Jazz Portraits from WGBH, Boston

[stevebop]

From 1993-1997 I produced ten audio Jazz Portraits for radio.
Co-producers Margot Stage and Margo Melnicove worked on this project with
me.
These were produced under the auspices of The New England Foundation for the Arts.
The Awards were given to New England based jazz musicians who had achieved national and international reputations and they had to be involved in jazzeducation also.
Two awards were given every year for five years.
I proposed that part of that Award be a radio documentary where you could
hear the artists, in their own voice, talk about their life and music and
hear the music that they talked about. NEFA bought the idea and funded the
project.

Five of those portraits are now up on the WGBH website. They are:

Vocalist Mili Bermejo
Drummer Alan Dawson
Multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Giuffre
Multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef
Saxophonist Jackie McLean

The other five will follow soon:

Trumpeter Herb Pomeroy
Composer George Russell
Basssit Avery Sharpe
Saxophonist Archie Shepp
Guitarist Atilla Zoller

They'll all be up there in perpetuity.

Enjoy listening to these wonderful musicians and educators and New England
residents tell their own stories. Producing these portriats was a very rewarding experience for us. The fact that Jackie Mac, Attila Zoller and AD (Alan Dawson) are now gone makes them even more of a tribute.

Simply go to:

www.wgbh.org/jazz

Click on the link "Jazz Portriats"

Enjoy!

[jesus marion joseph]

Good stuff, Steve, but I like your photos even better! The Max Roach photo is my favorite of those shown on the site. I'm guessing you have many more?

[bigtiny]

I haven't checked out the site yet, but I picked up the new JazzTimes last night and there's a photo spread in there of old photos by Lee Tanner. I notice that the majority of them were taken at WGBH in the 60s....

bigtiny

[stevebop]

Lee Tanner used to Produce a 1/2 hour TV show on 'GBH back in the days before I got there. Whoever was playing at The Jazz Workshop or Sandy's and other places would be invited in to play, promote the gig and Lee was there to also photograph. He shot a lot at GBH, The Workshop, Connolly's Stardust Room and other places around Boston.
A few years ago I found a handful of 7" audio tape reels from those programs. The Wynton Kelly Trio, Tubby Hayes, Budd Johnson, Chico Hanmilton, etc. Nice stuff. We play them ever once in a while as an "Only on 89.7" Special.

[makpjazz57]

Steve,

In your jazz "memory bank," do you recall the bassist/drummer with Wynton Kelly at the time of the GBH recording?

Thanks,
Marla

[stevebop]

Marla,

The trio was Wynton, Cecil McBee and Jimmy Cobb, recorded March 29, 1967.

[Gentle Giant]

This is a wonderful resource. I can vouch for the Alan Dawson and Archie Shepp specials, having taped them when they were first aired.

Thanks, Steve!

[horton]

Loved the Yusef portrait, thanks!

[makpjazz57]

Steve, thanks for the add'l info on the Wynton Kelly broadcast of days gone by.

Marla