Toys For Them

Rashaan Roland Kirk: J.E. Berendt said that Kirk had “all the wild untutored quality of a street musician coupled with the subtlety of a modern jazz musician”, and Michael Ullman wrote: “Hearing him, one can almost feel that music, like the Lord in ‘Shine On Me’, can ‘heal the sick and raise the dead’.”

Shirley Scott discography by Doug Payne : She was married to the late, great tenor sax player Stanley Turrentine (1961-71) and the two made some of their finest music – together – for the Blue Note, Prestige, Impulse and Atlantic labels. Her playing consistently possessed one of the most graceful and lyrical touches applied to the bulky B-3. But it was her deeply-felt understanding of the blues and gospel that made her playing most remarkable.

Ernesto Lecuona : Ernesto Lecuona was the most important musician in Cuban musical life during the first half of the 20th century. Born in Guanabacoa, a suburb of Havana, in 1895, Lecuona first established himself as an outstanding pianist, graduating from the National Conservatory with the Gold Medal in performance at the age of seventeen. He went to New York City to concertize and there, in 1916, made his first public appearance outside of Havana.International success as a pianist occurred seven years later, once more in New York but by then composition had become his primary musical activity.

Los Fakires @ Amazon : Unlike the faux-mythical Buena Vista Social Club, Los Fakires is a Cuban band that actually existed before the band members walked into the studio. Formed in 1962, these veterans of Cuba’s hotel circuit are a spare-sounding quintet that specializes in the same son, guaracha, and bolero traditionals as their more famous Cuban musical brethren.

Clifford Jordan : 1969 was time of change throughout the world, and Europe was becoming a hotbed for American jazz. This led Clifford Jordan to move with his wife and daughter from Brooklyn to Belgium. That year, he played there as well as throughout Africa. But the pull of the States was strong, and he returned in 1970, and started leading his own groups in clubs across the country.

The Dramatics : When Motown purchased Wingate, Motown staff producer, Don Davis went south to Stax/Volt and took the group with him. The group suffered through a series of growing pains before settling into its permanent lineup, fronted by original member Ron Banks and later recruit L. J. Reynolds. Davis chose to curtain his production pace to pursue other business opportunities enabling others, i.e., Tony Hester, who wrote “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” as well as Banks and Reynolds to assume production reins.

Jude Johnstone : Johnstone immersed herself in songwriting and has enjoyed a successful career for more than 20 years. Her songs have been praised and covered by an impressive list of artists including Emmylou Harris (Hold On), Stevie Nicks (Cry Wolf), Bonnie Raitt (Wounded Heart), Jennifer Warnes (The Nightingale), Bette Midler (The Girl is On To You), Trisha Yearwood (Hearts in Armor), and Johnny Cash (Unchained), the title cut to his 1997 Grammy-winning album. Johnstone also wrote the number 1 song, “The Women Before Me,” for Trisha Yearwood’s debut CD, which was recognized with a BMI Songwriters Award.

Nelson Gonçalves @ Wikipedia : Nelson Gonçalves had a very productive collaboration with lyricist Adelino Moreira and recorded numerous successful albums. One of the great crooners of the day, he gained an international following and appeared at venues such as Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Nelson sold more than 62 million albums around the globe and is the second best-selling Brazilian artist of all time, behind Roberto Carlos (77 million).

[/toggle]