Tommy Dorsey: Jazz Superstar

Tommy Dorsey had a brief life, but during those years he accomplished a lot in the world of jazz. He was born in 1905 and died in 1956, at the age of 51. Tommy and his brother Jimmy were both successful jazz band leaders. The two brothers performed together often, until a falling out in 1935. The two did not speak to each other for many years. By 1953, the Dorsey Brothers took on television projects, including working with Jackie Gleason.

Over the years, many legendary performers were part of Dorsey's band, including Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra (1940-1942), Nelson Riddle, Doc Severinsen, Louie Bellson, Buddy Rich and more. It was said that Frank Sinatra learned breath control after watching Dorsey's technique on the trombone. Between 1941 and 1951, Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra appeared in ten films. He had an incredible amount of Billboard hits, numbering 286, with 17 number one hits in the 1930s and 1940s. Dorsey was known as a perfectionist with a short temper. He would "steal" performers that he liked from other bands and put them in his own. He was married three times.

A prime example of a Tommy Dorsey big band classic can be seen here. The song "Well Git It" was a showcase for Dorsey's collection of talented performers. The song had a drum solo, a clarinet solo, a solo featuring dueling pianos and alternating trumpet solos. The vitality of this music made it exciting and contagious for listeners. Buddy Rich performed this song on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, with Doc Severinsen and the band.

*Information from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey and https://www.biography.com/people/tommy-dorsey-9277676.

Bria Skonberg: A New, Vibrant Addition to the World of Jazz

Music festivals are a perfect way to discover new talent. A few years ago I noticed the contagious, unique and exciting sound of the Southern Rock group that opened for the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd at Lansing's Common Ground Festival. The group was Blackberry Smoke and I have been a fan ever since.

The musical genre of jazz is appreciated by small numbers of fans in North America. This music is much more popular in Europe or Asia. The good thing about this is that North Americans can attend jazz festivals and performances for a low price.

This past weekend I attended the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing, Michigan. Admission is free and one can enjoy 2 days of excellent jazz performances. As the home of Michigan State University, this town has developed into an area that attracts some top-notch jazz artists. One key factor for this is the school's jazz department, and their impressive faculty. The jazz faculty at MSU is comprised of seasoned veterans who have appeared with some of the top performers at some of the world's most hallowed venues. Due to their connections, they are able to attract the biggest names in jazz to work as artists-in-residence and clinicians at the university. Find out more about them here.

I had heard about a trumpet player performing at the festival. As a brass player myself, I decided to take in her show. Trumpet player/singer/songwriter Bria Skonberg took the stage with her band at the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival and captivated the crowd. Her versatility is what was impressive. With the appearance of a Nordic supermodel and a bubbly, playful personality to match, she turns heads. However, it is her old-school way of singing mixed with her confident trumpet playing that makes for a Big Easy gumbo that is a feast for the ears. She has an appreciation for the past, but yet keeps a foot in the present as well. She has mentioned Louis Armstrong and Anita O'Day as 2 of her influences. Hailing originally from British Columbia, Canada she has lived in the Big Apple since 2010. At age 31, she has appeared at over 50 jazz festivals around the globe.

The Wall Street Journal exclaimed the she is "poised to be one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation." She plays New Orleans jazz like the Louis Armstrong disciple that has made her unique. She is an award-winning artist who has been lauded by DownBeat magazine. She played with filmmaker/clarinet player Woody Allen in his Dixieland jazz band at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City.

Her albums include "Fresh", "So is the Day" and "Into your Own". She put her own interpretation on the 1996 pop single "Lovefool" by The Cardigans. She performs the classic "Come On A-My House" with a style that matches the original by Rosemary Clooney. She performs some of her singles such as "Won't You Come Out and Play" and "Wear and Tear" with a sense of mischief and whimsy that will captivate anyone who appreciates the work of a fine artist. She takes a standard like "Tea for Two" and transforms it into a piece that sports a contemporary flair.

She is a fan of standup comedy, and sees the similarity between the struggle of a comic and that of a jazz musician. She is working on putting the routines of the legendary George Carlin to music.

Here's what one critic said of this impressive new artist.

“Bria Skonberg’s new CD is like a breath of fresh air in a stuffy room…She has a voice that is pure and almost little girl in quality except on bluesey items where she displays some of the authority of Dinah Washington…This is a totally fun album and very contagious. There is never a dull moment…most of all there is the bright, inquisitive talents and spirit of Bria Skonberg who promises to be a mighty musical force.”
- Marcia Hillman, New York Jazz Record

Samples of her music, You Tube links, photos and other press materials can be found here.

*Some information from http://jwpjazz.com/bria_skonberg.html, http://centrum.org/2013/03/bria-skonberg-working-hard-and-staying-humble/ and Lansing City Pulse from June 17, 2015.

The Career of Jazz Artist Jack Sheldon

Generation X people will no doubt remember the Saturday morning "Schoolhouse Rock" animated segments from the 1970's. Two of the most popular cartoons were "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill". The voice on those was provided by Jack Sheldon. He has voiced spoofs of those characters for "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy". He is also the voice of the character Louie the Lightning Bug. Many may not know about the life of Sheldon, who is much more than just the "Schoolhouse Rock" guy. He is a respected jazz trumpet player/singer. At 82 years old, he lives in the Hollywood Hills and still performs in jazz clubs as a singer/trumpet player. He was Merv Griffin's sidekick/trumpet player for his long running daytime talk show.

Sheldon has dabbled in the world of acting, appearing as the star of the 1966 TV show "Run Buddy Run". He also appeared in the 1976 film "Freaky Friday". He was in the 1991 film "For the Boys" with Bette Midler and James Caan. He had roles in legendary TV series such as "Adam 12", "Petticoat Junction" and "Dragnet".

He has played trumpet on many TV soundtracks such as "Moonlighting", "The Munsters" and "In the Heat of the Night". He played trumpet on many film soundtracks including "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

In 2008 a documentary was released about his life called "Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon". The film talked about his struggles with substance abuse and his turbulent life. It featured appearances by Billy Crystal, Clint Eastwood, Dom DeLuise and Sheldon's former boss, Merv Griffin.

He suffered a stroke in 2011 and needed to learn to play his trumpet with his left hand. Read about his return to performing in November of 2013 here.


Some information from www.imdb.com.

Wynton Marsalis Joins the Cast of "60 Minutes"

The CBS news magazine show "60 Minutes" has covered important news stories, dating back to its inception in 1968. TV Guide ranked it as the 6th best TV program in history. The list of correspondents reads like a who's who of broadcast journalism legends; Mike Wallace, Harry Reasoner, Andy Rooney, Ed Bradley, Walter Cronkite and more. In addition to their hard news stories, the program has also profiled giants from the world of entertainment.

This Sunday, tune in for the inaugural story by their new culture correspondent, jazz trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis. He profiles jazz pianist Marcus Roberts. Overcoming the obstacle of going blind at age 5, Roberts studied music at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. He now is a jazz professor at Florida State University. Roberts, like Marsalis, has become an authority on the history of jazz. The pair travel back to Roberts' former school to perform for the students. Roberts has an inspirational message to the students. Watch an excerpt here. Marsalis should be a good addition to the show. He has been a tireless cheerleader for the genre of jazz. Growing up in New Orleans, Marsalis is part of a highly musical family, and since the 1980s he has impressed audiences around the world with his performances. He has been a contributor for "CBS Sunday Morning" and PBS jazz specials.

Some information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes.

Frank Zappa: Avant-Garde Musician

Great art is all about taking chances. Some art fails, some art succeeds, but those who take big chances are to be applauded. Avant-garde artists are experimental or innovative, pushing the boundaries of the status quo. Few musical artists have taken chances like Frank Zappa. His music is hard to categorize: jazz, rock, classical, blues, psychedelic, fusion, with a healthy dose of satire and humor thrown in. He only lived for 52 years, from 1940 to 1993, dying from prostate cancer complications. But, during those years he released 62 albums and 35 were released after his death. His first release was "Freak Out!" in 1966. He had 2 gold records in the US during his life, "Over-Nite Sensation" (1973) and "Apostrophe" (1974). His best known singles include "Valley Girl", "Peaches En Regalia" and "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow". He has no formal training in music and attended community college briefly but dropped out. He liked music of all genres, not confining him to narrow choices. Zappa made music on his own terms, doing what pleased him, not looking for mass appeal. Paul McCartney said that Zappa influenced him to make "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band". Countless musicians were influenced by Zappa's seemingly endless creativity. Rolling Stone magazine named Zappa as the 71st best artist of all time. The same magazine voted him as the 22nd best guitarist of all time. Guitar Player magazine devoted an issue to him in 1992. Here's a quote from Rolling Stone's Illustrated History of Rock and Roll:

"Frank Zappa was one of the first to try tearing down the barriers between rock, jazz, and classical music. In the late Sixties his Mothers of Invention would slip from Stravinsky's "Petroushka" into The Dovells' "Bristol Stomp" before breaking down into saxophone squeals inspired by Albert Ayler."

In 1985, Zappa gained media attention for his testimony before the US Senate regarding the actions of the PMRC (Parent's Music Resource Center). The PRMC was against music which contained sexual or satanic content. Zappa saw this as the road to censorship, and claimed that musicians have the right to make whatever music they want. The following is an excerpt from Zappa's testimony:

"The PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal's design. It is my understanding that, in law, First Amendment issues are decided with a preference for the least restrictive alternative. In this context, the PMRC's demands are the equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation ... The establishment of a rating system, voluntary or otherwise, opens the door to an endless parade of moral quality control programs based on things certain Christians do not like. What if the next bunch of Washington wives demands a large yellow "J" on all material written or performed by Jews, in order to save helpless children from exposure to concealed Zionist doctrine?"

In 1987, Zappa received a Grammy award for his album "Jazz from Hell". Like many unique artists, Zappa's work was more appreciated in Europe than in the United States. A bust of Zappa's likeness is in Lithuania as well as in Germany. Berlin named a street after him. He was truly a renaissance man, composing, producing, and performing music, directing films and music videos, and designing album covers. In 1995 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was a political figure, fighting for freedom and the abolition of censorship. Zappa's significant impact in the world of music will always be remembered.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_zappa

Music: The Soundtrack of our Lives

Some people limit themselves to only one type of music. I have never understood this. Some only like heavy metal, some only like country or blues. I think that there are outstanding musicians in every genre, so no way would I want to limit myself to just one type of music. Often times one can learn about one type of music by listening to another type that is related. Country fans may get introduced to bluegrass or Southern Rock by way of country artists that may discuss their influences.

Listening to just one kind of music for one's life would be like only eating Italian food, never to taste a burrito or a serving of sweet and sour shrimp. Some are passionate about food, or playing sports, or fishing. For me, music has always been my passion. The only thing that comes close is my interest in film.

In the 1970s, I was introduced to much of my favorite music by way of my 4 older brothers. I looked up to all of them in many ways. I recall some of their 45 rpm records included some by Michael Jackson ("Rockin' Robin"), The Beatles ("Day Tripper"), and Chicago ("Saturday in the Park"). I recall listening to those as well as finding some musicians I liked such as ELO, Barry Manilow (my brothers teased me endlessly about listening to his music), and The Bee Gees. It was the 1970s after all. I recall that one of my first vinyl albums was "Out of the Blue" by Electric Light Orchestra. I was transfixed by the cover art of a spaceship. I think back to the carefree days of listening to "Disco Inferno" by The Tramps while sitting on my bunk bed reading magazines.

The music of the 1980s will always be sentimental to me since those were the years I was in junior high, high school, and most of college. Most people look back on music from those formative years as the best music they have heard since those songs provided the soundtrack for many of the most important happenings in our lives. I will always like Van Halen, Rush, Beastie Boys, Duran Duran and so much of the music from that period. Some of my classmates in high school liked Rush very much so I got into their music as well. I was envious of the kids who witnessed a live concert by Beastie Boys and had the t-shirts to prove it. Back then we had more time to pay attention to music. We did not have the worries that grown ups do such as concerns about our job, finances, or marriage/kids. Music, movies and TV shows of the 1980s will always be important to me. I cannot hear Chicago's "You're the Inspiration" without taking me back to the days of listening to that song over and over on my Sony Walkman cassette player. I would listen to it and think of the girl I had a crush on. "Purple Rain" by Prince and Foreigner's "I Wanna Know What Love Is" will always be bittersweet to me. Those songs were the ones I recall playing at the high school dances after the football and basketball games. In the small town high school cafeteria, those songs would blast through the speakers, and as an adolescent boy there were so many girls I wanted to ask to dance, but seldom had the guts to do so. Nevertheless, those songs make me think of missed opportunities fueled by my feelings of self doubt. One of the best fast songs that was played at the dance was Morris Day and The Time's "The Bird". Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science" takes me back to high school the minute I hear it as well as The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian". Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was such a phenomenon during the 1980s. I don't know if I will ever experience another musical artist who possessed his raw talent. In 1988, I was a counselor at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and some of my campers were hardcore Led Zeppelin fans, and I became one as well. I can't hear Van Halen's OU812 album without thinking of that fantastic summer.

The music of Beastie Boys led me to appreciate music by Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, The Fat Boys, Kid and Play, Young MC, Tone Loc, and so many more. I recall in 1990-91, that was the time of MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice and 3rd Bass. I still listen to 3rd Bass ("The Gas Face", "Pop Goes the Weasel") a lot, as well as the solo projects put out by members MC Serch and Prime Minister Pete Nice. Around 1992 I began to lose interest in rap since it became all about glamorizing crime, and degrading women. Other than Beastie Boys, I do not follow the rap that is currently being released. Rap in the 1980s was simply about having fun.

The early 1990s saw the rise of hard rock groups like Dangerous Toys, Slaughter and many others I still enjoy. This was a period of decline for the "Hair bands" like Motley Crue, Poison and Cinderella. The grunge period happened and with it we learned about Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and others. I like all of these groups, and the movie Singles, written and directed by Cameron Crowe, was all about this period. Some members of the grunge groups had small parts in that film.

In the mid-1990s I discovered country music when I heard "Chattahoochie" by Alan Jackson. I became a fan of his as well as Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, Sammy Kershaw, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, and so many more. Travis Tritt became my favorite country artist who I have seen perform 5 times, and through him I learned of his love for Southern Rock such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Charlie Daniels and the like. Travis also greatly was influenced by the country outlaws like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Hank Williams Jr. My love of country music led me to not only discover Southern Rock, but bluegrass as well.

I think it was 1997 where the world embraced ska music by artists like Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, and No Doubt. I had enjoyed the ska of the group Madness in the 1980s but never explored the genre much until the late 1990s. I came to really enjoy the fun, upbeat music that has horns and often a tongue-in-cheek attitude. 1998 saw the rise of big band music like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Brian Setzer Orchestra, and Squirrel Nut Zippers. Big band music was nothing new, but these groups brought back the sound that was popular when my parents were growing up in the 1930s and 1940s. Being a "band geek" and a fan of horns, I enjoyed it. I also have always had great admiration for the group Chicago and their amazing horn section.

The 1990s and into the 2000s saw the rise of alternative rock like Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, System of a Down, Disturbed, and others. Depending on my mood sometimes I like the aggression and intensity of this music, also some heavy metal bands like Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica, and Stuck Mojo. Music like that can provide great motivation if one is exercising. This period of the 1990s and into the 2000s also saw the rise of punk bands like Blink 182, Green Day and Good Charlotte and I like their music a lot.

At around age 35, in 2005, I started to lose interest in much of the music that was being played on the radio. I delved deeper into classic rock of the 1970s and 1980s. I think that most people eventually lose interest in current music.

One day I might feel like listening to lots of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Allman Brothers. The next day it may be lots of ska like Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish. Some days it's all country like Travis Tritt and Sammy Kershaw. Maybe I feel like lots of Buddy Rich or Harry Connick Jr. Anyway, there are many "flavors" of music out there. Don't limit yourself to just one, try them all. There's only 2 types of music, good and bad.