[Dixielandjazz] Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 213, Issue 14

[ROBERT Calder]

I still somewhere have the first recording I acquired by Laurindo 
Almeida --
there is absolutely no reference to jazz either in the sleevenotes or in 
the music.
I was reminded of it when a very senior Jewish historian, Bernard 
Wasserstein
was complaining that he wanted Klezmer without jazz. I knew I had 
something
of the sort from a sale, and looked it out... Recorded in Hamburg, the 
CD had some
jazz-free clarinet work of a high quality by . . . Herb Geller!

The Laurindo LP I have is all Bach. I realise I must have had it nearly 
fifty years,
it was in a jumble sale and came along with similar repertoire.
You couldn't get anything for that price nowadays, I paid in pre-decimal 
British
currency and despite my protests the not very efficient volunteers 
refused to
take more than a shilling (!!!) nowadays five pence, for 5 LPs. Tuppence 
old money it cost,
less than the present one (once new) penny!  Herb decades later I had at 
three for a pound,
but in a huge sale of bankrupt stock....
Both of these of course are evidence of exceptional musicianship. Not a 
slither or a scoop
from Herb, and wholly idiomatic from Laurindo! Actually I paid something 
equally small for
a CD of Laurindo and Ray Brown, in Germany.
Enhances considerable gratitude for their music at whatever price!

Robert R. Calder
`


------ Original Message ------
From: dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com
To: serapion at btinternet.com
Sent: Friday, 18 Sep, 20 At 17:00
Subject: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 213, Issue 14
Send Dixielandjazz mailing list submissions to
	dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
	http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz 
<http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz>
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
	dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com
You can reach the person managing the list at
	dixielandjazz-owner at ml.islandnet.com
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Dixielandjazz digest..."

Today's Topics:
    1. Happy birthday Laurindo Almeida (nvickers1 at cox.net)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2020 15:24:48 -0500
From: <nvickers1 at cox.net>
To: <nvickers1 at cox.net>
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Happy birthday Laurindo Almeida
Message-ID:
	 
<!&!AAAAAAAAAAAuAAAAAAAAAEwpExOvJ3BIsrCUSS//QGYBAMO2jhD3dRHOtM0AqgC7tuYAAAAAAA4AABAAAACdKJHtCIBpRpnyYUI/M/vPAQAAAAA=@cox.net>
	
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
To:  some musical friends, DJML
From:  Norman Vickers,  Jazz Pensacola

Today is birthday anniversary for the late Brazilian/American guitarist
Laurindo Almeida.

He and I became friends when he appeared for our second Pensacola 
JazzFest
in 1984.  It was an unusual event in that our three  guest artists were 
all
guitarists.

Chuck Wayne had performed for us as the solo out of town artist for our
first JazzFest.  He had been guitarist for George Shearing's quintet 
when
Shearing first came to the US.  When he resigned that position,
guitarist-whistler-jazz chromatic harmonicist  Jean "Toots" Thielemans 
had
replaced Wayne in the quintet.
Brazilian/American guitarist Laurindo Almeida had come to the US in the 
late
1940s.  He explained that he'd been playing in a Brazilian casino when a
reform president had come in and closed the casinos, so it was a good 
time
to immigrate to the U. S.

Laurindo joined the Stan Kenton orchestra and rode the bus for three 
years,
learning English simultaneously.  Parenthetically, he had some wonderful
expressions somewhat on the "blue" but expressive side.  Surprised, I'd 
ask,
"Laurindo, where did you learn that expression?"  Answer was always the
same, " With Kenton!"

At any rate, Laurindo was friendly, accommodating and a charming person 
who
was articulate and spoke with a slight Portuguese accent.

Over the years, we had Laurindo back about   3 or 4 times. 
Subsequently, he
always came with his wife,  Deltra Eamon Almeida.  She was a lyric 
soprano
and Laurindo wrote some wonderful arrangements for her.  So when he 
came, we
always made an opportunity for "Didi" to sing for us, too.

Laurindo had a quartet in LA.  It included bassist Ray Brown.  They 
couldn't
travel as a group since all had other commitments, but made some great
recordings.
He did travel  as a duo with Ray Brown and told some wonderful stories 
about
those adventures.

He also traveled with the Modern Jazz Quartet for the their 20th and 
40th
anniversaries. After he completed the MJQ  40th anniversary tour, He
remarked to me when recounting their adventures, " None of us are spring
roosters anymore!"

In the early 90's,  after Dick Gibson's annual  Labor Day jazz  party 
had
shut down,  There was a jazz festival in Los Angeles, located at the
Marriott  Airport facility.
I would fly in a day early and then drive north to Laurindo's home in
Northridge, CA and the three of us would go to dinner to celebrate his
birthday.
His home was at the top of a high hill overlooking the San Fernando 
valley.

The last visit, before his death from a recurrent stomach cancer, was in 
a
rented home-he fortunately had earthquake insurance.  The Northridge
earthquake had damaged his home and destroyed his 5 grammy awards.  He 
had
gotten new replacements from the Academy, still in their boxes.  I 
wanted
him to open all five so I could get a photo but he allowed us to open 
one
for the photo.

So, I just wanted to share this reminiscence and memory of a wonderful 
man
and superb musician.  He told great stories about his career in the 
movie
and music industry.

Happy birthday, Laurindo!  Suggestion:  celebrate Laurindo's birthday by
choosing some of his works on YouTube.

Norman Vickers
www.jazzpensacola.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: 
<http://ml.islandnet.com/pipermail/dixielandjazz/attachments/20200902/4c74e3e4/attachment-0001.html 
<http://ml.islandnet.com/pipermail/dixielandjazz/attachments/20200902/4c74e3e4/attachment-0001.html> 
>
------------------------------
_______________________________________________
To unsubscribe or change your e-mail preferences for the Dixieland Jazz 
Mailing list, or to find the online archives, please visit:
http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz 
<http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz>

Dixielandjazz mailing list
Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com

End of Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 213, Issue 14
**********************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://ml.islandnet.com/pipermail/dixielandjazz/attachments/20200918/5cae4313/attachment.html>