Zachary Breaux

Zachary Charles Breaux (b. 26 June 1960 Port Arthur, Texas - 20 February 1997 Miami Beach, Florida) was an American jazz guitarist, influenced by George Benson and Wes Montgomery and best remembered for his soul-jazz work. He played with many notable jazz musicians during his career, including Roy Ayers, Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, Lonnie Liston Smith, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Donald Byrd.

Zachary Breaux was born on June 26, 1960 in Port Arthur, Texas. He began playing at the age of 9 and after graduating from Lincoln High School, he studied music composition at University of North Texas College of Music where he had been a member of the One O'Clock Lab Band. In 1984, he moved to New York, where he spent 6 years in the band of vibist Roy Ayers. He was signed to Zebra Records in 1996, but died on February 20, 1997 at the age of 36 while on holiday in Miami Beach. He was trying to save the life of another swimmer, Eugenie Poleyeff (1930–1997), 66 of Brooklyn, N.Y., caught by a riptide. He is survived by:

His wife Frederica (née Frederica Elena Clark)
Their daughters Alexis Monet, Mia Deneicia, and Nina
His parents Manuel and Verlie Breaux (née Verlie Marie Zenon) and six siblings.

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Zachary Breaux - Groovin' (1992)

 

01. Coming Home Baby
02. Impressions
03. Picadillo
04. Alice
05. Where Is the Love?
06. Red Black and Greed
07. Lagos
08. Thinking of Alexis

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Zachary Breaux - LaidBack

01. Small Town in Texas 
02. Laid Back   
03. West Side Worry 
04. Find a Place     
05. Going Out of My Head 
06. Intro     
07. Remember the Sixties     
08. 10 Days Before     
09. Intro 
10. Midnight Cowboy 
11. In the Midst of It All     
12. On 6th Street

Listening to Zachary Breaux’s commercial work on Laidback, it’s clear that the guitarist was capable of a lot more. That said, this isn’t a bad album—it isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s enjoyable most of the time. Mindful of George Benson’s more commercial instrumental work, Breaux gets into a likable jazz/R&B/pop groove on such originals as “Small Town in Texas” and “West Side Worry.” Harmonica great Toots Thielemans has pleasant, if unremarkable, cameos on John Barry’s “Midnight Cowboy” and Breaux’s mellow title song, while singer Audrey Wheeler joins Breaux for a vocal duet on a cover of Little Anthony & the Imperials’ 1960s hit “Going Out of My Head.” Though Breaux wasn’t a bad singer, this track really belongs to Wheeler. Make no mistake: Laidback is a decent CD—although it’s a shame to hear Breaux simmering so much of the time when you know he was quite capable of burning. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

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Zachary Breaux - Uptown Groove 1997

01. Breakfast at the Epiphany  :16
02. Cafe Reggio  6:06
03. I Told You  4:29
04. Never Can Say Goodbye  5:06
05. The Thrill Is Gone  5:10
06. After 2:00 Am on the West Coast  4:42
07. All Blues  6:33
08. Back into Time  6:04
09. Uptown Groove  5:13
10. Flavors of My Mind  4:19
11. The 135th St. Theme  4:42
12. After 2:00 Am on the East Coast  5:23
13. I Love This Life  6:30

Guitarist Zachary Breaux, who tragically died just a few months after recording this CD (his debut), was a potentially great guitarist with a style coming from George Benson. In fact, his solos are generally more memorable than the purposely commercial material on this set, which largely consists of melodic, jazzy funk jams, usually with rather basic electronic rhythms. The cover versions of "All Blues" (which is given simplified harmonies) and "The Thrill Is Gone" (Breaux's one vocal) are lightweight throwaways, but most of the other selections show off the guitarist's obvious talents as a player; "After 2:00 AM on the East Coast" (a purely acoustic piece with a catchy melody) matches Breaux quite successfully with fellow guitarist Ted Dunbar. The final selection, ironically titled "I Love This Life," is quite odd, for it has Breaux interviewing Dunbar about his life over an overdubbed two-guitar quintet jam (which is sometimes too loud). Among the other guest musicians are flutist Hubert Laws, bassist Brian Bromberg and pianist Renee Rosnes. A diverse and sadly final statement from a fine player. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

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Lavern Laws

Lavern Eloise Laws was born November 6, 1943 in Houston, Texas as the fourth of eight children of Miola Luverta Donahue and Hubert Laws, Sr. 

Born into a family of musicians, her siblings include flutist Hubert, saxophonist Ronnie, and vocalist Debra.

In the 1970s, she began recording for Holland-Dozier-Holland's Music Merchant and later Invictus labels. label. Her first album, Ain't It Good Feeling Good was released on Invictus in 1977. Unfortunately, the labels folded and Laws released the LP Eloise (ABC) later the same year and Eloise Laws (Liberty) in 1980, both of which featured the songwriting and producing talents of Linda Creed.

After All in Time, for Capitol, followed two years later, Laws was featured on albums from such artists as Harvey Mason, Lee Oskar, Aquarian Dream, Ahmad Jamal, as well as several releases by her siblings. She would not record another solo album until the late 1990s. Meanwhile, she pursued a career on stage, starring in the Tony-nominated musical, It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, which she also co-wrote.

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Eloise Laws - Secrets (2003)

 

01. Tenderness
02. Listen To The Moonlight
03. I Fall So Deep
04. Leave The Light On
05. A Man Like That
06. Out On A Limb
07. Sometimes
08. More Than You'll Ever Know
09. In The Thick Of It
10. I Got My Baby

Personnel:
Eloise Laws (vocals); Debra Laws (vocals); Dwight Sills, Fred Jenkins (acoustic guitar); Jakub Omsky (cello); Tollak Ollestad (harmonica); Ronnie Laws (tenor saxophone); Greg Adams (trumpet, flugelhorn); Nick Lane (trombone, bass trombone); Bill Cantos (keyboards, synthesizer); André Fischer (drums, percussion); Bridgette Bryant Blades (background vocals).

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Beegie Adair

Beegie Adair (born in Barren County, Kentucky in 1937) is a jazz pianist. She studied piano at Western Kentucky University. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she did graduate work at Peabody College. She later went on to form the Beegie Adair Trio.

She went to work as a pianist on WSM-TV and Radio. After 9 years at the station, she began freelancing studio work, in addition to TV orchestra work. She was rehearsal pianist and utility keyboard on the Johnny Cash Show on ABC for 3 years. She has many album credits with musicians all around the world, including John Stewart, John Loudermilk, J.J. Cale, Ronnie Milsap and Mickey Newbury.

Her TV credits include shows with Dolly Parton, Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball. She has accompanied such artists as Urbie Green, Nat Adderley, Lew Tabackin, Perry Como, Wayne Newton and Henry Mancini in live concerts. She has 23 jazz recordings with her trio, the Beegie Adair Trio, which consists of bassist Roger Spencer and percussionist Chris Brown. She currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee with her husband, Billy who is an associate professor of jazz studies at the Blair School in Vanderbilt University.

 Beegie Adair - An Affair to Remember (2005)

 

01. An Affair to Remember   
02. Three Coins in the Fountain   
03. Love Is a Many Splendored Thing   
04. The Bad and the Beautiful   
05. A Certain Smile   
06. Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White   
07. Moonglow   
08. Pete Kelly's Blues
09. From Here to Eternity   
10. Blue Gardenia   
11. Ruby   
12. Fascination

Acclaimed jazz pianist, Beegie Adair, teams up with arranger and orchestrator, Jeff Steinberg, to present twelve romantic movie songs of 1950s cinema. The recording is produced by Jack Jezzro and also features Adair's regular bassist, Roger Spencer, and drummer, Chris Brown.

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Beegie Adair - The Nearness of You (2005)
 












01. Georgia On My Mind 
02. In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening 
03. Heart And Soul 
04. Skylark 
05. Ole Buttermilk Sky 
06. Stardust 
07. Ivy 
08. The Nearness Of You
09. Small Fry 
10. Memphis In June 
11. Two Sleepy People    k
12. One Morning In May 
13. I Get Along Without You Very Well

From the American classic "Stardust" to legendary tunes like "Georgia On My Mind" and "The Nearness of You", Hoagy Carmichael is a true songwriting legend bridging both the jazz and pop worlds with his enormous talent. This latest release from the Centennial Composers Collection features these treasured gems and many more performed in pianist Beegie Adair's signature romantic style.


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McCoy Tyner

McCoy Tyner (born December 11, 1938) is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.

Tyner was born Alfred McCoy Tyner in Philadelphia as the oldest of three children. He was encouraged to study piano by his mother. 

He began studying the piano at age 13 and within two years, music had become the focal point in his life. His early influences included Bud Powell, a Philadelphia neighbor.

Tyner's first main exposure came with Benny Golson, being the first pianist in Golson's and Art Farmer's legendary Jazztet (1960). After departing the Jazztet, Tyner joined Coltrane's group in 1960 during its extended run at the Jazz Gallery replacing Steve Kuhn. He appeared on the saxophonist's popular recording of "My Favorite Things" for Atlantic Records. The Coltrane Quartet, which consisted of Coltrane on tenor sax, Tyner, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums, toured almost non-stop between 1961 and 1965 and recorded a number of classic albums, including Live at the Village Vanguard, Ballads, Live at Birdland, Crescent, A Love Supreme, and The John Coltrane Quartet Plays.

The pianist also appeared as a sideman in many of the highly acclaimed Blue Note Records albums of the 1960s, although was often credited as 'etc.' on the cover of these albums (when listing the sidemen on the album) in order to respect his contractual obligations at Impulse Records.

Tyner is considered to be one of the most influential jazz pianists of the 20th Century, an honor he earned both with Coltrane and in his years of performing following Coltrane's death.

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McCoy Tyner – Asante
 












01. Malika
02. Asante
03. Goin’ Home
04. Fulfillment
05. Forbidden Land (Bonus Track)
06. Asian Lullaby (Bonus Track)
07. Hope (Bonus Track)

The final McCoy Tyner Blue Note album found the innovative pianist during a low point in his career. His records were not selling that well, his mentor John Coltrane had passed away three years earlier, and it was not obvious that Tyner would be able to continue struggling successfully to make a living out of music. Fortunately, his fortunes would soon rise when he signed with Milestone in 1972 and the critics began to rediscover him. Asante is a bit unusual, for the emphasis is on group interplay rather than individual solos. The four originals feature Tyner with altoist Andrew White, guitarist Ted Dunbar, bassist Buster Williams, drummer Billy Hart, Mtume on congas, and two spots for the voice of Songai. Worth investigating.


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McCoy Tyner – Song For My Lady 1973

 

01. Native Song
02. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
03. Song For My Lady
04. A Silent Tear
05. Essence

A dynamic album from Tyner – recorded with a core group that includes Sonny Fortune on reeds, Calvin Hill on bass, and Alphonze Mouzon on drums – plus additional work on some tracks by Charles Tolliver, Michael White, and Mtume! With a lineup like that, it’s hard to miss – but even so, Tyner’s still the real focus of the session – pounding up and down the keyboard with fury, really driving on the other players with his core inspiration here!

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Dakota Staton

Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930 – April 10, 2007), also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period, was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No. 4 hit, "The Late, Late Show".

Born in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she attended George Westinghouse High School and studied music at the Filion School of Music in Pittsburgh. Later she performed regularly in the Hill District, a jazz hotspot, as a vocalist with the Joe Wespray Orchestra, a popular Pittsburgh orchestra. She next spent several years in the nightclub circuit in such cities as Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis. While in New York, she was noticed singing at a Harlem nightclub called the Baby Grand by Dave Cavanaugh, a producer for Capitol Records. She was signed and released several singles, her success leading her to win Down Beat magazine's "Most Promising New Comer" award in 1955. In 1958, Staton wed Talib Ahmad Dawud, a black Antiguan Muslim trumpeter and noted critic of Elijah Muhammad.

She released several critically acclaimed albums in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including: The Late, Late Show (1957), whose title track was her biggest hit, In the Night (1957), a collaboration with pianist George Shearing, Dynamic! (1958) and Dakota at Storyville (1961), a live album recorded at the Storyville jazz club in Boston. Staton moved to England in the mid-1960s. She continued to record semi-regularly, her recordings taking an increasingly strong gospel and blues influence. Staton died in New York City aged 76.

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Dakota Staton & The Manny Albam Big Band (1973)

 

01. Country Man
02. I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
03. Girl Talk
04. Cry Me A River
05. Heartbreak
06. It's The Talk Of The Town
07. Make It Easy On Yourself
08. How Did He Look
09. Let It Be Me
10. Congratulations To Someone
11. Let Me Off Uptown
12. A House Is Not A Home
13. Blues For Tatsy
14. A Losing Battle
15. Deep In A Dream
16. Confessin' The Blues
17. Candy

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