Meet 40 more Jersey greats

Sunday, September 28, 2003

By ZAN STEWART
STAR-LEDGER STAFF

Many of the biggest names in jazz make their home -- or regularly perform -- in New Jersey. Here are some N.J. jazz notables who do not appear in the Great Day in Jersey photo:

• Kenny Barron -- Barron, a distinctive and melodic pianist, taught for many years at the Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick. He has played with such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Freddie Hubbard and has long been a leader. His many albums include "Invitation" (Criss Cross), "Live at "Bradley's" and "Canta Brasil" (both Sunnyside).

• George Benson -- A longtime resident of Englewood, Benson is a superb jazz guitarist who has found fame as a pop vocalist. Initially heard widely with organist Brother Jack McDuff, Benson crossed over with 1976's "Breezin' " (Warner Bros.). Though he mostly works large venues with his pop show, he still makes occasional jazz appearances both on record and in person -- sometimes at intimate Jersey jazz rooms. Benson's jazz CDs include "New Boss Guitar" (OJC) and "Giblet Gravy" (Verve).

• Ralph Bowen -- A tenor saxophonist and composer, Bowen lives in Piscataway and heads the jazz program at the Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick. He has played with Horace Silver, Renee Rosnes, the group Out of the Blue and as a leader. His CDs include "Soul Proprietor" (Criss Cross).

• Donald Byrd -- One of the masters of post-bop trumpet and a noted educator, Byrd lives in Teaneck. He has played and/or recorded with Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins, co-led bands with Pepper Adams and Gigi Gryce, been a leader and founded the Blackbyrds. His albums include "Byrd's Word" (Savoy), "Byrd in Flight," "A New Perspective" and "Black Byrd" (all Blue Note).

• Jackie Cain -- A bell-clear singer, Montclair-resident Cain for half a century teamed with her husband, the late Roy Kral (1921-2002), in the acclaimed duo Jackie and Roy. They worked with Charlie Ventura in the late '40s and then headlined their own shows. Their numerous albums include "Jackie and Roy" (Savoy), "Lovesick" (Verve) and "Concerts By The Sea" (Catalyst).

• Greg Cohen -- Cohen, a resident of Summit, is one of the most versatile of modern bassists. Among the artists he has played and/or recorded with are Ornette Coleman, Tom Waits, Laurie Anderson, the Rolling Stones, Kenny Davern, Dave Douglas and Elvis Costello. His CDs include "Way Low" and "Moment to Moment" (both DIW).

• Stanley Cowell -- A noted pianist and composer, Cowell has performed and/or recorded with Max Roach, the Bobby Hutcherson-Harold Land quintet, the Heath Brothers and many others, and has been a leader. He is on the music faculty at the Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick. His many albums include "Bright Passion," "Live" and "Hear Me One" (all SteepleChase).

• Ted Curson -- Long-time Montclair resident Curson is a bold trumpeter who has performed and/or recorded with Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Andrew Hill, Cecil Taylor and the Spirit of Life Ensemble. He is a regular in Jersey jazz rooms and leads a monthly jam session at Trumpets in Montclair. His albums include "Tears For Dolphy" (Black Lion), "Traveling On" (Evidence) and "Sugar 'N Spice" (Level Green).

• Al DiMeola -- One of the most dynamic of contemporary guitarists, Jersey City native DiMeola lives in Old Tappan. First heard with Chick Corea's Return to Forever, he has long been a leader whose albums include "Casino" (Columbia), "Tirami Su" (EMI) and "Flesh on Flesh" (Telarc).

• Billy Drummond -- An exciting drummer who lives in West Orange with his wife, pianist Renee Rosnes, Drummond has performed and/or recorded with Rosnes, Sonny Rollins, Walt Weiskopf, Steve Kuhn, Carla Bley, Wallace Roney, the Drummonds and many others. His CDs include "The Gift" and "Dubai" (both Criss Cross).

• Kenny Garrett -- Glen Ridge resident Garrett is a high-energy alto and soprano saxophonist who has played and/or recorded with Miles Davis, the Mercer Ellington Orchestra, Pharoah Sanders and Out of the Blue. A longtime leader, his albums include "Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane," "Songbook," "Happy People," and "Standard of Language" (all Warner Bros.).

• Slide Hampton -- A resident of East Orange, Hampton is one of the premier trombonists and arrangers in modern jazz. He has played and/or recorded with Maynard Ferguson, Dizzy Gillespie, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, as well as his own World of Trombones. His work appears on his "Sister Salvation" (Atlantic) and "Spirit of the Horn" (MCG Jazz) albums, and on the Alumni All-Stars' "Dizzy's World," among many others.

• Billy Hart -- A versatile, inventive drummer, Hart lives in Montclair. He has played and/or recorded with many of the best, including Jimmy Smith, Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner and Kenny Barron. His albums include "Amethyst" and "Oceans of Time" (both Arabesque).

• Andrew Hill -- Pianist and composer Hill, who lives in Jersey City, is an artist who can meld the past modes of jazz with its current streams. He has played and/or recorded with Roland Kirk (before he was known as Rahsaan Roland Kirk), Joe Henderson, Hank Mobley, Sam Rivers and Greg Osby, but his main influence has been as a leader. His numerous albums include "Point of Departure" (Blue Note), "Invitation" (SteepleChase), "Dusk" and "A Beautiful Day" (both Palmetto).

• Tim Horner -- Horner is a keen-minded, powerful drummer who lives in Teaneck. Among the artists he has performed and/or recorded with are Dave Stryker, the Stryker/Slagle Band, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Roseanna Vitro, and Mark Murphy.

• Carrie Jackson -- A lifelong resident of Newark, Jackson is a rich-voiced blues, ballads and standards singer who knows how to put a song across. She is a regular at rooms throughout Jersey. Her CDs include "The Nearness of You" and "If I Had My Way" (C-Jay Records).

• Keith Jarrett -- A longtime resident of Northwestern New Jersey, Jarrett is one of the premier pianists in jazz. He played and recorded with Charles Lloyd, Art Blakey and Miles Davis before becoming a headliner known first for his diverse ensembles and for his solo concerts. For the last 20 years, he has led a remarkable trio with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Jarrett's albums include "Belonging," "My Song," "Vienna Concert," "Standards, Vol. 1," "Bye, Bye Blackbird," "The Melody at Night, With You" and "up with it" (all ECM).

• Grover Kemble -- A Morris Plains-based guitarist, singer and composer, Kemble appears regularly in Jersey jazz rooms. He has played and recorded with John Pizzarelli, and performs on his "Live at Birdland" (Telarc) CD. He also led the popular jump/swing band Za Zu Zaz, which was active in '70s and '80s in Jersey clubs, as well as top venues such as Wolf Trap in Washington, D.C., and the Newport Jazz Festival in Saratoga.

• Dave Kikoski -- An invigorating pianist and composer, Kikoski lives in Jersey City. He has played and/or recorded with Roy Haynes, Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, the Mingus Big Band and Billy Hart. His albums include "Maze," "Surf's Up," "Inner Trust" (Criss Cross), and "The Five" (DIW).

• Oliver Lake -- Lake, a longtime resident of Montclair, is a formidable alto saxophonist and composer of the jazz avant-garde. A founding member of the World Saxophone Quartet, he leads various ensembles, including a quartet and big band. His CDs include "Movement, Turns & Switches" and "Cloth" (both Passin' Thru), "Kinda' Up" (Justin Time) and "Dedicated to Dolphy" (Black Saint).

• Jimmy McGriff -- A resident of Voorhees, McGriff is a hard-driving jazz and blues-based organist who has played many Newark rooms over the years. Mostly a leader, though he did play briefly with Buddy Rich's big band, McGriff has recorded more than 50 albums, among them "I've Got a Woman" (Collectables), "A Tribute to Count Basie" and "Cherry" (Solid State), "Blues Groove" (Telarc), "Skywalk," "McGriff's House Party" and "McGriff Avenue" (all Milestone).

• Marian McPartland -- The queen of modern jazz piano, the amazingly vital McPartland (born in 1918) lives in Port Washington, N.Y. She did some of her first recordings for the Newark-based Savoy label, available on the compilation "Timeless" (Savoy), and is a regular at Jersey jazz venues, particularly Shanghai Jazz in Madison. McPartland's syndicated radio series, "Piano Jazz," where she has interviewed and played with such greats as Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson, kicks off its 25th season on WBGO-FM (88.3) on Thursday at 7 p.m. Her numerous albums include "Plays the Music of Alec Wilder" (Jazz Alliance), "Silent Pool" and "Live at Shanghai Jazz" (Concord Jazz) and "All My Life" (Savoy Jazz).

• James Moody -- Moody, the remarkable San Diego, Calif.-based saxophonist, flutist and vocalist, was raised in Newark, and did a good deal of early playing there. In a very fruitful career, he has played and/or recorded with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey, among others. He is best known as a leader and as the creator of "Moody's Mood for Love," an alto sax solo based on the song "I'm in the Mood For Love" that has become his signature piece. Moody's numerous recordings include "Greatest Hits," "Don't Look Away Now" and "The Blues and Other Colors" (Prestige), "Sweet and Lovely" (Novus) and "Young at Heart" and "Moody Plays Mancini" (Warner Bros.) A new album, with strings, will be released soon on the revitalized Savoy Jazz label.

• Joe Morello -- Drummer Morello, born in 1928 and a longtime resident of Irvington, is best known for his membership in what's now called Dave Brubeck's Classic Quartet, with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and bassist Eugene Wright. Morello played on Brubeck's big hit, "Take Five," and delivered a drum solo that people still talk about. Morello has also played and/or recorded with Stan Kenton, Johnny Smith, Phil Woods and Marian McPartland (with whom he still appears in Jersey jazz rooms), and leads a trio. His albums include "Going Places" and "Morello Standard Time" (both DMP).

• Les Paul -- Guitarist and inventor Paul, born in 1915, has lived in Mahwah since the 1960s. He invented the solid-body electric guitar and pioneered multi-track recording, as on a late '40s pop hit with his former wife, singer Mary Ford, "How High the Moon." His jazz credentials include appearing on the debut Jazz At The Philharmonic concert in 1944 (released on Verve as "J.A.T.P.: First Concert"), on Al DiMeola's "Splendido Hotel" (Columbia) and Pat Martino's "All Sides Now" (Blue Note). Paul appears every Monday at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York.

• Houston Person -- Deep-toned, blues-rich tenor saxophonist Person, who lives in Newark, has performed and/or recorded with Johnny Hammond, Cedar Walton and Charles Earland, among many others. He is best known for his teaming with singer Etta Jones, a partnership that ran for more than 20 years and yielded such albums as "All the Way" and "Easy Living" (High Note). Person's albums include "Blue Odyssey" and "Sweet Buns & Barbecue" (Prestige), "Blue Velvet" and "Social Call" (High Note).

• Bucky Pizzarelli -- A native of Paterson who lives in Saddle River, Pizzarelli, born in 1926, is a vibrant, swing-based guitarist who has played and/or recorded with scores of notables, among them Benny Goodman, Stephane Grappelli, Gene Ammons, Zoot Sims, Kenny Davern, Lionel Hampton, Gerry Mulligan and his son, guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli. A staple at Jersey jazz venues, Pizzarelli has recorded many albums, including "April Kisses," "Manhattan Swing" (Arbors) and "Swing Live" (Chesky).

• John Pizzarelli -- Guitarist-singer Pizzarelli, son of Bucky Pizzarelli, is a Paterson native who lives in Manhattan with his wife and occasional song-writing partner, singer Jessica Molaskey. He leads a trio with his brother Martin on bass and pianist Ray Kennedy, with which his father occasionally guests. Pizzarelli's albums include "Our Love is Here to Stay," "P.S. Mr. Cole" (RCA), "Let There Be Love" and "Live at Birdland" (Telarc).

• Wallace Roney -- Roney, who lives with his wife, pianist Geri Allen, in Montclair, is an expressive, energized trumpeter who has played and/or recorded with many of the masters. Among these are Miles Davis ("Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux"), the Tribute to Miles Davis Band with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea ("Remembering Bud Powell") and Art Blakey ("Feeling Good"). He leads a quintet that usually features his wife and his brother, saxophonist Antoine Roney. His albums include "The Wallace Roney Quintet," "Village" (Warner Bros.) and "No Room For Argument" (Concord Jazz).

• Jimmy Scott -- Formerly known as "Little" Jimmy Scott, the deeply emotive singer, who has a high-pitched voice and favors the slowest of tempos, scored his first big hit, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," for Newark's Savoy Records in the '50s. Born in 1925, he lived in New Jersey from the 1960s through the '90s. Scott has had an intermittent career which was revitalized in the early '90s via such dynamic recordings as "All the Way" (Sire), "Heaven" (Warner Bros.) and "Mood Indigo" (Milestone).

• Wayne Shorter -- Born and raised in Newark, tenor and soprano saxophonist, composer and arranger Shorter has been a leading light on the modern jazz scene for more than 40 years. He performed and recorded with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers ("Mosaic," "Free For All," "The Big Beat"), establishing himself with such compositions as "Children of the Night" and "Lester Left Town." In 1963, he joined Miles Davis' famed quintet with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams, recording such acclaimed albums as "E.S.P." and "Miles Smiles" (Columbia). During this period Shorter recorded "Speak No Evil," "Night Dreamer" and others for Blue Note. Later, he formed the primal jazz/fusion band Weather Report with Joe Zawinul, recording the albums "Mysterious Traveller," "Heavy Weather," "8:30," and others. In recent years, Shorter has made such orchestral albums as "High Life" and "Alegria" (Verve) and has toured with a freewheeling quartet documented on "Footprints: Live" (also Verve).

• Jack Six -- A Point Pleasant resident, bassist Six has played and/or recorded with Herbie Mann, Gerry Mulligan, Benny Goodman, Illinois Jacquet and others, but he's best known for his long tenure with Dave Brubeck's quartet. With the latter, Six, who is often heard on the Jersey jazz menu, appeared on such recordings as "Dave Brubeck Trio & Gerry Mulligan," "Last Set at Newport" (Columbia), "Quiet as the Moon" (Music Masters) and "Nightshift: Live From the Blue Note" (Telarc).

• Bobby Tucker -- Pianist and arranger Tucker, a native of Morristown who resides there, has been the accompanist to such magnetic singers as Billie Holiday, Billy Eckstine, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Hartman. He also worked with such ace instrumentalists as Joe Wilder and Paul Quinichette. He appears on Holiday's "Greatest Hits" (MCA), Eckstine's "Everything I Have is Yours" (Metro/Verve), Sinatra's "Greatest Hits: 1940-47" (Charly) and Hartman's "Collection: 1947-1972" (Hip-O).

• Steve Turre -- A versatile, inventive trombonist, shell player and composer, Turre lives in Montclair with wife, the cellist Akua Dixon. He has played and/or recorded with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Art Blakey, Woody Shaw, Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra, Slide Hampton's World of Trombones and McCoy Tyner's big band, among others. Turre leads a quartet, a string sextet and the Shell Choir, with brass players doubling on shells. His recordings include "Sanctified Shells" (Antilles), "Rhythm Within," "Lotus Flower" (Verve) and "One4J: Paying Homage to J.J. Johnson" (Telarc).

• Rudy Van Gelder -- Van Gelder, a lifelong Jersey-ite who lives in Englewood Cliffs, is among the preeminent jazz engineers. First in his studio in his living room in Hackensack, then at specially built environs in Englewood Cliffs, he captured on tape the sound of jazz as it is heard from the bandstand. Among the timeless recordings made under his aegis are John Coltrane's "Blue Train" (Blue Note) and "A Love Supreme" (Impulse!), Sonny Rollins' "Saxophone Colossus" (Prestige), Miles Davis' "Workin'" and "Steamin' " (Prestige), Andrew Hill's "Point of Departure" (Blue Note), Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" (CTI) and Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" (Blue Note).

• David Ware -- A powerhouse tenor saxophonist of the jazz avant-garde, Ware is a native of Plainfield who lives in Scotch Plains. Ware has performed and recorded with Cecil Taylor ("Dark Unto Themselves") and Andrew Cyrille ("Special People") and leads a quartet with pianist Mathew Shipp. His recordings include "Surrendered" (Columbia), "Oblations and Blessings" (Silkheart), "Freedom Suite" (AUM) and "Threads" (Thirsty Ear).

• Walt Weiskopf -- An accomplished tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger, Weiskopf lives in Elmwood Park. He has performed and/or recorded with Buddy Rich, Toshiko Akiyoshi ("Carnegie Hall Concert"), and Renee Rosnes ("Life on Earth"), among others, and leads a quartet, sextet and nonet. Active in education, he has taught at New Jersey City University and now teaches at the Eastman School of Music. He has written several books on jazz methods, including "Around the Horn" (Jamey Aebersold). His recordings include "Song for My Mother," "Siren" and "Man of Many Colors" (Criss Cross).

• Mark Whitfield -- Solid guitarist Whitfield, a Jersey City inhabitant, has played and/or recorded with Jimmy Smith ('Damn'), Cedar Walton ("Roots'), Brother Jack McDuff, Javon Jackson ('Easy Does It'), Nicholas Payton ("From This Moment'), D'Angelo, Mary J. Blige and many others. His albums include "Mark Whitfield" (Warner Bros.), "True Blue" (Verve) and "Raw" (Transparent).

• Reggie Workman -- This bass dynamo, active in post-bop and avant-garde circles, lives in Montclair. He has performed and/or recorded with many giants, among them Art Blakey ("Free For All," "Caravan" and "Ugetsu'), John Coltrane ("Ole Coltrane," "Impressions" and "Live at the Village Vanguard'), Freddie Hubbard ("Here to Stay," "The Body and the Soul'), Lee Morgan ("Search for the New Land") and Wayne Shorter ("Night Dreamer" and "Adam's Apple'). He is a co-leader of Trio 3, with Oliver Lake and Andrew Cyrille. Workman's albums include "Summit Conference," "Cerebral Caverns" (Postcards) and "Altered Spaces" (Leo).

• Eliot Zigmund -- A scintillating drummer, Zigmund lives in Teaneck. He has appeared and/or recorded with Bill Evans ("Paris Concert" and "I Will Say Goodbye'), Michel Petrucciani ("Live at the Village Vanguard," "Pianism"), Jim Hall, Allen Farnham and many others. He leads a quartet that includes saxophonist Mike Lee that is soon releasing its debut album.