By Rod Arroyo and Jim Gallert Dave Usher grew up in a Detroit home where classical music wasn’t just preferred—it was mandatory. His parents played the works of Beethoven, Bach, and other classical composers at home, and by age six, his mother was taking him to Detroit Symphony Orchestra concerts. […] Read More »
By Jim Gallert with Lars Bjorn Alma Smith was a professional musician for seventy-plus years. The youngest of nine children, Mary Alma Smith[1] was born in Montgomery, Alabama on May 15, 1922, to Harry and Mary E. Smith, and raised in the North End area of Detroit. Alma’s fascination with […] Read More »
By Jim Gallert Oh Blues…Sweet Blues! Coming from a Black man’s soul. –Excerpt from “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes The two most influential amplified guitar soloists in the 1940s were Charlie Christian and T-Bone (Aaron Thibeault) Walker. Both men shared Southwestern roots and were taught by the Oklahoma City […] Read More »
By Stan Kuwik N.B. – Stan Kuwik (1914-2005) was a lifelong Jazz researcher, member of the I.A.J.R.C. (International Association of Jazz Record Collectors), and occasional banjo player. During World War II, he survived the Normandy beach invasion and subsequent march to Germany under Gen. George S. Patton. He was promoted […] Read More »
By Jim Gallert with Lars Bjorn When Detroit pianists are discussed, Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Roland Hanna, and Hank Jones are always mentioned.[1] If the participants are in-the-know, the names of Terry Pollard, Harold McKinney, and Kenn Cox could pop up.[2] Willie Anderson (1924-1971) seldom is included. In the thirty […] Read More »
By Jim Gallert with Lars Bjorn J.C. Heard (1918 – 1988) left a large legacy to the jazz world. He’s on many important records, he played in amazing bands, he spread the jazz doctrine to Japan, and he was a vital force on Detroit’s jazz scene. Every year the Detroit […] Read More »
By Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert Few Detroit musicians better illustrate the link between Jazz and Motown music than Theodore Edward Harris, Jr. (1934-2005). He boxed with Berry Gordy, sang with Jackie Wilson, and was a Motown road band conductor/arranger. He was the Supremes Music Director for over a decade. […] Read More »
By Jim Gallert Olujimi Tafataona is a large, buoyant man with a big smile, who loves brightly colored African attire. He laughs easily and speaks sincerely, and at length. He is an inveterate reader who has books on Africa, Jazz, music and American history. Tafataona has a day job, too. […] Read More »
By Jim Gallert On Monday, December 28, 1992, some of Motown’s biggest stars gathered at the Union Second Baptist Church in Detroit to pay their final respects to Maurice King, a man whose talent helped them to develop into world class artists. The Spinners and Stevie Wonder were among the […] Read More »
By Jim Gallert with Lars Bjorn Like the Buckner brothers (Ted and Milton), Jimmy Wilkins (b.1921) and Ernie (b.1919) hailed from St. Louis, Missouri, but relocated to Detroit. Jimmy settled in Detroit in 1955, and for the next forty years he was an important part of our music scene. Wilkins […] Read More »
