Kirk Lightsey in west Michigan

[Lazaro Vega]

A woman from the small town I live in is a former resident of Paris. Her brothers are both big jazz fans. While in Paris she came to be close friends with the Detroit-born jazz pianist Kirk Lightsey. He came to our area at the end of August with his family for a little r&r on Lake Michigan. There was a dinner party set up and then the hostess began flailing around trying to find a piano for Kirk to play on. I arranged for the 20 of us to go to my daughter's Montessori school where Kirk could sit at their 1917-era Steinway.

Here's a link to photos and some video with sound of the concert set up by the woman who hosted him:

http://web.me.com/kimcoston2/Site/Kirks_Concert.html

At the dinner party we talked for a couple of hours. An enthusiastic jazz bassist from our area, Gregg Morrison, started Kirk talking about Motown: Lightsey was in the Motown house band for the first year of the label's life. He was also educated by one of Blue Lake's regular teachers for many years, Harry Begian, who ran the band programs at Cass Tech in Detriot. Lots of memories of how he got started prompted by my wife who's taking piano lessons. When he heard I'm studying trumpet we talked a lot about his music with Woody Shaw in the 1980's (playing 4ths to distinguish his sound from Freddie Hubbard's) , including their horrifying tour of India (if I ever write anything from this it will be called "Strange as a piano in India"). The man is a delight -- very happy, very on -- ready.

He played for nearly an hour. It was August 21st, Wayne Shorter's 76th Birthday which means a lot given Kirk is one of Wayne's friends and a consumate interpreter of Shorter's compositions.

The program was:

"Goodbye Mr. Evans" (by Phil Woods)

"In Your Own Sweet Way" with Benny Golson's "From Dream to Dream" interpolated in it.

"Pee Wee" by Tony Williams in a medley with Lightsey's own "Heavan Dance" dedicated to his mother.

Infant Eyes (Shorter). A highlight of the evening.

Fee Fi Fo Fum (Shorter) with "Work Song" on the bridge.

A Child is Born (Jones) played once "normal" and then once without a turnback giving it tremendous suspense, before interpolating "Brahms Lullabye" as a sign-off.

http://web.me.com/kimcoston2/Site/Kirks_Concert.html

__________________

Edited September 1, 2009 by Lazaro Vega

[sidewinder]

Totally agree re: the comment about Kirk being a delightful, very positive character. He did a gig at the local club about a year ago with his UK band - one of the best I've heard there. Love his tune 'Habiba', which he played at the gig also. I got to chat with him afterwards about the Chet Baker sessions done for Richard Carpenter (interesting) and he signed a whole stack of CDs. Lovely chap !

I think he did 'Infant Eyes' that night too.

Edited September 2, 2009 by sidewinder

[Niko]

. I got to chat with him afterwards about the Chet Baker sessions done for Richard Carpenter (interesting)

what did he say?! (or have you reported elsewhere..? )

. I got to chat with him afterwards about the Chet Baker sessions done for Richard Carpenter (interesting)

what did he say?! (or have you reported elsewhere..? )

edit to add: i've seen these double posts several times now - went back in my browser, i didn't do it, must be some new bug...

Edited September 2, 2009 by Niko

[sidewinder]

Oh - mainly that Carpenter was pretty straight-ahead with himself and Roy Brooks although he couldn't vouch that Baker was treated the same (although there was no obvious nastiness on show). Roy Brooks and Kirk ended up commuting backwards and forwards between Atlantic City and NYC every day for the recordings, which he said was pretty exhausting. They had an evening gig in Atlantic City to honour.

Edited September 2, 2009 by sidewinder

[AllenLowe]

interesting about Motown - you should ask him if he knows Bob Neloms, who was also there in the first few years -

[Lazaro Vega]

He said Barry Gordy spent about a year just going to the jazz clubs in Detroit and one day asked them if they could show up at this studio at such and such a time. They were like, yeah, right. But they showed up at the studio: Hitsville USA. Lightsey eventually left because they were only paid for the take that was used -- not for rehearsals, not for any "tries" before arriving at a master take. Talked a lot about James Jamerson (?) as Gregg is a bassist and was driving the conversation, and because those early bass lines were so melodic and beautiful.

One of the great things about those Chet Baker sessions on Prestige with Lightsey were the previously un-recorded Tadd Dameron tunes on them. Maybe only a couple, but good to have. Baker re-united with Lightsey later on Timeless records, singing and playing on a pair of numbers. The album's called "Everything Happens to Me."

[fasstrack]

A woman from the small town I live in is a former resident of Paris. Her brothers are both big jazz fans. While in Paris she came to be close friends with the Detroit-born jazz pianist Kirk Lightsey. He came to our area at the end of August with his family for a little r&r on Lake Michigan. There was a dinner party set up and then the hostess began flailing around trying to find a piano for Kirk to play on. I arranged for the 20 of us to go to my daughter's Montessori school where Kirk could sit at their 1917-era Steinway.

Here's a link to photos and some video with sound of the concert set up by the woman who hosted him:

http://web.me.com/kimcoston2/Site/Kirks_Concert.html

At the dinner party we talked for a couple of hours. An enthusiastic jazz bassist from our area, Gregg Morrison, started Kirk talking about Motown: Lightsey was in the Motown house band for the first year of the label's life. He was also educated by one of Blue Lake's regular teachers for many years, Harry Begian, who ran the band programs at Cass Tech in Detriot. Lots of memories of how he got started prompted by my wife who's taking piano lessons. When he heard I'm studying trumpet we talked a lot about his music with Woody Shaw in the 1980's (playing 4ths to distinguish his sound from Freddie Hubbard's) , including their horrifying tour of India (if I ever write anything from this it will be called "Strange as a piano in India"). The man is a delight -- very happy, very on -- ready.

He played for nearly an hour. It was August 21st, Wayne Shorter's 76th Birthday which means a lot given Kirk is one of Wayne's friends and a consumate interpreter of Shorter's compositions. I played with him at a party years ago, on the Upper West Side. James Moody was also a guest. My recollection is similar, very nice, supportive, and positive. So was Moody, tremendously so.

The program was:

"Goodbye Mr. Evans" (by Phil Woods)

"In Your Own Sweet Way" with Benny Golson's "From Dream to Dream" interpolated in it.

"Pee Wee" by Tony Williams in a medley with Lightsey's own "Heavan Dance" dedicated to his mother.

Infant Eyes (Shorter). A highlight of the evening.

Fee Fi Fo Fum (Shorter) with "Work Song" on the bridge.

A Child is Born (Jones) played once "normal" and then once without a turnback giving it tremendous suspense, before interpolating "Brahms Lullabye" as a sign-off.

http://web.me.com/kimcoston2/Site/Kirks_Concert.html

__________________

A woman from the small town I live in is a former resident of Paris. Her brothers are both big jazz fans. While in Paris she came to be close friends with the Detroit-born jazz pianist Kirk Lightsey. He came to our area at the end of August with his family for a little r&r on Lake Michigan. There was a dinner party set up and then the hostess began flailing around trying to find a piano for Kirk to play on. I arranged for the 20 of us to go to my daughter's Montessori school where Kirk could sit at their 1917-era Steinway.

Here's a link to photos and some video with sound of the concert set up by the woman who hosted him:

http://web.me.com/kimcoston2/Site/Kirks_Concert.html

At the dinner party we talked for a couple of hours. An enthusiastic jazz bassist from our area, Gregg Morrison, started Kirk talking about Motown: Lightsey was in the Motown house band for the first year of the label's life. He was also educated by one of Blue Lake's regular teachers for many years, Harry Begian, who ran the band programs at Cass Tech in Detriot. Lots of memories of how he got started prompted by my wife who's taking piano lessons. When he heard I'm studying trumpet we talked a lot about his music with Woody Shaw in the 1980's (playing 4ths to distinguish his sound from Freddie Hubbard's) , including their horrifying tour of India (if I ever write anything from this it will be called "Strange as a piano in India"). The man is a delight -- very happy, very on -- ready.

He played for nearly an hour. It was August 21st, Wayne Shorter's 76th Birthday which means a lot given Kirk is one of Wayne's friends and a consumate interpreter of Shorter's compositions. I played with him at a party years ago, on the Upper West Side. James Moody was also a guest. My recollection is similar, very nice, supportive, and positive. So was Moody, tremendously so.

The program was:

"Goodbye Mr. Evans" (by Phil Woods)

"In Your Own Sweet Way" with Benny Golson's "From Dream to Dream" interpolated in it.

"Pee Wee" by Tony Williams in a medley with Lightsey's own "Heavan Dance" dedicated to his mother.

Infant Eyes (Shorter). A highlight of the evening.

Fee Fi Fo Fum (Shorter) with "Work Song" on the bridge.

A Child is Born (Jones) played once "normal" and then once without a turnback giving it tremendous suspense, before interpolating "Brahms Lullabye" as a sign-off.

http://web.me.com/kimcoston2/Site/Kirks_Concert.html

__________________

[fasstrack]

A woman from the small town I live in is a former resident of Paris. Her brothers are both big jazz fans. While in Paris she came to be close friends with the Detroit-born jazz pianist Kirk Lightsey. He came to our area at the end of August with his family for a little r&r on Lake Michigan. There was a dinner party set up and then the hostess began flailing around trying to find a piano for Kirk to play on. I arranged for the 20 of us to go to my daughter's Montessori school where Kirk could sit at their 1917-era Steinway.

Here's a link to photos and some video with sound of the concert set up by the woman who hosted him:

http://web.me.com/kimcoston2/Site/Kirks_Concert.html

At the dinner party we talked for a couple of hours. An enthusiastic jazz bassist from our area, Gregg Morrison, started Kirk talking about Motown: Lightsey was in the Motown house band for the first year of the label's life. He was also educated by one of Blue Lake's regular teachers for many years, Harry Begian, who ran the band programs at Cass Tech in Detriot. Lots of memories of how he got started prompted by my wife who's taking piano lessons. When he heard I'm studying trumpet we talked a lot about his music with Woody Shaw in the 1980's (playing 4ths to distinguish his sound from Freddie Hubbard's) , including their horrifying tour of India (if I ever write anything from this it will be called "Strange as a piano in India"). The man is a delight -- very happy, very on -- ready.

He played for nearly an hour. It was August 21st, Wayne Shorter's 76th Birthday which means a lot given Kirk is one of Wayne's friends and a consumate interpreter of Shorter's compositions.The program was:

"Goodbye Mr. Evans" (by Phil Woods)

"In Your Own Sweet Way" with Benny Golson's "From Dream to Dream" interpolated in it.

"Pee Wee" by Tony Williams in a medley with Lightsey's own "Heavan Dance" dedicated to his mother.

Infant Eyes (Shorter). A highlight of the evening.

Fee Fi Fo Fum (Shorter) with "Work Song" on the bridge.

A Child is Born (Jones) played once "normal" and then once without a turnback giving it tremendous suspense, before interpolating "Brahms Lullabye" as a sign-off.

http://web.me.com/kimcoston2/Site/Kirks_Concert.html

__________________

I played with him at a party years ago, on the Upper West Side. James Moody was also a guest. My recollection is similar, very nice, supportive, and positive. So was Moody, tremendously so.