Jazzin’Around Naima

Dave Valentin @NY Times: The jazz flutist Dave Valentin has toured the world as a headliner, playing with everyone from Tito Puente to McCoy Tynerr, but he always returns to the Bronx, where he was born 59 years ago. Home is a modest one-story bachelor pad in Harding Park, a hidden waterfront stretch of winding streets, close neighbors — and the occasional crowing rooster — better known as Little Puerto Rico.

Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys @ 45-rpm.org.uk : Johnny Duncan and the Blue Grass Boys are now regularly classified as participants in the skiffle craze that hit the UK at the end of the 1950s. In fact Johnny Duncan had a much more distinctive sound than any regular skiffler and his choice of material was closer to true ‘Hillbilly’ country music than was being played in any of London’s coffee bars of the day.

Oscar Castro-Neves : Not surprisingly, major media critics have been lavish in their praise of Oscar. In a review of his performance with saxophonist Joe Henderson, Reuben Jackson of The Washington Post wrote, “The enthusiasm and beauty of guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves seemed to ignite fires beneath the ensemble.” Britt Robson of The Star Tribune commented that “It was apparent that guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves was a collaborative catalyst who expertly shaded the tone and spurred the creativity of everyone around him.” And Don Heckman of The Los Angeles Times wrote that “Castro-Neves was present in Rio at the birth of Bossa Nova in the ’50s, and he is one of the most proficient players of the deceptively complex guitar rhythms that are the music’s heartbeat. His instrumental rendering of ‘Manhã de Carnaval’ (from the film Black Orpheus), was an exquisite updating of the familiar theme; and his vocal/guitar interpretation of Antonio Carlos Jobim‘s ‘Waters of March,’ one of the most remarkable songs of the 20th Century, brilliantly displayed its gripping, stream-of-consciousness qualities.”

Mike Manieri : In 1962, he joined the ground-breaking jazz/rock group Jeremy & the Satyrs led by flutist Jeremy Steig. The Satyrs appeared at New York’s Club A-GoGo, and performed with such monumental figures as Frank Zappa, Richie Havens and Jimi Hendrix. During the late ‘60s, this small circle of performers grew into what became known as the White Elephant Orchestra, a 20-piece, all-star, experimental ensemble. The group featured such soloists Michael Brecker, Ronny Cuber, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff and Randy Brecker.

Dave Gruisin Archive : Impeccable musicianship is another attribute identified by many. In 2000 star guitarist Lee Ritenour, citing how most performers lose a few steps over the years, pointed out, “In his compositions, piano playing, orchestrating and arranging, his musicianship has been consistent, and he’s better than ever these days.”

Hossam Ramzy : A move to Saudi Arabia led him to joining with many Bedouin tribes which gave the young Hossam a rich insight into the cultural origins of Middle Eastern music and became the inspiration for many of his later rhythmic directions. In the mid 1970’s Hossam came to England, and enjoyed great success as a Jazz drummer working with many respected Jazz musicians like Andy Sheperd and Geoff Williams. But as he began looking for new dimensions of percussive sounds, he found himself turning full circle back to his first love, the Egyptian Drums, and the thrilling dance rhythms of the Middle East. Hossam then encorporated all his rhythmic experience into creating a new sound that is heard on hundreds of the world leading albums recorded today.

Sonny Rollins : Miles Davis was an early Sonny Rollins fan and in his autobiography wrote that he “began to hang out with Sonny Rollins and his Sugar Hill Harlem crowd…anyway, Sonny had a big reputation among a lot of the younger musicians in Harlem. People loved Sonny Rollins up in Harlem and everywhere else. He was a legend, almost a god to a lot of the younger musicians. Some thought he was playing the saxophone on the level of Bird. I know one thing–he was close. He was an aggressive, innovative player who always had fresh musical ideas. I loved him back then as a player and he could also write his ass off…”

McCoy Tynerr : In 1965, after over five years with Coltrane’s quartet, Tyner left the group to explore his destiny as a composer and bandleader. Among his major projects is a 1967 album entitled The Real McCoy, on which he was joined by saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Ron Carter and fellow Coltrane alumnus Elvin Jones. His 1972 Grammy-award nomination album Sahara, broke new ground by the sounds and rhythms of Africa. Since 1980, he has also arranged his lavishly textured harmonies for a big band that performs and records when possible. In the late 1980s, he mainly focused on his piano trio featuring Avery Sharpe on bass and Aarron Scott on drums. Today, this trio is still in great demand. He returned to Impulse in 1995, with a superb album featuring Michael Brecker. In 1996 he recorded a special album with the music of Burt Bacharach. In 1998 he changed labels again and recorded an interesting latin album and an album featuring Stanley Clarke for TelArc.

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