IVORY INNOVATOR By Gary G. Vercelli Jack Wilson will be seen in a special screening event via Eventbrite on May 6, 2021. The occasion is the debut of several restored episodes of the heralded Los Angeles television series, Frankly Jazz, that aired on local channel KTLA 5, for twenty-four shows from August of 1962 through […]
Continue ReadingHampton Hawes Memorial by Pete Welding
Pete Welding wrote liner notes for many reissues of classic West Coast sessions for a variety of record labels. His notes for the Xanadu collection, The Hampton Hawes Memorial Album, provide a snapshot of Hampton Hawes place in the emerging jazz scene in Los Angeles. Before West Coast Jazz exploded in the ears […]
Continue ReadingFRANKLY JAZZ with Frank Evans
Jazz returned to the television screen in Los Angeles in the summer of 1962. The first program was created for syndication by Steve Allen who hired Jimmie Baker to produce the shows. Baker was a veteran jazz TV producer who had been one of the creative forces responsible for the award winning Stars of Jazz […]
Continue ReadingTiffany Club – 1955 – Part Two
Chris Connor opened at Tiffany Club on Friday, July 8, 1955. Slim Gaillard and his crew were held-over for the sixth time. Down Beat published a profile of Chris that started out on the wrong foot when they printed her last name as “Connors.” Corrected for entry here: New York—Young, energetic Chris Connor, the former […]
Continue ReadingSlim Gaillard at the Nice Jazz Festival – 1982
Jazz Research is pleased to present a guest column by the noted British author, Steve Voce. Steve Voce began writing about jazz in the Melody Maker during the fifties, and at the same time began writing obituaries for The Independent. He has been a columnist for Jazz Journal for over 60 years under various incarnations, […]
Continue ReadingTiffany Club – 1955 – Part One
The Lee Konitz Quartet with Ronnie Ball, Peter Ind, and Jeff Morton continued their December 1954 run into the middle of January 1955. After leaving Tiffany Club on January 13th, the quartet was booked into Maynard Sloate’s Jazz City where they continued to draw capacity crowds. In his youth Lee Konitz studied clarinet with a […]
Continue ReadingDodo Marmarosa
Bob Dietsche visited Dodo Marmarosa at his home outside Pittsburgh in 1990.
Continue ReadingArv Garrison
Several weeks ago I mentioned to my friend, Nick Rossi, that I planned to do a feature on Arv Garrison. I had heard Arv’s name mentioned during the recent slew of radio broadcast specials devoted to the celebration of Charlie Parker’s centenary. Arv Garrison’s electric guitar can be heard on three of Parker’s first sessions […]
Continue ReadingTiffany Club – 1954
Los Angeles in the mid 1950’s was a jazz lovers paradise. A snapshot of January 1954 provides an example. Billie Holiday was ending her current engagement at Tiffany Club, Bud Powell was opening at The Haig, Chet Baker and Russ Freeman were at Zardi’s, Nat “King” Cole was at Ciro’s, June Christy was at Trianon […]
Continue ReadingWorld Pacific 1957 New York Sessions
This research originally appeared in the Dutch discography journal, Names & Numbers, No. 82, July 2017, in slightly different form and content. The January 23, 1958, issue of Down Beat published a notice in the opening “strictly ad lib” New York column that summarized a series of recording sessions that took place in December, 1957, […]
Continue ReadingTiffany Club – 1953 – Part Two
The Tiffany Club opened the last half of 1953 with The Ink Spots plus comedian “Slappy” White.
Continue ReadingTiffany Club – 1953 – Part One
Tiffany Club had a stellar lineup during the first six months of 1953 – Nat “King” Cole – Billie Holiday – George Shearing – Dinah Washington – Johnny Hodges – Earl Bostic and others.
Continue ReadingTiffany Club – 1952 – Part Two
The Nat “King” Cole Trio opened at Tiffany Club on July 3, 1952. This was Cole’s fifth appearance at the remodeled Tiffany Club. Previous dates included December 1950; July, August and December of 1951. King Cole Trio Isn’t Dead, Beams Feather! Los Angeles—The King Cole trio, no matter what the publicity stories and the […]
Continue ReadingBobby Troup on Record, 1948-1955
Bobby Troup’s songwriting career began with “Daisy Mae” that was picked up by Sammy Kaye and retitled “Daddy.” When Nat “King” Cole recorded “Route 66” Troup’s songwriting career was firmly established.
Continue ReadingTiffany Club – 1952 – Part One
Chuck Landis budgeted over one hundred thousand dollars for talent in his Tiffany Club in 1952.
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