Monday, March 30, 2026
Melvin Rhyne • Organ-izing
Melvin Rhyne was born in
Indianapolis in 1936 and started playing the piano shortly thereafter.
At 19 years old, Rhyne started playing piano with then-unknown tenor
saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk but quickly switched over to the
instrument that would make him famous: the Hammond B3 organ. Rhyne's
piano skills translated to the organ fluently and before long he was
backing famous blues players like B.B. King and T-Bone Walker. In 1959
when he was asked to join fellow Indianapolis musician Wes Montgomery's
newly formed trio.
Rhyne then moved to Wisconsin and largely kept to himself for the next two decades. In 1991, however, Rhyne returned to the jazz scene, playing on Herb Ellis' album Roll Call, Brian Lynch's At the Main Event, and his own comeback The Legend. Rhyne continued to be prolific in the years to come, releasing eight more solo albums on the Criss Cross jazz label.
In 2008 Rhyne teamed up with fellow Indianapolis jazz musician Rob Dixon to form the Dixon-Rhyne Project, a boundary-pushing jazz quartet that also includes Chicago guitarist Fareed Haque and drummer Kenny Phelps. The quartet released the album Reinvention in 2008 on Indianapolis jazz label Owl Studios. Rhyne's later career trio included drummer Kenny Washington and guitarist Peter Bernstein in the same organ, guitar, drum formation of the original Wes Montgomery Trio.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/melvin-rhyne/
Note: Melvin Rhyne passed away on March 5, 2013, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.
Rhyne then moved to Wisconsin and largely kept to himself for the next two decades. In 1991, however, Rhyne returned to the jazz scene, playing on Herb Ellis' album Roll Call, Brian Lynch's At the Main Event, and his own comeback The Legend. Rhyne continued to be prolific in the years to come, releasing eight more solo albums on the Criss Cross jazz label.
In 2008 Rhyne teamed up with fellow Indianapolis jazz musician Rob Dixon to form the Dixon-Rhyne Project, a boundary-pushing jazz quartet that also includes Chicago guitarist Fareed Haque and drummer Kenny Phelps. The quartet released the album Reinvention in 2008 on Indianapolis jazz label Owl Studios. Rhyne's later career trio included drummer Kenny Washington and guitarist Peter Bernstein in the same organ, guitar, drum formation of the original Wes Montgomery Trio.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/melvin-rhyne/
Note: Melvin Rhyne passed away on March 5, 2013, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.
///////
Melvin
Rhyne nació en Indianápolis en 1936 y comenzó a tocar el piano poco
después. A los 19 años, Rhyne comenzó a tocar el piano con el entonces
desconocido saxofonista tenor Rahsaan Roland Kirk, pero rápidamente
cambió al instrumento que lo haría famoso: el órgano Hammond B3. Las
habilidades de Rhyne con el piano se tradujeron al órgano con fluidez y,
en poco tiempo, estaba respaldando a famosos músicos de blues como BB
King y T-Bone Walker. En 1959, cuando se le pidió que se uniera al trío
recién formado del músico de Indianápolis Wes Montgomery.
Rhyne luego se mudó a Wisconsin y se mantuvo en gran medida solo durante las siguientes dos décadas. En 1991, sin embargo, Rhyne regresó a la escena del jazz, tocando en el álbum Roll Call de Herb Ellis, en At the Main Event de Brian Lynch y en su propio regreso The Legend. Rhyne continuó siendo prolífica en los años siguientes, lanzando ocho álbumes más en solitario con el sello Criss Cross jazz.
En 2008, Rhyne se asoció con su colega músico de jazz de Indianápolis Rob Dixon para formar The Dixon-Rhyne Project, un cuarteto de jazz que traspasa fronteras y que también incluye al guitarrista de Chicago Fareed Haque y al baterista Kenny Phelps. El cuarteto lanzó el álbum Reinvención en 2008 en el sello de jazz de Indianápolis Owl Studios. El trío posterior de Rhyne incluyó al baterista Kenny Washington y al guitarrista Peter Bernstein en la misma formación de órgano, guitarra y batería del Trío original de Wes Montgomery.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/melvin-rhyne/
Nota: Melvin Rhyne falleció el 5 de marzo de 2013, Indianápolis, Indiana, Estados Unidos.
Rhyne luego se mudó a Wisconsin y se mantuvo en gran medida solo durante las siguientes dos décadas. En 1991, sin embargo, Rhyne regresó a la escena del jazz, tocando en el álbum Roll Call de Herb Ellis, en At the Main Event de Brian Lynch y en su propio regreso The Legend. Rhyne continuó siendo prolífica en los años siguientes, lanzando ocho álbumes más en solitario con el sello Criss Cross jazz.
En 2008, Rhyne se asoció con su colega músico de jazz de Indianápolis Rob Dixon para formar The Dixon-Rhyne Project, un cuarteto de jazz que traspasa fronteras y que también incluye al guitarrista de Chicago Fareed Haque y al baterista Kenny Phelps. El cuarteto lanzó el álbum Reinvención en 2008 en el sello de jazz de Indianápolis Owl Studios. El trío posterior de Rhyne incluyó al baterista Kenny Washington y al guitarrista Peter Bernstein en la misma formación de órgano, guitarra y batería del Trío original de Wes Montgomery.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/melvin-rhyne/
Nota: Melvin Rhyne falleció el 5 de marzo de 2013, Indianápolis, Indiana, Estados Unidos.
Memphis Slim • The King Of Jump Blues
Biography by Bill Dahl
An amazingly prolific artist who brought a brisk air of urban sophistication to his frequently stunning presentation, John "Peter" Chatman -- better known as Memphis Slim -- assuredly ranks with the greatest blues pianists of all time. He was smart enough to take Big Bill Broonzy's early advice about developing a style to call his own to heart, instead of imitating that of his idol, Roosevelt Sykes. Soon enough, other 88s pounders were copying Slim rather than the other way around; his thundering ivories attack set him apart from most of his contemporaries, while his deeply burnished voice possessed a commanding authority.
As befits his stage name, John "Peter" Chatman was born and raised in Memphis; a great place to commit to a career as a bluesman. Sometime in the late '30s, he resettled in Chicago and began recording as a leader in 1939 for OKeh, then switched over to Bluebird the next year. Around the same time, Slim joined forces with Broonzy, then the dominant force on the local blues scene. After serving as Broonzy's invaluable accompanist for a few years, Slim emerged as his own man in 1944.
After the close of World War II, Slim joined Hy-Tone Records, cutting eight tracks that were later picked up by King. Lee Egalnick's Miracle label reeled in the pianist in 1947; backed by his jumping band, the House Rockers (its members usually included saxists Alex Atkins and Ernest Cotton), Slim recorded his classic "Lend Me Your Love" and "Rockin' the House." The next year brought the landmark "Nobody Loves Me" (better known via subsequent covers by Lowell Fulson, Joe Williams, and B.B. King as "Everyday I Have the Blues") and the heartbroken "Messin' Around (With the Blues)."
The pianist kept on label-hopping, moving from Miracle to Peacock to Premium (where he waxed the first version of his uncommonly wise down-tempo blues "Mother Earth") to Chess to Mercury before staying put at Chicago's United Records from 1952 to 1954. This was a particularly fertile period for the pianist; he recruited his first permanent guitarist, the estimable Matt Murphy, who added some serious fret fire to "The Come Back," "Sassy Mae," and "Memphis Slim U.S.A."
Before the decade was through, the pianist landed at Vee-Jay Records, where he cut definitive versions of his best-known songs with Murphy and a stellar combo in gorgeously sympathetic support (Murphy was nothing short of spectacular throughout).
Slim exhibited his perpetually independent mindset by leaving the country for good in 1962. A tour of Europe in partnership with bassist Willie Dixon a couple of years earlier had so intrigued the pianist that he permanently moved to Paris, where recording and touring possibilities seemed limitless and the veteran pianist was treated with the respect too often denied even African-American blues stars at home back then. He remained there until his 1988 death, enjoying his stature as expatriate blues royalty.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/memphis-slim-mn0000421122/biography
An amazingly prolific artist who brought a brisk air of urban sophistication to his frequently stunning presentation, John "Peter" Chatman -- better known as Memphis Slim -- assuredly ranks with the greatest blues pianists of all time. He was smart enough to take Big Bill Broonzy's early advice about developing a style to call his own to heart, instead of imitating that of his idol, Roosevelt Sykes. Soon enough, other 88s pounders were copying Slim rather than the other way around; his thundering ivories attack set him apart from most of his contemporaries, while his deeply burnished voice possessed a commanding authority.
As befits his stage name, John "Peter" Chatman was born and raised in Memphis; a great place to commit to a career as a bluesman. Sometime in the late '30s, he resettled in Chicago and began recording as a leader in 1939 for OKeh, then switched over to Bluebird the next year. Around the same time, Slim joined forces with Broonzy, then the dominant force on the local blues scene. After serving as Broonzy's invaluable accompanist for a few years, Slim emerged as his own man in 1944.
After the close of World War II, Slim joined Hy-Tone Records, cutting eight tracks that were later picked up by King. Lee Egalnick's Miracle label reeled in the pianist in 1947; backed by his jumping band, the House Rockers (its members usually included saxists Alex Atkins and Ernest Cotton), Slim recorded his classic "Lend Me Your Love" and "Rockin' the House." The next year brought the landmark "Nobody Loves Me" (better known via subsequent covers by Lowell Fulson, Joe Williams, and B.B. King as "Everyday I Have the Blues") and the heartbroken "Messin' Around (With the Blues)."
The pianist kept on label-hopping, moving from Miracle to Peacock to Premium (where he waxed the first version of his uncommonly wise down-tempo blues "Mother Earth") to Chess to Mercury before staying put at Chicago's United Records from 1952 to 1954. This was a particularly fertile period for the pianist; he recruited his first permanent guitarist, the estimable Matt Murphy, who added some serious fret fire to "The Come Back," "Sassy Mae," and "Memphis Slim U.S.A."
Before the decade was through, the pianist landed at Vee-Jay Records, where he cut definitive versions of his best-known songs with Murphy and a stellar combo in gorgeously sympathetic support (Murphy was nothing short of spectacular throughout).
Slim exhibited his perpetually independent mindset by leaving the country for good in 1962. A tour of Europe in partnership with bassist Willie Dixon a couple of years earlier had so intrigued the pianist that he permanently moved to Paris, where recording and touring possibilities seemed limitless and the veteran pianist was treated with the respect too often denied even African-American blues stars at home back then. He remained there until his 1988 death, enjoying his stature as expatriate blues royalty.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/memphis-slim-mn0000421122/biography
///////
Biografía de Bill Dahl
Un artista increíblemente prolífico que trajo un aire de sofisticación urbana a su presentación frecuentemente impresionante, John "Peter" Chatman -más conocido como Memphis Slim- seguramente se encuentra entre los mejores pianistas de blues de todos los tiempos. Fue lo suficientemente inteligente como para seguir los primeros consejos de Big Bill Broonzy sobre el desarrollo de un estilo para llamar a los suyos propios, en lugar de imitar al de su ídolo, Roosevelt Sykes. Muy pronto, otros de 88 libras copiaron a Slim en lugar de hacerlo al revés; su estruendoso ataque de marfiles lo separó de la mayoría de sus contemporáneos, mientras que su voz profundamente bruñida poseía una autoridad dominante.
Como corresponde a su nombre artístico, John "Peter" Chatman nació y creció en Memphis; un gran lugar para comprometerse a una carrera como bluesista. A finales de los años 30, se reubicó en Chicago y comenzó a grabar como líder en 1939 para OKeh, para luego cambiar a Bluebird al año siguiente. Más o menos al mismo tiempo, Slim unió fuerzas con Broonzy, que entonces era la fuerza dominante en la escena blues local. Después de servir como el inestimable acompañante de Broonzy durante unos años, Slim emergió como su propio hombre en 1944.
Después del final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Slim se unió a Hy-Tone Records, cortando ocho temas que luego fueron recogidos por King. El sello Milagro de Lee Egalnick se hizo con el sello del pianista en 1947; respaldado por su banda de saltos, The House Rockers (entre sus miembros se encontraban los saxos Alex Atkins y Ernest Cotton), Slim grabó sus clásicos "Lend Me Your Love" y "Rockin' the House". El año siguiente trajo el hito "Nobody Loves Me" (más conocido por las siguientes portadas de Lowell Fulson, Joe Williams y B.B. King como "Everyday I Have the Blues") y el desolado "Messin' Around (With the Blues)" (Messin' Around (With the Blues)).
El pianista se mantuvo en la etiqueta-hopping, pasando de Miracle a Peacock a Premium (donde enceró la primera versión de su inusualmente sabia blues de down-tempo "Mother Earth") a Chess to Mercury antes de quedarse en el Chicago's United Records desde 1952 hasta 1954. Este fue un período particularmente fértil para el pianista; reclutó a su primer guitarrista permanente, el estimable Matt Murphy, quien agregó un poco de grave preocupación a "The Come Back", "Sassy Mae" y "Memphis Slim U.S.A.".
Antes de que terminara la década, el pianista llegó a Vee-Jay Records, donde cortó versiones definitivas de sus canciones más conocidas con Murphy y un combo estelar con un magnífico apoyo simpático (Murphy fue nada menos que espectacular en todo momento).
Slim exhibió su mentalidad perpetuamente independiente al dejar el país para siempre en 1962. Una gira por Europa en asociación con el bajista Willie Dixon un par de años antes había intrigado tanto al pianista que se mudó permanentemente a París, donde las posibilidades de grabación y gira parecían ilimitadas y el veterano pianista fue tratado con el respeto que se le negaba con demasiada frecuencia, incluso a las estrellas del blues afroestadounidense en casa en ese entonces. Permaneció allí hasta su muerte en 1988, disfrutando de su estatura como expatriado de la realeza del blues.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/memphis-slim-mn0000421122/biography
Lynne Arriale Trio • The Eyes Have It
Review
by Michael G. Nastos
As a composer and interpreter of modern jazz, pianist Arriale is blossoming more and more with every passing day. She's open to stretching melodies, interacting with her very talented trio, and tackling new challenges. For this, her fifth CD, all trio sides, she, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Steve Davis present three Irish influenced Arriale originals, ballads, and standards that further explore the hushed tones, airy refrains, and delicately constructed music that is her hallmark. On the romantic side, Arriale melts walls and hearts with her after-midnight takes on "But Beautiful" and "Touch Her Sweet Lips And Part." When she's in this molasses-slow mode, her playing is distinctly like no other. Patient as a lonely, wanting lover for "The Forgotten Ones," Davis wields mallets on drums, as though walking through a rain forest, while Arriale fastidiously searches for clues to the scavenger hunt. The folk melody/children's song "Hush-A-Bye" has the pianist paraphrasing perhaps the simplest melody written with aplomb and stoic grace. The Celtic-influenced songs contrast beautifully; "Turning" a 3/4 to 4/4 jig-to-bop exchange, "Dance" is just that, with Davis doing the steps with his chattering sticks, and the showstopper "The Highlands" is a popping, extroverted, sensational number that shows Arriale does have a more hectic side. "It Ain't Necessarily So" might be a bit of an anomaly to the rest of the selections, a swinging, light groove version replete with dynamic accents and variations that make the old tried-and-true Gershwin melody sing and cry out. The other well-known composition, "Beautiful Love," has a free intro which merges into a midtempo head, the pianist and drummer trading eights effortlessly in the middle. Arriale is a most gifted pianist, probably the closest thing we have in the '90s to Bill Evans in terms of subtlety and depth. Hard to judge this against her other trio CDs, they're all very good, and any will be a welcome addition to your collection.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-eyes-have-it-mw0000118266?1658422460430
///////
Reseña
por Michael G. Nastos
Como compositora e intérprete de jazz moderno, la pianista Arriale está floreciendo más y más con cada día que pasa. Está abierta a estirar las melodías, a interactuar con su talentoso trío y a abordar nuevos retos. En este quinto CD, todos ellos en formato de trío, ella, el bajista Scott Colley y el baterista Steve Davis presentan tres originales, baladas y estándares de Arriale con influencia irlandesa que exploran aún más los tonos silenciosos, los estribillos aireados y la música delicadamente construida que es su sello. En el lado romántico, Arriale derrite las paredes y los corazones con sus tomas después de la noche en "But Beautiful" y "Touch Her Sweet Lips And Part". Cuando está en este modo lento, su forma de tocar es distinta a la de cualquier otra persona. Paciente como un amante solitario y deseoso para "The Forgotten Ones", Davis maneja los mazos de la batería, como si caminara por una selva tropical, mientras Arriale busca fastidiosamente pistas para la búsqueda del tesoro. La melodía folclórica/canción infantil "Hush-A-Bye" hace que el pianista parafrasee quizás la melodía más sencilla escrita con aplomo y gracia estoica. Las canciones de influencia celta contrastan maravillosamente; "Turning" es un intercambio de 3/4 a 4/4 de jig a bop, "Dance" es justo eso, con Davis haciendo los pasos con sus palos parlanchines, y el showtopper "The Highlands" es un número extrovertido y sensacional que muestra que Arriale tiene un lado más agitado. "It Ain't Necessarily So" puede ser un poco anómalo con respecto al resto de las selecciones, una versión con swing y groove ligero repleta de acentos dinámicos y variaciones que hacen que la vieja melodía de Gershwin cante y grite. La otra composición conocida, "Beautiful Love", tiene una introducción libre que se funde en una cabeza de medio tiempo, el pianista y el baterista intercambiando ochos sin esfuerzo en el medio. Arriale es un pianista muy dotado, probablemente lo más parecido a Bill Evans que tenemos en los 90 en términos de sutileza y profundidad. Es difícil juzgar esto en comparación con sus otros CDs de trío, todos son muy buenos, y cualquiera será una adición bienvenida a tu colección.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-eyes-have-it-mw0000118266?1658422460430
www.lynnearriale.com ...
Charlie Ventura • A Charlie Ventura Concert
Biography by Chris Kelsey
A fine swing-oriented tenor saxophonist, Ventura is best-remembered for his attempt at popularizing bebop during the tail end of the music's mid- to late-'40s heyday. Born Charles Venturo, he came from a large, musically inclined family. His first instrument was C-melody sax. He switched to alto before eventually settling on tenor. Ventura left his day job at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1942 to join Gene Krupa's band. He became a featured soloist with Krupa, playing with the drummer from 1942-1943 and 1944-1946 (working in the interim with guitarist/bandleader Teddy Powell). Ventura achieved considerable popularity while with Krupa, winning a Down Beat magazine award as best tenor saxophonist in 1945. He started his own big band in 1946 with middling results. He had more success fronting a small band, one version of which included trumpeter Conte Candoli, trombonist Bennie Green, alto saxophonist Boots Mussulli, drummer Ed Shaughnessy, and vocalists Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. Ventura recorded for small labels before getting signed to RCA Victor, which at the time wanted to capitalize on the emergence of bebop. An RCA executive purportedly told him that they wanted the word "bop" in the band's name. Ventura came up with the phrase "Bop for the People," which implied an accessible form of the music. Ventura formed a big band in 1948, but soon cut it down to eight members, retaining Cain and Kral, who were crucial components of the band's sound. The Bop for the People band worked through 1949 (during which time Ventura employed modern jazz's greatest saxophonist, Charlie Parker, on a record date), but in the end Ventura's stab at making a commercial success of bop failed. Indeed, as fine a player as he was, Ventura himself was never really a bopper. During the early '50s Ventura led another big band; formed a highly acclaimed group called the Big Four with bassist Chubby Jackson, drummer Buddy Rich, and pianist Marty Napoleon; briefly ran his own night club in Philadelphia; and also worked again with Cain and Kral. Ventura's health was not the best, yet he continued to work with Krupa into the '60s. After the '50s, Ventura recorded commercially only once (in 1977, with pianist John Bunch for the Famous Door label). Still, he remained active. He worked in Las Vegas (with comedian Jackie Gleason), and fronted various groups in the '70s and '80s, before dying of lung cancer in 1992. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/charlie-ventura-mn0000101628#biography
///////
Biografía de Chris Kelsey
Un excelente saxofonista tenor orientado al swing, Ventura es mejor recordado por su intento de popularizar el bebop durante el final del apogeo de la música de mediados a finales de los 40. Nacido como Charles Venturo, provenía de una familia numerosa y con inclinaciones musicales. Su primer instrumento fue el saxo C-melody. Cambió al alto antes de decidirse finalmente por el tenor. Ventura dejó su trabajo diario en el Astillero Naval de Filadelfia en 1942 para unirse a la banda de Gene Krupa. Se convirtió en solista destacado de Krupa, tocando con el baterista de 1942 a 1943 y de 1944 a 1946 (trabajando interinamente con el guitarrista y líder de la banda Teddy Powell). Ventura logró una considerable popularidad mientras estaba con Krupa, ganando un premio de la revista Down Beat como mejor saxofonista tenor en 1945. Fundó su propia big band en 1946 con resultados mediocres. Tuvo más éxito al frente de una pequeña banda, una de cuyas versiones incluía al trompetista Conte Candoli, el trombonista Bennie Green, el saxofonista alto Boots Mussulli, el baterista Ed Shaughnessy y los vocalistas Jackie Cain y Roy Kral. Ventura grabó para sellos pequeños antes de firmar con RCA Victor, que en ese momento quería capitalizar el surgimiento del bebop. Un ejecutivo de RCA supuestamente le dijo que querían la palabra " bop " en el nombre de la banda. Ventura ideó la frase "Bop para la gente", que implicaba una forma accesible de la música. Ventura formó una big band en 1948, pero pronto la redujo a ocho miembros, reteniendo a Cain y Kral, que eran componentes cruciales del sonido de la banda. La banda Bop for the People funcionó hasta 1949 (tiempo durante el cual Ventura empleó al mejor saxofonista del jazz moderno, Charlie Parker, en una fecha récord), pero al final fracasó la tentativa de Ventura de convertir el bop en un éxito comercial. De hecho, por muy buen jugador que fuera, el propio Ventura nunca fue realmente un bopper. A principios de los 50, Ventura dirigió otra big band; formó un grupo muy aclamado llamado Big Four con el bajista Chubby Jackson, el baterista Buddy Rich y el pianista Marty Napoleon; dirigió brevemente su propio club nocturno en Filadelfia; y también volvió a trabajar con Cain y Kral. La salud de Ventura no era la mejor, sin embargo, continuó trabajando con Krupa hasta los años 60. Después de los 50, Ventura grabó comercialmente solo una vez (en 1977, con el pianista John Bunch para el famoso sello Door). Aún así, se mantuvo activo. Trabajó en Las Vegas( con la comediante Jackie Gleason) y lideró varios grupos en los años 70 y 80, antes de morir de cáncer de pulmón en 1992. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/charlie-ventura-mn0000101628#biography
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)