The trumpet riff at the beginning of Gerald Wilson’s “Before Motown” is a triumphant and blast, possessed of what Jelly Roll Morton called “the Spanish tinge.” It is delivered in its elegant audacity by Bobby Rodriguez, the Grammy-nominated musician, composer, and educator known to his fans, students, and colleagues as “Dr. Bobby.” Drawing from his…
Continue reading ➞ Bobby Rodriguez: The Best Version of Himself
If you've ever seen such iconic TV shows as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Streets of San Francisco," or seen any number of major motion pictures of the late 1960s-1990s including "Swing Shift," "Breaking Away," "Cry-Baby," or "The Grass Harp," you've heard the music of Patrick Williams, musician, composer, arranger, conductor, producer, and educator.…
“I’ll Remember April,” as the time last year that I embarked on “Making Life Swing.” I learned a lot more than I ever expected to learn, not just about the past and present of the jazz world. I learned about the people who live and work in that world and the stories that feed their…
Continue reading ➞ I’ll Remember April: MLS A Year (or so) Later
An audience gathered in a small auditorium one evening last November on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills. Waiting for the recital of student jazz combos to begin, the usual pre-concert scene unfolds: people saving seats, student performers greeting friends, families, and professors who have come to support them. Other students who are…
About this time last year, when I began writing "Making Life Swing," it was hard to pinpoint where I would begin my journey of recounting the deep contributions of jazz and its practitioners to music on TV. I dug deep into my memories of television viewing as a kid, a teen, and a young adult.…
Patrick Williams has enjoyed a charmed career, albeit one fueled by talent and hard work. Being in Hollywood at the right time didn’t hurt – he has been honored by the muses Emmy, Grammy, Oscar - and even Pulitzer. With multiple nominations and wins for his work in what this author considers the Golden Age…
Peter Erskine’s career would make a great movie. A drumming prodigy at age four, the New Jersey native was featured on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour Show. At seven, he attended Stan Kenton’s summer clinics and was taught by drummers Louis Hayes, Alan Dawson and Clem De Rosa, future Weather Report bandmate Joe Zawinul,…
