Results for "Grady Tate"

Grady Tate

Born in Durham, N.C., Grady Tate began singing at age four and he began playing drums at age five. For the past three decades his distinctive sound has graced literally hundreds of recordings with world-renowned artists such as Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith, Lionel Hampton, Stan Getz, Pearl Bailey, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Della Reese, Sarah Vaughan, Michael LeGrand, Lalo Schrifin, and Andre Previn. He graduated from North Carolina Central University with a degree in English literature/drama and a minor in Psychology. He taught English and Speech in Washington, DC, but his desire to pursue an acting career lead him to New York City and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts

Rahsaan Roland Kirk: An Alternative Top Ten Albums Guaranteed To Bend Your Head

By CHRIS MAY

Jazz musicians are rarely called shamanistic but the description fits Rahsaan Roland Kirk precisely. Clad in black leather trousers and heavy duty shades (he was blind from the age of two), a truckload of strange looking horns strung round his neck--two or three of which he often played simultaneously—twisting, shaking and otherwise contorting his body, stamping ...

Steve Khan: A Rich Discography and A Priceless Left Hand

By JIM WORSLEY

The life and times of guitarist extraordinaire Steve Khan stretch through a high volume of evolving chapters that fuse together like the passages of a finely crafted arrangement. An expansive conversation with Khan touched on a variety of memories. Still, this is perhaps the Reader's Digest version of the seventy-three years old musician and composer's remarkable ...

Atlantic Records: More Giant Steps: An Alternative Top 20 Albums

By CHRIS MAY

Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun's Atlantic Records differs in one key respect from Prestige, Riverside, Impulse!, Strata-East and Flying Dutchman, the most prominent labels covered so far in this Building A Jazz Library series. Those labels' discographies consist almost exclusively of jazz. Atlantic had parallel interests in soul and rhythm-and-blues and, later, rock. This had consequences, as ...

A Jazz Immuno-Booster: Part 3

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

The suggestions from musicians eager to share, in these trying times, the music they turn to when they need to uplift or sooth their souls keep pouring in. Here's the third volume of this immuno-booster jazz mix-tape series, featuring a compelling mix of jazz masters, contemporary jazz guitar heroes, latin tinge, soul and new gospel.

Bending Towards the Light

By MARY FOSTER CONKLIN

This week's episode includes a smattering of old and new holiday songs penned by women, a boatload of new releases from vocalists Alex Pangman, Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch and Klea Blackhurst, Alla Ray, Alison Wedding, pianists Hyuna Park, Simone Baron and Carmen Sandim, trombonist Aubrey Logan and bassist Kristen Korb, plus birthday shout outs to Ethel ...

US Military Service Bands: Histories & Heroes

By CHRIS M. SLAWECKI

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 US Air Force Airmen of Note The premier jazz ensemble of the US Air Force, the Airmen of Note is one of six musical ensembles that comprise The US Air Force Band. Created in 1950 to continue the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces ...

Mark Walker: You Get What You Give

By LJUBINKO ZIVKOVIC

Often, there is a tendency among jazz fans to simply pass by albums with drummers as the leaders of a CD release, as if they--the drummer/leaders--know less about jazz or music in general. As if examples of Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Max Roach or those excellent vocal albums by Grady Tate are not good enough examples. ...

Onaje Allan Gumbs: Dare To Dream

By LA-FAITHIA WHITE

Onaje Allan Gumbs is a New York based pianist, composer, lyricist, and bandleader. Gumbs' professional career began in 1971 when Leroy Kirkland introduced him to Kenny Burrell, by sharing a demo tape. The next day Gumbs received a phone call to play with Burrell at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit. Onaje, (Gumbs) talks about the beginnings ...

Gary McFarland: The In Sound & Soft Samba

By ROB CALDWELL

Arranger, vibraphonist and singer Gary McFarland is regarded as one of the major purveyors of orchestral jazz--a type of jazz which had its heyday in the 1960s, but which is not heard as much anymore. A fine line separates orchestral jazz from the dreaded “easy listening" tag. A line so fine, they're often one and the ...