The Rhythm Bombers of Manassas High - Charles Lloyd, George Coleman, Harold Mabern

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On September 20, 2019, tenor giant Charles Lloyd wrote, "I am quite at a loss to express the acute pain I feel learning about the departure of my brother and long time friend, Harold Mabern. This hits very close to home—we go back to the early 1950s when we were both members of the Rhythm Bombers at Manassas High in Memphis-along with Frank Strozier, [and] Booker Little.... Matthew Garrett (Dee Dee Bridgewater's father) was our music director. Jimmie Lunceford started the music program at Manassas and it had a very rich tradition. George Coleman and Hank Crawford had gone there just before us."

Booker Little died at 23. Great hard-bop altoist Frank Strozier left the music scene thirty years ago. Charles Lloyd, George Coleman and pianist Harold Mabern recorded some of the best music in their careers in the past decade. While Mabern passed in 2019, Lloyd and Coleman are still active players. Recent work from the Rhythm Bombers of Manassas High in this hour of Jazz at 100 Today!

Playlist

• Host Intro 0:00
• Charles Lloyd Quartet "La Llorona" from Mirror (ECM) 3:10
• Charles Lloyd New Quartet "Passin' Thru" from Passin' Thru (Blue Note) 8:42
• Host speaks 16:01
• Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran duo "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" from Hagar's Song. (ECM) 17:05
• George Coleman, Mike LeDonne duo "These Foolish Things" from A Master Speaks (Smoke Sessions) 20:40
• Host speaks 28:41
• Charles Lloyd "Shenandoah" from I Long to See You (Blue Note) 30:38
• Charles Lloyd & The Marvels + Lucinda Williams "Angel" from Vanishing Gardens (Blue Note) 36:56
• Host speaks 42:48
• Harold Mabern Quartet with Freddie Hendrix "The Gigolo" from To Love and Be Loved (Smoke Sessions) 45:12
• George Coleman Quartet "Along Came Betty" from The Quartet (Smoke Sessions) 51:22
• Host Outro 57:11

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