Zardi’s 1955 Sam Donato and Ben Arkin had been tinkering with the décor of Zardi’s ever since they acquired the club in 1953. The woven raffia ceiling that was framed in bamboo remained but the backdrop below the ceiling behind the musician bandstand changed several times. The strip below the bamboo termination of ceiling […]
Continue ReadingStan Kenton
ZARDI’S – 1954
Zardi’s 1954. 1954 provided a cornucopia of modern jazz for Los Angeles jazz fans. In addition to booming business at the city’s leading jazz clubs, jazz impresarios Gene Norman and brothers Norman and Irving Granz staged sell out concerts to meet the growing demand for modern jazz. Gene Norman continued to wear several musical […]
Continue ReadingEarle Spencer Remembered by John S. Lewis
This article was published in the IAJRC (International Association of Jazz Record Collectors) journal in 1982. It fills in some blanks regarding Earle Spencer’s activity after leaving California. SPENCERIA: A FORGOTTEN BAND OF THE LATE 1940S By John S. Lewis Geographically and politically there are two Kansas Cities, but musically the town to the […]
Continue ReadingSHELLY’S MANNE HOLE – FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
By Charles M. Weisenberg “How many club owners could distinguish between Miles Davis, a glockenspiel and a C clef?” This question was raised about five years ago in an article by the poet Kenneth Rexroth who maintained that a jazz club is no place for a musician who considers himself a creative artist. Rexroth’s […]
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 ReadingThe Haig – Part Four
Newspaper ads for the Haig in 1955 were sparse. It seems that John Bennett relied on the good graces of Down Beat for the occasional mention of who was performing at the club. The twice a month publication of the magazine required considerable lead time before each issue went to press. The “freebies” were noted […]
Continue ReadingJAZZ CITY PART SIX JANUARY – JUNE 1956
The December 28, 1955, issue of Down Beat magazine ran a short column announcing a series of West Coast bookings for Miles Davis’s current combo with Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Red Garland, and John Coltrane. The new quintet had a recent release on the Prestige label, MILES, that featured the new quintet. Miles Davis’s new quintet opened at Jazz City on Friday, January 6, 1956. The quintet’s engagement ran through Thursday, January 19, 1956. Prior to heading north to San Francisco for their booking at the Black Hawk, Paul Chambers joined a combo led by Kenny Drew for Jane Fielding’s second album for Herb Kimmel’s Jazz:West label.
Continue ReadingJAZZ SCENE USA – VHS & DVD
JAZZ SCENE U.S.A. – CODA Commentary © James A. Harrod, Copyright Protected; All Rights Reserved Steve Allen had hoped to continue his Jazz Scene USA syndication series for a second round of twenty six shows so that the package would contain a year’s worth of programs for potential licensees who wanted to broadcast the series […]
Continue ReadingJAZZ SCENE USA #13 – STAN KENTON
The 13th episode of Steve Allen’s Jazz Scene USA featured Stan Kenton and his Mellophonium Orchestra:- Conte Candoli, Marvin Stamm, Bob Behrendt, Dalton Smith, Keith LaMotte, trumpet; Bud Parker, Tom Ringo, Bob Fitzpatrick, trombone; Jim Amlotte, bass trombone; Dave Wheeler, bass trombone, tuba; Dwight Carver, Joe Burnett, Lou Gasca, Ray Starling, mellophone; Gabe Baltazar, alto sax; Don Menza, Ray Florian, tenor sax; Allan Beutler, bar-sax; Joel Kaye, bar-sax, b-sax; Stan Kenton, piano, leader; Bucky Calabrese, acoustic double bass; Dee Barton, drums.
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