Jazz for aficionados
Acman, thank you for "Detroit"; it's a city where so many great jazz musicians came from, Gerald Wilson graduated from Cass Technical High School (one of his classmates was saxophonist Wardell Gray). His composition was elegant and beautiful, like so many of the people in Detroit when I visited the city. |
The vast majority of African Americans were descendants of slaves who were not permitted to even learn how to read and write; the Japanese, the Chinese, the Jews, and most of the Europeans came to this country with education, and Entrepreneurial Skills; while African Americans only knew how to earn a living by the sweat of their brows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyBZnLuNJ7k When this country pulled the plug for jobs in this country, African Americans were stranded wherever they were, and if Detroit was that place, that's the way it was. Thank God for America, it throws people in a hole in the ground, (over a period of 100 years), and tells them to pull them selves up by their boot straps. |
frogman I agreed with your observations on the East Coast/West Coast discussion but have a question concerning your example of Art Pepper as a poor sight reader. Having read his autobiography ,and numerous articles over the years I never saw anything alluding to this fact. Since he performed in Kenton's BB and also Buddy Rich's band in the 60's I would think he would have to be a good sight reader, Just wondering where you read this. I am listening to versions of "Everything Happens To Me" and will get back to you with observations. |
nsp, I agree about Art Pepper, By the way I’m also a completist when it comes to Art Pepper recordings and exchanged emails with his widow Laurie about 6-7 years ago when she started the "Unreleased Art" project to get out as much of his post heroin addiction years in the mid to late 70’s and early 80’s. I have read "Straight Life" myself and it is a wonderful book. Stan Getz was not only a wonderful reader of sheet music but also had a photographic memory. I read his autobiography many years ago and IIRC Jack Teagarden took him out on the road when he was 16 or 17, much to the chagrin of his school truancy officer who paid a visit to his family. After Jack auditioned him, He liked his command of the tenor sax and his ability to read music. Stan played a few of the regulars Jack was playing during his concerts and the first show Stan played when the songbook was put in front of him he flipped it aside!! |
