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- S -
Salim, Yusef (Brother)
Pianist and composer; based in Durham, NC. Played with Leo Parker in the 1960's and recorded for the Blue Note label.
Selected CDs: Parker, Leo. Let Me Tell You 'Bout It. Blue Note 84087, 1990 (Originally recorded 1961).
Sharpe, Malachi
Vibraphonist and educator. Sharpe was born and educated in Cumberland County, and
attended E. E. Smith High School, where he received much of his formal
music education. While Sharpe played in several jazz bands in the
Fayetteville area, he chose to devote his life to his family and teaching
instead of pursuing a professional jazz career. For many years he taught
in Robeson County, where he inspired a jazz flavor in the high school
marching band. Even after retirement, Sharpe continued to teach and
inspire students about music and the importance of jazz in American
culture.
Shaw, Woody
(Herman, Jr.)
All
Music Guide Entry
Trumpeter and composer; b. Laurinburg, NC, 12/24/44-5/10/89. Woody Shaw was
born in the hometown of Dizzy Gillespie’s alma mater, the Laurinburg
Institute. Shaw’s father, Woody, Sr., was also a Laurinburg alumnus and
a local musician who performed with the gospel group the Diamond Jubilee
Singers. Shaw is best known for his accomplished solos and collaborations
with Eric Dolphy, Art Blakey, and Dexter Gordon during the 1960s and 70s.
Recently, his talents as composer have gained new attention as well (see Unity
recording). Sources: Berg, Chuck. “Woody Shaw: Trumpet in
Bloom.” Down Beat 45 (10 August 1978): 22-24, 49-53; Feather and
Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove
Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.; Reitman,
Linda R. “Woody Shaw: Linked to a Legacy.” Down Beat 50
(January 1983): 18-21; Rusch, Bob. “Woody Shaw: Interview.” Cadence
7, no. 1 (1981): 12-15. Web Links: "The Official Woody Shaw
Website." http://www.woodyshaw.com;
Poynor, Todd. "A Critical
Discography of Woody Shaw." http://www.wnur.org/jazz/artists/shaw.woody/discog.html
Selected CDs: Shaw, Woody. The Moontrane. 32Jazz 32019
(Originally recorded 1974); Shaw, Woody. Rosewood. Sony 65519, 1998
(Originally recorded 1977); Shaw, Woody. Solid. Camden 74321-610792
(2 discs; originally recorded 1974-87); Young, Larry. Unity. (Rudy Van Gelder
Edition) Blue Note 97808, 1999 (Originally recorded 1965; Shaw appears as
both trumpeter and composer).
Simone, Nina (Eunice Waymon)
All
Music Guide Entry
Vocalist, pianist; b. Tryon, NC, 2/21/33-4/21/03. Prior to 1930,
Simone’s father had been a successful and respected businessman in the
mostly white, mountain resort town of Tryon, where he operated a
barbershop, dry cleaners, and trucking company. By the time Nina
(christened Eunice Kathleen Waymon) was born, the family had lost
everything due to the Depression. The Waymons were a musical family; both
parents sang and played the piano. Her father also played guitar and
harmonica and sang in the church choir. By the age of six, Nina (then
Eunice) was the regular pianist at her family’s Methodist church. Later
she attended Allen High School for Girls in Asheville where she was
graduated Valedictorian in June 1950. Sources: Clark, Paul.
"Nina Simone: Famous Jazz Singer's Outlook Shaped by Life in
Asheville." Asheville Citizen-Times, 23 April 2003, A1, A5; Feather and
Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; McKenna, Kristine.
“Nina Simone: An Exiled Avant- Garde Musician Speaks Her Mind.” Oxford
American (Third Annual Double Issue on Southern Music) 27-28 (Summer
1999): 96-97; Roland, Paul, ed. “Nina Simone.” Jazz Singers: The
Great Song Stylists in their Own Words. New York: Billboard Books,
2000; Simone, Nina, with Stephen Cleary. I Put a Spell On You: The
Autobiography of Nina Simone. New York: Da Capo Press, 1993. Web
Links: "Official Nina Simone Website." http://www.ninasimone.com
Selected CDs: Simone, Nina. Anthology: The Coplix Years.
Rhino 72567, 1996 (Originally recorded 1959-64); Simone, Nina. Nina
Simone at the Village Gate. Roulette B2-95058, 1991 (Originally
recorded 1961).
Smith, Thomas H. (Tom), III.
Trombonist, bandleader, educator, author; b. Greenville, NC, 5/10/1957.
Four time Senior Fulbright Professor of Music at the Romanian National
University of Music and Lecturer of Social and Political Affairs in the
School of American Studies at the University of Bucharest, and Dean of
Fine Arts at Mott College in Flint, Michigan. He was for seven years
Director of Instrumental Music at Pfeiffer University (1997-2004), near
Charlotte, NC. Downbeat Magazine once called Smith "part trombonist,
part music missionary." Smith was the longest continuous member of the
prestigious North Carolina Artist-in-Residence Program, when he served
at three different NC community colleges from 1984-1992. During this
time he founded many critically acclaimed community and regional jazz
ensembles, including the 18 member Unifour Jazz Ensemble (seventh in the
1988 Downbeat Readers Poll). In that same poll, Smith placed fifth in
the trombone category. He has performed and toured with Louie Bellson,
Clark Terry, McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, the New York Voices, Nicholas
Payton, Herb Ellis, Donald Byrd and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Smith is
also a noted jazz historian and researcher. In 2001, he and research
partner Gary Westbrook discovered the "musical fingerprint" for
identification of unidentified personnel on early recordings. Since
2002, Smith's work in Romania has drawn wide attention in the field of
jazz education. He is the only foreigner to have been awarded The
Romanian National Radio Prize, Romania's highest musical honor.
Smith, Tab (Talmadge)
All
Music Guide Entry
Saxophonist, arranger, bandleader; b. Kinston, NC, 1/11/09-8/17/71.
Bandleader of the Carolina Stompers from 1927-29. Played with Count Basie
in the 1940's. Sources: Feather
and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New
Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed. Selected CDs: Smith, Tab. Ace
High. Delmark DD-455 (Originally recorded 1952-53); Smith, Tab. Jump
Time. Delmark DD-447 (Originally recorded 1951-52).
Stokes, Irvin (Sonny)
Trumpeter; b. Greensboro, NC, 11/11/26- . Studied music at James P.
Dudley High School and A&T College, 1943-47. Played with Lou Donaldson
in local Greensboro bands. Was a section-man in various swing orchestras;
was known later as a member of Panama Francis's Savoy Sultans. Sources: Feather and Gitler's Biographical
Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove Dictionary of Jazz,
2nd ed. Selected CDs: Stokes, Irvin. Just Friends. Arbors
19199. 1997.
Strange, Frank (Frankie) of the Frankie and Johnnie Orchestra
1930's "territory band" leader; recorded in Charlotte,
June 1936. 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/
Strayhorn, Billy (William; “Swee’-Pea”)
All
Music Guide Entry
Composer, arranger, pianist, lyricist; b. Dayton, OH,
11/29/15-5/31/67. This long-time collaborator with Duke Ellington was
shaped by his extended visits to Hillsborough, NC. As a child, Strayhorn
lived part of the year with his grandparents in their comfortable home on
the corner of Hillsborough Avenue and West Margaret Lane. According to one
family member, “…he got a lot of attention down there and had the run
of the place.” (see Hajdu, Lush Life, p.10-11). His grandmother
Lizzie, who served as pianist for her church, encouraged his love of music
and the piano. Strayhorn would go on to be one of the most important
composers and collaborators in jazz history, writing jazz standards such
as “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Satin Doll,” and “Lush Life.” Sources:
Bellamy, Cliff. "Writer Finds Strayhorn's Heart in
Hillsborough." The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), 5 March 1999, 22;
Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; Giddins, Gary, et al. “The Billy Strayhorn Suite” (Jazz Supplement). The
Village Voice, 23 June 1993, 1-15 (insert); Hajdu, David. Lush
Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux,
1996; Hasse, John Edward. Beyond Category: The Life & Genius of
Duke Ellington. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993; Leur, Walter van de.
Something To Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn. New York: Oxford
U P, 2002; New Grove
Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.; Tucker, Mark,
ed. The Duke Ellington Reader. Oxford: Oxford U P,
1993. Web Links: "Billy Strayhorn: Take the ‘A’
Train." http://www.billystrayhorn.com
Selected CDs: Ellington, Duke. The Blanton-Webster Band (3
Discs). RCA 5659, 1990 (Originally recorded 1940-42; Strayhorn appears as
both composer and arranger on this landmark recording); Strayhorn, Billy. Great
Times! OJC 108 (Originally recorded 1950); Strayhorn, Billy. Lush
Life. Sony 52760, 1992 (Originally recorded 1964, 1965).
- T -
Tardif, Paul
Pianist and educator; Distinguished Research Professor of Music at East Carolina University and Director of the ECU Contemporary Jazz Ensemble. In 1986, Tardif was the first recipient of a major North Carolina Arts Council jazz grant.
Web Links: http://www.ecu.edu/music/bios/Faculty/tardif.html
Selected CD's: Tardif, Paul. Points of Departure. Koch Jazz 7800, 1995.
Tate, Grady B.
All
Music Guide Entry
Drummer, vocalist; b. Durham, NC, 1/14/32- . Learned jazz drumming
while in the Air Force. Upon his discharge in 1955, Tate returned to
Durham where he studied theater, literature, and psychology at North
Carolina College, now North Carolina Central University. Sources:
Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New
Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.
Taylor, Billy (William Edward, Jr.)
All
Music Guide Entry
Pianist, jazz educator; b. Greenville, NC, 7/24/21- . Born
into a musical family, Taylor began piano lessons at an early age. It was
one of his uncles, who was something of a local celebrity, who first
introduced Billy to jazz and the recordings of Fats Waller and Art Tatum.
Today, the pianist is best known for his contributions to music education.
He earned a doctorate in music education from the University of
Massachusetts in 1975. Among his honors and awards are 19 honorary
degrees, numerous Grammy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and an Emmy. Dr.
Taylor is currently host of National Public Radio’s Jazz at the Kennedy
Center, arts correspondent for CBS News’ Sunday Morning, and the author
of several books. Sources: Boston, Bruce O. “Billy Taylor:
Tapping into Our Musical Heritage.” Teaching Music 3 (June 1996):
42-44; Clarke, Catherine King. “Conversation With William 'Billy'
Taylor, The JazzMobile Man.” Black Perspective in Music 10 (Fall
1982): 179-88; Cordle, Owen. “From His Fingertips.” The News &
Observer (Raleigh), 14 November 1999, G1; Feather and Gitler's Biographical
Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove Dictionary of
Jazz, 2nd ed.; Shepard, T. Brooks.
"Billy Taylor's Jazz: Music for the Millennium." American
Visions 14 (April/May 1999): 40-42. Web Links: "Billy
Taylor - Jazz Pianist and Educator." http://billytaylorjazz.com/;
"Billy
Taylor’s Jazz at the Kennedy Center." http://npr.org/programs/btaylor/;
"What Is Jazz?" http://town.hall.org/Archives/radio/Kennedy/Taylor/
Selected CDs: Taylor, Billy. Billy Taylor Trio. Prestige
24154, 1995 (Originally recorded 1952-53); Billy Taylor Trio. Live at IAJE, New
York. Soundpost 5090, 2002; Taylor, Billy. Music Keeps
Us Young. Arkadia 71601, 1997; Taylor, Billy. Urban Griot.
Soundpost 3050-2, 2001.
Taylor, Dave, and His Dixie Serenaders
1930's band leader of the Charlotte-based Dixie Serenaders before Jimmie
Gunn (see Gunn entry). The band was comprised mostly of students from
Johnson C. Smith University. They recorded two sides in 1931 before Gunn
took over the band in 1934. Band members Leslie Johnakins, Skeets Tolbert,
and Harry Prather had later careers in New York. Sources: Demeusy, Bertrand. "What the
Papers (and the Musicians) Said... Jimmie Gunn's Orchestra."
Storyville 95 (June/July 1981): 189-90; Hennessey, Thomas J. From Jazz
to Swing: African-American Jazz Musicians and their Music. Detroit:
Wayne State U P, 1994; 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
(Oct./Nov. 1983): 14-19.
Tucker, Mickey (Michael B.)
All
Music Guide Entry
Pianist; b. Durham, NC 4/28/41- . Studied piano in Pittsburgh,
then became a high school teacher and worked as an accompanist in New York
City. Presently lives in Australia. Sources: Feather and
Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove
Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed. Selected CDs: Tucker, Mickey. Blues
in Five Dimensions. Steeple Chase 31258, 1989; Tucker, Mickey. Hang
in There. Steeple Chase 31302, 1991.
- U-V -
Unifour Jazz Ensemble.
Founded in 1984 by Tom Smith. This ensemble was the first entirely state
supported jazz big band in the United States, and arguably the best
known North Carolina jazz ensemble of the 1980s. It placed seventh in
the big band category of the 1988 Down Beat Reader's Poll, the first
North Carolina big band to do so since Hal Kemp in the 1930s. A number
of its members assumed careers with Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Glenn
Miller, Artie Shaw, Frank Kimbrough, Chris Potter, Joe Henderson, and
Diva, as well as a number of university professorships. The band
recorded two critically acclaimed albums, and was often asked to tour
with legendary performers, most prominently with Clark Terry, Louie
Bellson, and Herb Ellis. Smith disbanded Unifour in 1991, citing
financial difficulties. One of its members, saxophonist Gregg Gelb, was
a co-founder of the North Carolina Repertory Jazz Ensemble.
Vick, Harold Edward
All
Music Guide Entry
Tenor saxophonist; b. Rocky Mount, NC, 4/3/36-11/13/87. Sources:
Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New
Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.
- W -
Wilcox, Eddie (Edwin Felix)
All
Music Guide Entry
Pianist, arranger; b. Method, NC (near Raleigh), 12/27/07-9/29/68. Much of
the CD reissue material of Jimmie Lunceford's Orchestra features
arrangements and piano work by Wilcox. Sources:
Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999;
New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.
Williams, Hod, and His Orchestra
"Territory band" leader during the 1930s; recorded in Charlotte,
August 1937. 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/
Williams, Mary Lou (Mary Elfrieda Scruggs)
All
Music Guide Entry
Pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator; b. Atlanta, GA, 5/8/10-5/28/81.
Influential woman instrumentalist in American jazz. Taught jazz at Duke U. from 1977. Sources:
Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd
ed; Ratliff, Ben. The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz. New
York: Times Books, 2002. Selected CDs: Mary Lou Williams Trio. Free Spirits.
Steeple Chase 31043 (Originally recorded 1975); Williams, Mary Lou. Mary Lou Williams 1944.
Classics 814; Williams, Mary Lou. Mary Lou Williams 1944-1945.
Classics 1021; Williams, Mary Lou. Zodiac Suite.
Smithsonian/Folkways, 40810.
Wilson, Dennis Edward
Trombonist and arranger; b. Greensboro, NC, 7/22/52- . A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Wilson began his professional career with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra as trombonist, arranger, and musical director. An Assistant Professor of jazz at the University of Michigan School of Music, Wilson also co-directs the Rhythm Section Institute and the UM Jazz Festival. He has been a lead/solo trombonist for the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Benny Carter Orchestra, and for ten years with Mr. William "Count" Basie and his Orchestra. He received a Grammy Award nomination for vocal arrangements created for The Manhattan Transfer. He spent 10 years as the lead trombonist for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, directed by Jon Faddis. In 2001 Wilson became the first “Artist in Resident” for the San Jose Jazz Society where he also created the San Jose Jazz Orchestra and Youth Jazz Orchestra. In addition to the performing ensembles Wilson works with the education/outreach programs and provides artistic direction for the San Jose Jazz Festival. In 2004 Wilson became the musical director/conductor for jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon with the Count Basie Orchestra.
Sources:
Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.
Wilson, Lena
All Music Guide Entry
Vocalist; b. Charlotte, NC, 1898-1939? Classic blues singer who got her start in the
Theatre Owners Booking Agency (TOBA) vaudeville circuit sometime around 1918.
Married to jazz violinist Shrimp Jones. Her recording career began in
1922-24 and picked up again in 1930. After 1930, she continued to perform
in clubs in the New York area until around 1935, and is reported to have
died of pneumonia around 1939. Web Links: "Red Hot Jazz
Archives: Lena Wilson" <http://www.redhotjazz.com/lwilson.html>
Selected CDs: Wilson, Lena. Complete Recorded Works in
Chronological Order, Vol. 1 (1922-24). DOCD 5443; Wilson, Edith, and
Lena Wilson. Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 2 (1924-31). DOCD 5451
Wood, Vishnu (Bill; William Clifford)
All
Music Guide Entry
Bassist and jazz educator; b. Wilkesboro, NC, 11/7/37- . Sources:
Feather and Gitler's Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, 1999; New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.
Worrell, Lewis
All
Music Guide Entry
Bassist; b. Charlotte, NC, 11/7/34- . Played with many leaders
of the jazz avant-garde in the 1960's, including Albert Ayler and Archie
Shepp.
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This page last updated 24 August 2005.
