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A sampling of the Biographies and Discographies written for the 2009 Playboy Jazz
Festival Program Guide:
JIMMY COBB’S SO WHAT BAND
MILES DAVIS’ KIND OF BLUE IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE GREATEST JAZZ RECORDING OF ALL TIME.
Certainly it is a highly influential classic from 1959 that not only introduced “All Blues,” “Blue In Green” and “So What”
as standards but a new way of improvising off of scales rather than chords. With such giants as Miles Davis, John
Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, either Bill Evans or Wynton Kelly on piano, and bassist Paul Chambers in the sextet,
Kind Of Blue featured one of the most remarkable jazz groups of all time.
The only survivor of the band, drummer Jimmy Cobb, heads the So What Band, a modern-day super group that
celebrates the 50th anniversary of the jazz classic. The band also consists of trumpeter Wallace Roney, tenor-
saxophonist Javon Jackson, altoist Vincent Herring, pianist Larry Willis and bassist Buster Williams.
Cobb has had a very impressive career. Born in Washington D.C. in 1929, he picked up early experience playing with
saxophonists Charlie Rouse, Leo Parker and Frank Wess, Billie Holiday and Pearl Bailey. In 1950 he made his
recording debut with the popular altoist Earl Bostic. Three years spent accompanying Dinah Washington gave him a
strong reputation as a tasteful and swinging drummer who adds class and sensitivity to every musical situation. Cobb
played with many all-stars in the mid-1950s including Cannonball Adderley, Clark Terry, Stan Getz and Dizzy
Gillespie. He became nationally known while working with Miles Davis’ quintet and sextet during 1958-63, forming a
very solid and infectious rhythm section with Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers. Cobb was on such classic albums as
Porgy And Bess, Sketches Of Spain and Someday My Prince Will Come in addition to Kind Of Blue.
In 1963, Cobb left Davis along with Kelly and Chambers to form the Wynton Kelly Trio. In addition to its work as a trio,
the unit also worked and recorded with Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell and J.J. Johnson. Cobb spent nine years in
Sarah Vaughan’s trio and has freelanced ever since. His playing with the likes of Sonny Stitt, Richie Cole, Nat
Adderley, Ricky Ford, Hank Jones, the Joe Albany Trio, George Coleman, David “Fathead” Newman, Nancy Wilson,
Ron Carter and many others has been consistent and always notable.
In 2002, Jimmy Cobb recorded Four Generations Of Miles with tenor-saxophonist George Coleman, guitarist Mike
Stern and bassist Ron Carter. He has since recorded several albums as a leader, featuring such greats as the late
Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove, Jon Faddis, Cedar Walton and Christian McBride. At 80, he leads his own group
(Jimmy Cobb’s Mob), travels the world constantly, teaches master classes (including each of the past nine years at
Stanford University), and is interviewed regularly about Miles Davis and Kind Of Blue.
JON FADDIS
ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST TRUMPETERS, JON FADDIS has the ability to hit stratospheric high notes
perfectly in-tune, he can easily emulate his mentor Dizzy Gillespie, and he has a vast knowledge of all jazz styles.
Most importantly, Faddis puts his own witty personality and soul into his music, creating passionate and exciting solos
every time he plays.
Faddis was born in Oakland and began on the trumpet when he was eight after seeing Louis Armstrong on television.
He first met Dizzy Gillespie when he was 12, they became close friends, and he had his initial opportunity to play with
Dizzy when he was 15. Faddis was considered a prodigy when he joined Lionel Hampton’s big band at 18. He gained
a great deal of notice when he guested for an ailing Roy Eldridge at a recorded Charles Mingus concert. While still in
his early twenties, Faddis recorded a duet album with Oscar Peterson, led his own record for the Pablo label, and
became the lead trumpeter for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. He also performed and recorded with Gillespie,
amazing listeners by sometimes playing his hero’s solos an octave higher.
Through the years, Jon Faddis has matured into an influential force himself. He has been involved in extensive work
in the studios where his range and brilliant musicianship are always assets. Faddis has led his own quartet for over
25 years and he has often been heard with big bands. He was the musical director of Dizzy Gillespie’s 70th Birthday
Big Band and his United Nation Orchestra, and in more recent times has often worked with the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni
All-Stars and the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Big Band which he co-founded. During 1992-2002 he was the leader of the
Carnegie Hall Jazz Band (conducting more than 40 concerts) and, starting in 2003, has led its successor, the Jon
Faddis Jazz Orchestra Of New York. Since 2004 he has been the Artistic Director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and
he also guests regularly with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
In addition to his early Pablo recordings, Faddis has recorded for Epic, Concord, Chesky, Koch and (with the
Carnegie Hall Jazz Band) Blue Note. In 1997 he composed the highly-rated jazz opera Lulu Noire.
During the past decade, when he is not performing at clubs, concerts and festivals, Faddis has been a very
significant educator. He teaches at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College-SUNY and often conducts master
classes, clinics and workshops in other cities and countries. Jon Faddis always goes out of his way to encourage
younger students as Dizzy Gillespie originally encouraged him, passing on the legacy of jazz to the next generation.
JACK SHELDON
A MAJOR TRUMPETER FOR 55 YEARS, JACK SHELDON is also a swinging singer, an often-hilarious comedian, and
a notable bandleader. His versatile trumpet playing, which is perfectly at home in swing, bop, cool jazz and hard bop
settings, is still very much in its prime, and he is one of the last major survivors of the West Coast Jazz scene of the
1950s.
Sheldon started on the trumpet when he was 12, and he was a professional musician within a year. He was originally
inspired by seeing Harry James in the movies. After attending Los Angeles City College and serving in the Air Force,
in 1952 he became an important part of Los Angeles’ modern jazz scene. He worked with such jazz all-stars as Jimmy
Giuffre, Wardell Gray, Jack Montrose, Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Art Pepper, the Dave Pell Octet, Herb Geller, the
Curtis Counce Quintet and Shelly Manne. During 1958-59, Sheldon toured with the Stan Kenton Orchestra and
Benny Goodman. In the years since, he has worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne,
Sammy Davis Jr, Diane Schuur, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel and virtually every major name in show business and
in the studios.
In addition to leading his own bands around town, Sheldon has often worked as an actor. He became the only jazz
musician to star in his own dramatic television series, “Run Buddy Run,” during 1964-65. Sheldon was a member of
the Merv Griffin Show’s Orchestra for 18 years, gaining fame for his wisecracks. He has also been on many
soundtracks (including Clint Eastwood’s recent Flags Of Our Fathers), and had a memorable part as a bandleader in
Bette Midler’s movie For The Boys.
Sheldon, who was the first musician to record “The Shadow Of Your Smile,” had occasional reunions with Benny
Goodman (being one of the stars of Goodman’s 40th anniversary Carnegie Hall concert in 1978), and has led the
California Cool Quartet in L.A. area clubs. For a long period he often teamed up with the late pianist Ross Tompkins.
Sheldon won the Playboy International Artist of the Year award five times. Recently he was profiled in the
documentary film Trying To Get Good: The Odyssey Of Jack Sheldon. His recordings for his Butterfly label include
performances with both his big band and combos.
Shortly after appearing in For The Boys, he formed the Jack Sheldon Orchestra, a swinging big band that mostly
plays Tom Kubis arrangements. With the band, Jack Sheldon has an opportunity to play his distinctive trumpet, sing
his favorite standards, count off tempos that are perfect for each song, and beam happily at his musicians.
PETE ESCOVEDO
A LEGENDARY FIGURE IN LATIN MUSIC FOR DECADES, PETE ESCOVEDO has been performing his irresistible
blend of Latin jazz, salsa, rock, pop and soul since the late 1950s without losing his enthusiasm, youthfulness, joy, or
love and pride in his very musical family.
Raised in Oakland and the son of an amateur singer-guitarist, Pete briefly played saxophone before switching to
bongos and timbales. He mastered the percussion instruments as a youth. Escovedo worked with pianist Ed Kelly,
was in pianist Carlos Frederico’s band off and on for 12 years, recorded with Mongo Santamaria, and played with
Chico Ochoa’s big band. He and his late sibling Coke were the rhythm section for many groups in Northern California
before forming the Escovedo Brothers Latin Jazz Sextet, a band that in the 1960s also featured his younger brother
Pete on bass. The group lasted until 1967 when Carlos Santana hired Pete and Coke for his famous Latin rock band.
After three busy and historic years with Santana (Pete has rejoined him on several occasions since then), Pete and
Coke left to form the popular and influential 14-piece Latin big band Azteca. Azteca mixed together jazz, r&b, funk,
rock and Latin music, at times including such notables in the personnel as trumpeter Tom Harrell, drummer Lenny
White, and Pete’s 15-year old daughter Sheila E. on percussion. After two albums, that group ran its course.
Escovedo worked with Stevie Wonder and the Temptations, recorded with his daughter Sheila E. (they were
discovered by Billy Cobham), and freelanced. Among his many associations since then have been Tito Puente (his
musical hero), Cal Tjader, Herbie Hancock, Woody Herman, Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea, Al Jarreau, Arturo
Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Stephen Stills, Prince, Anita Baker, George Duke, Boz Scaggs, Andy Narell, Dionne
Warwick, Barry White, Angela Bofill, Marlena Shaw, Barbara Streisand, Joyce Cooling, Etta James, Marvin Gaye and
many others.
The father of drummer-singer Sheila E., drummer Peter Michael, and percussionist Juan, Pete Escovedo loves
working with his family. Some of his recordings also include his wife Juanita and other daughter Zina as background
vocalists. With the passing of so many Latin jazz greats, including Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Machito, Mario
Bauza, Chico O’Farrill, Ray Barretto and Willie Bobo, Pete Escovedo is both a reminder of the rich Afro-Cuban jazz
heritage, and a vital representative of today’s Latin music scene.
Besides all that, Pete Escovedo with his family and friends always puts on a great show full of spirit, happiness and
infectious rhythms that simply cannot be ignored.
ESPERANZA SPALDING
DURING THE PAST YEAR, BASSIST-VOCALIST ESPERANZA SPALDING HAS MADE A MAJOR IMPACT, appearing
virtually everywhere, from small clubs and festivals to the White House. At 24, she is in the early stages of her career
yet is already on her way to becoming a household name.
Born in Portland, Oregon in 1984, she first became attracted to music when, at the age of four, she saw cellist Yo Yo
Ma playing on an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She began playing violin when she was five, at first being
self-taught. Spalding joined the Chamber Music Society of Oregon as a child and, by the time she was 15, she was
appointed its concertmaster, also playing oboe and clarinet. However that year she discovered her true voice when
she picked up an acoustic bass in a music class and began improvising on it. Her deep and huge tone made it
obvious that this was to be her future, and her musical interests began stretching far beyond classical music.
Esperanza Spalding developed quickly and was soon singing and playing bass at the same time, appearing in clubs
and writing some of her own songs. She left high school, enrolled at Portland State University when she was 16, and
graduated with her B.A. in just three years. She attended the Berklee College of Music and, while still in school, was
invited by Patti Austin to be part of her band during her “For Ella” tour. She graduated from Berklee a year early in
2005 and became the youngest faculty member in the school’s history. That year she won the Boston Jazz Society’s
scholarship for outstanding musicianship. She had opportunities to play and tour with such major jazz musicians as
Joe Lovano, Michel Camilo, Charlie Haden, Regina Carter, Pat Metheny, Donald Harrison and Dave Samuels.
In 2006, Spalding recorded her first album, Junjo, which has been followed more recently by Esperanza. Among her
other recordings are albums with Christian Scott and (as a singer) with Stanley Clarke. During the past few years,
Spalding has usually been heard at the head of her group, performing both standards and her own originals, vocal
pieces and stirring instrumentals. Her colorful bass playing, versatile singing, witty talking to the audience, and wide-
ranging performances have made her a major attraction. In addition to performing for Barack Obama at the White
House, she has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Singing in English and Spanish in a voice that has been called “part angel and part siren,” and performing music that
includes bebop, Afro-Cuban jazz, Brazilian music, funk, blues and pop, Esperanza Spalding has a limitless future.
COS OF GOOD MUSIC
AN ANNUAL TRADITION AT THE PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL is the all-star group that Bill Cosby puts together under
the name of “Cos Of Good Music.” For the twelfth time, Cosby has gathered together some of his favorite players for
a set of music that not only will he direct but will drive with his percussion playing.
Trumpeter Tanya Darby first created a sensation at the Monterey Jazz Festival with her playing in an all-star youth
band when she was 12, already sounding mature and displaying a soulful sound and impressive technique. In the
years since, she has been a long-time member of the all-female big band DIVA, been part of the T.S. Monk Sextet,
and performed with Aretha Franklin. She will be joined in the frontline by the brilliant clarinetist and saxophonist Anat
Cohen who will also be featured on her own set on Sunday.
Pianist and keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer has fulfilled the great potential he showed as a teenager in 1989 with Art
Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Keezer, who started playing piano when he was three, toured the world with Blakey, and
since then has recorded 11 CDs as a leader. His recordings include Sublime (a set of piano duets with Kenny Barron,
Chick Corea, Benny Green and Mulgrew Miller), trio dates, and his Afro-Peruvian project Aurea.
Dwayne Burno started out as a violinist before switching to bass. He worked early in his career with Donald Harrison
and Jesse Davis and, during 1990-92, was a member of the innovative singer Betty Carter’s group. Bruno has
appeared on more than fifty albums, was a longtime member of Roy Hargrove’s Quintet, and has also worked with
such greats as Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, Joshua Redman, David Murray, Wynton Marsalis
and Chucho Valdes, in addition to leading his own quintet.
Drummer Ndugu Chancler is a regular in The Cos Of Good Music. It would not be an understatement to say that he
has a vast range of musical experiences. In addition to his regular associations with Patrice Rushen and Ernie Watts
and his extensive studio work, Chancler has worked with Frank Sinatra, Thelonious Monk, John Lee Hooker, Michael
Jackson (playing drums on Thriller and Bad), Weather Report, Miles Davis, Lionel Richie, Herbie Hancock and Marvin
Gaye, just to name a few. Chancler has co-written hits for Santana, George Duke and the Dazz Band and produced
many recordings including for Tina Turner, Joe Sample and Flora Purim. In addition, he is the head of the Percussion
Department at the University of Southern California, and gives many clinics including for the Thelonious Monk
Foundation and Jazz America. Ndugu Chancler is a major asset to every session in which he is involved.
Luis Conte is one of the most recorded and respected percussionists in the world. Born in Santiago, Cuba, he
immigrated to Spain when he was 15, settling permanently in Hollywood. While he played guitar in rock bands as a
teenager, he soon became heavily involved in drums and percussion, exploring his Cuban heritage. Conte has since
worked not only with Afro-Cuban jazz groups and on Hollywood film scores but contributed to recordings by the likes
of Ray Charles, Madonna, Phil Collins, Santana and Sergio Mendes.
NEW BIRTH BRASS BAND
THE NEW ORLEANS BRASS BANDS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY OF THE EARLY JAZZ INNOVATIONS, and
they became a major part of jazz’s tradition. In the early 20th century, they began the tradition of playing for parades,
funerals, parties and other social functions, becoming an important part of daily life in New Orleans. Although there
are many traditional brass bands still active in New Orleans, even after Hurricane Katrina, a new movement started
with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in the 1970s. Rather than sticking exclusively to the vintage New Orleans standards,
hymns, blues and marches, the newer brass bands also explore funk, r&b, hip hop and pop songs along with the
famed New Orleans parade rhythms. The New Birth Brass Band is one of the brightest groups in this colorful
movement.
Originally an offshoot of the more traditional Young Olympia Brass Band, the New Birth Brass Band was founded in
the mid-1980s. In 2001 they won the Big Easy Award for Best Brass Band and they have stayed true to their
traditional roots by paying tribute to their early mentors, Harold Dejan and Milton Batiste. However the current eight-
piece group, which is co-led by bass drummer Cayetano “Tanio” Hingle and snare drummer Kerry “Fatman” Hunter,
consists of players all of whom are younger than 30. The musicians in the New Birth have experience in other brass
bands but they are not shy in opening up their music to newer sounds and styles, coming together to achieve their
own collective vision. They perform New Orleans brass band music not just of the 1890s but of the 21st century with
plenty of spirit, rhythmic excitement and spontaneity. And as worthy as their solos are, it is the overheated ensembles
that often result in the most stirring moments.
The New Birth Brass Band was the surprise hit of the recent Playboy Jazz Cruise where they proved to be the perfect
party band. They have been gaining quite a bit of attention lately not only in New Orleans but in their worldwide
travels, and their D-Boy CD features many bright moments. But this is a group that has to be experienced live to be
fully enjoyed. The New Birth Brass Band is a sure bet to get the Playboy Jazz Festival’s crowd up and dancing to its
horn riffs, rhythmic patterns played by the snare and bass drums, and the rollicking tuba. Get your white
handkerchiefs out, for it will be Mardi Gras in Hollywood.
WAYNE SHORTER
AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF FOUR OF THE MOST IMPORTANT JAZZ GROUPS OF THE PAST 40 YEARS, WAYNE
SHORTER is a true original, both as a tenor and soprano-saxophonist, and as a writer. As with the most significant
jazz musicians, his music follows its own logic, it is beyond description, and he has never been content to merely
follow trends or to copy his predecessors.
Wayne Shorter started on the clarinet when he was 16, soon switched to tenor, and graduated from New York
University. A short stint with Horace Silver was followed by two years in the Army. After his discharge, he met pianist
Joe Zawinul when they were briefly in Maynard Ferguson’s big band. As a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers
during 1959-63, Shorter was the group’s musical director, playing next to either Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard on a
nightly basis. He quickly developed as both a soloist and a composer.
Having grown beyond hard bop, Shorter signed with Blue Note where he recorded some of his finest albums including
Night Dreamer, JuJu, Speak No Evil, The Soothsayer, Et Cetera, The All Seeing Eye, Adam’s Apple and
Schizophrenia. In 1964 Shorter began a six-year period as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet where his writing and
playing was a key ingredient in Davis moving away from standards into adventurous new music. Among Wayne
Shorter’s compositions from the 1960s are “Footprints,” “Pinocchio,” “Nefertiti,” and “E.S.P.” He was with Davis as the
trumpeter evolved past post bop into fusion, with Shorter taking up the soprano sax and immediately becoming an
influential force on that instrument.
In Nov. 1970, Shorter co-founded Weather Report with Joe Zawinul. He was a key voice with the pacesetting group for
the 15 years of its existence. Along the way he also explored modern Brazilian music on Native Dancer and was a
member of the acoustic quintet V.S.O.P. with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams and Freddie Hubbard.
Involved in a variety of projects after the end of Weather Report in 1985, Shorter performed duets with Herbie
Hancock, guested on a Rolling Stones record, and toured with Rachel Z as his keyboardist. He put together his
current quartet featuring Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade in 2002. Three CDs have come out from this
quartet so far: Footprints Live, Alegria and Beyond The Sound Barrier.
The interplay with such talented musicians and the freewheeling format has resulted in some of the saxophonist’s
most exciting playing of the past few decades. Although he celebrated his 75th birthday in 2008, Wayne Shorter
shows no signs of slowing down or resting on his past accomplishments.
PATTI AUSTIN
PATTI AUSTIN WAS SUCH A MAJOR R&B STAR THAT IT SURPRISED MANY when she was a big success singing
jazz during her tribute to Ella Fitzgerald on her “For Ella” tour and recording. But considering her beginnings and her
versatility, her talents as a jazz singer should not have been such a revelation.
The goddaughter of Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington, Patti Austin began at the top, making her stage debut with
Washington at the Apollo Theatre when she was four. She was signed to RCA at the age of five. However she really
got started in 1969 when her single “Family Tree” made it onto the r&b charts, her first of 20 hits. In the 1970s she
was a very busy session and background singer, accompanying such stars as Diana Ross, Bette Midler, Robert
Flack, Luther Vandross, James Brown and Paul Simon.
Patti Austin recorded her first album as a leader (End Of A Rainbow) in 1976 and during the next few years she
displayed her range by dueting with both Michael Jackson (“It’s The Falling In Love”) and George Benson (“Moody’s
Mood For Love”). In the early 1980s she appeared on several Quincy Jones albums (including Stuff Like That and
The Dude) which helped really launch her solo career. She had r&b hits with “Do You Love Me,” “Razzamatazz,”
“Every Home Should have One,” “The Heat Of Heat,” “It’s Gonna Be Special,” “Rhythm Of The Streets,” “Honey For
The Bees,” “Baby Come To Me” and “How Do You Keep The Music Playing”; the latter two were duets with James
Ingram. In the 1990s she scored with “Through The Test Of Time,” “Givin’ Into Love” and “Reach.” Her 1998 album In
And Out Of Love spent a long period on the contemporary jazz charts. Taking time off from music, she acted in the
1988 film Tucker: The Man And His Dream.
While 1988’s The Real Me and 1999’s Street Of Dreams hinted at her interest in vintage standards, 2002’s For Ella
gave a whole new dimension to her career. Arguably the most rewarding of all of the Ella Fitzgerald tributes, For Ella
features Patti Austin singing with such swing and sensitivity that she sounds as if she had been singing jazz fulltime
throughout her career. She has since performed frequently with swinging big bands, sometimes purposely emulating
Ella and at other times singing jazz in her own style, uplifting swing standards. Patti Austin’s most recent recording,
Avant Gershwin, features her expanding her range in jazz and taking her place as one of the top jazz singers of today.
MONTY ALEXANDER
A BRILLIANT PIANIST, MONTY ALEXANDER HAS AN EQUAL LOVE FOR REGGAE AND STRAIGHTAHEAD JAZZ, and
the technique, background and creativity to play both at a very high level.
Born on D-Day (June 6, 1944), Monty Alexander was originally from Jamaica. He started on the piano when he was six
and was mostly self-taught. Alexander began playing professionally in Jamaican clubs while a teenager, leading
Monty and the Cyclones during 1958-60. He also recorded with future reggae musicians including some who would
later form The Skatalites.
After moving to the United States in late-1961, Alexander worked in Las Vegas with Art Mooney’s orchestra where he
was noticed by Frank Sinatra and club owner Jilly Rizzo. He was hired to work regularly in the New York club Jilly’s
where he often backed singers including occasionally Sinatra. After meeting Milt Jackson and Ray Brown, Alexander
began working with both, recording as a leader and making a strong impact on the jazz world.
Influenced and inspired by Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole, Alexander made impressive records for Pacific Jazz,
RCA, Verve and especially MPS (1971-77). His trios at various times included John Clayton, Andy Simpkins or guest
Ray Brown on bass and drummers Jeff Hamilton or Frank Gant. Recording for both Pablo and Concord for a decade,
Alexander made his mark as one of the very best straightahead jazz pianists, always being able to swing up a storm
while building up solos to a very intense level. He had opportunities to work with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark
Terry and Quincy Jones. Alexander has kept up a very busy touring schedule for decades, playing all over the world.
He was part of Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable project and played piano on the film score of Clint Eastwood’s Charlie
Parker movie Bird. Last year he conceived and directed Lords of the West Indies, an acclaimed program performed at
Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Alexander enjoys utilizing a steel drummer on occasional projects called “Ivory and Steel” and he has teamed up on a
few occasions with Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin. Always proud of his Jamaican roots, he was awarded the title of
Commander in the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in 2000 for his work as a goodwill music
ambassador. In recent years, Alexander has explored reggae music including the 1999 album Stir It Up and the 2005
Telarc set Concrete Jungle, both of which are tributes to Bob Marley.
Monty Alexander’s talent for turning reggae melodies into jazz while giving jazz the influence of his Jamaican heritage
will be on display at the Playboy Jazz Festival as he features his unique group, Jazz & Roots.
OSCAR HERNANDEZ
LATIN JAZZ IS ALWAYS A BIG HIT AT THE PLAYBOY JAZZ FESTIVAL AND PIANIST OSCAR HERNANDEZ is one of
the most talented in the field. A skilled bandleader, arranger, composer and producer in addition to being a stunning
pianist, Hernandez will be featured at the head of a new all-star band drawn from Los Angeles’ Conga Room.
Oscar Hernandez grew up in the South Bronx in a family with ten brothers and sisters. He originally played trumpet but
switched to piano as a teenager. Hernandez started working professionally when he was 17, playing with Joey
Pastrana for a year. He made his recording debut with Ismael Miranda in 1973 and gained a great deal of experience
playing with Ray Barretto’s band for five years. Hernandez became well known for his work as pianist, arranger and
musical director of Ruben Blades’ group starting in the early 1980s. Equally at home with Afro-Cuban jazz and salsa,
and particularly adept at combining the best aspects of both, Hernandez has had a very prolific career during the past
three decades, as one can tell from his credits.
In addition to his work with Blades, Miranda and Barretto, Hernandez has recorded and performed with Manny
Oquendo, Grupo Folklorico, Celia Cruz, Dave Valentin, Earl Klugh, Mongo Santamaria, Willie Colon, Gato Barbieri,
Tito Puente, Julio Iglesias, Daniel Ponce, Kirsty MacColl, Juan Luis Guerra, Santiago Ceron, Orlando Watussi, Bobby
Sanabria, Louie Ramirez, Johnny Pacheco, Candi Sosa, Tito Rodriguez Jr, Van Lester, Eddie Garcia, Rafael Amor,
the Bronx Horns, Linda Eder, Steve Kroon, Jason Miles, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Andrea Brachfield, Marty Sheller, Pete
“Conde” Rodriguez, Oscar De’Leon, Louis “Perico” Ortiz and Eddie Torres among others.
Hernandez also worked as musical director, conductor, arranger and musical producer for Paul Simon’s Broadway
musical “The Capeman” and co-produced the soundtrack album. He was the musical director and arranger for the hit
shows “Quien Mato A Hector Lavoe” and “La Lupe,” and worked on the Broadway version of “The Mambo Kings.” As
a composer, Hernandez has written the music for the film documentaries “If The Mango Tree Could Speak,” “Angela
Tiene Un Bebe” and “Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories.”
As a leader, Hernandez has recorded with Seis Del Solar (the Ruben Blades Band without Blades) and his own
Spanish Harlem Orchestra. The latter group, formed in 2000, is one of the finest Latin jazz and salsa big bands of
recent times and has recorded three CDs: Un Gran Dia En El Barrio, Across 110th Street and the most recent United
We Swing. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra was one of the hits of the 2006 Playboy Jazz Festival.
Oscar Hernandez has picked out some of the very best Latin jazz and salsa players from Los Angeles to join him as
the Conga Room All-Stars for this year’s festival.
ANAT COHEN
ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST NEW STARS IN JAZZ, ANAT COHEN gives the impression that she can play in any style on
her clarinet and tenor. She shifts effortlessly between straightahead jazz, Brazilian choro, Afro-Cuban jazz, Klezmer,
tangoes, classical music and New Orleans jazz, sounding not only credible in every setting but creative and distinctive.
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, she is the sister of saxophonist Yuval Cohen and trumpeter Avishai Cohen. She began
studying clarinet when she was 12 and first played jazz in the Jaffa Conservatory’s Dixieland band. At 16, Anat started
playing tenor to perform with the school’s big band. At the Thelma Yelin High School for the Arts, she majored in jazz.
When she served her mandatory service in the Israeli military during 1993-95, she played tenor in the Israeli Air
Force band.
In 1996, Anat began attending the Berklee College of Music, learning from such teachers as Phil Wilson, Hal Crook,
George Garzone and Bill Pierce. She played locally and was already quite versatile, performing in a wide variety of
styles with many diverse bands including Afro-Cuban music with Alex Alvear (a bassist from Ecuador), Argentinean
music with pianist Pablo Avlanedo, and Brazilian standards and obscurities with bassist Leonardo Cioglia. In 1999 she
moved to New York where she worked with the Brazilian pop band Brayooca, the Choro Ensemble, Duduka Da
Fonseca’s Samba Jazz Quintet, David Ostwald’s Gully Low Jazz Band (playing 1920s jazz), New York Samba Jazz and
Sherri Maricle’s Diva Jazz Orchestra. These days, in addition to leading her own quartet, Anat occasionally teams up
with her two brothers as the Three Cohens.
Anat has developed original voices not only on clarinet and tenor but alto, soprano and bass clarinet. In 2005 her
debut album Place And Time gained her some attention. The simultaneous release in 2007 of Noir and Poetica on
her Anzic label caused a stir in the jazz world that has not stopped since. That year, when she performed at the
Village Vanguard, she was the first female reed player and the first Israeli ever to headline at the legendary club.
Anat Cohen released her fourth album as a leader, Notes From The Village, in 2008. The past few years have been
taken up by extensive touring, many festival appearances (including Monterey), and a growing recognition of her
impressive talents. It is no wonder that this year at Playboy she was not only picked to be one of the lead voices with
The Cos Of Good Music on Saturday, but will be showcased on her own set on Sunday.
ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ
THE PHENOMENAL YOUNG CUBAN PIANIST ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ’S LIFE could easily be the plot for a dramatic
movie. With its ups and downs, unlikely moments and suspense, both Hollywood and the music world should take
notice.
Born in Havana, Cuba in 1985, he is the son of a popular singer with the same name. Although Rodriguez originally
hoped to become a drummer, when he entered the Manuel Saumell Elementary Classical Music Conservatory at age
seven, he was given the choice of the piano or the violin. He chose piano but got off to a rough start. At the end of his
first year of conservatory, his parents were told that they should remove him from the school because he would never
be good enough to be a musician. Despite that, he did not give up and, by the time he left the school, he graduated
first in his class with the highest marks ever earned at the conservatory.
Working as a professional musician in Cuba, Alfredo was a producer and musical director for some of Havana’s most
famous musicians (including his father) and arranged the music for some of Cuba’s most popular television shows.
But he felt greatly restricted by the political system, was unknown outside of Cuba, and was not able to play
elsewhere without the permission of the government.
In 2006 he sent an application to the Montreux Jazz Festival along with some primitive demos made at a local studio.
To his shock, he was not only accepted at Montreux but the Cuban government gave him permission to travel
overseas. His performance was seen by the legendary producer Quincy Jones, who obtained his E-mail address and
vowed to help the young pianist.
It took several years before much could be done. Relations between Castro’s Cuba and Bush’s United States were
frigid at best. While Alfredo was allowed to play at a concert in Mexico, it seemed as if there was little chance he could
ever make it to the U.S.
Alfredo had to make a difficult decision. Either he stayed in Cuba other than on official government-sanctioned trips
and struggled financially, or he could take the dangerous step of defecting while having to leave his family behind.
This past January he had his chance when another concert was scheduled in Mexico. Cuba and Mexico had recently
signed an agreement saying that all Cubans trying to cross the Mexican border into the U.S. would be immediately
deported to Cuba and jailed. Alfredo took a chance. He took a plane flight from the city in which he performed in
Mexico to a small border town. Upon landing, he was arrested by Mexican officials. After two hours of questioning, he
told the interrogator of his passionate dream of playing music all over the world. Miraculously, the officer was so
sympathetic that he put him in a taxi, telling the driver to take Alfredo across the border into the United States.
Alfredo Rodriguez was granted political asylum, reunited with Quincy Jones, and will be performing at this year’s
Playboy Jazz Festival. Sometimes dreams do come true.
DISCOGRAPHY
A SELECTED GUIDE TO RECORDINGS IN PRINT
compiled by Scott Yanow
Monty Alexander
Alexander The Great: Monty Swings On MPS, MPS 4506
Calypso Blues, Chesky 339
Caribbean Circle, Chesky 80
Concrete Jungle: The Music Of Bob Marley, Telarc 83635
Duke Ellington Songbook, Verve 821151
Echoes Of Jilly’s, Concord 4769
Facets, Concord 4108
Goin’ Yard, Telarc 83527
Impressions In Blue, Telarc 83578
Island Grooves: Jamboree & Ivory and Steel, Concord 4940
Jamento: The Monty Alexander 7, Original Jazz Classics 904
Live At The Iridium, Telarc 83610
Live In Holland, Emarcy 8356272
Live! Montreux Alexander, Verve 817487
Maybeck Recital Hall Series Vol. 40, Concord 4658
Monty Alexander In Tokyo, Original Jazz Classics 10982
Monty Meets Sly & Robbie, Telarc 83469
My America, Telarc 83552
Reunion In Europe, Concord 4231
Rocksteady, Telarc 83581
So What, Black & Blue 906
Steaming Hot, Concord 2232
Stir It Up: The Music Of Bob Marley
Straight Ahead, Concord 2167
The Good Life, Chesky 340
The River, Concord 4422
Threesome, Soul Note 121152
To The Ends Of the Earth, Concord Picante 4721
Triple Scoop, Concord 2122
Yard Movement, Polygram 524232
Patti Austin
Avant Gershwin, Rendezvous 5123
Body Language, Sony 512793
Carry On, GRP 9660
End Of A Rainbow, King 2161
Every Home Should Have One, Qwest 3591
For Ella, Playboy Jazz 7503
Gettin’ Away With Murder, WEA/Qwest 25276
Havana Candy, King 2162
In & Out Of Love, Concord 4776
Intimate Patti Austin, Mosaic Contemporary 8001
Live At The Bottom Line, Sony 46860
Live, GRP 9682
Love Collection: Collectors Series, Intersound 5940
Love Is Gonna Getcha, GRP 9603
On The Way To Love, Warner Bros. 47911
Patti Austin, Mosaic Contemporary 5013
Street Of Dreams, Intersound 9576
That Secret Place, GRP 4023
The Real Me, Qwest 25696
The Ultimate Collection, GRP 9821
The Very Best Of Patti Austin: The Singles (1969-86), Rhino 398844
Brian Blade
Brian Blade Fellowship, Blue Note 59417
Mama Rosa, Verve Forecast 12613
Perceptual, Blue Note 23571
Season Of Changes, Verve 10696
Jimmy Cobb
Cobb’s Corner, Chesky 327
Cobb’s Groove, Milestone 9334
Marsalis Music Honors Jimmy Cobb, Marsalis Music/Rounder 74946
Only For The Pure Of Heart, Lightyear 54264
So Nobody Else Can Hear, Expansion 6
Anat Cohen
Noir, Anzic 1201
Notes From The Village, Anzic 400117
Place And Time, Anzic 1101
Poetica, Anzic 1301
Pete Escovedo
E Music, Concord 4892
E Street, Concord 4748
Flying South, Concord 4684
Live, Concord 2161
Mister E, Concord Crossover 45005
Solo Two/Happy Together, Fantasy 24747
Whatcha Gonna Do, Concord 5007
Yesterday’s Memories: Tomorrow’s Dreams, Concord Crossover 45002
Jon Faddis
Good And Plenty, Unidisc 2013
Hornucopia, Epic 46958
Into The Faddisphere, Epic 45266
Jon & Billy, Storyville 22052
Legacy, Concord Jazz 4291
Remembrances, Chesky 166
Teranga, Koch 9969
The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Blue Note 36728
Oscar Hernandez (with Spanish Harlem Orchestra)
Across 110th Street, Rykodisc 10682
Un Gran Dia en el Barrio, Rykodisc 16012
United We Swing, Six Degrees 1134
Vincent Herring
All Too Real, High Note 7106
American Experience, Music Masters 5037
Change The World, Music Masters 65163
Days Of Wine And Roses, Music Masters 65152
Don’t Let It Go, Music Masters 65121
Early On: Evidence/Dawnbird,32 Jazz 32086
Ends And Means, High Note 7149
Folklore, Music Masters 65109
Jobim For Lovers, Music Masters 65178
Mr. Wizard, High Note 7121
Scene One, Evidence 22170
Secret Love, Music Masters 65092
Simple Pleasures, High Note 7084
Sterling Place All Stars, Metropolitan 1117
Javon Jackson
A Look Within, Blue Note 36490
Burnin’, Criss Cross 1139
Easy Does It, Palmetto 2093
For One Who Knows, Blue Note 30244
Good People, Blue Note 56680
Have You Heard, Palmetto 2110
Me and Mr. Jones, Criss Cross 1053
Now, Palmetto 2121
Once Upon A Melody, Palmetto 2136
Pleasant Valley, Blue Note 99697
Sugar Hill: Music Of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Chesky 333
When The Time Is Right, Blue Note 89678
Geoffrey Keezer
Aurea, ArtistShare
Curveball, Sunnyside 1045
Falling Up, Max Jazz 207
Here And Now, Blue Note 96691
Other Spheres, DIW
Sublime; Honoring The Music Of Hank Jones, Telarc 83563
Trio, Sackville 2039
Turn Up The Quiet, Sony 68988
Waiting In The Wings, Sunnyside 1035
Wildcrafted: Live At The Dakota, Max Jazz 215
World Music, Sony 52958
Zero One, Dreyfus 36703
New Birth Brass Band
D-Boy, Nyno 9604
New Birth Family, Valley 15193
New Orleans Second Line!, Mardi Gras 1107
John Patitucci
Another World, GRP 9725
Communion, Concord 4970
Heart Of The Bass, Stretch 9001
Imprint, Concord 4881
John Patitucci, GRP 9560
Line By Line, Concord 30003
Mistura Fina, GRP 9802
Now, Concord 4806
On The Corner, GRP 9583
One More Angel, Concord 4753
Sketchbook, GRP 9617
Songs, Stories & Spirituals, Concord 2149
Danilo Perez
Across The Crystal Sea, Verve 111902
Central Avenue, GRP 279
Collected Danilo Perez, RCA 68719
Danilo Perez, Novus 63148
Live At The Jazz Showcase, ArtistShare 0003
Motherland, Polygram 543904
Panama Suite, Artistshare 0075
Panamonk, Impulse 190
The Journey, Novus 63166
Till Then, Verve 28602
Wallace Roney
According To Mr. Roney, 32 Jazz 32044
Cruchin’, Muse 5518
Intuition, Muse 5346
Jazz, High Note 7174
Misterios, Warner Bros. 45641
Munchin’, Muse 5533
Mystikal, High Note 7145
No Job Too Big Or Small, 32 Jazz 32140
No Room For Argument, Concord 9033
Obsession, Muse 5423
Prototype, High Note 7116
Seth Air, Muse 5441
The Standard Bearer, Muse 5372
The Wallace Roney Quartet, Warner Bros. 45914
Verses, Muse 5335
Village, Warner Bros. 46649
Jack Sheldon
California Cool, Butterfly 7705
Class Act, Butterfly 7703
Freaky Friday: The Jazz Opera, Butterfly 7706
Hollywood Heroes, Concord 4139
It’s What I Do, Butterfly 7708
Jack Is Back, Butterfly 7702
Jack Sheldon & His All Stars, GNP/Crescendo 2276
Jack Sheldon Presents The Entertainers, VSOP 90
Jack Sheldon Sings, Butterfly 7701
JSO Live, Butterfly 7704
Listen Up, Butterfly 7707
Live At Don Mupo’s Gold Nugget, VSOP 1101
On My Own, Concord 4529
Playing For Change, Uptown 2743
The Quartet and the Quintet, Blue Note 93160
Wayne Shorter
Adam’s Apple, Blue Note 5919012
Alegria, Verve 543558
Atlantis, Sony 67408
Beyond The Sound Barrier, Verve 451802
Et Cetera, Blue Note 33581
Footprints Live, Verve 589679
Footprints: The Life And Music Of Wayne Shorter, Sony Jazz 5186962
High Life, Verve 529224
Introducing Wayne Shorter, Vee-Jay 007
Joy Ryder, Sony 44110
JuJu, Blue Note 8376442
Moto Grosso Feio, Blue Note 17373
Native Dancer, Sony/BMG 724365
Night Dreamer, Blue Note 8753342
Odyssey Of Iska, Blue Note 84363
Phantom Navigator, Sony 40373
Schizophrenia, Blue Note 32096
Second Genesis, Vee-Jay 16
Speak No Evil, Blue Note 99001
Super Nova, Blue Note 84332
The All Seeing Eye, Blue Note 24543
The Soothsayer, Blue Note 84443
Wayne Shorter, GNP/Crescendo 2075
Wayning Moments, Vee-Jay 14
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza, Heads Up 3140
Junjo, Ayva 036
Buster Williams
65 Roses, Blueport 16
Crystal Reflections, 32 Jazz 32087
Dreams Come True, Unidisc 4110
Griot Liberte, Highnote 7123
Houdini, Sirocco 1014
Joined At The Hip, TCB 21202
Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival 1999, TCB 20152
Lost In A Memory, TCB 99252
Pinnacle, 32 Jazz 32147
Something More, In & Out 7004
Somewhere Along The Way, TCB 97602
Tokudo, Denon 8549
Larry Willis
Blue Fable, Highnote 7163
Every Rung Goes Higher, Mapleshade 8232
Heavy Blue, Steeplechase 31269
How Do You Keep The Music Playing, Steeplechase 31312
If Trees Could Talk, Mapleshade 6332
Inner Crisis, Groove Merchant 514
Just In Time, Steeplechase 31251
Let’s Play, Steeplechase 31283
My Funny Valentine, Evidence 22205
Sanctuary, Mapleshade 993
Solo Spirit, Mapleshade 1432
Steal Away, AudioQuest 1009
Sunshower, Mapleshade 8532
The Big Push, Highnote 7144
The Offering, Highnote, 7178
The Powers Of Two, Mapleshade 1023
The Powers Of Two, Vol, 2, Mapleshade 1123
Tribute To Someone, AudioQuest 1022
Unforgettable, Steeplechase 31318