Jazz Legends

William “Count” Basie, (born August 21, 1904) was a pianist, organist and composer who lead one of the greatest big bands of all time for 50 years. The band still performs hundreds of dates throughout the world to this day. Over the years, a procession of jazz giants have passed through the band: Lester Young, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, and Thad Jones, just to name a few. 

Songwriter Jimmy McHugh (born July 10, 1894) was one of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s through the 1950s, credited with over 500 songs. His songs have long been favorites of jazz musicians for their interesting harmonic and melodic content. The tunes "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "I Can’t Give You Anything But Love", "Don’t Blame Me", "Exactly Like You", "I’m In the Mood For Love" and many others have been recorded by countless musicians over the years.

Pianist, composer Bud Powell (born September 7, 1924) was one of the primary innovators of bebop. His prodigious technique and strong sense of swing placed him head and shoulders above all his contemporaries. His struggles with mental issues sadly affected his career, particularly later in life.

Since even before the advent of “talkies” music has been an integral part of motion pictures. Even small cinemas often had a pianist or organist who contributed musical accompaniment to the action on screen, but with the advent of sound, the music composed and synchronized with the action on screen and became an integral part of every film from then on. Great songwriters were drawn to work in Hollywood and their work of course was embraced by jazz musicians over the years. 

Victor Young, born in Chicago (August 8, 1899), started playing the violin at the age of six and was sent to live with his grandfather in Poland when he was ten. He attended the Warsaw Conservatory, and while still a teenager, embarked on a career as a concert violinist with the Warsaw Philharmonic. World War I kept him from returning to the United States until 1920, when he took a job performing with a Chicago theater orchestra. In the mid-1930s, he relocated to Hollywood and composed a number of songs for films that have become standards and embraced by jazz musicians for decades. Young won a posthumous Oscar for his score for Around the World in 80 Days in 1957.

Jazz Evensong Schedule:

Woody Shaw (born Dec 24, 1944) was one of the most influential and prolifically virtuostic trumpet players and jazz composers of the twentieth century. In his brief career (he died at the young age of 44) he was pivotal in applying many of the harmonic and technical innovations of saxophonist John Coltrane to the trumpet, and his compositions celebrated those innovations as well, pushing the 

Jazz Evensong Schedule:

The Jazz Evensong Quintet continues its tradition of kicking off a new season with a celebration of traditional jazz. New Orleans is widely considered the birthplace of jazz music, and this style is still universally admired and practiced throughout the world. Devotees of such artists as Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke and many others, are still inspired to emulate their accomplishments in this style to this day. Such groups as Tuba Skinny, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and the Rebirth Brass Band are testament to the vitality of this music.

Jazz Evensong Schedule:

Music is an integral part of any Christmas celebration and over the years, jazz musicians and popular songwriters have contributed their art to celebrate the season. The repertoire includes traditional carols done up in jazz style as well as Great American Songbook tunes written especially for the season of light. At St. Michael’s by-the-Sea on December 14th, our Jazz Family Christmas event includes a special performance of the Jazz Evensong Quintet with the string orchestra of the Renaissance Institute of Music.

Pianist McCoy Tyner ( born December 11, 1938) is perhaps best remembered for his association as the youngest member of the John Coltrane Quartet, but his long career as a band leader in his own right eclipses even that of his association with the legendary saxophonist. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Grammy winner and recorded over eight albums as a leader, and many more as a sideman. He was one of the most influential jazz pianists of all time, and his many compositions have been recorded by numerous other artists.