Teddy Charles / Dave Brubeck / Chet Baker – Los Angeles 1953 The individual careers of Teddy Charles, Dave Brubeck, and Chet Baker intersected when they appeared at clubs and concerts in 1953. Teddy Charles shared the stage with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and a Shelly Manne group at Wilshire-Ebell in July for what was […]
Continue ReadingWardell Gray
Tiffany Club – 1952 – Part One
Chuck Landis budgeted over one hundred thousand dollars for talent in his Tiffany Club in 1952.
Continue ReadingTiffany Club – 1951/1952
Chuck Landis featured Sharkey Bonano, Nat “King” Cole, Helen Humes, Benny Carter, the Billy Williams Quartette, Jay Johnson,and Dorothy Doengan at his Tiffany Club in the latter half of 1951.
Continue ReadingThe Haig – Part One
The first major building to occupy the 3300 block of Wilshire Boulevard was the Gaylord Apartments, designed by the Walker & Eisen architectural firm in 1924. The apartments were named for Gaylord Wilshire who named the boulevard that bears his name. The vintage photograph below shows the surrounding area shortly after the building was completed. […]
Continue ReadingJAZZ CITY PART THREE GRAND OPENING OCTOBER 22, 1954
When Maynard Sloate and Joe Abrahams leased the space at 5510 Hollywood Boulevard and opened Mambo City they essentially kept everything the way it was when it was known as the Mural Room. The wall murals were left intact, the cocktail tables and dance floor were left intact, and the only change needed was the exterior sign.
For Jazz City they remodeled the front using glass blocks, added a large marquee where guest jazz artists could be announced, and a new neon sign proclaiming Jazz City.
WAY OUT WARDELL
Record albums celebrating the artistry of Wardell Gray proliferated after his untimely death in May of 1955. The Bihari brothers had released some of Wardell Gray’s finest playing on Modern 78 rpm releases that had been recorded by Gene Norman at his “Just Jazz” concerts. The 78 releases were edited to fit within the allotted […]
Continue ReadingA JAZZ MASQUERADE SURPRISE
This research was originally published in Names & Numbers, No. 51, October 2009, in slightly different form. I began research and writing on Crown CLP-5009, Jazz Masquerade, in the spring of 2008 after an inquiry from a list member on a jazz discussion group who wondered if anyone had managed to make a complete identification of […]
Continue Reading“JAZZ MASQUERADE” UNMASKED
This research was originally published in the Dutch discography journal, Names & Numbers, No. 48, January 2009, in slightly different form. The Bihari brothers established their record empire beginning in late 1944 with the Modern Music label. Jules Bihari had a keen ear for talent and the rooster of artists recording for Modern soon numbered […]
Continue Reading