Irving Berlin composer 1888 Temun Russia
Irving Berlin, along with George Gershwin, ColePorter, Jerome Kern, and Richard Rodgers, will go into the history books as one of the greatest American popular composers ever. He came out of what was known as"Tin Pan Alley", as a song plugger, and went on to write music that is known and loved all over the world. He was probably the most prolific of all the American composers. Irving wrote hundreds of songs during his lifetime, and it's probably safe to say, scores of them became famous, and are what we know as "standards". His most famous song is "White Christmas" that was first recorded by Bing Crosby. White Christmas is one of the most popular, if not the most popular song ever written and recorded. A close second would be his "God Bless America". Berlin also wrote Broadway shows, such as "This Is The Army" . All are important parts of American music and culture. To simply make a list of Berlin's scores and shows would take up more room than we have in "Today In Jazz", but if you're a radio music listener, (excluding rock and rap) it's doubtful you can go through the day without hearing some of Irving Berlin's work. A true American treasure.
Carla Bley piano 1938 Oakland CA
Composer, bandleader and keyboard player, Carla was taught the fundmentals of music by her father, who was a church musician, but is otherwise self-taught. While still in her teens she moved to New York, where she worked intermittently as a pianist and cigarette girl in several different clubs. She wrote jazz tunes for musicians such as George Russell , Jimmy Giuffre, and Paul Bley, to whom she was married at the time. In 1964,she and Mike antler, her second husband, formed The Jazz Composers Guild Orchestra. In 1966 Carla helped form The Jazz Composer's Orchestra Association, a non-profit organization which commissions, produces, and distributes commercially unviable jazz. Carla first gained public notariety with her composition " A Genuine Tong Funeral" that was recorded with the Gary Burton quartet in 1967. She also composed and arranged "Liberation Music Orchestra" in 1969 for the Charlie Haden group. She composed the jazz opera ,"Escalator Over The Hill" , in 1971, which is considered to be her most significant work. This work was exceptionally well received by the public and the jazz press, leading to several composing grants. Carla has been leading her own ten-piece band for many years, performing, recording and on occasion, touring. Carla is an indifferent keyboard/ piano player, but an outstanding jazz composer with a wide range of styles at her command.
King Oliver cornet 1885 Abend LA
Oliver's original instrument was thought to be the trombone, but the trumpet was the horn he played when he began working as a musician from about 1907. He played in brass bands, dance bands, and in various small groups in New Orleans bars and dance-halls. In 1918 Joe moved to Chicago where he aquired his nickname, and in 1920 began to lead his own band. In 1921 Joe took a brief trip to the West Coast and then returned to Chicago where he began an engagement at Lincoln Gardens as King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Shortly after the opening, 22 year old Louis Armstrong joined the band as 2nd cornetist. This band was made up of many musicians who would become legends in the world of jazz; Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Honore Dutrey (trombone), Lil Harden (piano), Baby Dodds (drums), and Bill Johnson on Bass. Many young white jazz musicians had the opportunity to hear them live for the first time. Oliver also began to record at this time. By 1924 the band had reorganized and was known as the Dixie Syncopators, and 2 or3 saxophones had been added. Barney Bigard and Albert Nicholas were two of the saxophonists. The band played a brief but successful gig at the Savoy Ballroom in New York in May, 1927, and then disbanded. Oliver stayed in New York and continued to perform and record with various bands. Also with various bands, he toured extensively from 1930 to 1936. He made no recordings after 1931, and spent the final months of his life in Savannah, retired from music. Oliver is generally considered one of the most important musicians in the New Orleans style. His clipped melodic style contrasted from the deliberate irregularity of the younger Armstrong. He was especially renowned for hia wa-wa effects, best heard in his famous recordings of "Dipper Mouth Blues" and "Sugar Foot Stomp". Both tunes were big hits and became jazz standards. In contrast to his near- contemporaries Freddie Keppard and Bunk Johnson, Oliver played superbly with his ensemble, and was an excellent leader. Shortly after Joe Oliver died there was a revival of the New Orleans style, and many feel this was a result of the recordings he had made with his Creole Jazz Band, which were internationally known by the 1940s. After around 1924 the quality of Oliver's work began to fade, partly because of continuing tooth and gum ailments, and partly because his style hadn't changed like that of the younger sidemen he was now hiring. Oliver'a influence is hard to assess; his playing during his New Orleans period, which many feel was his best, was never recorded, and by the mid '20s his style had been largely superceded by Louis Armstrong. He did, however, have a very strong influence on such players as Bubber Miley, Muggsy Spanier, Johnny Dunn, and Tommy Ladnier, who managed to remain apart from Armstrong's influence. His influence on Armstrong, however, cannot be denied. Oliver is credited with the composition of many tunes on record, but how many he actually did compose is not known. Joe Oliver died in 1938.
