Results for "Los Angeles"

Jeff Clayton

Born: February 16, 1954

Born in 1955, alto saxophonist and multi-reed instrumentalist Jeff Clayton began his career as both a touring and studio musician. Clayton studied oboe and English Horn at California State University Northridge, completed three and one half years of study, and was asked to join Stevie Wonder’s band while attending college, where he spent three years recording and touring with the popular music giant.

Following Jeff’s association with Stevie Wonder he recorded with Gladys Knight, Kenny Rogers, Michael Jackson, Patti Labelle, Earth, Wind & Fire and Madonna. On Madonna’s recording Back in Business, Jeff was nominated for a Grammy® for best Pop soloist. In 1977 John and Jeff Clayton founded The Clayton Brothers Quartet with his brother, later to become the Clayton Brothers Quintet adding and featuring Terell Stafford on trumpet.

John Clayton

Born: August 20, 1952

John Clayton is a natural born multitasker. The multiple roles in which he excels—composer, arranger, conductor, producer, educator, and yes, extraordinary bassist—garner him a number of challenging assignments and commissions. With a Grammy on his shelf and eight additional nominations, artists such as Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, McCoy Tyner, Milt Jackson, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Dr. John, Queen Latifah, and Charles Aznevour vie for a spot on his crowded calendar.

He began his bass career in elementary school playing in strings class, junior orchestra, high school jazz band, orchestra, and soul/R&B groups. In 1969, at the age of 16, he enrolled in bassist Ray Brown's jazz class at UCLA, beginning a close relationship that lasted more than three decades. After graduating from Indiana University's School of Music with a degree in bass performance in 1975, he toured with the Monty Alexander Trio (1975-77), the Count Basie Orchestra (1977-79), and settled in as principal bassist with the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam, Netherlands (1980-85). He was also a bass instructor at The Royal Conservatory, The Hague, Holland from 1980-83.

Clora Bryant

Born: May 30, 1929

One of the last living musicians of the Be-Bop jazz era is a exceptional woman who mentors the next generation of jazz players. Clora Bryant toured with Billie Holiday, and she is the only woman trumpet player who ever recorded with Dizzy Gillespie and played with Charlie Parker. Though she had a long and remarkable career, she never became well known to the general public. Bryant's love affair with the trumpet started when she was a high school junior in 1941 in Denison, Texas. After her brother was drafted into the army, Clora Bryant picked up the trumpet he left behind and started playing day and night

Ron Boustead

Ron Boustead first emerged on the jazz scene in Cincinnati, Ohio in the early 1980s, where he recorded his initial solo LP, “First Light” with the Steve Schmidt trio for Mopro Records. It was a hard-swinging outing featuring lyrics Ron had written to solos and compositions by jazz greats like Chet Baker, Clare Fischer, Chick Corea and Freddy Hubbard. His vocalese version of “Autumn Leaves” landed him in heavy rotation on national jazz radio. As a fan and student of Mark Murphy, Boustead delved deeply into the be-bop repertoire, which he brought with him when he moved to Los Angeles in 1983. Boustead began collaborating with Contemporary keyboard wizard, Gregg Karukas soon after, and together they wrote and recorded songs like “Sound of Emotion” and “In My Dreams”, which were hits in the early days of the Quiet Storm format

Arthur Blythe

Born: July 5, 1940

A singularly distinctive and uniquely distinguishable stylist, Arthur Blythe is considered one of the greatest alto saxophonist's of his generation. Blythe's beautiful, passionate and expressive sound validates his reputation as one of the most significant jazz musicians of our times. Blythe's work is notable for its exploration of harmony, group counterpoint, and unusual instrumentation. These features, coupled with his rapid, wide vibrato, his swinging style, and his interest in the standard jazz repertory, have won him praise from a wide audience. Arthur Blythe was born 1940 in Los Angeles and grew up in San Diego where his parents moved 1944

Tierney Sutton

Born: June 28, 1963

8-time Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton has received a “Best Jazz Vocal Album” Grammy nod for every project she has released in the last decade. Known for her impeccable voice and imaginative treatments of The Great American Songbook, Sutton is heralded for her abilities as both a jazz storyteller and her ability to use her voice as an instrument. Her 12 recordings as leader have addressed themes such as materialism (“Desire” 2009), the pursuit of happiness (“On The Other Side” 2007), as well as paying tribute to the music of Bill Evans (“Blue In Green” 2002), Frank Sinatra (“Dancing In The Dark” 2004), and pop icon Sting (“The Sting Variations” 2016)

Zoot Sims

Born: October 29, 1925

John Haley "Zoot" Sims was born in Inglewood, California. Growing up in a vaudeville family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age. His father was a vaudeville hoofer, and Sims prided himself on remembering many of the steps his father taught him. Following in the footsteps of Lester Young, Sims developed into an innovative tenor saxophonist. Throughout his career, he played with renowned bands, including Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich. Sims was also one of Woody Herman's "Four Brothers", and he was known among his peers as one of the strongest swingers in the field

Bob Sheppard

Born: May 4, 1952

Some musicians’ careers are easily pigeonholed. Not so Bob Sheppard’s. For more than four decades, the multi-instrumentalist has played on countless sessions with an astounding crop of A-list jazz giants—among them Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Michael and Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Herbie Hancock, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, Lyle Mays, John Beasley and Steps Ahead—and artists within several other genres. He’s also recorded and toured as a leader, contributed to hundreds of movie and TV soundtracks, served as an educator and more. But what’s most astounding, perhaps, is that Bob Sheppard still has so much more he wants to do

Thom Rotella

"I remember it like it was yesterday...I'm eight years old and my buddy, Rich and I are looking through the basement window of Mt. Carmel Church (Niagara Falls, NY) where there's a dance going on. I see this multi-headed monster, with arms flailing and all this sound and energy blasting me, and people dancing... it was the first time I saw a live band and I said to myself, man I gotta be a part of this!!!! — Thom Rotella Now a talented instrumentalist and composer, Thom Rotella has achieved both critical and commercial success. He has produced and recorded 11 CDs as a leader that have garnered listeners throughout the world for many years

Max Bennett

Born: May 24, 1928