed by Live in Chicago (2008).

Larance Marable (drums) 1929 -2012 :: was a West Coast jazz hard bop drummer born in Los Angeles, California, probably best known for his work with Charlie Haden in his Quartet West. However, Marable also had a strong career first as a bop musician in the 1950s working with the likes of Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker, among others. In the 1960s he started to venture into the cool jazz idiom with musicians like Zoot Sims, George Shearing and Chet Baker, although he worked with Baker as early as 1956 on the album "Chet Baker Sings".

Earlier in his career, he was known as Lawrence Marable.

Larance was a relative of Mississippi riverboat bandleader Fate Marable

Yeah! Larance Marable and the sound of the West Coast, the sound that tore my ears away from disco and drew my heart to Jazz! I first heard that tune soooo long ago on a sample verve album West Coast Jazz Vol 2 and that, was like the blue pill, down the Jazzy hole went I!!

Anyway, present day and happy birthday to all you May 21st Jazzlings out there beyond the monitors, may your day be filled with happiness and the coming year as succesful as you can make it be!

As Always, thanks to AAJ & JBC for the guidance

Respect to the YouTube Massive for the uploads,

Peace, love and harmony to the Inspiration crew, thank you for following,

and Thanks to YOU for just passin' thru'

Walk tall,

Speak low,

Go placidly

Geo