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Louie Bellson: Tasteful Drummer, Sweeter Guy
To say that drummer extraordinaire 
Louie Bellson
drums1924 - 2009
Gene Krupa
drums1909 - 1973
When World War II led to a shortage of professional musicians, young Luigi Balassoni (his given name) was recruited out of high school by Ted Fio Rito
b.1900
Benny Goodman
clarinet
1909 - 1986
Tommy Dorsey
trombone
1905 - 1956
Harry James
trumpet
1916 - 1983
Juan Tizol
trombone
1900 - 1984
Duke Ellington
piano
1899 - 1974
Sonny Greer
drums
1895 - 1982
It was with Ellington that Bellson earned lasting fame as a superlative big-band drummer, meanwhile contributing a number of memorable compositions to the orchestra's library including his powerful drum feature, "Skin Deep," and "The Hawk Talks," a bow to James's nickname, the Hawk. In 1952 Bellson married the well-known entertainer 
Pearl Bailey
vocals
1918 - 1990Norman Granz
b.1918
Louis Armstrong
trumpet and vocals
1901 - 1971
Oscar Peterson
piano
1925 - 2007
Lionel Hampton
vibraphone
1908 - 2002
Art Tatum
piano
1909 - 1956
Ella Fitzgerald
vocals
1917 - 1996
Stan Getz
saxophone, tenor
1927 - 1991
Jimmy Dorsey
composer / conductor
1904 - 1957
Count Basie
piano
1904 - 1984
Along the way, Bellson wrote more than 1,000 compositions including ballet and sacred music, The London Suite, and a Broadway musical, "Portofino." He appeared in a number of films including Stage Door Canteen and The Gang's All Here (1943), A Song Is Born (1948), Rock 'n Roll Revue (1955), Monterey Jazz (1968), Duke Ellington at the White House (1969) and All-Star Salute to Pearl Bailey (1979), and performed on more than two hundred recordings with a who's who of jazz and pop stars including Ellington, Basie, Armstrong, Goodman, the Dorseys, James, Peterson, Hampton, Fitzgerald, Getz, 
Woody Herman
band / ensemble / orchestra
1913 - 1987
Sarah Vaughan
vocals
1924 - 1990
Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet
1917 - 1993
Tony Bennett
vocals
1926 - 2023
Mel Torme
vocals
1925 - 1999
Joe Williams
vocals
1918 - 1999
James Brown
vocals
1933 - 2006
In 1994, Bellson, a six-time Grammy Award nominee, received an American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 1998 was named with fellow drummers 
Roy Haynes
drums
1926 - 2024
Elvin Jones
drums
1927 - 2004
Max Roach
drums
1925 - 2007
Perhaps more important than any of these honors is the fact that no one ever had an unkind word to say about Louie Bellson. Throughout his life and career he remained the quintessential gentleman, always willing to share his time and knowledge with others. In the end, that is what matters most, and Louie Bellson will be remembered as much for his abiding decency as for his marvelous talents.
Home Is Where the Cookin' Is
On March 26, Betty and I were at The Outpost Performing Space to see and hear the rapidly improving Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra directed by trumpeter 
Bobby Shew
trumpet
b.1941Tom Kubis
arranger
The second set opened with 
Pat Metheny
guitar
b.1954
Bill Holman
composer / conductor
- 2024
Chris Walden
arranger
A Day at the Opera
There are times when a chance remark can lead one down pathways that are as inspiring as they are informative. Case in point: While attending a Metropolitan Opera simulcast of Lucia di Lammermoor in February, I happened to overhear a woman in the row ahead of us mention that she leads a jazz group, so I gave her my card and asked that she send an e-mail and let me know more about it. Her name is Susan Corley, and two years ago she formed Entourage, an ensemble that includes voices, piano, flute, trumpet, saxophone, guitar, bass guitar and percussion. Here, mostly in her own words, is how it came about.
Corley, who was trained as a classical singer and has a master's degree in vocal performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston, had been studying for a number of years with Donna McRae in Albuquerque. Two years ago, she writes, "I was coming home from a voice lesson when two men [tried] to rob me at knife point. I realized then that what they say about one's life passing before one's eyes is indeed true." Corley spent the next few weeks in bed recovering from the ordeal, thinking all the while about what to do with the rest of her life. "One of the answers to my question," she writes, "was that I wanted to sing and revisit the music of the Carpenters [pop stars Karen and Richard Carpenter]. I not only wanted to sing it, but I wanted to create a group that could reproduce a similar sound instrumentally. I rounded up some of my classical friends...and from there went looking for some pop / rock musicians who would be interested...I also talked several of my singer friends into being back-up singers to try and [emulate] Karen and Richard's overdubbing....
"The original thought was that we would share a concert [performance] with one of our torch singer friends and that would be it. The actual result turned out to be a wonderful benefit concert for a young boy who had a rare genetic disorder. A few weeks before the concert, [a local television station] called to ask the name of the group. I drove around for a while and thought of the name Entourage, because I was hoping that perhaps someone would like us and we would eventually have people follow to hear us. The concert was well received and we had an absolute blast. Afterward, several people asked if we were playing anywhere around town. I turned to my fellow musicians and they said, 'Yeah, we're in! Let's keep it going!'
"We then decided that as much as we loved the Carpenters, we would branch out into other types of music. We began working on jazz standards, having great fun doing some of 
Diana Krall
piano and vocals
b.1964
Chet Baker
trumpet and vocals
1929 - 1988
Nat King Cole
piano and vocals
1919 - 1965
Thanks, Susan, for sharing the captivating story behind Entourage. I'm glad I asked.
On the Horizon...
In May, big-band enthusiasts from across the country (and elsewhere) will gather at the Sheraton LAX Four Points Hotel for the semi-annual concert marathon sponsored by the Los Angeles Jazz Institute. "A Swingin' Affair," set for May 21-24, will feature twenty big bands plus the usual films and panel discussions that help make these get-togethers so entertaining. Among the bands are those led by Les Hooper
b.1940
Frank Capp
drums
b.1931
Roger Neumann
saxophone, tenor
b.1941
Gordon Goodwin
composer / conductor
b.1954
Bill Watrous
trombone
1939 - 2018
Carl Saunders
trumpet
1942 - 2023
Med Flory
saxophone, tenor
1926 - 2014
Bob Florence
piano
1932 - 2008
One week earlier, from May 13-16, composer / arranger / saxophonist 
Kim Richmond
saxophone
A faculty of jazz professionals will teach instrumental and vocal master classes, improvisation, Jazz listening, combo and big-band playing, with combo concerts each evening (open to the public) wherein advanced students will sit in with the pros. On the final night, the big band will perform. A major "perk" will be students hanging with the faculty at meals, story sessions and jam sessions. Afternoons are reserved for such activities as boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing, hiking, tennis, cookouts, volleyball and shuffleboard (with golf, horseback riding and a campground nearby).
Besides Richmond, faculty members include trumpeter 
Clay Jenkins
trumpet
b.1964
Scott Whitfield
trombone
b.1963Jeff Campbell
bass
b.1963
Rhinelander is three hours north of Madison, four hours east of Minneapolis and an hour north of Wausau. Holiday Acres is a year-round vacation resort on the shores of Lake Thompson, four miles from Rhinelander. For questions or information, e-mail [email protected]
More Honors
In February, Marilyn Bergman, president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, announced the twenty-six winners of the 2009 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards, a program established in 2002 to encourage talented young jazz composers from across the U.S. The recipients, ages 15-29, are chosen through a juried national competition. This year's composer / judges were 
John Fedchock
trombone
b.1957
Jay Leonhart
bass
b.1940
Phil Markowitz
piano
Rob Mosher
saxophone, soprano
And that's it for now. Until next time, keep swingin'! . . .
New and Noteworthy
1. Ed Vezinho / Jim Ward Big Band, With Friends Like These (Dream Box Music)
2. Dutch Jazz Orchestra, Moon Dreams (Challenge)
3. Bob Mintzer Big Band, Swing Out (MCG Jazz)
4. National Youth Jazz Orchestra, When You're Ready (NYJO)
5. Doug Hamilton Jazz Band, Untitled (OA2 Records)
6. Stan Kenton, Road Band '67 (Tantara Productions)
7. University of Toronto, Progression (UofT Jazz)
8. Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Song for Chico (Zoho)
9. Sound Assembly, Edge of the Mind (Beauport Jazz)
10. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Buleria, Solea y Rumba (Sea Breeze Vista)
11. Doncaster Jazz Orchestra, And Friends (DYJA)
12. DePaul University Jazz Ensemble, That Being Said (Jazzed Media)
13. Fat Cat Big Band, Angels Praying for Freedom (Smalls)
15. Sounds of Swing, Swinging on a Clear Day (No label)
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