W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars
Encyclopedia
The W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars (also known as the W. C. Handy Festival All-Stars) is a group of jazz
musician
s who play annually at the W. C. Handy Music Festival
in Florence
, Alabama. During the last week of July each year, these musicians travel from all over the United States to gather in Florence
and perform in various combinations. In addition to performing jazz, members of the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars serve as the resident faculty of the W. C. Handy Jazz Camp
, also teaching the "A B Cs of Jazz, Blues and Beyond".
Pianists:
Guitarists:
Drummers and Percussionists:
Bassists:
Wind Players:
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s who play annually at the W. C. Handy Music Festival
W. C. Handy Music Festival
The W. C. Handy Music Festival is held annually in Florence, Alabama, sponsored by the Music Preservation Society, Inc., in honor of Florence native W. C...
in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Alabama. During the last week of July each year, these musicians travel from all over the United States to gather in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and perform in various combinations. In addition to performing jazz, members of the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars serve as the resident faculty of the W. C. Handy Jazz Camp
W. C. Handy Jazz Camp
The W. C. Handy Jazz Camp is sponsored jointly by the W. C. Handy Music Festival and the University of North Alabama , and is held annually in Florence, Alabama. Every year, the camp features an accomplished faculty, all members of the W. C...
, also teaching the "A B Cs of Jazz, Blues and Beyond".
The Roster of Musicians
Through the years, the W. C. Handy Music Festival has featured numerous top quality jazz musicians, many of which are listed below.Pianists:
- Johnny O'NealJohnny O'NealJohnny O'Neal, born October 10, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, is an American Neo-bop jazz pianist. His playing ranges from the technically virtuosic to the tenderest of ballad interpretations. Though unique in style, he is influenced by many jazz elders, including Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum. He has...
- Pianist & vocalist, Detroit, Michigan. - Robert Redd - Pianist, brother of Chuck ReddChuck ReddChuck Redd is an American drummer and vibraphonist. Chuck joined the Charlie Byrd Trio in 1980 at the age of 21. The same year, he joined the Great Guitars Chuck has done twelve European tours and five tours of Japan, with the Barney Kessel Trio, Ken Peplowski, Terry Gibbs and Conte...
, Takoma Park, Maryland. - Ray ReachRay ReachRaymond Everett Reach, Jr. is an American pianist, vocalist and educator residing in Birmingham, Alabama, now serving as Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars and President and CEO of Ray Reach Music and Magic City...
– Pianist & vocalist, Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of FameAlabama Jazz Hall of FameThe Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame was founded in 1978, and opened a museum on September 18, 1993, with a mission "to foster, encourage, educate, and cultivate a general appreciation of the medium of jazz music as a legitimate, original and distinctive art form indigenous to America...
, Birmingham, Alabama. - Mike WoffordMike WoffordMike Wofford is a jazz pianist born February 28, 1938 in San Antonio, Texas, raised in San Diego, California.He is best known as an accompanist to and music director for singers Sarah Vaughan , Ella Fitzgerald and others...
– Pianist, residing in Los Angeles, California. - Laszlo GardonyLaszlo GardonyLaszlo Gardony is an American jazz pianist / composer born in Hungary who has released nine albums and leads his own trio.-Biography:Gardony studied at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest, graduating in 1979....
– Pianist, residing in Boston, Massachusetts. Professor of Piano at Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
. - Gary Motley - Pianist, Atlanta, Georgia.
Guitarists:
- Mundell LoweMundell LoweMundell Lowe is an American jazz guitarist.Lowe was born in Laurel, Mississippi on 21 March 1922. In the 1930s he played country music and Dixieland jazz. He later played with big bands and orchestras, and on television in New York City. In the 1960s, Lowe composed music for films and television...
– Film composer and guitarist with the Andre Previn TrioAndré PrevinAndré George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
, San Diego, California. - Tom Wolfe – Guitarist, Director of Jazz Studies at the University of AlabamaUniversity of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. - Mel Deal - Guitarist, Nashville, Tennessee.
- Lloyd WellsLloyd WellsLloyd Wells is an American jazz guitarist, now residing in Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known for his work on The Merv Griffin Show, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Sesame Street, The Electric Company, The Ed Sullivan Show, and later as arranger and Music Director at Opryland USA theme...
- Guitarist, Nashville, Tennessee. - Eric Essix - Guitarist, Birmingham, Alabama.
- Jack Pearson - Guitarist, former member of the Allman Brothers Band, residing in Nashville, Tennessee.
Drummers and Percussionists:
- Chuck ReddChuck ReddChuck Redd is an American drummer and vibraphonist. Chuck joined the Charlie Byrd Trio in 1980 at the age of 21. The same year, he joined the Great Guitars Chuck has done twelve European tours and five tours of Japan, with the Barney Kessel Trio, Ken Peplowski, Terry Gibbs and Conte...
- Vibraphonist & percussionist, residing in Takoma Park, Maryland. - Bill GoodwinBill Goodwin (jazz drummer)F. Bill Goodwin is an American jazz drummer. Bill has been a professional drummer since 1959, and has performed with many jazz instrumentalists such as: Bill Evans, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Jim Hall, George Shearing and Bobby Hutcherson, and singers such as June Christy, Joe Williams, Tony...
– Percussionist with Phil WoodsPhil WoodsPhilip Wells Woods is an American jazz bebop alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer.-Biography:...
, New Jersey. - Sonny Harris – Percussionist, Birmingham, Alabama.
- Mike Shepherd – Percussionist, one of the founders of the Handy Festival, Minnesota.
Bassists:
- Tim Goodwin – Bassist, Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Memphis.
- Ike Harris – Bassist, tours with Crystal GayleCrystal GayleCrystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
, Nashville, Tennessee. - Cleveland EatonCleveland EatonCleveland "Cleve" Eaton is an American jazz double bassist from Fairfield, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. His most famous accomplishments are substantial playing stints with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and later with the Count Basie Orchestra...
- Bassist, Birmingham, Alabama. - Neal StarkeyNeal StarkeyNeal Starkey is an American jazz bassist residing in Atlanta, Georgia. He has had a long and varied career, performing with many of the most notable names in jazz, including Kenny Barron, Eddie Harris, Sonny Stitt, Duke Pearson, Al Cohn, Charlie Rouse, Barney Kessel and many others. He is a...
– Bassist, residing in Atlanta, Georgia. - Robert DicksonRobert Dickson (bassist)Robert Dickson is an American jazz bassist residing in Atlanta, Georgia. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Robert lived and worked in Birmingham, Alabama for more than 15 years. He holds the Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama and the Master of Music from the University of New...
- residing in Atlanta, Georgia.
Wind Players:
- Gary Lamb – Trumpeter & vocalist.
- Holly Hofmann – Flutist, residing in Los Angeles, California.
- Howard Lamb – Trombonist & Director of the Memphis Jazz Orchestra.
- Ken WattersKen WattersKen Watters is an American jazz trumpeter residing in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the brother of noted jazz trombonist, Harry Watters. Ken is a member of several noted performing groups, including Tabou Combo, , Natalie Cole Band, , the Magic City Jazz Orchestra, and the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars...
– Trumpeter, residing in Atlanta, Georgia. - Rick Bell – Saxophonist / arranger / composer residing in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Kelley O'Neal - Saxophonist, former band member with Take 6Take 6Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group sings in a contemporary style, integrating R&B and jazz influences into their devotional songs and has 10 Grammy wins, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two...
, residing in Atlanta, Georgia.
External links
- W. C. Handy Music Festival website
- Ray Reach - Official Website
- Mundell Lowe website
- Chuck Redd website
- Bill Goodwin at Phil Woods' website
- Johnny O'Neal website
- Ray Reach at All About Jazz
- Ray Reach Music at Myspace.com
- Laszlo Gardony website
- Holly Hofmann website
- Ken Watters website