One of the few child stars in Jamaica, Dennis Brown recorded his first hit when he was just eleven years old. The “Crown Prince of Reggae” recorded more than 75 albums in the lovers rock style, a romantic genre of reggae music, producing hit after hit in a prolific career which spanned nearly thirty years and included stints as a producer for his DEB label in the UK.
Brown, who was born in Kingston in 1957, died in 1999 but his musical style has influenced many other reggae singers.
Last year, Brown was named to NPR’s 50 Great Voices “from around the world and across time.” The list includes Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Mahalia Jackson, among others.
In recognition of his contribution to music, the Government of Jamaica posthumously awarded him the Commander of the Order of Distinction posthumously on October 17th, National Heroes Day.
A few weeks ago, when I featured Shirley Bassey on Soulful Sundays, my blog buddy, Narelle mentioned Nana Mouskouri. I hadn’t thought of her in quite a while but I promised Narelle that I’d feature her soon.
I was introduced to Mouskouri when I lived in Ottawa — feels like decades now. I remember the media referring to her as the woman who made wearing glasses ‘sexy.’ One story that made the rounds then was that when she toured with Harry Belafonte, he asked her not to wear her glasses. She refused. Indeed, she is a very attractive woman. But it’s her voice that is captivating in its simplicity. Give a listen to her singing The White Rose of Athens. I also love her rendition of Amazing Grace.
Nana Mouskouri
Born Joanna Mouskouri on October 13, 1934 in Crete, she became known to family and friends simply as Nana. She has recorded jazz, world, Greek folk, Pop, and Classical music. Mouskouri has more than 230 gold and platinum albums and nearly 400 million discs worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female recording artist of all time.
In addition to her music, Mouskouri was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in 1993 and was elected a Member of the European Parliament from 1995-9.
Mouskouri retired in 2008 giving a farewell concert in Athens, Greece.
I grew up hearing Monty Alexander on the radio in Jamaica but had no idea who he was until years later when I saw him perform some of the music I was familiar with.
Monty Alexander was born in Kingston in 1944. He took his first piano lessons when he was six years old but he’s largely self-taught.
Monty Alexander, photo montyalexander.com
Over the years, Alexander, a jazz pianist who mixes jazz and reggae, has recorded as many as 70 albums. He’s performed and recorded with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson and Clark Terry among others. He also assisted Natalie Cole with her tribute album, Unforgettable, which won seven Grammy Awards.
In addition, Alexander recorded the piano track for the Clint Eastwood movie, Bird, about the life of jazz icon, Charlie Parker.
Alexander was awarded the title of Commander in the Order of Distinction by the Government of Jamaica in 2000 for outstanding service to the country as worldwide music ambassador.
Since that first performance, I’ve seen Alexander in concert several times since then. Give a listen to his rendition of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cryand The Monty Alexander Trio playing Grub at the Dakota Jazz Club.
My mom loved Dame Shirley Bassey but I didn’t appreciate her until I realized she sang the theme song to Goldfinger (I’m a big of the James Bond movies). That’s when I really took notice.
Like Tom Jones, the other famous Welsh singer, Dame Shirley worked in a factory. She also sang in local clubs in the evenings and on weekends.
Dame Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley signed her first professional contract in 1953 and sang in a touring show. Her first single, Burn My Candle (At Both Ends), was recorded three years later. In 1959, she became the first Welsh artist to have a number one single, As I Love You.
Her 1964 recording of the James Bond theme brought her international fame and had a large impact on her career. She also sang the theme songs to Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker.
Recently, my friend Joan, re-introduced me to Dame Shirley by introducing me to her signature song, This Is My Life. I had goose bumps as I listened and as soon as I got home, searched the Internet to find it on YouTube. The lyrics, below, are just as powerful.
Enjoy!
The Is My Life
Funny how a lonely day, can make a person say:
What good is my life
Funny how a breaking heart, can make me start to say:
What good is my life
Funny how I often seem to think I’ll find never another dream
In my life
Till I look around and see this great big world is part of me
And my life
This is my life
Today, tomorrow, love will come and find me
But that’s the way that I was born to be
This is me
This is me
This is my life
And I don’t give a damn for lost emotions
I’ve such a lot of love I’ve got to give
Let me live
Let me live
Sometime when I feel afraid, I think of what a mess I’ve made
Of my life
Crying over my mistakes, forgetting all the breaks I’ve had
In my life
I was put on earth to be a part of this great world is me
And my life
Guess I’ll just add up the score, and count the things I’m grateful for
Jazz violinist and MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter began taking piano lessons at age two after playing by air a melody for her brother’s piano teacher. At four, she was enrolled at the Detroit Community Music School. She played with Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Division, took master classes with Itzak Perlman and Yehudi Menuhin.
Carter began studying classical violin at New England Conservatory of Music, then switched to jazz and Oakland University in Michigan as the Conservatory did not have a jazz program.
Regina Carter, photo stitoday
She’s played with Straight Ahead, accompanied Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Billy Joel, Mary J. Blige and Dolly Parton, played with Max Roach and toured with Wynton Marsalis. Currently, she performs as the head of a quintet. Carter, who was born in Detroit on August 6, 1966 is the cousin of jazz saxophonist, James Carter. She has 7 solo CDs to her credit.
Here’s Carter’s Pavane from her CD, Paganini: After a Dream. If you like what you hear, go here for a free download of Artistiya from her latest album, Reverse Thread.
Most creative people will tell you that the best way to keep current is to stay in touch with younger artists. Musician, composer, arranger, producer, conductor, activist and philanthropist Quincy Jones has done just that.
Although, he’s been arranging and recording since the mid-50s and has worked with greats like Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderly, Lavern Baker, Frank Sinatra, Jacques Brel, Henri Salvador and Charles Aznavour, among many others, he hasn’t lost track of younger performers, been shy of embracing different genres of music or pursuing other creative vehicles.
Quincy Jones
He produced the 1985 best-selling single, We Are The World. He also produced Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall, Bad and Thriller, written music for television shows like Sanford and Son, produced shows such as the Fresh Prince of Belair and Mad TV, co-produced The Color Purple, wrote the score for movies from In Cold Blood to Roots, founded and published Vibe Magazine and published SPIN and Blaze Magazines.
His 1989 studio album Back on the Block brought together musicians and performers from Ice-T to Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie to Chaka Khan, Sarah Vaughn, Bobby McFerrin, Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Dionne Warwick, Big Daddy Kane and others and won seven Grammy Awards, including for Album of the Year.
Jones’ solo recordings also brought him much acclaim. Here’s 1962’s Soul Bossa Nova and Gula Matari (1970)
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. was born on March 14, 1933 in Chicago and grew up in Seattle. He began studying the trumpet at age 12 and attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music on scholarship but left to go on tour with Lionel Hampton. In 1968, Jones along with his songwriting partner, Bob Russell, were the first African American musicians to be nominated for a Grammy Award. Since then, he’s had 79 Grammy nominations and been awarded 27.
Give a listen to The Secret Garden from Back on the Block and let me know how many performers you can identify.
The friends I made while I was at university are still friends today. Back then, we shared each little discovery: music, foods, movies, books, etc. It was one of these friends who introduced me to Al Jarreau.
In time, all of us were listening to, talking about his music and following him in the media.
Jarreau, a seven-time Grammy Award winner, was born Alwin Jarreau in 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to being a preacher, his father was a singer, his mother a piano teacher. The family sang together at church concerts and Jarreau performed with his mother at PTA meetings.
Born on April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C., Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was a musician, bandleader and a prolific composer who has more than a thousand compositions to his credit.
His parents, James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington, both pianists, nurtured his artistic abilities. Duke, who got his name from one of his friends, began taking piano lessons at age seven. In high school, he studied art and was awarded a scholarship to the Pratt Institute but turned it down.
Influenced by ragtime musicians, Duke began performing professionally at age 17. In 1923, he moved to New York City where he began playing in clubs. From 1927-32 and 1937-8, he played at Harlem’s Cotton Club.
For most people, reggae is Jamaican music. But before there was reggae, there were other types of music, most notablyska. Guitarist Ernest (Ernie) Ranglin is one of the musicians credited with creating ska.
In addition to his involvement with ska, Ranglin created the soundtrack for the Bond film, Dr. No, which was
Jazz Guitarist, Ernest 'Ernie' Ranglin
filmed in Jamaica. Born in Jamaica 79 years ago, Ranglin started playing at an early age after listening to his musician uncles play the ukelele and guitar and practicing with their instruments. His style is a fusion of jazz and reggae. Ranglin’s worked with several musicians and recorded more than thirty albums.
A few years ago, I saw Ranglin perform at Aaron Davis Hall in Harlem. For most of the show, I felt absolutely giddy with excitement, a huge smile plastered on my face. Take s listen to one of my favorites, Below the Baseline.
The youngest son of the reggae icon, Bob Marley, Damian Marley seemed to explode on to the music scene with
Damian Marley, image from the Internet
his double Grammy Award Winning CD, Welcome to Jamrock, which was recorded in 2005. But these weren’t his only Grammy Wards. Marley, who’d been singing since he was thirteen, also won in 2002 for his second CD, Halfway Tree.
Damian Marley was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1978. His mother, Cindy Brakespeare, is a jazz singer and a former Miss Jamaica.
I was pleased to hear Marley showcasing the unmistakable ‘old school’ reggae vocabulary on several tracks on this CD. One of my favorites and the featured song for today’s Soulful Sundays is There For You. Most of reggae is protest music, and songs about poverty and social injustice. It’s always a pleasant surprise when an artist slips in one that isn’t. There For You reminds me of the turn his father took with a little love song, which interestingly, was penned for Damian’s mother.
