#steve williamson

Hustle by Sons Of Kemet (featuring Kojey Radical and Lianne La Havas) from the album Black to the Future - Director: Ashleigh Jadee

New music Wednesday

A lot was said in favour of their last recording Your Queen Is A Reptile, an enjoyable work of art indeed, but maybe this one is better. This is an album that rejects to be enclosed by genre and comprehensively conceives and elicits a future. It's both adventurous and substantial in terms of music and subject. The experimental jazz quartet, led by Shabaka Hutchings, this time features Steve Williamson, Angel Bat Dawid, Moor Mother, MC D Double E, Kojey Radical, Lianne La Havas and Joshua Idehen.

Billy Plays Pirate (by Steve Williamson)

Billy Plays Pirate is a stand-alone story in the Billy Shawn Series, featuring the five-year-old William Shawn, a boy very much curious about everything that happens in the world around him. As he loves adventures, Billy will not back off from exploring new things. The story begins when Billy’s nephew gives him a book about pirates. Upon leafing through the book, Billy’s interest in pirates…

David Honeyboy Edwards (guitar) 1915-2011 :: Honeyboy Edwards was a Delta blues guitarist and singer from the American South.

Edwards was 14 years old when he left home to travel with blues man Big Joe Williams, beginning life as an itinerant musician which he led throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

He performed with famed blues musician Robert Johnson with whom he developed a close friendship. Honeyboy was present on the night Johnson drank poisoned whiskey which killed him, and his story has become the definitive version of Johnson’s demise.

As well as Johnson, Edwards knew and played with many of the leading bluesmen in the Mississippi Delta, which included Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, and Johnny Shines.

Folklorist Alan Lomax recorded Edwards in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1942 for the Library of Congress. Edwards recorded 15 album sides of music. The songs included “Wind Howlin’ Blues” and “The Army Blues”.

He did not record commercially until 1951, when he recorded “Who May Be Your Regular Be” for Arc under the name of Mr Honey. Edwards claims to have written several well-known blues songs including “Long Tall Woman Blues” and “Just Like Jesse James.”

His discography for the 1950s and 1960s amounts to nine songs from seven sessions. From 1974 to 1977, he recorded material for a full length LP, I’ve Been Around, released in 1978 on the independent Trix Records label by producer/ethnomusicologist Peter B. Lowry.

His autobiography is entitled The World Don’t Owe Me Nothing: The Life and Times of Delta Bluesman Honeyboy Edwards. Published in 1997 by the Chicago Review Press, the narrative recounts his life from childhood, his travels through the American South, and his arrival in Chicago in the early 1950s.

A companion CD by the same title was released by Earwig Music shortly afterwards.

Edwards continued the rambling life he describes in his autobiography as he still toured the world well into his 90s.

John Lee (bass) 1952 :: Happy jazziversary to  American bassist, producer, and recording engineer, John Lee.

As a bassist, John Lee's career, starting in 1970, includes work with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Joe Henderson, Larry Coryell, Paquito D`Rivera, Gregory Hines, Claudio Roditi, Arturo Sanduval, Joachim Kühn, and Philip Catherine.

As a producer Lee has produced over 50 albums and CDs, and as a recording engineer he has recorded and mixed over 85 albums and CDs.

John Gregory Lee is the son of an African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) minister, Rev. John W. Lee, and Harriet Holland Lee, who was a career social worker. He grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, Amityville, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

John began String Bass lessons in 1962 with Carolyn Lush. At Philadelphia's Overbrook High School, John met drummer Gerry Brown, with whom he also studied with at the Philadelphia Musical Academy (which is now the University of the Arts) from 1970 to 1972.

In 1971 Lee also began performing with Carlos Garnett and Joe Henderson, and toured with Max Roach thru the spring of 1972 while still a student in Philadelphia.

In August 1972 he and Brown relocated to Europe, with Den Haag, Holland as their base. Together they toured Europe and recorded in bands led by Chris Hinze, Charlie Mariano, Philip Catherine, Joachim Kühn, and Jasper Van't Hof.

Lee moved to New York City in October 1974 and worked with Joe Henderson, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Norman Connors until joining Larry Coryell's 11th House in December 1974.

In 1975 John Lee and Gerry Brown signed a recording contract with Bluenote Records and formed a working band of their own. In 1977 they moved over to Columbia Records. Lee also began producing records in 1977.

From 1982 to 1984 Lee worked with the McCoy Tyner Quintet. In July 1984 Lee became Dizzy Gillespie's bassist, touring and recording with Dizzy's Quintet, his Big Band, his grammy winning United Nation Orchestra, and the Back to the Future Band that Dizzy co-lead with Miriam Makeba until January 1993.

Lee has performed at concert halls and jazz clubs in over 100 countries around the world.

In 1996, at the bequest of Dizzy's wife Lorraine Gillespie and the Dizzy Gillespie Estate, Lee became the director and bassist of the Dizzy Gillespie™Alumni All-Stars  as well as the Dizzy Gillespie™All-Star Big Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie™Afro-Cuban Experience. They have recorded five albums and toured extensively around the world.

Pete Candoli (trumpet) 1923-2008 :: was an American swing and West Coast jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and many others, and worked extensively in the studios of the recording and television industries.

He was born as Walter Joseph Candoli in Mishawaka, Indiana. Candoli’s professional career began at the age of 13, when he became a member of the American Federation of Musicians. He quickly found a spot as lead trumpeter, and by 1940 had become a part of Sonny Dunham’s band.

In 1941 he left the band to replace Ziggy Elman of the Tommy Dorsey band. During this time the band performed in three films, Las Vegas Nights (1941), Girl Crazy (1943) and Upbeat In Music (1943).

In 1944 Candoli joined the Teddy Powell band. It was while with Teddy Powell that he brought his younger brother Conte into the big band major league. After 1945, Candoli worked with several bands including notably that of Stan Kenton. Later, he drifted into the “West Coast Jazz" and studio scenes.

Despite his range, he rarely played lead, reserved instead for feature roles. He became a favorite collaborator of many influential musicians and performers, including Peggy Lee, Henry Mancini, and Frank Sinatra, and was widely sought for studio work.

In 1957, Pete and Conte reunited to form the Candoli Brothers band. Candoli was also featured prominently on the DePatie-Freleng Enterprises cartoon series The Ant and the Aardvark, which utilized a jazz score for its theme and musical cues. He made a guest appearance on a 1952 episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, during which Ozzie, Harriet, David, and Ricky all sang in a vocal quartet.

He was inducted into The International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997. He was inducted into the “Big Band Hall of Fame” in 2003. He won the Down Beat, Metronome, Esquire “All American Band Trumpet Bronze Award”.

Steve Williamson (saxophone) 1964 ::  A very Happy jazziversary to UK saxophonist and composer Steve Williamson.

Steve  began playing saxophone at the age of 16 and started his career playing in Reggae bands (Misty n’ Roots). In 1984 and 1985 he studied at London's Guildhall School of Music, where he was tutored by Lionel Grigson. He was a member of the noted collective of British-born black jazz musicians who came together as the Jazz Warriors in the mid-1980s.

At the Nelson Mandela 70th birthday open air festival in 1988 he played alongside Courtney Pine in Wembley Stadium and afterwards was a constant presence at Ronnie Scott’s.

He was member of Louis Moholo’s Viva La Black (1988) and of Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath (1990). During the 1990s he led his own band and appeared in projects of Iain Ballamy, Maceo Parker, Bheki Mseleku, US3, and Graham Haynes.

In 1990 he released his first album A Waltz for Grace with Verve, featuring vocalist Abbey Lincoln. In 1992 he released his second album, Rhyme Time, followed by Journey to Truth in 1994, featuring Cassandra Wilson.

Steve Williamson's career is based on the constant study of harmony and research of the all possible harmonic approaches to composition. His musical knowledge – from studies of West African music to the deconstruction of Debussy's harmony – is wide and gives him the opportunity to experiment with his music, creating always innovative and unique compositions.

David Honeyboy Edwards (guitar) 1915-2011 :: Honeyboy Edwards was a Delta blues guitarist and singer from the American South.

Edwards was 14 years old when he left home to travel with blues man Big Joe Williams, beginning life as an itinerant musician which he led throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He performed with famed blues musician Robert Johnson with whom he developed a close friendship. Honeyboy was present on the night Johnson drank poisoned whiskey which killed him, and his story has become the definitive version of Johnson's demise. As well as Johnson, Edwards knew and played with many of the leading bluesmen in the Mississippi Delta, which included Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, and Johnny Shines.

Folklorist Alan Lomax recorded Edwards in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1942 for the Library of Congress. Edwards recorded 15 album sides of music.[1] The songs included "Wind Howlin' Blues" and "The Army Blues". He did not record commercially until 1951, when he recorded "Who May Be Your Regular Be" for Arc under the name of Mr Honey. Edwards claims to have written several well-known blues songs including "Long Tall Woman Blues" and "Just Like Jesse James." His discography for the 1950s and 1960s amounts to nine songs from seven sessions. From 1974 to 1977, he recorded material for a full length LP, I've Been Around, released in 1978 on the independent Trix Records label by producer/ethnomusicologist Peter B. Lowry.

His autobiography is entitled The World Don't Owe Me Nothing: The Life and Times of Delta Bluesman Honeyboy Edwards. Published in 1997 by the Chicago Review Press, the narrative recounts his life from childhood, his travels through the American South, and his arrival in Chicago in the early 1950s. A companion CD by the same title was released by Earwig Music shortly afterwards.

Edwards continued the rambling life he describes in his autobiography as he still toured the world well into his 90s.

Pete Candoli (trumpet) 1923-2008 :: was an American swing and West Coast jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and many others, and worked extensively in the studios of the recording and television industries. He was born in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Born as Walter Joseph Candoli, Candoli's professional career began at the age of 13, when he became a member of the American Federation of Musicians. He quickly found a spot as lead trumpeter, and by 1940 had become a part of Sonny Dunham's band. In 1941 he left the band to replace Ziggy Elman of the Tommy Dorsey band. During this time the band performed in three films, Las Vegas Nights (1941), Girl Crazy (1943) and Upbeat In Music (1943). In 1944 Candoli joined the Teddy Powell band. It was while with Teddy Powell that he brought his younger brother Conte into the big band major league.

After 1945, Candoli worked with several bands including notably that of Stan Kenton. Later, he drifted into the "West Coast Jazz" and studio scenes. Despite his range, he rarely played lead, reserved instead for feature roles. He became a favorite collaborator of many influential musicians and performers, including Peggy Lee, Henry Mancini, and Frank Sinatra, and was widely sought for studio work. In 1957, Pete and Conte reunited to form the Candoli Brothers band. Candoli was also featured prominently on the DePatie-Freleng Enterprises cartoon series The Ant and the Aardvark, which utilized a jazz score for its theme and musical cues. He made a guest appearance on a 1952 episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, during which Ozzie, Harriet, David, and Ricky all sang in a vocal quartet.

He was inducted into The International Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997. He was inducted into the "Big Band Hall of Fame" in 2003. He won the Down Beat, Metronome, Esquire "All American Band Trumpet Bronze Award".

Steve Williamson (saxophone) 1964 ::  A very Happy Birthday to UK Saxman Steve Williamson. Steve Williamson began playing saxophone at the age of 16 and started his career playing in Reggae bands (Misty n' Roots). In 1984 and 1985 he studied at London's Guildhall School of Music. At the Nelson Mandela 70th birthday open air festival in 1988 he played alongside Courtney Pine in Wembley Stadium and afterwards was a constant presence at Ronnie Scott's. He was member of Louis Moholo's Viva La Black (1988) and of Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath (1990). During the 1990s he led his own band and appeared in projects of Iain Ballamy, Maceo Parker, Bheki Mseleku, US3, and Graham Haynes. In 1990 he released his first album A Waltz for Grace with Verve, featuring vocalist Abbey Lincoln. In 1992 Williamson he released his second album Rhyme Time, followed by Journey to Truth in 1994, featuring Cassandra Wilson.

Currently Steve is working with Orphy Robinson and the Black Top Project, a Jazz improv project.

Happy birthday to all the Jazzlings born today, may the day be filled with fun and laughter and the year to come lead you towards your goals!

Thanks as always to AAJ & JBC for the guidance

Respect to the YouTube Massive for the uploads,

High five with the INspiration Crew, keep on doing what you do! And thanks for following, people!

And thanks to YOU for jus' passin' thru'

Walk tall,

Speak low,

Go placidly,