Thursday 2/1

Branford Marsalis

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Branford Marsalis.  Marsalis, born in 1960 in Louisiana, is the oldest of the four Marsalis brothers, one of the most famous families in jazz history.  Thus, it was no surprise that he showed talent on the saxophone from a young age.  After study at Southern University and Boston's famed Berklee College of Music, Marsalis gained professional experience with Art Blakey's big band and with the Jazz Messengers, as well as with Clark Terry.  In 1981, Branford played in his brother Wynton's band, and the two showed a great musical affinity. Branford also played with Herbie Hancock's V.S.O.P. group.  When Branford decided to play with the rock musician Sting, Wynton would not speak to him for a while because he thought Branford had abandoned jazz.  However, he soon had a jazz group with pianist Kenny Kirkland, drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, and bassist Robert Hurst; when Wynton saw that his brother had not sold out, they were soon on speaking terms again.  Branford Marsalis has also performed classical music and on film soundtracks, and was even seen on-screen in "School Days" and "Throw Mama From the Train."  He was also chosen in 1992 to lead the band for "The Tonight Show," but he was not comfortable as a sidekick for host Jay Leno, and left the show in 1994.  Marsalis, always his own man, turned his attention to the "Buckshot LeFonque" project that combined jazz with elements of hip-hop, and to other jazz projects.  In 2002, Marsalis left his longtime label of Columbia Records and formed his own company, Marsalis Music.  He has released his own CDs, music from Marsalis family members and from artists ranging from the blues-influenced guitarist/singer Doug Wamble to classic jazz artists like Jimmy Cobb.  When Hurricane Katrina hit Marsalis' beloved New Orleans in 2005, Branford joined his father Ellis Marsalis, his lifelong friend Harry Connick, Jr. and Habitat for Humanity to establish a Musicians' Village to provide homes for displaced New Orleans musicians.   Branford Marsalis has always shown great musical versatility, but also shows compassion and organizational ability in his humanitarian work.

Art Blakey

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Art Blakey.  Blakey was born in Pittsburgh in 1919, and began his musical training with childhood piano lessons.  By the time he was 12, Blakey was leading a professional jazz group.  After switching to the drums, Blakey worked with such jazz stars as Mary Lou Williams and Fletcher Henderson.  Blakey led his own big band for a while, and then joined the Billy Eckstine band, which also produced such giants as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.  When the Eckstine group disbanded, Blakey formed a rehearsal band called the 17 Messengers, which he eventually reduced to an octet that he called the Jazz Messengers.  This soon-to-be famous name was then given to a group that Blakey was in, but that was led by pianist Horace Silver and which also included Hank Mobley and Kenny Dorham.  When Silver left the group, Blakey became the leader of the Jazz Messengers, and he led the group through various personnel changes for most of his career.  Blakey became noted as a judge and guide of young jazz talent, and such stars as Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Benny Golson, Joanne Brackeen, Geoffrey Keezer, Chuck Mangione, and Wayne Shorter learned much of their craft as members of the Jazz Messengers.  Blakey's hard-bop style, which he kept even in the face of such movements  as free jazz and fusion, was a huge influence on the "young lions" who became the major figures of today's mainstream jazz.  Blakey lived long enough to see his style come back into style, and since his death from cancer in 1990, much of his music has been reissued to be enjoyed by a new audience.

Friday 2/2

Etta James

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Etta James. She was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles in 1938, and she was the daughter of billiards legend Minnesota Fats, which was not publicly revealed until after he had died.  James started singing as a child in a church choir. When she was in her teens, she and two other girls auditioned for Johnny Otis, and Otis changed her name to Etta James. In 1955, Etta and her group, the Peaches, recorded "Roll With Me Henry" with Otis' band, and it became an R & B classic. When Etta went over to Chess Records, she recorded such classics as "At Last," "Tell Mama," and "I'd Rather Go Blind," to name a few. James had some serious setbacks due to drug addiction and other personal problems, but she eventually went into recovery and enjoyed a career resurgence that began in the late 1980s and that continues to this day. Etta James has shown great versatility in her long career, with fine singing in the blues, soul, rock, pop and jazz styles. Her 2003 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award was a reward for years of hardship and hard work, but Etta James is not one to rest on her laurels, and continues to record and perform for a new generation of fans.

Nancy Wilson

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Nancy Wilson.  Wilson was born on February 20, 1937, and grew up in the Columbus, Ohio area.  At 15, Wilson won a talent show and got her own local TV show. Her musical influences included Dinah Washington and Little Jimmy Scott. While trying to break into singing, Wilson worked days as a secretary, and sang with the Rusty Bryant band and other jazz musicians.  When Cannonball Adderley heard her while in Columbus, he told Wilson to get in touch with him if she ever came to New York, which she did in 1959.  She soon gained a reputation in jazz circles, and recorded classic albums with her mentor Cannonball Adderley , George Shearing, Gerald Wilson and others. She also ventured successfully into mainstream pop and R & B music and had her own award-winning network TV show, while continuing to sing jazz. She has also acted on such TV series as "Hawaii 5-0" and "The Cosby Show," and has hosted National Public Radio's "Jazz Profiles" series heard on many public radio stations.  In 2004, Wilson was named an NEA Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 2005 she won a Grammy for her album "R.S.V.P," adding to the Grammy she won in 1964 for "How Glad I Am."  Wilson has cut back on her concert appearances, but still records for the MCG Jazz label.  Nancy Wilson continues to be known for her combination of soulfulness and glamour, and appeals to lovers of both jazz and pop across several generations.

Monday 2/5

Dianne Reeves

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Dianne Reeves.  Reeves was born in Detroit in 1956, but grew up in Denver.  She was discovered by Clark Terry while singing in her high school's big band.  After college, she worked in Los Angeles recording studios with Lenny White, Billy Childs and others, and then toured internationally with Sergio Mendes.   In 1987, she was the first singer signed to the revived Blue Note record label, and her career took off.  She is a fine singer of standards, but has also penned such originals as the inspiring "Better Days," a popular tribute to the grandmother who helped raise her.  Reeves has sung with many orchestras, and she was the first creative chair for jazz in the history of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Reeves has won a number of Grammys for best jazz vocalist, and her most recent one is for the soundtrack of the film "Good Night, and Good Luck."  Reeves is one of the best jazz vocalists of our time, and her rich voice and virtuosity make her stand out on recordings, on stage, and in films.

Gene Harris

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Gene Harris.  Harris was born in 1933 in Benton Harbor, Michigan.  He taught himself to play boogie-woogie piano as a child, and got his first professional musical experience while in the U.S. Army. After his service, Harris formed the Three Sounds, a popular jazz trio, with bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy. Harris kept the group going through several changes of personnel, and showed an increased R & B influence. He retired to live in Boise, Idaho, but bassist Ray Brown got him to come out of retirement. After years of being largely forgotten, Harris' work with Brown and with his own groups gave him a whole new career and audience.  Harris also fronted big bands in his later career, and his "Tribute to Count Basie" CD from 1988 was nominated for a Grammy.  Harris played almost until his death from kidney disease on January 16, 2000.  Gene Harris is remembered today for his great sense of swing, and for his unique mixture of jazz and R & B  in his playing.

Tuesday 2/6

Regina Carter

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Regina Carter.  Carter was born in Detroit in 1966, and studied classical violin at Oakland University and the New England Conservatory before starting a jazz career.  Carter got some of her first attention from the jazz world as a member of the Detroit-based all-female group Straight Ahead.  However, she soon moved to New York and took the jazz world by storm as a solo artist, recording both acoustic and electric projects.  She has also played with jazz greats from Cassandra Wilson to Milt Jackson, with pop artists from Dolly Parton to Aretha Franklin, and with classical orchestras and artists such as Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg.  Carter is the first jazz musician, and the first African American, to have the rare chance to play the priceless Guarneri del Gesu violin known as "The Cannon," which belonged at one time to the legendary classical violinist Nicolo Paganini; she played jazz with it in concert and on the CD "Paganini: After a Dream."  Carter has received a number of awards and honorary degrees, including a "genius grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2006.  With her combination of jazz, classical, R & B, and world music influences, Regina Carter is a violinist and composer of great originality.

Nina Simone

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Dr. Nina Simone. Simone originally went to the Juilliard School of Music to study classical piano, which was rare for a black musician at the time, but had to play in nightclubs to support herself.  Simone began singing when a club owner would only hire her if she both sang and played.  She came up with a unique style that combined jazz with classical, soul, folk and blues influences.  Simone's emotional singing style, strong statements against racism and oppression, and strong personality made her a star.  Richard Pryor once said that, while white people had Judy Garland, black people had Nina Simone.  Simone kept on despite problems with racism, mental and physical illness, and unhappiness in her personal life.  Late in her career, Simone became known to a new generation when her famous recording of "My Baby Just Cares For Me" was used in a perfume commercial, and she even returned for occasional American appearances after years as an expatriate in Europe and Africa.  Nina Simone died in April of 2003 after years of poor health, but her great artistic integrity will ensure that she'll be remembered as long as people can hear her recordings.

Wednesday 2/7

Charles Mingus

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Charles Mingus.  Mingus was born in an Army camp in Nogales, Arizona in 1922, and was raised in the Watts section of Los Angeles.  Although Mingus' stepmother only allowed gospel music in their home, he heard the Duke Ellington band one day while tuning his father's crystal set radio, and became hooked on jazz.  Mingus tried learning a few instruments from an early age, but settled on the bass in his teens after studying with both jazz and classical bassists.   Mingus also studied composition, and showed real gifts in that field.  As a young professional, Mingus worked with Barney Bigard and Louis Armstrong, and gained his first fame while with vibraphonist Red Norvo.  He even worked with Duke Ellington for a short time, but his legendary temper got the better of him, and Mingus became the only musician that Ellington ever personally fired from his band!  It was a blessing in disguise, for Mingus then went on his own.  He founded Debut Records, and was bassist for the legendary "Jazz at Massey Hall" concert that was recorded for that label.  Mingus also came into his own as a composer with such works as "Goodbye Porkpie Hat," "Better Get Hit In Your Soul," "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady," and the posthumously released "Epitaph."  Using both large and small groups, Mingus recorded such legendary albums as "Pithecanthropus Erectus," "Mingus Ah Um," and "Oh Yeah."  However, the strain of coping with financial problems, racism and the failure of his Jazz Artists Guild undermined Mingus' mental health, and he left the music business for three years and went into therapy.  He returned to performing in 1969 to earn some badly-needed money, and got a boost in the form of a Guggenheim Fellowship in composition and the purchase of the Debut Records master tapes by the Fantasy label.  Mingus also formed a new group with young musicians, married his devoted second wife Sue, and was honored at the White House.  Unfortunately, just as he was achieving richly-deserved recognition, Mingus developed A.L.S., and by 1978 he could no longer play the bass.  However, working from a wheelchair, Mingus continued to compose and also did his last project, a collaboration with Joni Mitchell.  Mingus died in Mexico in 1979, but thanks to the efforts of Sue Mingus, his music lives on.  She has helped to establish repertory groups such as Mingus Dynasty and the Mingus Dynasty, and to eliminate unauthorized recordings of her husband's work.  Younger jazz musicians have also learned much from Mingus' pathbreaking compositions.  Charles Mingus will be remembered for his music and for his integrity as long as there is jazz.

Ray Charles

WAER salutes Black History Month salute with the music of Ray Charles. He was born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, Georgia in 1930, and became blind at the age of six due to childhood glaucoma. Charles learned to sing and play many instruments in a school for the blind, and gained early performing experience in Florida and Seattle. His early style was rather like that of Nat "King" Cole, but he soon developed a soulful sound all his own in both his singing and his piano playing. Charles made his first recordings in the late 1940s, and within a few years his sound caught on, especially with his hit song "I Got a Woman" in 1955. Charles' unique style had elements of gospel, R & B, jazz and blues, and it stayed his own even when he tried other kinds of music. Although much of his work has been in such styles as R & B, country, and mainstream pop, Charles recorded a lot of jazz as well, and worked with such jazz stars as Betty Carter, Milt Jackson, Tony Bennett and David "Fathead" Newman. Charles' unmistakable gospel-influenced voice has been an inspiration to singers in music ranging from soul to rock and pop. Despite increasing health problems, Charles continued to perform and record as long as possible, and his final album, a set of duets called "Genius Loves Company," won multiple Grammys a few months after his death in June of 2004.  As of late 2006, there was even a new Ray Charles CD in which his vocals from live concerts were combined with backings by the Count Basie Orchestra, so Charles continues to keep old fans and attract new ones through his recordings.  Ray Charles was often known in life as "The Genius," and he will certainly keep that title for his great contributions to American music.

Thursday 2/8

Etta Jones

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Etta Jones.  Jones was born in South Carolina in 1928, but moved to New York as a child.  In 1944, at the age of 16, she was touring with Buddy Johnson, and made her first records as well.  Jones also sang with the Earl Hines band for three years. In the early 60s, Jones recorded for Prestige, and she had a hit with the classic "Don't Go to Strangers." Jones had a great way with standards, although her style also showed a lot of R & B influence.  However, she went unrecorded for many years until she joined the Muse label, where she made many fine albums, often with her frequent colleague, tenor saxophonist Houston Person. Jones enjoyed a great career resurgence late in her life, and she continued to perform and to record even when ill with cancer.  Sadly, Etta Jones died on October 16^th, 2001, which was the day that her final CD was released.  Etta Jones will be remembered both for her special way with a song and for her warmth as a person, both of which come through on her numerous recordings.

Freddy Cole

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of  Freddy Cole.  Cole, born in Chicago in 1931, is the brother of Nat "King" Cole and the uncle of Natalie Cole. However, as he sings, "I'm not my brother, I'm me;" although Freddy sounds a little like his late brother, his voice is a little deeper and rougher, and he has a delivery all his own. Cole began playing the piano at the age of six.  He almost became a football player, but went into music after a hand injury. Although Cole has recorded since the 1950s, he was in Nat "King" Cole's shadow for a long time, and had to wait until recent years to be recognized in his own right. Freddy Cole's recordings of the last few years show that his voice has lasted well, and that he can handle anything from Michel Legrand ballads to humorous numbers with ease, while also playing excellent piano.  Some of Cole's recordings from previous decades are also being reissued.  It took a long time for Freddy Cole to attain the recognition that he now has among jazz fans, but it is very well-deserved.

Friday 2/9

Johnny Hartman

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Johnny Hartman.  Hartman was born in Chicago in 1923, studied voice in college and sang for Special Services in the Army during World War II. He also sang in the big bands of Earl Hines and Dizzy Gillespie during the rise of bebop. Hartman made several fine LPs during the 1950s, but much of his best recorded work is from the 1960s, including a legendary album with John Coltrane that is regarded as one of the greatest jazz vocal albums ever made. Although Hartman continued to record until 1980, and was always admired by jazz connoisseurs and by other singers, he did not get the acclaim that he deserved during his lifetime. Much of Hartman's fame has come since his death in 1983. Hartman gained many new fans when some of his recordings were included on the soundtrack of "The Bridges of Madison County," and reissues of his recordings show what a smooth, rich voice and great musicianship he had.  Johnny Hartman is a frequently requested artist on WAER, and anyone who hears this sensitive balladeer will understand why.

Shirley Scott

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Shirley Scott.  Scott was born in Philadelphia in 1934, and studied piano and trumpet before she took up the Hammond B-3 organ, an instrument very much associated with her hometown.  Scott attained early recognition thanks to her recordings from the late 1950s with saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.  Scott became quite prominent in the soul-jazz movement of the 1960s, especially after her marriage to tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, which proved to be a very effective musical partnership, even though the marriage ended after a few years.  In the 1970s, Scott and other jazz organists were in the background while newer musical styles like fusion and pop-jazz became popular.  However, Scott never stopped working as a performer and teacher, and when the Hammond B-3 returned to favor as a jazz instrument in the late 1980s, Scott returned to the recording studio.  She also did some recordings as a pianist in the 1990s, and she was even the musical director for Bill Cosby's revival of the "You Bet Your Life" TV show.  Unfortunately, Scott's career was cut short when she was prescribed fen-phen to lose weight, and the drug damaged her heart so severely that she no longer had the strength to play.  Scott won a lawsuit against the drug's manufacturer, and was awarded $8 million in 2000.  However, Scott's health never returned, and she died of heart failure on March 10^th, 2002.  Shirley Scott's mix of jazz, gospel and blues and incisive playing style made her stand out, and this was especially noteworthy at a time when most jazz instrumentalists were male.  Scott's influence continues today through her recordings, and also through many Philadelphia jazz musicians who were her students.

Monday 2/12

Charlie Christian

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Charlie Christian.  This Texas native was born in 1916.  Christian began his musical career as a teenage pianist in Oklahoma, but switched to amplified guitar in 1937 after studying with Eddie Durham, the inventor of the instrument. Christian soon attracted attention for his inventive style, which was more melodic and swinging than the chordal guitar accompaniments often heard in jazz before he came along.  Record producer John Hammond, who had already discovered Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and others, heard about the young guitarist and arranged for him to try out for Goodman's band. The audition led to two years with the Benny Goodman Sextet, some solos with Goodman's big band, and chances to jam at Minton's Playhouse, the cradle of bebop, with such stars of the new music as Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Sadly, Christian developed tuberculosis, and he died in 1942 at only 25 years old. However, as the first important player of the electric guitar, Christian changed the face of popular music, not just in jazz but in other styles of music. Although Charlie Christian died much too young, the work he did for the guitar in his short life has influenced all types of guitarists, especially in jazz, for over half a century.

Stanley Turrentine

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Stanley Turrentine.  This saxophonist was known as "Mister T" long before the TV star of that name became famous. Turrentine, a native of Pittsburgh, was born in 1934.  He began playing with blues and R & B groups, and started out with a strong Illinois Jacquet influence. Turrentine played for Ray Charles in the early 1950s, and replaced John Coltrane in the Earl Bostic band in 1953. After a time in the Army, he played in Max Roach's band, and married organist Shirley Scott in 1960, recording with her often and remaining friends with her even after their divorce some years later. Also in 1960, Turrentine made the first of several recordings with organist Jimmy Smith, and began recording for Blue Note as a solo act and as a member of The Three Sounds. In the 1970s, he was a mainstay of the CTI record label, recording such famous albums as "Sugar" and "Don't Mess With Mister T."  Turrentine attained a lot of popular success with his 1970s style despite some critical disapproval. However, he returned to a soul-jazz style in his later years, and was a big influence on the young artists of the acid-jazz movement.  Turrentine remained as an active performer and recording artist until his death in 2000 of a stroke. Stanley Turrentine is very fondly remembered by fans of soul-jazz and acid-jazz, and the critical disapproval he got in the 1970s is largely forgotten.  Meanwhile, his recordings are an inspiration to a new generation of jazz fans and musicians who have come to love his bluesy, funky style.

Tuesday 2/13

Kevin Mahogany

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Kevin Mahogany.  Mahogany, born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1958, is one of the finest male jazz singers of his generation. Before Mahogany decided to sing, he was experienced on clarinet, piano and saxophone, and started playing professionally at the age of 12.   Although Mahogany continued playing in high school, once his voice changed to a rich baritone, his talent as a singer was discovered.  While in college, Mahogany received classical voice training, sang in R & B groups, and started a jazz choir on campus. After college, Mahogany formed R & B and jazz bands in Kansas City, and also worked on his singing.  Mahogany decided to specialize in jazz singing in the 1990s, and got the attention of such musicians as the bandleader and arranger Frank Mantooth.  After some struggle, Mahogany got the attention of the jazz world with his albums for the Enja label. Since then, he has also recorded for Warner Brothers and for Telarc, and now has his own label, Mahogany Jazz.  The late jazz critic Whitney Balliett once wrote in the New Yorker, "There is little [Kevin] Mahogany cannot do," and his command of diverse jazz styles has helped him to bring jazz singing into its second century.

Clark Terry

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Clark Terry, also known as "Mumbles."  Terry was born in 1920.  He got his start in St. Louis in the 1940s, where he was heard by a young Miles Davis, and also got experience in a Navy band during World War II. After the war, Terry graced the bands of Charlie Barnet, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. In the 1950s, Terry started gaining recognition as a leader, and also gained a reputation for his use of the flugelhorn. He also became celebrated for his witty performances and for his famous "mumbles" style of singing, which was originally a satire on the poor diction of some blues singers. Terry also toured Europe with Quincy Jones, became a member of the Tonight Show Orchestra, and became a busy recording artist. He has led his own big band and a number of small groups, and has been a guest soloist with many jazz festivals and orchestras, including the Central New York Jazz Orchestra. Along with his decades of solid achievement as a performer, Terry is also noted for his hard work in jazz education and for his infectious sense of humor.  Although Clark Terry has had health problems in recent years, he has been active as a performer and recording artist as his condition permits, and has lived long enough to enjoy a status as a real elder statesman of jazz.

Wednesday 2/14

Jimmy Scott

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Jimmy Scott.  Scott was born in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio.   Scott had a tough start in life, since he lost his mother in a car accident at an early age and was raised by foster parents.  Also, he had the rare hereditary disorder called Kallmann's syndrome, which prevented him from going through puberty.  This meant that Scott grew to be under five feet tall, and also kept a high soprano voice, which he first used in church.  However, Scott made his differences work in his favor.  After starting a singing career in the late 1940s, Scott became known as "Little Jimmy Scott," and became noted for the soulful use of his unique voice.  He toured with Lionel Hampton's big band, and then left to pursue a solo career.  Scott had a solid career for a while, and recorded for several labels, including Savoy Jazz.  However, when Scott recorded an album for Ray Charles' label in 1962, Savoy Jazz claimed that he was still under contract to them, and his new album had to be withdrawn from sale.  Scott's problems with Savoy Jazz were so serious that he left the music business for some years, and even worked as a shipping clerk.  Although Scott eventually returned to singing after his contract difficulties were resolved, it was only on a part-time basis until 1985.  After Scott sang at the funeral of New Orleans musical giant Doc Pomus in 1991, the head of Sire Records signed him to a contract.  He also appeared in an episode of the "Twin Peaks" TV show and on the 1991-92 NPR New Year's Eve radio broadcast.  The renewed public attention, plus Scott's comeback album "All the Way," meant a whole new career for Scott in his later years. Scott continues to perform and record in his 80s, and recently received the 2007 Jazz Master Honors from the National Endowment for the Arts.  In March, Scott will receive the "Living Jazz Legend Award" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and certainly nobody is more deserving.

Natalie Cole

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Natalie Cole.  Cole, born in 1950 in Los Angeles, came by a musical career naturally, since she is the daughter of the legendary Nat "King" Cole and vocalist Maria Ellington.  Cole began singing in public at age 11, and also sang in college.  After Cole met the writing and producing team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey in the early 70s, her collaborations with them resulted in a string of hit R & B/pop albums and singles from 1975 to 1983.  Although Cole was a very popular singer, her personal life was miserable for some time, with marital troubles, drug abuse, vocal problems and more complicating her life.  For a while, Cole was in such a state that her mother had to handle her personal affairs.  Eventually, Cole attained sobriety and got back on her feet personally and musically.  She had more pop hits in the 1980s, but she had an unexpected turn in her career when she covered one of her father's hits, "When I Fall In Love."  Later, through multi-track recording, Cole was able to record "Unforgettable" as an electronic duet with father, and the "Unforgettable: With Love" CD sold over five million copies and won three Grammy Awards.  "Take A Look," another standards CD, won a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album as well, thus strengthening Cole's credentials as a jazz singer.  Through the 1990s and into the new century, Cole has done a number of jazz and standards-oriented CDs, plus a Christmas CD with the London Symphony Orchestra and several contemporary pop projects.  Although Natalie Cole comes from American musical royalty, she has stayed before the public for more than 30 years because of her own great talent and the tenacity to overcome obstacles.

Thursday 2/15

Red Garland

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Red Garland.  William "Red" Garland was born in Dallas in 1923.  He started out on clarinet and sax, but changed to piano when he was 18. Among Garland's influences as a young musician in New York were Count Basie, Nat "King" Cole, Art Tatum and Bud Powell. Garland backed up many jazz greats such as Billy Eckstine, Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker, but did not have much recognition until he was a member of the Miles Davis Quintet's rhythm section from 1955 to 1958.  Although Garland was eventually fired by Davis due to creative and other differences, he also led his own successful small groups, and made many classic recordings of jazz standards and originals in the late 1950s and early 1960s.  However, Garland returned to his native Texas for a time after his mother's death in 1968, largely because the jazz scene was drying up for performers like him who did not want to play modal jazz or fusion. Garland came out of semi-retirement in the 1970s in Dallas, and record producer Orrin Keepnews got him to leave Dallas and continue playing on a limited schedule.  Garland made a number of late-career recordings for several labels before his death in 1984.  Red Garland's use of block chords, counterpoint and blues influence make his style easy to recognize even today, and he has often been imitated but still cannot be duplicated.

Buddy Guy

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Buddy Guy. Guy was born in Louisiana in 1936, and got his early start as a guitarist in Baton Rouge in the 1950s. He went to Chicago in 1957, and after a slow start, he got some notice thanks to both good playing and lively showmanship. Guy soon became associated with such Chicago blues stars as Muddy Waters and Otis Rush, and also started making records, with many fine ones for the Chess label as both a soloist and a session guitarist. Guy also became friends and musical partners with harmonica player Junior Wells, with whom he made many recordings and tours. Despite his success with Wells, and the admiration of many blues and rock musicians for his playing and singing, it took many years for Buddy Guy to get another domestic recording contract. That finally happened when he signed with Silvertone in 1991. Guy's album "Damn Right, I've Got the Blues" won him one of several Grammy Awards, and he soon attained new popularity that continues to this day. Guy has tried some projects with rock and country stars with varying results, but he has also won more Grammys for his blues work, he still tours, and runs and appears in his own blues club in Chicago. Buddy Guy deservedly remains one of the most popular artists in blues.

Friday 2/16

Dexter Gordon

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Dexter Gordon, who was born in Los Angeles in 1923. Gordon was around jazz from childhood, since his father was a doctor with such famous patients as Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Gordon started on clarinet, but switched to the saxophone, and while in school was in bands with classmates Chico Hamilton and Buddy Collette. Gordon's first big break was with Lionel Hampton's band in 1940, and by 1943 he was making his first recordings as a leader. After working with Louis Armstrong and Fletcher Henderson, Gordon joined the Billy Eckstine big band, a great cradle of bebop. By 1945, Gordon was working with Charlie Parker, and also made his first recording with Wardell Gray, his partner in many epic tenor sax "battles." Gordon was often known as "LTD," which stands for "Long Tall Dexter," due to his great height. Unfortunately, Gordon was addicted to heroin for some years, and spent a few years in prison for a drug conviction. While in prison, Gordon was in a film called "Unchained," where he played a musician in the prison band. After Gordon served his time, he acted in the play "The Connection," for which he also furnished music. He then spent 15 years living and performing in Europe, where he often played with other American expatriates such as Bud Powell, Kenny Drew Sr., and Bobby Hutcherson. He also made many recordings for the Blue Note and Steeplechase labels. When Gordon returned to the U.S. in 1976, he played a celebrated concert at the Village Vanguard that was released as the album "Homecoming." This acoustic session was a departure from the fusion and pop-crossover styles popular in the 1970s, and helped pave the way for a resurgence of acoustic jazz with older players and the new generation of "young lions." In 1986, Gordon was the star of the film "'Round Midnight," in which he played a jazz musician; the role was based loosely on his life, as well as Bud Powell and Lester Young. The film was a hit, and Gordon was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. After this film, Gordon was much better-known to the general public. However, Gordon had cancer in his last years, and he died in 1990. However, Dexter Gordon will be remembered for his strong playing style, his role in the rise of bebop, his part in the revival of acoustic jazz, and for his moving role in "'Round Midnight."

Jimmy McGriff

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Jimmy McGriff.  James Harrell McGriff, Jr. was born in 1936 in Philadelphia, and came from a musical family, with both saxophonist Benny Golson and singer Harold Melvin among his cousins.  McGriff's parents both played piano, and they got him involved in music through their church.  By the time McGriff was in his teens, he could play drums, bass, alto sax, vibraphone, and piano.  When McGriff heard the great jazz organist Richard "Groove" Holmes, he thought of switching from the bass to the B-3.  However, his plans were interrupted when he was drafted during the Korean War and served as a military policeman.  After the war, McGriff was a member of the Philadelphia police force by day, and played bass in his spare time.  However, when the Hammond B-3 became popular, there was less demand for bassists, so McGriff went to "Groove" Holmes and seriously studied jazz organ with him.  He went for further music study at the Juilliard School in New York, plus private study with Jimmy Smith, Milt Buckner and Sonny Gatewood.    McGriff made his first single in 1958; it also featured a saxophonist named Charles Earland, who later studied organ with McGriff and became a star in his own right.  McGriff's cover of Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" was his first hit, and led to a long series of recordings for the Sue, Solid State and Blue Note labels.  McGriff's blues-influenced style made him a favorite with soul-jazz listeners in the 1960s.  However, when the jazz organ went out of fashion for a while in the 1970s, McGriff left the music business for a while to raise horses.  McGriff soon came back to music, playing a great deal of funk and fusion music along with more traditional organ combo recordings.  After a few years out of the recording studio, McGriff appeared again in the early 80s on the Milestone label, just in time for the resurgence in organ jazz and soul jazz that continues to this day.  McGriff has made a number of CDs with saxophonist Jimmy McGriff, a number of solo projects, and has even returned to gospel with the legendary singer Tramaine Hawkins.  McGriff remains musically active, and is one of the most respected organists in jazz.

Monday 2/19

Dinah Washington

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Dinah Washington.  Ruth Lee Jones was born in 1924 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but grew up in Chicago.  She started in music as a teenager singing gospel, but then began singing and playing piano in nightclubs.  When she was only 19, Lionel Hampton hired her as a vocalist and changed her name to Dinah Washington.  Washington also made her first records in 1943, including the Leonard Feather song "Evil Gal Blues," which attracted public attention. Washington left the Hampton band in 1946 to become a solo act.  She quickly became a star in jazz and R & B, and earned the nickname of "Queen of the Blues," with many Top Ten hits for the Mercury label in the 1950s.  Dinah Washington also branched out into mainstream pop with great success, despite some objections from critics who believed she'd watered down her style and sold out.  However, there are many gems like "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes" in her pop output.   In 1963, Washington was still at the height of her vocal powers, but died accidentally at only 39, after an overdose of diet pills combined with alcohol.  Washington was a great influence on later singers such as Nancy Wilson, Diane Schuur, and her godchild Patti Austin.  Dinah Washington's powerful, honest style and versatility have kept her as "The Queen" in the hearts of her many fans over 40 years after her passing.

 

Mary Lou Williams

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Mary Lou Williams.  Mary Elfrieda Scruggs was born in 1910 in Atlanta, and played piano from childhood.  She began playing in vaudeville when she was 13, and married saxophonist John Williams in 1926.  When her husband was with Andy Kirk's big band, Mary Lou was often called "The Pest" because she hung around rehearsals.  However, when she took the place of a missing pianist at Kirk's first recording session and contributed arrangements to the group, she earned the title of "The Lady Who Swings the Band."  After leaving the Kirk band and divorcing John Williams, Mary Lou wrote for Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and others.  Mary Lou Williams did much to support the rise of bebop, and was a fine teacher in addition to her own playing and writing.  After living in Europe and leaving music for a few years for religious reasons, she returned to performing in 1957 as a guest with Dizzy Gillespie's group at the Newport Jazz Festival.  She performed, recorded, taught at Duke University, and composed both jazz and religious music, keeping current with jazz developments until her death at 78 in 1981. Mary Lou Williams wasn't just "someone who played good for a girl," but was a major innovator and influence.  Her memory is honored by the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival held every year at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as by the many jazz musicians of all races and both sexes who have learned from her example.

Tuesday 2/20

Louis Armstrong

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Louis Armstrong, who was called "the beginning and end of music in America" by his good friend Bing Crosby. Armstrong was born in 1901, although his actual birth date was not discovered until years after his death.  His humble roots in New Orleans are well-known; he got his first cornet with the help of a junk dealer he worked for as a child. Armstrong dropped out of school, and he was put into the Colored Waifs' Home, a reform school, after firing a gun during a New Year's Eve celebration. It was a blessing in disguise, since Armstrong got formal musical training while in the Waifs' Home band. After Armstrong was released, he did menial day jobs and played music on the side. Eventually, he joined Kid Ory's and Fate Marable's bands, and moved to Chicago in 1922 after his mentor, King Oliver, sent for him. Armstrong married King Oliver's pianist, Lil Hardin, and she encouraged him to leave the Oliver band and show his own great talents. Armstrong did so, switched from cornet to trumpet, and made pioneering recordings as a leader of studio groups known as the Hot Five and Hot Seven. He soon made his mark as one of the greatest innovators and most virtuosic trumpeters in jazz history. Armstrong eventually became a bandleader himself, and also became a singer who helped popularize scat singing; his freewheeling style changed the sound of popular singing forever. After spending a few years in Europe, Armstrong returned to the U.S. and, under the management of Joe Glaser, became one of the most popular musicians and entertainers in the country. He led a big band and often appeared on radio and in films. When the big-band era ended after World War II, Armstrong started playing with smaller "All-Stars" groups that emphasized a traditional New Orleans style. He made international State Department tours as a goodwill ambassador, and also stood up for civil rights in the 1950s at a time when many other entertainment figures were not yet ready to take a stand. Armstrong had a huge pop hit in 1964 with "Hello, Dolly," and guest-starred in Barbra Streisand's movie of that hit musical. He also had such pop hits as "What a Wonderful World," which became a hit again years after his death in the film "Good Morning, Vietnam." Age and ill health forced Armstrong to cut back on performing in his last years, but he was planning yet another tour when he died in 1971. Although Louis Armstrong's career as a popular entertainer didn't please some jazz purists, he nonetheless laid many of the foundations for what jazz became. Dizzy Gillespie said it best when he said of Louis Armstrong, "No him--no me."

Kermit Ruffins

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Kermit Ruffins.  He is a New Orleans native, who was born in 1964.  Ruffins grew up hearing the black pop music of the 1970s and 80s.  Although he played trumpet as a teenager, he didn't decide to go into jazz until he was 19, when he heard the music of Louis Armstrong.  Like many New Orleans musicians, Ruffins started out playing for tips for the tourists in Jackson Square.  He soon showed great skill and charm when playing and singing the music of his hometown, and in the 1980s he formed the Rebirth Brass Band with some of his friends from high school.  The Rebirth Brass Band soon became nationally known among jazz fans.   In 1992, Ruffins began his current group, the Barbecue Swingers, which got its name from Ruffins' practice of setting up a grill and barbecuing for the band, club employees, and listeners during breaks between sets.  Ruffins also started recording for the now-defunct Justice label in the early 1990s, and has since made a number of CDs for Basin Street Records.  Ruffins had his own nightclub in New Orleans, but closed it after tourism in New Orleans fell off following the 9/11 attacks.  Since then, Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers have brought their modern-day New Orleans sound to listeners all over North America, featuring both classics and original compositions.  Many listeners and critics have compared Kermit Ruffins to his great predecessor Louis Armstrong, and while nobody can ever take the place of "Pops," Ruffins brings a similar love of life and positive energy to his lively concerts and recordings.

Wednesday 2/21

Shirley Horn

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Shirley Horn.  This Washington, D.C. native was born in 1934, and she started singing and playing piano as a child.  Horn attended Howard University, and formed her first trio when she was 20.  Horn developed a following among jazz musicians and fans for her sultry voice and economical style, and recorded some albums in the 1960s.  After hearing one of her early recordings, Miles Davis was impressed by the woman whose singing style was so much like his playing.  Davis came to be a mentor for Horn, and they were lifelong friends.  However, although Horn was attracting notice in the jazz world, she chose to stay in Washington while raising her daughter.  For many years, Horn ran a popular Washington, D.C. jazz club called "The Place Where Louie Dwells." In the 1980s, Horn started to perform more outside her hometown, and her recordings for the Verve label gained her a worldwide audience. Between 1987 and 2005, Horn had 12 albums on the Billboard jazz charts.  Miles Davis once said that his friend was "long overdue" for recognition, and she won a Grammy Award for an album she did in his memory.  She also received the Billie Holiday Award from the French Academy of Jazz, and was inducted into the Lionel Hampton Jazz Hall of Fame in 1996.  Horn had diabetes for many years, and after her right foot was removed in 2001 due to diabetic complications, she had difficulty with her piano playing, which relied a great deal on the use of the pedal.  However, Horn kept performing until just a few months before her illness made it necessary to enter a nursing home.  Shirley Horn died at the age of 71 on October 20^th, 2005, but her warm and thoughtful style of singing and playing continue to live through her recordings.

Herbie Hancock

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Herbie Hancock. Hancock was born in 1940 in Chicago.  He was a child prodigy in classical piano, and appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony when he was just 11.  After further study, he showed a leaning toward jazz, and got his first break when he worked with trumpeter Donald Byrd.  Hancock was signed to Blue Note Records, and also showed early talent as a composer when his song "Watermelon Man" became a crossover jazz and pop hit thanks to Mongo Santamaria's recording. Hancock joined Miles Davis' group in 1963, and worked with him for five years.  While in the Davis band, Hancock started using electronic keyboards, and eventually formed his own sextet and got into a funkier style.  This led to the hit album "Head Hunters" and other electronic jazz, and also to some disco recordings when that style was popular. Hancock also played acoustic jazz, and after a reunion of the Miles Davis quintet minus Miles in 1976, the group went on tour as V.S.O.P.  This group helped point the way to the acoustic jazz revival of the 1980s that brought on Wynton Marsalis and others of the "young lions" generation. Hancock has continued in several directions with such projects as a "Head Hunters" revival; film music; a CD that treated modern pop songs as "new standards"; the award‑winning "Gershwin's World"; and "Possibilities," which has guest spots from performers ranging from Stevie Wonder to Christina Aguilera.  Herbie Hancock continues to be one of the most versatile players and composers in jazz.

Thursday 2/22

Thelonious Monk

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Thelonious Monk.  Thelonious Sphere Monk was born in North Carolina in 1917 and grew up in New York.  Monk began playing piano at the age of five, and started professionally as accompanist for a touring evangelist.  Monk was lucky enough to have pianist James P. Johnson as a neighbor, and he learned a great deal from hearing him and other stride pianists.  However, Monk showed an ear for advanced harmony and rhythm, and soon became the house pianist at Minton's Playhouse, the legendary cradle of bebop.   In 1944, Cootie Williams' band did the first recording of "Round Midnight," which would become the most famous of Monk's many compositions. When Monk became the pianist for sax legend Coleman Hawkins, some listeners complained about the eccentric new pianist in his band, but Hawkins recognized Monk's genius and stuck by him.  Some people believed that Monk's jagged rhythms and use of large spaces in his solos were signs that he couldn't play, but musicians like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie knew that Monk was actually pioneering a new style of jazz.   Blue Note Records head Alfred Lion brought Monk into the recording studio as a leader, and Monk made other recordings as well, but he had a hard time finding work for some years because he was so far ahead of his time.  However, Monk had great support from his wife Nellie and from his patroness, Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter.   When Monk recorded for Riverside, producer Orrin Keepnews persuaded him to record some standards, and listeners found them more accessible.  In 1957, Monk played New York's Five Spot club with a quartet that included John Coltrane, and this time audiences were more receptive to Monk's innovations.  Monk was finally respected and busy as a pianist, bandleader and composer, and remained that way until the early 1970s. However, Monk suffered from mental illness for much of his life.  As a result of this, he retired from music and went into seclusion in 1973, and performed only occasionally until his death in 1982. Monk's innovative use of rhythm, use of development and very individual harmonies still stand out today, and his compositions have become some of the greatest standards in the jazz repertory.  Most of his recordings remain in print, and in 2005, a live 1958 recording of Monk's quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall was found in the Library of Congress and became a huge seller when put on CD.  Sometimes, the only difference between being considered crazy and being considered a genius is the passage of time, and despite the obstacles in his life, it is gratifying that Thelonious Monk finally got the recognition he deserved while he was still around to enjoy it.

Les McCann

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Les McCann.  McCann was born in 1935 in Lexington, Kentucky.  He taught himself piano as a teenager, and after winning a talent contest in the Navy as a singer in 1956, he appeared on Ed Sullivan's TV show.  McCann became a well-known jazz figure after settling in California, becoming quite popular with his soulful, gospel-influenced style.  McCann, to the surprise of many, turned down a chance to join Cannonball Adderley's quintet so that he could work on his own music.  McCann became famous for his funky piano playing, and recorded a number of albums in the 1960s, both as a leader and with such performers as Gerald Wilson, "Groove" Holmes and Ben Webster.  McCann's appearance with Eddie Harris at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival resulted in the famous album "Swiss Movement," and he performed more in the R & B style through the 1970s, with more emphasis on his singing.  McCann recorded very little for many years, but was still a popular live performer, and had a successful 1994 reunion tour with Eddie Harris. McCann was out of action for a while in the mid-1990s due to a stroke, which hampered his keyboard playing somewhat but which left his singing voice intact.   Since his recovery, McCann has returned to performing and recording.  The name of Les McCann is synonymous with funk for his many fans, and he has shown great courage in his return from what could have been a career-ending illness.

Friday 2/23

Horace Silver

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Horace Silver, who was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1928.   He was born with the name of Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver, and became interested in music after learning Cape Verdean folk music from his father, who was from that island off the coast of West Africa. In high school, Silver studied piano and sax, and was influenced by the blues and boogie-woogie. After Stan Getz engaged his trio to tour with him, he was on his way in jazz.  Silver began his famous series of recordings for Blue Note in 1952, and played with Art Blakey in their cooperative band called the Jazz Messengers, but in 1955 struck out on his own as one of the pioneers of hard bop. His ensembles provided a training ground for stars from Joe Henderson to Tom Harrell, and his many original compositions include such jazz standards as "Sister Sadie," "Song for My Father," and "Nica's Dream." Silver also has an interest in music as a way to promote mental and physical wellness, as shown by such album titles as "Music to Ease Your Disease" and "A Prescription for the Blues."  He has even written a musical, "Rockin' with Rachmaninoff," that was performed in Los Angeles and that has been released on CD.  Silver is still active in his late 70s, and his nickname in his later years became the title of one of his CDs: "The Hard Bop Grandpop."  Silver's autobiography, "Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty," was published in 2006.  In 2005, Silver received the President's Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.  When he won this award, Silver said, "I've tried to do my best to bring you the music that God has given me.  Thankfully, you've accepted it…and hopefully, it will continue to live on, bless, and uplift people."  With his many fine recordings and his continued activity as a musician, Horace Silver will certainly get that wish.

Reuben Wilson

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Reuben Wilson.   Wilson was born in Oklahoma in 1935, but moved to California as a child, and even went to school with two other future musicians, Bobby Hutcherson and Herb Lewis.  Wilson taught himself to play piano as a teenager, but he dropped it for a while to pursue a boxing career.  Wilson moved to Los Angeles and married a nightclub singer.  Mrs. Wilson's musician friends persuaded him to try music again, and so he decided to learn the Hammond B-3 organ.  Wilson became very popular in the L.A. clubs, but he tried his luck in Las Vegas.  When that didn't work out, Wilson came back to Los Angeles and struck up a friendship with the great organist Richard "Groove" Holmes, who became something of a mentor to him.  Wilson later went to New York, where he soon found himself playing with such stars as Roy Haynes and Grant Green.  After Wilson sent a demo to Blue Note Records, they offered him a contract, and he recorded for them from 1968 to 1971, showing a grasp of soul-jazz and of more commercial music.  Wilson recorded sporadically in the 1970s, and left the music business for a while in the 1980s.  However, with the rise of acid jazz and with the rediscovery of soul-jazz by a new generation, Wilson's classic albums became collectors' items, and many were also sampled on pop CDs and on dance floors in both the U.S. and England.   Happily, this new attention brought Wilson back to performing and recording, both with the Guru Jazzmatazz revue in 1995 and as the head of his own groups.  It is heartening to see someone as deserving as Reuben Wilson back in the limelight.

Monday 2/26

Sarah Vaughan

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Sarah Vaughan. "Sassy" was born in 1924 in Newark, New Jersey.  Vaughan started out singing and playing piano in church, but was hired for Earl "Fatha" Hines' legendary big band after she won one of the famed amateur contests at the Apollo Theatre in 1943. However, due to the recording ban of the mid-1940s, Vaughan was not heard on records until she joined Billy Eckstine's band, which also had such luminaries as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Being around these giants of bebop greatly influenced Vaughan's style, and between her near-operatic voice and her sense of musical daring, she became hard to top. Vaughan got to show her vocal stuff in her recordings for the Musicraft and Columbia labels in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  Like the great actress Sarah Bernhardt, she also became known as "The Divine Sarah." Along with her many fine jazz recordings, Vaughan also recorded a huge number of pop hits such as "Tenderly" and "Broken-Hearted Melody" in the 1950s.   Perhaps as a nod to those who thought she could have had a classical career, Vaughan also recorded an extended religious work called "The Mystery of Man", which was set to translations of poetry by Pope John Paul II.   Vaughan's voice grew somewhat deeper over the years so that she could almost sing baritone, but she never lost her great vocal beauty and flexibility, and kept singing until shortly before her death from cancer in 1990. Thanks to the many recordings that she left behind, jazz fans will continue to enjoy and learn from the artistic legacy of the "Divine One," Sarah Vaughan.

Marlena Shaw

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Marlena Shaw, who was born in Valhalla, New York in 1942.  Shaw's uncle was a trumpeter, and he introduced her to music by Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Al Hibbler.  At the age of 10, Shaw made her debut at the Apollo Theatre, but her mother would not allow her to sing on the road with her uncle.  Shaw attended SUNY Potsdam for a while, but dropped out, got married, and sang around New England with a group led by Howard McGhee.  By the mid- 60s, Shaw was working regularly in New York and in the big resorts in the Catskills.  In 1966, she recorded a vocal version of "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" that became a hit single, and she did many recordings of jazz, pop and blues for the Cadet label.  When Count Basie heard about Shaw, he signed her up, and she sang with Basie's big band for four years.  In 1972, Shaw was the first female singer signed to Blue Note Records, although such singers as Sheila Jordan and Dodo Greene had done one-off albums for them; she did five albums and a number of singles for them.  Also in the 70s, Shaw toured in nightclubs with Sammy Davis, Jr.    Shaw recorded some disco and pop-jazz in the 1970s, and returned to her style of R & B-influenced jazz in her recordings for Verve, Concord and 441.  Shaw is a very extroverted and glamorous live performer, and has a large following in this country and overseas, especially in Japan.  At an age when many are considering retirement, Marlena Shaw retains her vocal and personal beauty, as well as her legendary energy and humor.

Tuesday 2/27

B.B. King

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of B.B. King.  Riley King was born in the Mississippi Delta in 1925, and was exposed to blues, country, gospel and jazz in his youth. After working as a sharecropper, he went to Memphis at 21 and learned to play guitar from his cousin, the blues star Bukka White. King went back to the Delta for a while, but soon returned to Memphis and became a disc jockey on the great black radio station WDIA. On radio, King became known as "the Beale Street Blues Boy," but soon shortened his stage name to B.B. King. King began his recording career in 1949, and had his first national hit in 1951. During this time, when a fight in a roadhouse over a woman named Lucille caused a fire, King ran back to the burning building to get his guitar, and barely escaped with his life. After that close call, King named his guitar "Lucille" to remind himself never to do such a foolish thing again, and all King's guitars have had that name ever since. King had to quit his radio job when his hit recordings put him in huge demand around the country, and he has toured regularly ever since. King's excellent guitar playing and expressive vocals made him a favorite with blues audiences, and he made it onto the pop charts in 1969 with his legendary recording of "The Thrill Is Gone." He has recorded with many blues and R & B greats, with rock stars like Eric Clapton, and also with such jazz artists as the Crusaders, Diane Schuur, Gary Burton, and Tony Bennett. King has had to cut back somewhat on touring and recording in recent years due to age and diabetes, but he remains a very well-loved performer, and the name B.B. King has become synonymous with the blues.

Kenny Barron

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Kenny Barron. Barron, a Philadelphia native, was born in 1943, and started classical piano studies as a small child. He got his professional start as a pianist with the Mel Melvin Orchestra, which also included his brother, saxophonist Bill Barron. After working with the legendary drummer Philly Joe Jones, Barron moved to New York City in 1962. In New York, Barron free-lanced with James Moody, Roy Haynes and Lee Morgan. He was soon hired by Dizzy Gillespie on Moody's recommendation, and played for Gillespie for five years. After leaving Dizzy's band, Barron played with other prominent jazz figures such as Stanley Turrentine, Buddy Rich and Yusef Lateef. Lateef encouraged Barron to get a music degree, and he did so through the SUNY Empire State College program, balancing his studies with his touring schedule. Barron soon became a college instructor himself, and taught at Rutgers University from 1973 to 1999, with such illustrious students as saxophonist David Sanchez and vocalist Regina Belle. Since then, he has taught in New York at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. He made his first recording as a leader in 1974, and has since done over 40 LPs and CDs. Barron has played in many small-group settings, and was with Stan Getz for many years until Getz's death. He has also played for many singers, including Abbey Lincoln, Ann Hampton Callaway, Kevin Mahogany, and Jane Monheit. Barron was also the co-founder of Sphere, a quartet that also included Charlie Rouse, Ben Riley and Buster Williams. Sphere disbanded for some years after the death of Charlie Rouse, but has since reunited, with Gary Bartz taking the saxophone chair. Barron continues to perform and to record, and also runs a small jazz label, Joken Records, with artist manager Joanne Klein. Kenny Barron continues to make his mark on the jazz world, both as a player of great taste and skill and as a teacher who passes jazz to a new generation.

Wednesday 2/28

Nat "King" Cole

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Nat "King" Cole.  Nathaniel Coles was born in 1919 in Alabama, but grew up in Chicago, where he started singing in his father's church and got attention as a pianist while in his teens. He made his first recordings in 1936 with his brother Eddie's group, and soon left for Los Angeles, where he formed the Nat "King" Cole Trio, the forerunner of many of today's small jazz groups. Cole gradually became more comfortable as a singer, and had his first big vocal hit with "Sweet Lorraine." Eventually, Cole branched out into doing more popular singing with orchestras, and played less piano than in the past. However, he never entirely abandoned his jazz roots, and returned to the trio format in 1956 with the famous "After Midnight" album. He also recorded with such jazz and big band figures as Count Basie, Stan Kenton and George Shearing, and worked with such jazz singers as Mel Torme and June Christy on his short-lived TV variety show. Cole's warm voice and personality, precise diction and phrasing, and near-flawless pitch combined to make him into one of the greatest of jazz and popular singers. Despite his great popularity and talent, Cole had to fight racism, especially when he had opposition to his moving into a posh white neighborhood in Los Angeles and when he was attacked onstage during a concert in Alabama.  Cole's TV show also had problems getting sponsors due to his race, and did not get the industry support it deserved.  Cole kept going despite such setbacks, and despite criticism from some jazz fans when he attained great fame as a pop singer. His untimely death in 1965 from lung cancer was a blow to the music world. However, his influence continues today in the work of such jazz singers as John Pizzarelli and Diana Krall, as well as in the singing of his brother Freddy Cole and daughter Natalie Cole.  We can be grateful that recordings also continue to show what an exceptional musician Nat Cole was.

Grover Washington, Jr.

WAER salutes Black History Month with the music of Grover Washington, Jr.  This saxophonist was born in Buffalo in 1943, and began his career when he was only 10. While still in his teens, he performed with the Four Clefs. Washington moved to Philadelphia in 1967, where he became part of the musical scene and worked with such soul-jazz figures as Charles Earland and Johnny Hammond Smith. Washington recorded as a sideman on the Prestige label, and got his first big break in 1971 when he took Hank Crawford's place at a recording session. The resulting album, "Inner City Blues," was the first of many big sellers for him. He became a big popular favorite with such albums as "Mister Magic" and "Winelight," plus such singles as "Just The Two Of Us." Washington also appeared as a guest on many jazz and pop recordings, and influenced many younger players who went into pop and smooth jazz.  Although some purists did not care for Washington’s more pop-oriented efforts, he also played some excellent straightahead jazz, and could play soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxes. Washington suffered an unexpected fatal heart attack at the age of 56 in 1999 while taping a TV show.  Nearly a decade after his untimely death, Grover Washington, Jr. continues to be highly influential, and is still one of the most popular instrumentalists in the history of American popular music.

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