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- F -
Farlow, Tal (Talmadge Holt)
All
Music Guide Entry
Guitarist; b. Greensboro, NC, 6/7/21-7/25/98. Farlow’s first career was
that of a sign painter. He played some mandolin and guitar when he was
young, but it wasn’t until his twenties that he decided to devote his
life to jazz after hearing a radio broadcast of Benny Goodman’s band
with Charlie Christian on guitar. He played in Philadelphia clubs, then
moved to New York, but never cared much for city life or public acclaim.
Farlow is considered a musicians' musician, now remembered for his
technical prowess and great recordings. Sources: Berle, Arnie. Secrets From the Masters: Conversations With
Forty Great Guitar Players. Ed. by Don Menn. New York: GPI, 1992;
Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; Jeske, L. “Tal Farlow: Have Guitar, Won’t Travel.” Down Beat
49 (January 1982): 24-26, 58; Korall, Burt. “Tal Farlow: Turning Away
From the Fame.” Down Beat 46 (22 February 1979): 21-22, 45-46; New
Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.; Rowe, Jeri. “Triad Native, Jazz Great Tal Farlow Dies at 77.” News
& Record (Greensboro, NC), 29 July 1998, B3; Sallis, James.
“Middle Ground.” The Guitar in Jazz: An Anthology. Lincoln: U
of Nebraska P, 1996; Watrous, Peter. “Tal Farlow, 77, Jazz Guitarist
Rooted in Bop.” (Obituary) The New York Times, 28 July 1998, A16.
Videos: Talmage Farlow. Produced, directed, and edited by
Lorenzo De Stefano. 58 min. Rhapsody Films, 1986. Web Links:
Sheppard, Andy. "Tal Farlow - Jazz Guitarist." http://www.nobad.demon.co.uk/talfarlow.html;
Selected CDs: Farlow, Tal. The Return of Tal Farlow. OJC
356, 1991 (Originally recorded 1969); Farlow, Tal. The Swinging Guitar
of Tal Farlow. Polygram/Verve 559515, 1999 (Originally recorded 1957);
Farlow, Tal. Tal Farlow: Jazz Masters 41. Verve 527365-2
(Originally recorded 1955-58).
Freelon,
(Chinyere) Nnenna
All
Music Guide Entry
Vocalist; b. Cambridge, MA, 7/27/57- . After college at
Simmons in Boston, Feelon settled in North Carolina, where
she has lived, taught, and perfected her unique vocal style ever since.
The Grammy nominee has chosen to base her career in Durham instead of New
York or Los Angeles following her grandmother's sage advice, "bloom
where you are planted." Among Freelon's chief musical influences is
NC-native Nina Simone. Sources: Byrd, Kimberly H. "The Durham
Diva Uncovers Her Own Voice." Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), May 12,
1995, P12; Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999;
New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.; Vanderford, Joe. "Black Butterfly: An Interview with
Nnenna Freelon." The Independent Weekly (Durham, NC), April
22, 1992, 12-15. Web Links: "Billy Taylor's Jazz at the
Kennedy Center - Guest Artist: Nnenna Freelon." http://npr.org/programs/btaylor/pastprograms/nfreelon.html;
"Nnenna Freelon Official Website." http://www.freelon.com/nnenna/index2.html
Selected CDs: Freelon, Nnenna. Maiden Voyage. Concord Jazz
4794, 1998; Freelon, Nnenna. Soulcall. Concord Jazz, 4896, 2000.
- G -
Garner, Linton S.
All
Music Guide Entry
Pianist and arranger; b. Greensboro, NC, 3/25/15- . Brother of
Erroll Garner. Sources: Feather and Gitler's Biographical
Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd
ed.
Gibson, Elmer
Pianist, keyboardist, composer, educator; b. Philadephia, PA, 3/8/1940 -
.Based in Raleigh for over 35 years. Complete bio at
http://www.elmergibson.com/
Gillespie, Dizzy (John Birks)
All
Music Guide Entry
Trumpeter, composer, bebop innovator; b. Cheraw, SC, 10/21/17-1/6/93. In
his autobiography, To Be, or Not…To Bop, Gillespie describes the
influence of North Carolina “territory bands” that came through
Cheraw, SC, in the 1930s, including Smiling Billy Stewart and Kelly’s
Jazz Hounds from Fayetteville, the Capitol City Aces from Raleigh, and the
Jimmie Gunn and Bill Davis Orchestras from Charlotte. These
African-American-led bands provided his only exposure to jazz growing up.
Gillespie attended school at the Laurinburg Institute in NC from 1932-35,
where he studied music theory and harmony. Together with Charlie Parker,
Gillespie is considered a key player in the development of modern jazz and
bebop. Sources: Balliett, Whitney. "Profiles: Dizzy." The
New Yorker, 17 September 1990, 48-58; DeVeaux, Scott Knowles. The
Birth of Bebop: A Social and Musical History. Berkeley: U of
California P, 1997; Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of
Jazz, 1999; Gillespie, Dizzy, with Al Fraser. To Be, or
Not…To Bop: Memoirs. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979; Hill, George
H. "Dizzy Gillespie." Bulletin of Bibliography 42
(September 1985): 125-132; McRae, Barry. Dizzy Gillespie: His Life
& Times. New York: Universe Books, 1988; New Grove Dictionary
of Jazz, 2nd ed.; Shipton, Alyn. Groovin'
High: The Life of Dizzy Gillespie. New York: Oxford University Press,
1999; Wright, Josephine R. "Conversation with John Birks 'Dizzy'
Gillespie, Pioneer of Jazz." Black Perspective in Music 4
(Spring 1976): 82-89. Videos: Dizzy’s Dream Band. Produced
by Gary Keys. Directed by Stanley Dorfman. 89 min. Fox Lorber Center Stage,
1999. DVDs: Jazz Casual: Basie, Gillespie, Coltrane.
Produced by Ralph J. Gleason. 90 min. Rhino Home Video, 2000. Web Links:
"The Dizzy Gillespie Webpage." http://www.duke.edu/~fdp/
Selected CDs: Gillespie, Dizzy. Birks Works. Verve 527900-2
(Originally recorded 1956-57); Gillespie, Dizzy. The Complete RCA Victor
Recordings. RCA 66528, 1995 (Originally recorded 1937-49); Gillespie,
Dizzy. Groovin’ High. Savoy SV-0152, 1993 (Originally recorded
1945-46).
Gilliland, Johnnie (John) of the Frankie and
Johnnie Orchestra
"Territory band" leader during the 1930s; recorded in Charlotte,
June 1936. Sources: McCarthy, Albert. “The Territory Bands: The
Southern States.” Big Band Jazz. London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons,
1974. Selected CDs: Tar Heel Jazz.
IAJRC CD 1002 (Originally recorded 1936-37. Rare territory bands recorded
in Charlotte.
Order direct from the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors
at http://www.iajrc.org/
Jimmie Gunn and His Orchestra
“Territory band” leader during the 1930s; based in Charlotte. His
orchestras, the Jimmie Gunn Orchestra and the Dixie Serenaders, toured
mainly in the Carolinas and Georgia. Territory bands, like those led by
Gunn, usually never gained any national prominence or toured big cities.
They were local black musicians who played ballrooms, minstrel and
vaudeville shows, school dances, and other venues accessible to African
American musicians. We do know that Gunn’s Orchestra recorded six
selections for the Bluebird label in June 1936 (see CD below). In 1940,
Gunn decided to quit music and devote his life to teaching in the
Charlotte schools. Charlotte's J. P. Gunn Elementary is named after him, a
memorial to his years of service as an educator. More research
clearly needs to be done on Gunn and other African American musicians of
this period. Sources: Demeusy, Betrand. “What the Papers (and the
Musicians) Said… Jimmie Gunn’s Orchestra.” Storyville 95
(June/July 1981): 189-190; McCarthy, Albert. “The Territory Bands: The
Southern States.” Big Band Jazz. London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons,
1974; Melick, Phil. “More Jazz from Charlotte.” Storyville 109
(October/November 1983): 14-19; Schuller, Gunther. “The Territory
Bands.” The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz 1930-1945. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Selected CDs: Tar Heel Jazz.
IAJRC CD 1002 (Originally recorded 1936-37. Rare territory bands recorded
in Charlotte, including six selections by Gunn and His Orchestra.
Order direct from the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors
at http://www.iajrc.org/
- H -
Hall, Philmore "Shorty"
Trumpeter. Played with the Black Birds Of Paradise, an African American
jazz band from Montgomery, Alabama, active between 1925-1931. Several
members of this band had attended the nearby Tuskegee Institute and had
been members of the school band. Hall later taught trumpet to Dizzy
Gillespie while Gillespie was a high school student at the Laurinburg
Institute in North Carolina. Hall was for many years the director of the
well-respected band at Hillside High School in Durham. Source:
Thomas Hennessey, Fayetteville State University (author of From Jazz to
Swing: African-American Musicians and Their Music, 1890-1935. Wayne
State U P, 1994). Web Links: "The Red
Hot Jazz Archive." http://redhotjazz.com/
Harley, Rufus (, Jr.)
All
Music Guide Entry
Jazz bagpiper; b. Raleigh, NC, 5/20/36- . (That's correct, a
jazz bagpiper.) Sources: New Grove Dictionary of Jazz,
2nd ed. Selected CDs: Harley, Rufus. The Pied
Piper of Jazz. Label M 5710, 2000 (Originally recorded
1965-70).
Heath Brothers
All
Music Guide Entry
Albert “Tootie” Heath, drummer; b. Philadelphia, PA, 5/31/35- ;
Jimmy Heath, saxophonist; b. Philadelphia, PA, 10/25/26- ; Percy
Heath, bassist; b. Wilmington, NC, 4/30/23- . These famous musical
brothers all have ties to Wilmington. Both of their parents were from
there. Their father played clarinet in the Elks Marching Band and their
mother and grandmother sang in the church choir. Percy, who would go on to
join the influential Modern Jazz Quartet was born in Wilmington, and
brother Jimmy attended Williston Industrial High School, Wilmington’s
blacks-only school during the 1940s. Sources: Feather, Leonard.
"The Heaths." The Passion for Jazz. New York: Horizon
Press, 1980; Jenkins, Willard. “The Heath Brothers: 3 at Last.” JazzTimes
28 (February 1998): 52-55,143; Nahigian, Alan. "'You Can't Buy
Experience': The Heath Brothers." Down Beat 65 (January 1998):
30-33; New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.; Primack, Bret. “The Heath Brothers: Bebop Above and Beyond All
Fads” (Interview). Down Beat 46 (22 March 1979): 16-17, 36-39;
Roberts, Lee. “Wilmington’s All Jazzed Up.” Morning Star
(Wilmington, NC), 25 September 1997, 1D, 4D; Tomkins, Les. “Les Tomkins
Meets the Heath Brothers.” (Interview) Crescendo International 21,
no. 4 (1982): 20-21. Selected CDs: Heath Brothers. As We Were
Saying. Concord Jazz 4777, 1997; Heath Brothers. Jazz Family.
Concord Jazz 4846, 1998.
Tal Henry and His North Carolinians
Based in Greensboro, NC?
View Vitaphone clip from 1929.
Hobbs, Steve (Stephen Brian)
All
Music Guide Entry
Vibraphonist and marimba player; b. Raleigh, NC, 4/17/56- . Has
recorded with Tom Harrell, Randy Johnston, Kenny Barron, Bruce Forman,
Alan Broadbent, Peter Washington, Rufus Reid, John Patitucci, Eddie
Marshall, Joe LaBarbera, Victor Lewis, John Riley, Steve Berrios, Luis
Conti, Dave Valentin, and Bob Sheppard, and has appeared as co-leader
with Gary Bartz, Tom Harrell, Randy Johnston, Bruce Forman, Giacomo
Gates, and more. Hobbs has been featured in numerous publications,
including Downbeat, JazzTimes, Jazziz, Cadence,
All About Jazz, All Music Guide to Jazz, and Grove
Dictionary of Jazz. Notable CDs on the Candid label with Kenny
Barron, Peter Washington, and Victor Lewis include On The Lower East
Side (CCD 79704, 1993) and Second Encounter (CCD 79760,
1994). His latest CD, Spring Cycle (Random Chance, RCD-21, 2005),
was nominated as Jazz CD of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association
of America. Sources:
New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.; Vleck, P. Van. "Hometown Hero: Jazz." The Spectator
(Raleigh, NC), Sept. 14, 1995.
Hobgood, Laurence Bishop
Pianist; b. Salisbury, NC, 12/23/59- . Sources: New Grove
Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.
Hood, Ernie
Guitarist, zither player; b. Charlotte, NC 6/2/23- . Sources:
New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.
- I -
- J -
Jeffrey, Paul H.
All
Music Guide Entry
Tenor saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist (woodwinds), arranger, bandleader, jazz educator; b. New York City,
4/8/33- . Director of Jazz Studies and Professor of Music
at Duke University, and founder and artistic director of the North
Carolina International Jazz Festival. Jeffrey has performed and recorded
with the jazz greats Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton,
Count Basie, Howard McGhee, Sam Rivers, Frank Foster, Charles Moffett, and
Clark Terry. In 1977-78, he played, conducted, and wrote arrangements for
Charles Mingus. Sources: Feather and Gitler's Biographical
Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd
ed. Web Links: "Duke University Jazz Program -
Paul Jeffrey Profile." http://www.duke.edu/~pjeffrey/jeffreyprofile.html
- K -
Kelly's Jazz Hounds
1930's "territory band" from Fayetteville, NC? (Mentioned in
Dizzy Gilliespie's autobiography, To Be, or Not...to Bop, p. 32)
Kendrick, Matt
All
Music Guide Entry
Sources:
Vanderford, Joe. "Cosmic Cowboy." The Independent (Durham,
NC), July 20, 1994, 13+
Kimbrough, Frank
(Marshall, Jr.)
All
Music Guide Entry
Pianist, composer; b. Roxboro, NC, 11/2/56 - . Frank was born
into a musical family, where his early interests in music were nurtured.
He began playing piano at the age of 4, and started formal lessons at 7.
His first experiences in front of an audience were in the church and
playing with local groups around Chapel Hill. In 1980, he left North
Carolina to form his own groups in Washington, DC, and New York City. His
individualistic piano style draws elements from the hard bop school as
well as the avant garde. Sources: Cordle, Owen. "Piano
Man." News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), Aug. 23, 2002; Feather and Gitler's Biographical
Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove Dictionary of Jazz,
2nd ed. Web Links: "Frank Kimbrough Homepage." http://home.earthlink.net/~fkimbrough/
Selected CDs: Kimbrough, Frank. Lonely Woman.
Mapleshade 6282, 1995; Kimbrough, Frank. Noumena. Soul Note 121318,
2000; Herbie Nichols Project. Strange City. Palmetto PM-2077, 2001.
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This page last updated 29 August 2007.
