The Lyrical Soul of Trumpeter Johnny Windhurst

As a kid I had an 2-LP compilation on MCA called simply “The Best of Eddie Condon”. It was a frequent flyer on my turntable and one of the tracks that was constantly played was an absolutely beautiful reading of “A Hundred Years From Today” which I thought featured Bobby Hackett. I don’t know when, but a few years after that I learned it was a cornetist / trumpeter by the name of Johnny Windhurst. He’s pretty much forgotten these days and that’s a shame because he played with such lyricism and soul. Read and listen to more more about Johnny Windhurst herehttp://jazzlives.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/a-few-glowing-seconds-of-glory/.

Ike Turner (guitar) - 1931-2007 ::  was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk. He is most popularly known for his 1960s work with his then wife Tina Turner in the Ike & Tina Turner revue. Growing up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, he began playing piano and guitar when he was eight, forming his group, the Kings of Rhythm as a teenager at high school. He employed the group as his backing band for the rest of his life. His first recording, "Rocket 88" with the Kings of Rhythm credited as "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats", in 1951, is considered a possible contender for "first rock and roll song". Relocating to St. Louis, Missouri in 1954, he built the Kings into one of the most renowned acts on the local club circuit. It was there he met singer Anna Mae Bullock, whom he married and renamed Tina Turner, forming the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, which over the course of the sixties became a soul/rock crossover success.

In the 1950s, Turner was employed by Sun Studios and Modern Records as an arranger and talent scout for blues artists. Turner recorded for many of the key R&B record labels of the 1950s and 1960s, including Chess, Modern, Trumpet, Flair and Sue. With the Ike & Tina Revue he graduated to larger labels Blue Thumb and United Artists. Throughout his career Turner won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for three others Alongside his former wife, Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Allegations by Tina Turner in her autobiography of her abusive relationship with Turner and the film adaptation of this coupled with his cocaine addiction damaged Turner's career in the 1980s and 1990s.His name became a synonym for wifebeater, which overshadowed his contributions to music.Addicted to cocaine and crack for at least 15 years, Turner was convicted of drugs offenses, serving seventeen months in prison between July 1989 and 1991.He spent the rest of the 1990s free of his addiction, but relapsed in 2004. Near the end of his life, he returned to live performance as a frontman and produced two albums returning to his blues roots, which were critically well received and award-winning.Turner has frequently been referred to as a 'great innovator' of Rock and Roll by contemporaries such as Little Richardand Johnny Otis.

Phil Alexander (then editor-in-chief of Mojo magazine) described Turner as 'the cornerstone of modern day rock 'n' roll'.

Harold McNair (saxophone) - 1931-1971 :: was a renowned saxophonist and flautist. McNair started out at the Alpha Boys School in Kingston Jamaica under the tutelage of Victor Tulloch, whilst playing with Joe Harriott (a lifelong friend who considered McNair his de facto younger brother), Wilton 'Bogey' Gaynair, and Baba Motta's band.

Like many other West Indian jazz musicians of the 1950s and 1960s (e.g., Joe Harriott, Dizzy Reece and Harry Beckett), McNair moved to Britain. However, before arriving in London, he toured Europe with Quincy Jones and worked on film and TV scores in Paris. Once in London, he quickly gained a reputation as a formidable player on flute, alto and tenor saxophone, leading to a regular gig at Ronnie Scott's nightclub.

His playing drew the admiration of bass player Charles Mingus, who was in London to shoot the 1961 motion picture All Night Long. McNair was part of a quartet Mingus formed to rehearse with during his stay in Britain. However, the band never performed in front of a paying audience, due to a ban imposed by the Musicians' Union on US musicians in British nightclubs. A recording of the band exists, playing the earliest recorded version of the now famous Mingus composition "Peggy's Blue Skylight", but it has never been released, despite featuring in the movie itself.

The Musician's Union ban was lifted later in 1961, leading to a residency by US tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims at Ronnie Scott's club. Ironically, McNair's own quartet were also on the bill, resulting in two of his performances appearing on the album made to commemorate the gigs, Zoot Live at Ronnie Scott's. Around the same time, he also recorded with the drummer Tony Crombie and the percussionist Jack Costanzo.

McNair briefly returned to The Bahamas, where he cut his first all jazz album Up in the Air with Harold McNair, before settling back in London permanently. His first UK album as a leader, Affectionate Fink, was made for the fledgling Island Records in 1965. The session saw him team up with Ornette Coleman's then current rhythm section of David Izenzon (bass) and Charles Moffett (drums), for a set of standards played with hard swinging intensity. McNair equally featured his tenor sax and flute on this session, delivering virtuoso performances on both. His next (self titled) album, cut for RCA in 1968, was another classic and featured probably his most famous composition, "The Hipster", which has become a perennial fixture on the playlists at jazz clubs. 

His next album was 1970's Flute and Nut (RCA), which featured big band and string arrangements by John Cameron. This was quickly followed up in the same year by The Fence, which moved in the direction of jazz fusion. Another self-titled album was issued posthumously by the B&C label in 1972, which mixed tracks from the 1968 RCA album with later, unreleased recordings. Notable recorded works as a jazz sideman included sessions with the jazz-rock/big band ensemble Ginger Baker's Air Force and John Cameron's Off Centre. He also recorded with visiting Americans including vocalists Jon Hendricks and Blossom Dearie, drummer Philly Joe Jones and saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.

Jack McVea (saxophone) - 1914-2000 :: was an American swing, blues, and rhythm and blues woodwind player; he played clarinet and tenor and baritone saxophone. His father was the noted banjoist Satchel McVea, and banjo was Jack McVea's first instrument.

Born John Vivian McVea in Los Angeles, California, and playing jazz in Los Angeles for several years, he joined Lionel Hampton's orchestra in 1940. From 1944 on he mostly worked as a leader. Perhaps his most impressive performance as a sideman in those years was at the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in 1944. From 1966 till his retirement in the 1980s he led a group which played traditional jazz at Disneyland, called "The Royal Street Bachelors" in New Orleans Square. The good looking "bachelors" as they thought, created their bands name after performing for the first time on Royal Street. The trio consists of the following men- Jack Mcvea,Herb Gordy, and Harold Grant.

McVea was leader of the Black & White Records studio band and was responsible for coming up with the musical riff for the words "Open the Door, Richard". Ralph Bass got him to record it in 1946 and it became immensely popular, entering the national charts the following year, and was recorded by many other artists.

He is also known for his playing on T-Bone Walker's "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)." McVea also played on 1945's "Slim's Jam" by Slim Gaillard alongside Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Johnny Windhurst - 1926 -1981 :: Was a jazz trumpet player, who played primarily in the swing and big-band styles. Windhurst was a self-taught musician; he considered Bix Beiderbecke, Bobby Hackett, Wild Bill Davison, and Bunny Berigan among his influences.

At 18 years old, he was chosen by Sidney Bechet to play at the Savoy Cafe in Boston. This engagement launched his career, and he went on to play with Art Hodes and James P. Johnson at the Jazz at Town Hall concert in 1946. Over the years, he played for such musicians as Louis Armstrong, Nappy Lamare, and Eddie Condon. Windhurst only made one recording under his name, a record called Jazz at Columbus Avenue, recorded for the Transition label in 1956.

Places and spaces, Jazzlings, places and spaces.....All the musicians that have come to the UK and created great reputations in the jazz world seem to have come through the Alpha Boys School. Its uncanny that one institution should have the skills to train so many top musicians. And don't forget thats only the handful that we know about. 

Enough of my mad musings, all November 5th Jazzlings have yourselves a bright and illuminating day and shine a light on the year ahead to see what accomplishments you can achieve! Go on, make it big!

Thanks as always to the folks at AAJ & JBC for the guidance

Big-Up The YouTube Massive, great work on the upload front!

Cuddles, bumps and hugs to the blog followers, thanks for your support!

And thanks to you for passin' thru'

Remember it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing

Walk tall People

Go placidly