Stereojack

James Clay Marchel Ivery Fathead Newman

Jennifer Tilly James Talley Telly Savalas

Bigger Thomas Little Jack Horner Average Joe John Q. Public Robert Q. Lewis Cue Porter

Dave Black -- drummer with Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker - Jesse Hamlin, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Dave Black, a brilliant jazz drummer who swung Duke Ellington's orchestra in the mid-1950s and was equally at home playing with Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday and Earl "Fatha'' Hines, died at home in Alameda on Monday of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 78. A creative percussionist who played with exemplary fire and elan, Mr. Black was a drummer's drummer whose inventive solos inspired many younger players. They consider his dazzling solo on "Gonna Tan Your Hide'' -- a tune written for him by Ellington's close associate Billy Strayhorn -- a classic. "That solo is really ahead of its time,'' Steve Smith, the jazz-mad drummer who made his name with Journey, told The Chronicle two years ago. That was when Mr. Black was playing like a demon every weekend at Uva in Napa with Philip Smith's Gentlemen of Jazz. "There's an incredibly fast (double) bass drum roll, and then he slowly starts with his hands on top of that and speeds his hands up, which takes a lot of coordination. I don't know of anybody else who was doing anything like it in those days. And there's some really swinging poly-rhythms, too,'' added Smith, who, like other drummers, used to visit Mr. Black in his little Alameda house and picked up tricks from the master. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Black began drumming at age 3, banging on cups and cans and a toy drum sent by a Scottish aunt. He was crazy for Gene Krupa's drumming. He played Krupa's records over and over, memorizing the solos. Mr. Black was 13 when he first saw his idol perform live, and his fate was sealed. "I could hardly walk out. My knees were shaking,'' Mr. Black recalled in 2004. "He had so much stuff, and he was such a showman. When I saw him in that black tuxedo in that white light -- Whoa! Then Buddy Rich came on the scene, and that was the end of the barrier for drummers, man. There was nobody like him in terms of what he could do. Like somebody from another planet.'' Mr. Black studied with vaudeville percussionist Jess Altmiller and in 1948 won a drum contest sponsored by Krupa. He worked around Philadelphia with various groups and jammed with tap dancers, who fed his sense of rhythm. "When I came up in Philadelphia, drummers and tap dancers were one of the same. We all used to hang out together,'' said Mr. Black, who made a name for himself playing with the Aristocrats, an early '50s rock band. A friend brought the great drummer Louie Bellson, then with Ellington, to hear Mr. Black. They became good friends. In 1953, Bellson left the Ellington band and recommended Mr. Black as his replacement. The young drummer auditioned in New York and met with Ellington's approval, but he wasn't hired until he joined the band several months later at New York's Paramount Theater. In the interim, Mr. Black played in the house band at the Blue Note in Philadelphia, working with bebop stars like Parker, the genius alto saxophonist, and clarinetist Buddy De Franco. "I was young and fiery then, man,'' recalled Mr. Black, who toured and recorded with Ellington for two years until he fell ill with polio and spent months in a Portland, Ore., hospital. When he recovered, he settled in the Bay Area with his wife, Olga, a waitress at San Francisco's Downbeat Club. He became an indispensable player on the local scene. Mr. Black toured with the famed "Frisco'' jazz trumpeter Bob Scobey for eight years, worked with the great pianist Hines and performed in all kinds of settings with the best swing musicians in the area. His ears were always open to new sounds. "I try to listen to everybody,'' Mr. Black said. "I don't put anything down. If you don't understand it, don't say nothin'. You can get something from everybody, man.'' Mr. Black's wife died several years ago, and his son, heavy metal drummer Lawrence "Brintley'' Black, died in 2004. He is survived by his other son, Brian Black, of Springtown, Texas; two sisters, Christine Billings and Doreen Johnson, of San Marcos (San Diego County); and two grandchildren. A musical memorial will be held at 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1420 Lafayette St., Alameda.

Ben Webster Paul Gonsalves Harold Ashby Ashley Hutchings Hutch Davie Davey Tough

It's your call. I'm ready to play now, but will go along with whatever the majority decides.

Saki Bill Monroe Norma Jean Baker

Milt Jackson Michael Jackson Jack Johnson

A unique and always recognizable voice on his instrument, AND a fine composer. What more could anyone want?

Yes, they were manufactured for the Capitol Record Club, who apparently sold quite a few. I've also seen Capitol pressings of ABC/Impulse titles.

Gillo Pontecorvo Carlo Ponti Sophia Loren

And even Atomic has had several copies in the past few years... this one looks pretty nice, though. My pal Greg bought his VG+ copy for $1 at Ashby BART Station Flea Market. I have a really, really BEAT-MINUS original and the 80's Japanese reissue. Can't say I love the session--I pulled it out once in the last 5 years when I went on a 5-6 day Jackie Mac binge after he passed . . . What amazes me about this is that the bids are up over 2 grand and the reserve hasn't been met yet? I mean, jeez, how much are they expecting?

Edmund Gwenn Gwen Stefani Joseph Stefano

Speckled Red Richard Speck Benjamin Spock

Joseph Barbera Barbara Bain Fay Bainter

George Wein Amanda Beers Nancy Whiskey

I believe that the live recordings at the Haig by Wardell Gray, Art Pepper, Shorty Rogers, Sonny Criss, Warne Marsh & others were made by a young amateur recordist named Bob Andrews, who began shopping the tapes around in the 1970's. Sound quality varies, but is usually acceptable.

The first two are among my favorites as well. Cuban Fire is a definite winner, with charts by Johnny Richards and Lucky Thompson as featured soloist.

I dug all of her early stuff on Mercury/Emarcy, RCA Camden, United Artists, Mainstream, and Reprise. An extraordinary and unique singer.

Comfy chair, late night detective novel and a bag of those pretzels and I'm set. Oh and plenty of mouthwash before I crawl into bed. As much as I hate to admit it, I love 'em. Of course, that's why I never buy 'em. Can't eat just one (or six, or ten...)

Jane Froman Susan Hayward Haywood Henry

Mandy Moore Jackie Moore Garry Moore

I beg to differ, Ray. No one, and nothing can redeem that steaming pile. (And yes, I have the Ammons CD) Dan, I beg to differ with you. -_- I hated the tune until I heard Sarah Vaughan sing it - absolutely divine!

That's her first. I like these also:

A second thumbs up for this overlooked classic! Hard to classify - sort of a "singer-songwriter" soul record. Great tunes & singing, sparse production. Getting back to the theme of this thread - are we talking about Bonoff's covers of other people's material, or about people covering her tunes? I like her own recordings of the tunes that Linda Ronstadt made famous much better than Ronstadt's over-the-top versions. A few years ago I had developed enough of a liking for Bonoff's albums that I began to investigate a couple of her colleagues that I had ignored for years - specifically Wendy Waldman & Andrew Gold, but alas, they didn't have it. (edited for typo)