*WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
Hammond on Hammond Digital B3 in Australia
Downloaded 238 times
http://archive.org/details/JonHammondHammondonHammondDigitalNewB3Organ
Bernie Capicchiano of Bernies Music Land with Jon Hammond at the Digital New B3 organ
Jon Hammond on Digital New B3 Organ performing at Bernie's Place with Michael Jordan drums, Bernies Music Land in Ringwood Victoria Australia swinging version of Days of Wine and Roses special thanks Bernie and Michelle Capicchiano and Team Bernie, Hammond SUZUKI MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MFG. CO., LTD. "The FINGERS...are The SINGERS!"™ ©
www.HammondCast.com
Youtube
http://youtu.be/cntOk1K4oGI
1,528
VIDEO
Mr. Hammond just received his new super compact lightweight EXP-20 Expression Pedal for touring Sk1 Hammond organ rig.
I have big plans for this little pedal! Jon Hammond
Swiss Chris huge
14 hours ago
Michael D Hinton
The COLLEGE of MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE
FriendFriends
Timo Bergström
Gymnasiet svenska normallyceum
Swiss Chris
Book Author (Cherry Lane/ Hal Leonard) at PUBLISHED BOOK AUTHOR
s
Michael Hashim
Geneva High School
Adam Michael
CCO at Waremobile LLC
Ross Kratter
Work Study Assistant at NYU Steinhardt Jazz Studies Department
John Kinsley Chee-Ting
Teruo Goto
Works at Dirty old Musician.
FriendFriends
Neil L. King
Ohio University
FriendFriends
Ryan Erickson
The Pas, Manitoba
FriendFriends
Randy Mills
Ohio University
FriendFriends
Waichiro Tachikawa
Works at Suzuki Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
Bobby Nathan
Hans Torbijn
Sint Paulus Mulo Vlissingen
Incredible moment frozen in time - on the bass "The Judge" Milt Hinton totally getting down (playing Reggie Workman's bass) as Bill Cosby looks on over his shoulder in amazement - on the drums is one of my all-time favorites David "Panama" Francis - this very special concert and awards ceremony honoring Cab Calloway which took place on May 7, 1990 - Jon Hammond
Milt's Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milt_Hinton
Milton John "Milt" Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000), "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".
Birth name Milton John Hilton
Born June 23, 1910
Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States
Died December 19, 2000 (aged 90)
Queens, New York, United States
Genres Traditional Jazz. Swing, Pop Music
Occupations Double bassist, Photographer
Instruments Double bass
Years active 80 years
Labels Various
Associated acts Jabbo Smith, Zutty Singleton, Art Tatum, Eddie South, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Clark Terry, Hank Jones, Branford Delfeayo Marsalis
Panama's Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Francis
David "Panama" Francis (December 21, 1918, Miami, Florida – November 13, 2001, Orlando, Florida) was an American swing jazz drummer.
He began performing at the age of eight, and booked his first night club at the age of thirteen. His career took off after he moved to New York City in 1938. Early collaborations included Tab Smith, Billy Hick's Sizzling Six, the Roy Eldridge Orchestra, and six years with Lucky Millinder's Orchestra at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom.
Panama Francis spent five years recording and touring with Cab Calloway. He also played with Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Ray Conniff, and Sy Oliver, becoming a highly successful studio drummer. He recorded with John Lee Hooker, Eubie Blake, Ella Fitzgerald, Illinois Jacquet, Ray Charles, Mahalia Jackson and Big Joe Turner. As rhythm and blues and rock and roll went mainstream Francis became even more sought after. He drummed on the Elvis Presley demos, and he is featured on hits by the Four Seasons ("Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man"), the Platters ("Only You", "The Great Pretender", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "My Prayer"), Bobby Darin ("Splish Splash"), Neil Sedaka ("Calendar Girl"), and Dion ("The Wanderer").
He drummed on "Prisoner of Love" for James Brown, "What a Difference a Day Makes" for Dinah Washington, "Drown in My Own Tears" for Ray Charles, and "Jim Dandy" for LaVern Baker. Many music reference books indicate that he also played drums on Bill Haley & His Comets' 1954 version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll", but producer Milt Gabler denied this; Francis is also believed to have played drums for at least one other Haley recording session in the mid-1960s. In 1979, Panama Francis reestablished the Savoy Sultans touring, recording several Grammy-nominated albums, and keeping residence at New York's prestigious Rainbow Room through the mid-1980s. He appeared in several films with Cab Calloway: Angel Heart, Lady Sings the Blues, The Learning Tree.[citation needed]
[edit]Awards
Francis received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1993 and was also inducted into the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. His drum sticks are on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Bill Cosby's Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cosby
Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D. (born July 12, 1937) is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own sitcom, The Bill Cosby Show. He was one of the major characters on the children's television series The Electric Company for its first two seasons, and created the educational cartoon comedy series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, about a group of young friends growing up in the city. Cosby has also acted in a number of films.
During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in one of the decade's defining sitcoms, The Cosby Show, which aired eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. It was the number one show in America for five straight years (1985–89).[1] The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family. He also produced the spin-off sitcom A Different World, which became second to The Cosby Show in ratings. He starred in the sitcom Cosby from 1996 to 2000 and hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things for two seasons.
In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante included him in his book, the 100 Greatest African Americans.[2]
In 1976, Cosby earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For his doctoral research, he wrote a dissertation entitled, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning".
William Henry Cosby, Jr.
July 12, 1937 (age 75)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation Actor, comedian, author, producer, musician, activist
Years active 1962–present
Notable work(s) I Spy
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
The Cosby Show
The Electric Company
Spouse(s) Camille Hanks (1964–present)
Children Erika, Erinn, Ensa, Evin, Ennis
Cosby was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is one of four sons born to Anna Pearl (née Hite), a maid, and William Henry Cosby, Sr., who served as a sailor in the U.S. Navy.[3][4] During much of his early childhood, Cosby's father was away in the U.S. armed forces and spent several years fighting in World War II. As a student, he described himself as a class clown. Cosby was the captain of both the baseball team and the track and field team at Mary Channing Wister Public School in Philadelphia, as well as the class president.[5] Early on, though, teachers noted his propensity for clowning around rather than studying.[6] At Fitz Simmons Junior High, Cosby began acting in plays as well as continuing his devotion to playing sports.[7] He went on to Central High School, an academically challenging magnet school, but his full schedule of playing football, basketball, baseball, and running track made it hard for him.[7] In addition, Cosby was working before and after school, selling produce, shining shoes, and stocking shelves at a supermarket to help out the family.[7] He transferred to Germantown High School, but failed the tenth grade.[8] Instead of repeating, he got a job as an apprentice at a shoe repair shop, which he liked, but could not see himself doing the rest of his life.[7] Subsequently, he joined the Navy, serving at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland and at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.[9]
While serving in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman for four years, Cosby worked in physical therapy with some seriously injured Korean War casualties,[9] which helped him discover what was important to him. Then he immediately realized the need for an education, and finished his equivalency diploma via correspondence courses.[10] He then won a track and field scholarship to Philadelphia's Temple University in 1961–62,[11] and studied physical education while running track and playing fullback on the football team. Cosby also joined the school's chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.[citation needed]
As Cosby progressed through his undergraduate studies, he continued to hone his talent for humor, joking with fellow enlistees in the service and then with college friends. When he began bar tending at the Cellar, a club in Philadelphia, to earn money, he became fully aware of his ability to make people laugh. He worked his customers and saw his tips increase, then ventured onto the stage.[12]
Stand-up career
Cosby left Temple to pursue a career in comedy, though he would return to collegiate studies in the 1970s. He lined up gigs at clubs in Philadelphia and soon was off to New York City, where he appeared at The Gaslight Cafe starting in 1962.[7] He lined up dates in Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. He received national exposure on NBC's The Tonight Show in the summer of 1963 which led to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, who released his debut LP Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right!, the first of a series of popular comedy albums, in 1964.
While many comics were using the growing freedom of that decade to explore controversial, sometimes risqué, material, Cosby was making his reputation with humorous recollections of his childhood. Many Americans wondered about the absence of race as a topic in Cosby's stories. As Cosby's success grew he had to defend his choice of material regularly; as he argued, "A white person listens to my act and he laughs and he thinks, 'Yeah, that's the way I see it too.' Okay. He's white. I'm Negro. And we both see things the same way. That must mean that we are alike. Right? So I figure this way I'm doing as much for good race relations as the next guy."[13]
Cosby remains an actively touring stand-up comedian, performing at theaters throughout the country.
Acting career
I Spy
In 1965, when he was cast alongside Robert Culp in the I Spy espionage adventure series, Cosby became the first African-American co-star in a dramatic television series, and NBC became the first to present a series so cast. At first Cosby and NBC executives were concerned that some affiliates might be unwilling to carry the series. At the beginning of the 1965 season four stations declined the show; they were in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.[citation needed] Viewers were taken with the show's exotic locales and the authentic chemistry between the stars, and it became one of the ratings hits of that television season. I Spy finished among the twenty most-watched shows that year, and Cosby would be honored with three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
During the run of the series, Cosby continued to do stand-up comedy performances, and recorded a half-dozen record albums for Warners. He also began to dabble in singing, recording Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings in 1967, which provided him with a hit single with his recording of "Li'l Ole Man".[citation needed] He would record several more musical albums into the early 1970s, but he continued to record primarily stand-up comedy work.
In June 1968 Billboard reported that Cosby had turned down a five-year, US$3.5 million contract renewal offer and would leave the label in August that year to record for his own record label.[14]
Tetragrammaton Records was a division of the Campbell, Silver, Cosby (CSC) Corporation, the Los Angeles based production company founded by Cosby, his manager Roy Silver, and filmmaker Bruce Post Campbell. It produced films as well as records, including Cosby's television specials, the Fat Albert cartoon special and series and several motion pictures. CSC hired industry veteran Artie Mogull as President of the label and Tetragrammaton was fairly active during 1968–69 (its most successful signing was British heavy rock band Deep Purple) but it quickly went into the red and ceased trading during 1970.[15]
Fat Albert, The Bill Cosby Show, and the 1970s
Cosby in 1969
Cosby pursued a variety of additional television projects and appeared as a regular guest host on The Tonight Show and as the star of an annual special for NBC. He returned with another series in 1969, The Bill Cosby Show, a situation comedy that ran for two seasons. Cosby played a physical education teacher at a Los Angeles high school. While only a modest critical success, the show was a ratings hit, finishing eleventh in its first season. Cosby was lauded for using some previously unknown African-American performers such as Lillian Randolph, Moms Mabley, and Rex Ingram as characters. According to commentary on the Season 1 DVD's for the show, Cosby was at odds with NBC over his refusal to include a laugh track in the show (he felt that viewers had the ability to find humor for themselves when watching a TV show). He was originally contracted with NBC to do the show for two seasons, and he believes the show was not renewed afterwards for that reason.
After The Bill Cosby Show left the air, Cosby returned to his education. He began graduate work at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, qualifying under a special program that allowed for the admission of students who had not completed their bachelor's degrees, but who had had a significant impact on society and/or their communities through their careers.[citation needed] This professional interest led to his involvement in the PBS series The Electric Company, for which he recorded several segments teaching reading skills to young children.
In 1972, Cosby received an MA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was also back in prime time with a variety series, The New Bill Cosby Show. However, this time he met with poor ratings, and the show lasted only a season. More successful was a Saturday morning show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, hosted by Cosby and based on his own childhood. That series ran from 1972 to 1979, and as The New Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids from 1979 to 1984.[citation needed] Some schools used the program as a teaching tool,[citation needed] and Cosby himself wrote a dissertation on it, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning", as partial fulfillment of obtaining his 1976 doctorate in education, also from the University of Massachusetts.[7][16] Subsequently, Temple University, where Cosby had begun but never finished his undergraduate studies, would grant him his bachelor's degree on the basis of "life experience."[citation needed]
Also during the 1970s, Cosby and other African-American actors, including Sidney Poitier, joined forces to make some successful comedy films that countered the violent "blaxploitation" films of the era. Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975) were generally praised, but much of Cosby's film work has fallen flat. Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976) costarring Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel; A Piece of the Action, with Poitier; and California Suite, a compilation of four Neil Simon plays, were all panned. In addition, Cos (1976) an hour-long variety show featuring puppets, sketches, and musical numbers, was canceled within the year. Cosby was also a regular on children's public television programs starting in the 1970s, hosting the "Picture Pages" segments that lasted into the early 1980s.
The Cosby Show and the 1980s
Cosby's greatest television success came in September 1984 with the debut of The Cosby Show. The program aired weekly on NBC and went on to become the highest ranking sitcom of all time. For Cosby, the new situation comedy was a response to the increasingly violent and vulgar fare the networks usually offered.[citation needed] Cosby is an advocate for humor that is family-oriented. He insisted on and received total creative control of the series, and he was involved in every aspect of the series. The show had parallels to Cosby's actual family life: like the characters Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Cosby and his wife Camille were college educated, financially successful, and had five children. Essentially a throwback to the wholesome family situation comedy, The Cosby Show was unprecedented in its portrayal of an intelligent, affluent, African-American family.
Much of the material from the pilot and first season of The Cosby Show was taken from his video Bill Cosby: Himself, released in 1983. The series was an immediate success, debuting near the top of the ratings and staying there for most of its long run. The Cosby Show is one of only three American programs that have been #1 in the Nielsen ratings for at least five consecutive seasons, along with All in the Family and American Idol. People magazine called the show "revolutionary,"[citation needed] and Newsday concurred that it was a "real breakthrough."[citation needed]
In 1987, Cosby attempted to return to film with the spy spoof Leonard Part 6. Although Cosby himself was producer and wrote the story, he realized during production that the film was not going to be what he wanted and publicly denounced it, warning audiences to stay away.[17]
See also: Bill Cosby in advertising
In the 1990s and 2000s
Cosby's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
After The Cosby Show went off the air in 1992, Cosby embarked on a number of other projects, including a revival of the classic Groucho Marx game show You Bet Your Life (1992–93) along with the TV-movie I Spy Returns (1994) and The Cosby Mysteries (1994). In the mid-1990s, he appeared as a detective in black-and-white film noir-themed commercials for Turner Classic Movies. He also made appearances in three more films, Ghost Dad (1990), The Meteor Man (1993); and Jack (1996); in addition to being interviewed in Spike Lee's 4 Little Girls (1997), a documentary about the racist bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama, church in 1963.
Also in 1996, he started up a new show for CBS, Cosby, again co-starring Phylicia Rashād, his onscreen wife on The Cosby Show. Cosby co-produced the show for Carsey-Werner Productions. The show was based on the British program One Foot in the Grave.[citation needed] It centered on Cosby as Hilton Lucas, an iconoclastic senior citizen who tries to find a new job after being "downsized", and in the meantime, gets on his wife's nerves. Madeline Kahn costarred as Rashād's goofy business partner. Cosby was hired by CBS to be the official "spokesman" for the WWJ-TV during an advertising campaign from 1995 to 1998. In addition, Cosby in 1998 became the host of Kids Say the Darndest Things. After four seasons, Cosby was canceled. The last episode aired April 28, 2000. Kids Say the Darndest Things was also canceled the same year. Cosby continued to work with CBS through a development deal and other projects.
Cosby volunteered his time and talent to promote causes such as the Partnership for a Drug Free America's campaign to de-glamorize drugs, during the 1990s and beyond, writing the script and appearing in a PSA to discourage the use of illegal drugs by young people. Photo: going over the script with Partnership executive Ginna Marston (right) and a production assistant at Cosby's studio in Astoria, Queens in the 1990s. Photo by Bobby Sheehan.
A series for preschoolers, Little Bill, made its debut on Nickelodeon in 1999. The network renewed the popular program in November 2000. In 2001, at an age when many give serious consideration to retirement, Cosby's agenda included the publication of a new book, as well as delivering the commencement addresses at Morris Brown College, Ohio State University, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[18] Also that year, he signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to develop a live-action feature film centering on the popular Fat Albert character from his 1970s cartoon series. Fat Albert was released in theaters in December 2004. In May 2007 he spoke at the Commencement of High Point University.
In the summer of 2009, Cosby hosted a comedy gala at Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival, the world's largest.
Socioeconomic views
Main article: Pound Cake speech
In May 2004 after receiving an award at the celebration of the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that outlawed school racial segregation, Cosby made public remarks critical of African Americans who put higher priorities on sports, fashion, and "acting hard" than on education, self-respect, and self-improvement, pleading for African-American families to educate their children on the many different aspects of American culture.
In the "Pound Cake" speech, Cosby, who holds a doctorate in education, asked that African-American parents teach their children better morals at a younger age. Cosby told the Washington Times, "Parenting needs to come to the forefront. If you need help and you don't know how to parent, we want to be able to reach out and touch" (DeBose, Brian).[page needed] Richard Leiby of The Washington Post reported, "Bill Cosby was anything but politically correct in his remarks Monday night at a Constitution Hall bash commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision."[19]
Cosby again came under sharp criticism and was again largely unapologetic for his stance when he made similar remarks during a speech in a July 1 meeting commemorating the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. During that speech, he admonished apathetic blacks for not assisting or concerning themselves with the individuals who are involved with crime or have counter-productive aspirations. He further described those who needed attention as blacks who “had forgotten the sacrifices of those in the Civil Rights Movement." [20] The speech was featured in the documentary 500 Years Later, which set the speech to cartoon visuals.[citation needed]
Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson wrote a book in 2005 entitled Is Bill Cosby Right or Is the Black Middle Class Out of Touch?[21] In the book, Dyson wrote that Cosby was overlooking larger social factors that reinforce poverty and associated crime; factors such as deteriorating schools, stagnating wages, dramatic shifts in the economy, offshoring and downsizing, chronic underemployment, and job and capital flight.[22] Dyson suggested Cosby's comments "betray classist, elitist viewpoints rooted in generational warfare."[21]
Cornel West defended Cosby and his remarks, saying, "he's speaking out of great compassion and trying to get folk to get on the right track, 'cause we've got some brothers and sisters who are not doing the right things, just like in times in our own lives, we don't do the right thing... He is trying to speak honestly and freely and lovingly, and I think that's a very positive thing."[23]
In a 2008 interview, Cosby mentioned Chicago (Illinois), Atlanta (Georgia), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Oakland (California), Detroit (Michigan) and Springfield (Massachusetts) among the cities where crime was high and young African-American men were being murdered and jailed in disproportionate numbers. Cosby stood his ground against criticism and affirmed that African-American parents were continuing to fail to inculcate proper standards of moral behavior.[24] Cosby still lectures to black communities (usually at churches) about his frustrations with certain problems prevalent in underprivileged urban communities such as taking part in illegal drugs, teenage pregnancy, Black Entertainment Television, high school dropouts, anti-intellectualism, gangsta rap, vulgarity, thievery, offensive clothing, vanity, parental alienation, single-parenting and failing to live up to the ideals of Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the African-American ancestors that preceded Generation X.
Humanitarian causes
Cosby has become an active member of The Jazz Foundation of America.[25] Cosby became involved with the foundation in 2004. For several years, he has been a featured host for its annual benefit, A Great Night in Harlem, at the Apollo Theater in New York City.[26][27]
Personal life
Cosby met his future wife, Camille Olivia Hanks, while he was performing stand-up in Washington, D.C., in the early 1960s, and she was a student at the University of Maryland. They married on January 25, 1964, and had five children: daughters Erika Ranee (b. 1965), Erinn Chalene (b. 1966), Ensa Camille (b. 1973), and Evin Harrah (b. 1976), and son Ennis William (1969–1997). Their son Ennis was shot dead while changing a flat tire on the side of Interstate 405 in Los Angeles on January 16, 1997. Cosby maintains homes in Shelburne, Massachusetts, and Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.[28]
Bill Cosby has hosted the Los Angeles Playboy Jazz Festival since 1979. An avid musician, he's best known as a jazz drummer although he can be seen playing bass guitar with Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr. on Hugh Hefner's 1970s talk show. His story "The Regular Way" was featured in Playboy's December 1968 issue.[29]
Bill Cosby is an active alumnus supporter of his alma mater, Temple University, and in particular its men's basketball team, whose games Cosby frequently attends.
Cosby is a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2002, when the Eagles' starting and backup quarterbacks were both injured, Cosby sent a letter to head coach Andy Reid, joking that he was ready to play if needed.[citation needed]
Cosby also attends many public events, such as the 100th Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York on February 2, 2007. His love for track and field athletics has also been shown with his long time sponsorship, and on-track work with the Penn Relays. For many years, Cosby has been known to work the finish line at Franklin Field and congratulate athletes.
During the 2009 NFL Draft, he celebrated the draft with former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Quan Cosby as a means of support, though the two are not related.[30]
Lawsuits
In July 1997, Cosby testified that he made secret payments to Shawn Upshaw, a woman who had briefly been his lover in Las Vegas during the early 1970s. Upshaw later told Cosby that her daughter, Autumn Jackson, was his daughter, too, but he denied it. Cosby said he gave Upshaw a total of about $100,000 because he did not want her to publicly reveal the affair.[31] Twenty-two-year-old Autumn Jackson was sentenced to 26 months in jail for trying to extort $40 million from Cosby.[32]
In August 2006, Cosby settled a lawsuit against him by a Canadian woman who claimed he had attacked her in his Philadelphia home in 2004.[28][33] The woman claimed she had been sexually assaulted after being given pills when she had complained of feeling stressed. Cosby categorically denied the assertions.[34]
Awards and honors
1969: Received his third "Man of the Year" award from Harvard University's performance group, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals
1998: Received the Kennedy Center Honor[35]
2002: The Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to television
2003: The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
2005: In a British poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted among the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders
2009: Presented with the 12th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
2011: Made an honorary Chief Petty Officer (Hospital Corpsman) in the United States Navy — with Panama Francis and 4 others at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
Michael Guilford
Ohio University
Pascal Gallo
Winston Byrd
Endorser/Clinician at Cannonball Trumpets
Teruo Goto
Works at Dirty old Musician.
Paul Nowinski
Works at Freelance Musician
Thepoint Roger
University of Indianapolis
Massimo Casati
J.p. Gelinas
Music Publisher at Mind Smoke Music
Michael D Hinton
The COLLEGE of MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE
Panama Francis (drums) also in this image - JH
Folks, these are 2 great legends of Jazz who have passed sadly - on the left, Bobby Johnson the great trumpeter known for his work in the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra here with Earle Warren aka "Smiley" - Earle Ronald Warren featured saxophonist & vocalist with the Count Basie Band - on May 7, 1990 concert and awards ceremony in honor of Cab Calloway Day - R.I.P. Bobby Johnson & Earle Warren - Jon Hammond
Obituary: Earle Warren
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-earle-warren-1420948.html
STEVE VOCE TUESDAY 07 JUNE 1994
Earle Ronald Warren, alto and baritone saxophone player, clarinettist, vocalist, bandleader: born Springfield, Ohio 1 July 1914; died Springfield, Ohio 4 June 1994.
WHEN the Count Basie band were playing at the Paramount in New York, Earle Warren planned a flourish of showmanship to introduce his featured vocal 'I Struck a Match in the Dark'. He would stand at the microphone in a completely darkened theatre and would strike a match which illuminated only his face. And then the lights would be turned up. 'Earle was a good-looking guy and Basie figured that this introduction would set off all the little girls who thought of Earle as a matinee idol,' said Buck Clayton. The scheme worked well the first time it was tried, but in the second house the band waited in the dark, the silence broken only by the frantic scratching by Warren as match after match failed to light. As the seconds dragged by the audience was completely bemused. It transpired that the drummer Jo Jones had carefully dampened Warren's matches during the intermission.
Warren worked for the Basie band, on alto sax and as band singer, most of the time from 1937 to 1951. Lester Young ('Prez') handed out the nicknames in the band. The bright-eyed Clayton was 'Cat Eye', the round-faced Buddy Tate 'Moon', the lanky Dickie Wells 'Bones' and Earle Warren, whose embouchure made him look as though he was smiling while he was playing, became 'Smiley'. Because of the fashion at the time the tenor players Lester Young and Herschel Evans took most of the saxophone solos. 'I got all the bridges,' recalled Warren. 'Eight bars in the middle of everything.'
Warren became an outstanding lead alto player for Basie, heading a formidable saxophone section. He was bettered only in this role by Willie Smith, who played with the Jimmy Lunceford band. The two men shared a different problem. Both men were 'black', but each was so fair-skinned as to appear white. This caused them problems because, particularly in the Thirties, it was unheard of for a white man to play in a black band, and indeed there were occasions when such players had to wear black make-up. Their problem occasionally drew insults from their fellow-blacks.
When Basie was absent for any reason Warren, a responsible and intelligent man, took over the band and indeed on one occasion led it for a recording session under his own name on the Savoy label. Because he was more famous the company originally issued the records under Lester Young's name.
Warren was in and out of the Basie band over the years, leading his own band from 1945 to 1947, and when he finally left Basie it was because of the illness of his wife. He joined the vocal group the Platters as its baritone sax player and later became manager of the show band led by Johnny Otis. He turned down offers from Artie Shaw, Woody Herman and Gene Krupa.
Over the years a nucleus of ex-Basie musicians stayed together, usually working under Buck Clayton's name. Warren came to Britain with Clayton in 1959 and toured Europe with the trumpeter several times in later years. An extremely likeable man, he made many friends here. When Willie Smith became ill in 1986 Warren took his place in the 'Jazz from a Swinging Era' unit which toured Europe that year and visited Britain again. During this trip he negotiated a tour of his own here, returning to work with the Littlejohn-Milliner Sextet and the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Like Buck Clayton and many other mainstream musicians Warren found that there was far more work to be had in Europe than at home and he settled in Geneva for almost 10 years, returning two years ago to his home town of Springfield, Ohio. — with Panama Francis and Earle Warren at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
Folks, these are 2 great legends of Jazz who have passed sadly - on the left, Bobby Johnson the great trumpeter known for his work in the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra here with Earle Warren aka "Smiley" - Earle Ronald Warren featured saxophonist & vocalist with the Count Basie Band - on May 7, 1990 concert and awards ceremony in honor of Cab Calloway Day
- R.I.P. Bobby Johnson & Earle Warren - Jon Hammond
Friday Jan. 25th Hilton Hotel 8-10PM -- Sound Soul Summit at Winter NAMM 2013
Jon Hammond Band appearing - The Ultimate All-Star Jam
Joe Berger guitar
Alex Budman tenor saxophone
Donny Baldwin drums
Jon Hammond at the Digital Hammond B3mk2 organ
Joachim Hildebrand Black and White Photographs:
These great black and white photos of Jon Hammond Band were shot by the great photographer Joachim Hildebrand at my 25th year Musikmesse Warm Up Party - on the band: Tony Lakatos tenor sax,
Giovanni Gulino drums,
Joe Berger guitar,
Jon Hammond organ
Youtube
http://youtu.be/hozrJpHvV-4
Chocolate on Chocolate Cake at 2011 Musikmesse Warm Up Party in Jazzkeller Frankfurt with Jon Hammond Band and special guests for this special occasion celebrating 25 years in Musikmesse.
Special acknowledgement of Wilhelm P. "Charly" Hosenseidl R.I.P. who was the Director of Musikmesse years 1989-2008 now Directed by Wolfgang Luecke, special thanks to Messe Frankfurt Projekt and Presse Team!
Jon Hammond Band: Joe Berger guitar Tony Lakatos tenor saxophone Giovanni Gulino drums Jon Hammond - XB-2 Hammond Organ - special thanks Hiromitsu Ono Chief Engineer Suzuki Musical Instruments designed my instrument which took me all around the world many times "Late Rent" Jon Hammond theme song for Jon Hammond Show MNNTV and HammondCast Show KYOU Radio San Francisco CBS Radio Network Thanks Joe Lamond President CEO NAMM, TecAmp Jürgen Kunze and Thomas Eich - Puma Combo bass amp powering Jon Hammond's organ Dankeschoen to Yücel Atiker, Tino Pavlis, Poehl, Bernie Capicchiano, Michael Falkenstein Hammond Suzuki Deutschland, Peggy Behling, Christine Vogel Messe Frankfurt, Saray Pastanesi Baeckerei & Konditorei for Chocolate on Chocolate 25 Years Musikmesse Celebration Cake - Mainzer Landstrasse 131, 60327 Frankfurt am Main, Eugen Hahn Jazzkeller Frankfurt Team Kleine Bockenheimerstr. 18a Frankfurt
http://www.HammondCast.com/
Only 5 days out to Winter NAMM 2013 folks!
http://www.examiner.com/article/pete-townshend-and-elton-among-the-artists-gracing-namm-week-2013
Pete Townshend and Elton John among the artists gracing NAMM week 2013 (Photos)
MUSIC BY: PHYLLIS POLLACK
*Excerpt:
Sir Elton will be performing for Yamaha at the Hyperion Theater on NAMM's Friday. The concert will be streamed at NAMM, over the internet, and in many countries globally. “That will just be a wonderful event.”
Lamond noted, “This includes hundreds of other concerts that will be going on over the four days of the show. So I just love the fact there will be so much music. And in the hotel lobbies, are just all kinds of people playing. I think Jon (Hammond) will hopefully be playing again this year.”
Jon Hammond also took part in the call. Lamond introduced him as “The best (Hammond) B3 player, right there.” Hammond has performed with many legendary players and as a clinician. As a product artist, he has introduced many innovative products to music stores and their customers over the last 30 plus years.
Hammond, who was a Berklee College of Music attendee, is closely associated with the two main products of his career, the Excelsior Accordion and the Digital B3 Organ.
Lamond stated that drummers Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd will be among players at NAMM. “For a drummer like me, it just doesn’t get much better than that,” said Lamond, praising their talent. “So from an overall point, I think the show is reflective of the industry,” he contended.
Lamond attributed this year’s increased number of female musicians, both performing and endorsing as a result of the exhibitors, saying, “I think it’s a reflection of the environment, and manufacturers, who mainly plan those events. That’s the exhibitors’ doing, so I give the credit to them.”
Jon Hammond stated that this year will mark the first-ever NAMM Hammond organ night, which will be held on Friday in the Hilton lobby. Chester Thompson, who has played with groups including Weather Report and Genesis will be among those playing. Other notable Hammond endorsees will also perform.
The convention is still closed to the public, and open only to those in the industry, or those who have passes. There is still no day that is open to the general public. Lamond explained, “It’s a fragile balance between a trade event and a public event.”
Shuji Suzuki & Jon Hammond
Bernie Capicchiano and Shigeyuki Ohtaka
Winter NAMM 2013, Sound Soul Summit, Hilton Hotel Lobby, Bill Cosby, Milt Hinton, The Judge, Panama Francis, Cab Calloway Day, May 7 1990, New School, Jazz, Local 802, Musicians Union
Jon Hammond on Digital New B3 Organ performing at Bernie's Place with Michael Jordan drums, Bernies Music Land in Ringwood Victoria Australia swinging version of Days of Wine and Roses special thanks Bernie and Michelle Capicchiano and Team Bernie, Hammond SUZUKI MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MFG. CO., LTD. "The FINGERS...are The SINGERS!"™ © www.HammondCast.com
Youtube http://youtu.be/cntOk1K4oGI
1,528
Mr. Hammond just received his new super compact lightweight EXP-20 Expression Pedal for touring Sk1 Hammond organ rig.
I have big plans for this little pedal! Jon Hammond
Swiss Chris huge
14 hours ago
Michael D Hinton
The COLLEGE of MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE
FriendFriends
Timo Bergström
Gymnasiet svenska normallyceum
Swiss Chris
Book Author (Cherry Lane/ Hal Leonard) at PUBLISHED BOOK AUTHOR
s
Michael Hashim
Geneva High School
Adam Michael
CCO at Waremobile LLC
Ross Kratter
Work Study Assistant at NYU Steinhardt Jazz Studies Department
John Kinsley Chee-Ting
Teruo Goto
Works at Dirty old Musician.
FriendFriends
Neil L. King
Ohio University
FriendFriends
Ryan Erickson
The Pas, Manitoba
FriendFriends
Randy Mills
Ohio University
FriendFriends
Waichiro Tachikawa
Works at Suzuki Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.
Bobby Nathan
Hans Torbijn
Sint Paulus Mulo Vlissingen
Incredible moment frozen in time - on the bass "The Judge" Milt Hinton totally getting down (playing Reggie Workman's bass) as Bill Cosby looks on over his shoulder in amazement - on the drums is one of my all-time favorites David "Panama" Francis - this very special concert and awards ceremony honoring Cab Calloway which took place on May 7, 1990 - Jon Hammond
Milt's Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milt_Hinton
Milton John "Milt" Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000), "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".
Birth name Milton John Hilton
Born June 23, 1910
Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States
Died December 19, 2000 (aged 90)
Queens, New York, United States
Genres Traditional Jazz. Swing, Pop Music
Occupations Double bassist, Photographer
Instruments Double bass
Years active 80 years
Labels Various
Associated acts Jabbo Smith, Zutty Singleton, Art Tatum, Eddie South, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Clark Terry, Hank Jones, Branford Delfeayo Marsalis
Panama's Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Francis
David "Panama" Francis (December 21, 1918, Miami, Florida – November 13, 2001, Orlando, Florida) was an American swing jazz drummer.
He began performing at the age of eight, and booked his first night club at the age of thirteen. His career took off after he moved to New York City in 1938. Early collaborations included Tab Smith, Billy Hick's Sizzling Six, the Roy Eldridge Orchestra, and six years with Lucky Millinder's Orchestra at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom.
Panama Francis spent five years recording and touring with Cab Calloway. He also played with Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Ray Conniff, and Sy Oliver, becoming a highly successful studio drummer. He recorded with John Lee Hooker, Eubie Blake, Ella Fitzgerald, Illinois Jacquet, Ray Charles, Mahalia Jackson and Big Joe Turner. As rhythm and blues and rock and roll went mainstream Francis became even more sought after. He drummed on the Elvis Presley demos, and he is featured on hits by the Four Seasons ("Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man"), the Platters ("Only You", "The Great Pretender", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "My Prayer"), Bobby Darin ("Splish Splash"), Neil Sedaka ("Calendar Girl"), and Dion ("The Wanderer").
He drummed on "Prisoner of Love" for James Brown, "What a Difference a Day Makes" for Dinah Washington, "Drown in My Own Tears" for Ray Charles, and "Jim Dandy" for LaVern Baker. Many music reference books indicate that he also played drums on Bill Haley & His Comets' 1954 version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll", but producer Milt Gabler denied this; Francis is also believed to have played drums for at least one other Haley recording session in the mid-1960s. In 1979, Panama Francis reestablished the Savoy Sultans touring, recording several Grammy-nominated albums, and keeping residence at New York's prestigious Rainbow Room through the mid-1980s. He appeared in several films with Cab Calloway: Angel Heart, Lady Sings the Blues, The Learning Tree.[citation needed]
[edit]Awards
Francis received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1993 and was also inducted into the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. His drum sticks are on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Bill Cosby's Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cosby
Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D. (born July 12, 1937) is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own sitcom, The Bill Cosby Show. He was one of the major characters on the children's television series The Electric Company for its first two seasons, and created the educational cartoon comedy series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, about a group of young friends growing up in the city. Cosby has also acted in a number of films.
During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in one of the decade's defining sitcoms, The Cosby Show, which aired eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. It was the number one show in America for five straight years (1985–89).[1] The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family. He also produced the spin-off sitcom A Different World, which became second to The Cosby Show in ratings. He starred in the sitcom Cosby from 1996 to 2000 and hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things for two seasons.
In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante included him in his book, the 100 Greatest African Americans.[2]
In 1976, Cosby earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For his doctoral research, he wrote a dissertation entitled, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning".
William Henry Cosby, Jr.
July 12, 1937 (age 75)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation Actor, comedian, author, producer, musician, activist
Years active 1962–present
Notable work(s) I Spy
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
The Cosby Show
The Electric Company
Spouse(s) Camille Hanks (1964–present)
Children Erika, Erinn, Ensa, Evin, Ennis
Cosby was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is one of four sons born to Anna Pearl (née Hite), a maid, and William Henry Cosby, Sr., who served as a sailor in the U.S. Navy.[3][4] During much of his early childhood, Cosby's father was away in the U.S. armed forces and spent several years fighting in World War II. As a student, he described himself as a class clown. Cosby was the captain of both the baseball team and the track and field team at Mary Channing Wister Public School in Philadelphia, as well as the class president.[5] Early on, though, teachers noted his propensity for clowning around rather than studying.[6] At Fitz Simmons Junior High, Cosby began acting in plays as well as continuing his devotion to playing sports.[7] He went on to Central High School, an academically challenging magnet school, but his full schedule of playing football, basketball, baseball, and running track made it hard for him.[7] In addition, Cosby was working before and after school, selling produce, shining shoes, and stocking shelves at a supermarket to help out the family.[7] He transferred to Germantown High School, but failed the tenth grade.[8] Instead of repeating, he got a job as an apprentice at a shoe repair shop, which he liked, but could not see himself doing the rest of his life.[7] Subsequently, he joined the Navy, serving at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland and at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.[9]
While serving in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman for four years, Cosby worked in physical therapy with some seriously injured Korean War casualties,[9] which helped him discover what was important to him. Then he immediately realized the need for an education, and finished his equivalency diploma via correspondence courses.[10] He then won a track and field scholarship to Philadelphia's Temple University in 1961–62,[11] and studied physical education while running track and playing fullback on the football team. Cosby also joined the school's chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.[citation needed]
As Cosby progressed through his undergraduate studies, he continued to hone his talent for humor, joking with fellow enlistees in the service and then with college friends. When he began bar tending at the Cellar, a club in Philadelphia, to earn money, he became fully aware of his ability to make people laugh. He worked his customers and saw his tips increase, then ventured onto the stage.[12]
Stand-up career
Cosby left Temple to pursue a career in comedy, though he would return to collegiate studies in the 1970s. He lined up gigs at clubs in Philadelphia and soon was off to New York City, where he appeared at The Gaslight Cafe starting in 1962.[7] He lined up dates in Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. He received national exposure on NBC's The Tonight Show in the summer of 1963 which led to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, who released his debut LP Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow...Right!, the first of a series of popular comedy albums, in 1964.
While many comics were using the growing freedom of that decade to explore controversial, sometimes risqué, material, Cosby was making his reputation with humorous recollections of his childhood. Many Americans wondered about the absence of race as a topic in Cosby's stories. As Cosby's success grew he had to defend his choice of material regularly; as he argued, "A white person listens to my act and he laughs and he thinks, 'Yeah, that's the way I see it too.' Okay. He's white. I'm Negro. And we both see things the same way. That must mean that we are alike. Right? So I figure this way I'm doing as much for good race relations as the next guy."[13]
Cosby remains an actively touring stand-up comedian, performing at theaters throughout the country.
Acting career
I Spy
In 1965, when he was cast alongside Robert Culp in the I Spy espionage adventure series, Cosby became the first African-American co-star in a dramatic television series, and NBC became the first to present a series so cast. At first Cosby and NBC executives were concerned that some affiliates might be unwilling to carry the series. At the beginning of the 1965 season four stations declined the show; they were in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.[citation needed] Viewers were taken with the show's exotic locales and the authentic chemistry between the stars, and it became one of the ratings hits of that television season. I Spy finished among the twenty most-watched shows that year, and Cosby would be honored with three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
During the run of the series, Cosby continued to do stand-up comedy performances, and recorded a half-dozen record albums for Warners. He also began to dabble in singing, recording Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings in 1967, which provided him with a hit single with his recording of "Li'l Ole Man".[citation needed] He would record several more musical albums into the early 1970s, but he continued to record primarily stand-up comedy work.
In June 1968 Billboard reported that Cosby had turned down a five-year, US$3.5 million contract renewal offer and would leave the label in August that year to record for his own record label.[14]
Tetragrammaton Records was a division of the Campbell, Silver, Cosby (CSC) Corporation, the Los Angeles based production company founded by Cosby, his manager Roy Silver, and filmmaker Bruce Post Campbell. It produced films as well as records, including Cosby's television specials, the Fat Albert cartoon special and series and several motion pictures. CSC hired industry veteran Artie Mogull as President of the label and Tetragrammaton was fairly active during 1968–69 (its most successful signing was British heavy rock band Deep Purple) but it quickly went into the red and ceased trading during 1970.[15]
Fat Albert, The Bill Cosby Show, and the 1970s
Cosby in 1969
Cosby pursued a variety of additional television projects and appeared as a regular guest host on The Tonight Show and as the star of an annual special for NBC. He returned with another series in 1969, The Bill Cosby Show, a situation comedy that ran for two seasons. Cosby played a physical education teacher at a Los Angeles high school. While only a modest critical success, the show was a ratings hit, finishing eleventh in its first season. Cosby was lauded for using some previously unknown African-American performers such as Lillian Randolph, Moms Mabley, and Rex Ingram as characters. According to commentary on the Season 1 DVD's for the show, Cosby was at odds with NBC over his refusal to include a laugh track in the show (he felt that viewers had the ability to find humor for themselves when watching a TV show). He was originally contracted with NBC to do the show for two seasons, and he believes the show was not renewed afterwards for that reason.
After The Bill Cosby Show left the air, Cosby returned to his education. He began graduate work at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, qualifying under a special program that allowed for the admission of students who had not completed their bachelor's degrees, but who had had a significant impact on society and/or their communities through their careers.[citation needed] This professional interest led to his involvement in the PBS series The Electric Company, for which he recorded several segments teaching reading skills to young children.
In 1972, Cosby received an MA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was also back in prime time with a variety series, The New Bill Cosby Show. However, this time he met with poor ratings, and the show lasted only a season. More successful was a Saturday morning show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, hosted by Cosby and based on his own childhood. That series ran from 1972 to 1979, and as The New Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids from 1979 to 1984.[citation needed] Some schools used the program as a teaching tool,[citation needed] and Cosby himself wrote a dissertation on it, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning", as partial fulfillment of obtaining his 1976 doctorate in education, also from the University of Massachusetts.[7][16] Subsequently, Temple University, where Cosby had begun but never finished his undergraduate studies, would grant him his bachelor's degree on the basis of "life experience."[citation needed]
Also during the 1970s, Cosby and other African-American actors, including Sidney Poitier, joined forces to make some successful comedy films that countered the violent "blaxploitation" films of the era. Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975) were generally praised, but much of Cosby's film work has fallen flat. Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976) costarring Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel; A Piece of the Action, with Poitier; and California Suite, a compilation of four Neil Simon plays, were all panned. In addition, Cos (1976) an hour-long variety show featuring puppets, sketches, and musical numbers, was canceled within the year. Cosby was also a regular on children's public television programs starting in the 1970s, hosting the "Picture Pages" segments that lasted into the early 1980s.
The Cosby Show and the 1980s
Cosby's greatest television success came in September 1984 with the debut of The Cosby Show. The program aired weekly on NBC and went on to become the highest ranking sitcom of all time. For Cosby, the new situation comedy was a response to the increasingly violent and vulgar fare the networks usually offered.[citation needed] Cosby is an advocate for humor that is family-oriented. He insisted on and received total creative control of the series, and he was involved in every aspect of the series. The show had parallels to Cosby's actual family life: like the characters Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Cosby and his wife Camille were college educated, financially successful, and had five children. Essentially a throwback to the wholesome family situation comedy, The Cosby Show was unprecedented in its portrayal of an intelligent, affluent, African-American family.
Much of the material from the pilot and first season of The Cosby Show was taken from his video Bill Cosby: Himself, released in 1983. The series was an immediate success, debuting near the top of the ratings and staying there for most of its long run. The Cosby Show is one of only three American programs that have been #1 in the Nielsen ratings for at least five consecutive seasons, along with All in the Family and American Idol. People magazine called the show "revolutionary,"[citation needed] and Newsday concurred that it was a "real breakthrough."[citation needed]
In 1987, Cosby attempted to return to film with the spy spoof Leonard Part 6. Although Cosby himself was producer and wrote the story, he realized during production that the film was not going to be what he wanted and publicly denounced it, warning audiences to stay away.[17]
See also: Bill Cosby in advertising
In the 1990s and 2000s
Cosby's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
After The Cosby Show went off the air in 1992, Cosby embarked on a number of other projects, including a revival of the classic Groucho Marx game show You Bet Your Life (1992–93) along with the TV-movie I Spy Returns (1994) and The Cosby Mysteries (1994). In the mid-1990s, he appeared as a detective in black-and-white film noir-themed commercials for Turner Classic Movies. He also made appearances in three more films, Ghost Dad (1990), The Meteor Man (1993); and Jack (1996); in addition to being interviewed in Spike Lee's 4 Little Girls (1997), a documentary about the racist bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama, church in 1963.
Also in 1996, he started up a new show for CBS, Cosby, again co-starring Phylicia Rashād, his onscreen wife on The Cosby Show. Cosby co-produced the show for Carsey-Werner Productions. The show was based on the British program One Foot in the Grave.[citation needed] It centered on Cosby as Hilton Lucas, an iconoclastic senior citizen who tries to find a new job after being "downsized", and in the meantime, gets on his wife's nerves. Madeline Kahn costarred as Rashād's goofy business partner. Cosby was hired by CBS to be the official "spokesman" for the WWJ-TV during an advertising campaign from 1995 to 1998. In addition, Cosby in 1998 became the host of Kids Say the Darndest Things. After four seasons, Cosby was canceled. The last episode aired April 28, 2000. Kids Say the Darndest Things was also canceled the same year. Cosby continued to work with CBS through a development deal and other projects.
Cosby volunteered his time and talent to promote causes such as the Partnership for a Drug Free America's campaign to de-glamorize drugs, during the 1990s and beyond, writing the script and appearing in a PSA to discourage the use of illegal drugs by young people. Photo: going over the script with Partnership executive Ginna Marston (right) and a production assistant at Cosby's studio in Astoria, Queens in the 1990s. Photo by Bobby Sheehan.
A series for preschoolers, Little Bill, made its debut on Nickelodeon in 1999. The network renewed the popular program in November 2000. In 2001, at an age when many give serious consideration to retirement, Cosby's agenda included the publication of a new book, as well as delivering the commencement addresses at Morris Brown College, Ohio State University, and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[18] Also that year, he signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to develop a live-action feature film centering on the popular Fat Albert character from his 1970s cartoon series. Fat Albert was released in theaters in December 2004. In May 2007 he spoke at the Commencement of High Point University.
In the summer of 2009, Cosby hosted a comedy gala at Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival, the world's largest.
Socioeconomic views
Main article: Pound Cake speech
In May 2004 after receiving an award at the celebration of the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that outlawed school racial segregation, Cosby made public remarks critical of African Americans who put higher priorities on sports, fashion, and "acting hard" than on education, self-respect, and self-improvement, pleading for African-American families to educate their children on the many different aspects of American culture.
In the "Pound Cake" speech, Cosby, who holds a doctorate in education, asked that African-American parents teach their children better morals at a younger age. Cosby told the Washington Times, "Parenting needs to come to the forefront. If you need help and you don't know how to parent, we want to be able to reach out and touch" (DeBose, Brian).[page needed] Richard Leiby of The Washington Post reported, "Bill Cosby was anything but politically correct in his remarks Monday night at a Constitution Hall bash commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision."[19]
Cosby again came under sharp criticism and was again largely unapologetic for his stance when he made similar remarks during a speech in a July 1 meeting commemorating the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. During that speech, he admonished apathetic blacks for not assisting or concerning themselves with the individuals who are involved with crime or have counter-productive aspirations. He further described those who needed attention as blacks who “had forgotten the sacrifices of those in the Civil Rights Movement." [20] The speech was featured in the documentary 500 Years Later, which set the speech to cartoon visuals.[citation needed]
Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson wrote a book in 2005 entitled Is Bill Cosby Right or Is the Black Middle Class Out of Touch?[21] In the book, Dyson wrote that Cosby was overlooking larger social factors that reinforce poverty and associated crime; factors such as deteriorating schools, stagnating wages, dramatic shifts in the economy, offshoring and downsizing, chronic underemployment, and job and capital flight.[22] Dyson suggested Cosby's comments "betray classist, elitist viewpoints rooted in generational warfare."[21]
Cornel West defended Cosby and his remarks, saying, "he's speaking out of great compassion and trying to get folk to get on the right track, 'cause we've got some brothers and sisters who are not doing the right things, just like in times in our own lives, we don't do the right thing... He is trying to speak honestly and freely and lovingly, and I think that's a very positive thing."[23]
In a 2008 interview, Cosby mentioned Chicago (Illinois), Atlanta (Georgia), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Oakland (California), Detroit (Michigan) and Springfield (Massachusetts) among the cities where crime was high and young African-American men were being murdered and jailed in disproportionate numbers. Cosby stood his ground against criticism and affirmed that African-American parents were continuing to fail to inculcate proper standards of moral behavior.[24] Cosby still lectures to black communities (usually at churches) about his frustrations with certain problems prevalent in underprivileged urban communities such as taking part in illegal drugs, teenage pregnancy, Black Entertainment Television, high school dropouts, anti-intellectualism, gangsta rap, vulgarity, thievery, offensive clothing, vanity, parental alienation, single-parenting and failing to live up to the ideals of Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the African-American ancestors that preceded Generation X.
Humanitarian causes
Cosby has become an active member of The Jazz Foundation of America.[25] Cosby became involved with the foundation in 2004. For several years, he has been a featured host for its annual benefit, A Great Night in Harlem, at the Apollo Theater in New York City.[26][27]
Personal life
Cosby met his future wife, Camille Olivia Hanks, while he was performing stand-up in Washington, D.C., in the early 1960s, and she was a student at the University of Maryland. They married on January 25, 1964, and had five children: daughters Erika Ranee (b. 1965), Erinn Chalene (b. 1966), Ensa Camille (b. 1973), and Evin Harrah (b. 1976), and son Ennis William (1969–1997). Their son Ennis was shot dead while changing a flat tire on the side of Interstate 405 in Los Angeles on January 16, 1997. Cosby maintains homes in Shelburne, Massachusetts, and Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.[28]
Bill Cosby has hosted the Los Angeles Playboy Jazz Festival since 1979. An avid musician, he's best known as a jazz drummer although he can be seen playing bass guitar with Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr. on Hugh Hefner's 1970s talk show. His story "The Regular Way" was featured in Playboy's December 1968 issue.[29]
Bill Cosby is an active alumnus supporter of his alma mater, Temple University, and in particular its men's basketball team, whose games Cosby frequently attends.
Cosby is a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2002, when the Eagles' starting and backup quarterbacks were both injured, Cosby sent a letter to head coach Andy Reid, joking that he was ready to play if needed.[citation needed]
Cosby also attends many public events, such as the 100th Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York on February 2, 2007. His love for track and field athletics has also been shown with his long time sponsorship, and on-track work with the Penn Relays. For many years, Cosby has been known to work the finish line at Franklin Field and congratulate athletes.
During the 2009 NFL Draft, he celebrated the draft with former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Quan Cosby as a means of support, though the two are not related.[30]
Lawsuits
In July 1997, Cosby testified that he made secret payments to Shawn Upshaw, a woman who had briefly been his lover in Las Vegas during the early 1970s. Upshaw later told Cosby that her daughter, Autumn Jackson, was his daughter, too, but he denied it. Cosby said he gave Upshaw a total of about $100,000 because he did not want her to publicly reveal the affair.[31] Twenty-two-year-old Autumn Jackson was sentenced to 26 months in jail for trying to extort $40 million from Cosby.[32]
In August 2006, Cosby settled a lawsuit against him by a Canadian woman who claimed he had attacked her in his Philadelphia home in 2004.[28][33] The woman claimed she had been sexually assaulted after being given pills when she had complained of feeling stressed. Cosby categorically denied the assertions.[34]
Awards and honors
1969: Received his third "Man of the Year" award from Harvard University's performance group, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals
1998: Received the Kennedy Center Honor[35]
2002: The Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to television
2003: The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
2005: In a British poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted among the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders
2009: Presented with the 12th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
2011: Made an honorary Chief Petty Officer (Hospital Corpsman) in the United States Navy — with Panama Francis and 4 others at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music
Michael Guilford
Ohio University
Pascal Gallo
Winston Byrd
Endorser/Clinician at Cannonball Trumpets
Teruo Goto
Works at Dirty old Musician.
Paul Nowinski
Works at Freelance Musician
Thepoint Roger
University of Indianapolis
Massimo Casati
J.p. Gelinas
Music Publisher at Mind Smoke Music
Michael D Hinton
The COLLEGE of MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE
Panama Francis (drums) also in this image - JH
Folks, these are 2 great legends of Jazz who have passed sadly - on the left, Bobby Johnson the great trumpeter known for his work in the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra here with Earle Warren aka "Smiley" - Earle Ronald Warren featured saxophonist & vocalist with the Count Basie Band - on May 7, 1990 concert and awards ceremony in honor of Cab Calloway Day - R.I.P. Bobby Johnson & Earle Warren - Jon Hammond
Obituary: Earle Warren
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-earle-warren-1420948.html
STEVE VOCE TUESDAY 07 JUNE 1994
Earle Ronald Warren, alto and baritone saxophone player, clarinettist, vocalist, bandleader: born Springfield, Ohio 1 July 1914; died Springfield, Ohio 4 June 1994.
WHEN the Count Basie band were playing at the Paramount in New York, Earle Warren planned a flourish of showmanship to introduce his featured vocal 'I Struck a Match in the Dark'. He would stand at the microphone in a completely darkened theatre and would strike a match which illuminated only his face. And then the lights would be turned up. 'Earle was a good-looking guy and Basie figured that this introduction would set off all the little girls who thought of Earle as a matinee idol,' said Buck Clayton. The scheme worked well the first time it was tried, but in the second house the band waited in the dark, the silence broken only by the frantic scratching by Warren as match after match failed to light. As the seconds dragged by the audience was completely bemused. It transpired that the drummer Jo Jones had carefully dampened Warren's matches during the intermission.
Warren worked for the Basie band, on alto sax and as band singer, most of the time from 1937 to 1951. Lester Young ('Prez') handed out the nicknames in the band. The bright-eyed Clayton was 'Cat Eye', the round-faced Buddy Tate 'Moon', the lanky Dickie Wells 'Bones' and Earle Warren, whose embouchure made him look as though he was smiling while he was playing, became 'Smiley'. Because of the fashion at the time the tenor players Lester Young and Herschel Evans took most of the saxophone solos. 'I got all the bridges,' recalled Warren. 'Eight bars in the middle of everything.'
Warren became an outstanding lead alto player for Basie, heading a formidable saxophone section. He was bettered only in this role by Willie Smith, who played with the Jimmy Lunceford band. The two men shared a different problem. Both men were 'black', but each was so fair-skinned as to appear white. This caused them problems because, particularly in the Thirties, it was unheard of for a white man to play in a black band, and indeed there were occasions when such players had to wear black make-up. Their problem occasionally drew insults from their fellow-blacks.
When Basie was absent for any reason Warren, a responsible and intelligent man, took over the band and indeed on one occasion led it for a recording session under his own name on the Savoy label. Because he was more famous the company originally issued the records under Lester Young's name.
Warren was in and out of the Basie band over the years, leading his own band from 1945 to 1947, and when he finally left Basie it was because of the illness of his wife. He joined the vocal group the Platters as its baritone sax player and later became manager of the show band led by Johnny Otis. He turned down offers from Artie Shaw, Woody Herman and Gene Krupa.
Over the years a nucleus of ex-Basie musicians stayed together, usually working under Buck Clayton's name. Warren came to Britain with Clayton in 1959 and toured Europe with the trumpeter several times in later years. An extremely likeable man, he made many friends here. When Willie Smith became ill in 1986 Warren took his place in the 'Jazz from a Swinging Era' unit which toured Europe that year and visited Britain again. During this trip he negotiated a tour of his own here, returning to work with the Littlejohn-Milliner Sextet and the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
Like Buck Clayton and many other mainstream musicians Warren found that there was far more work to be had in Europe than at home and he settled in Geneva for almost 10 years, returning two years ago to his home town of Springfield, Ohio. — with Panama Francis and Earle Warren at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
Folks, these are 2 great legends of Jazz who have passed sadly - on the left, Bobby Johnson the great trumpeter known for his work in the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra here with Earle Warren aka "Smiley" - Earle Ronald Warren featured saxophonist & vocalist with the Count Basie Band - on May 7, 1990 concert and awards ceremony in honor of Cab Calloway Day
- R.I.P. Bobby Johnson & Earle Warren - Jon Hammond
Friday Jan. 25th Hilton Hotel 8-10PM -- Sound Soul Summit at Winter NAMM 2013
Jon Hammond Band appearing - The Ultimate All-Star Jam
Joe Berger guitar
Alex Budman tenor saxophone
Donny Baldwin drums
Jon Hammond at the Digital Hammond B3mk2 organ
Joachim Hildebrand Black and White Photographs:
These great black and white photos of Jon Hammond Band were shot by the great photographer Joachim Hildebrand at my 25th year Musikmesse Warm Up Party - on the band: Tony Lakatos tenor sax,
Giovanni Gulino drums,
Joe Berger guitar,
Jon Hammond organ
Youtube http://youtu.be/hozrJpHvV-4
Chocolate on Chocolate Cake at 2011 Musikmesse Warm Up Party in Jazzkeller Frankfurt with Jon Hammond Band and special guests for this special occasion celebrating 25 years in Musikmesse.
Special acknowledgement of Wilhelm P. "Charly" Hosenseidl R.I.P. who was the Director of Musikmesse years 1989-2008 now Directed by Wolfgang Luecke, special thanks to Messe Frankfurt Projekt and Presse Team!
Jon Hammond Band: Joe Berger guitar Tony Lakatos tenor saxophone Giovanni Gulino drums Jon Hammond - XB-2 Hammond Organ - special thanks Hiromitsu Ono Chief Engineer Suzuki Musical Instruments designed my instrument which took me all around the world many times "Late Rent" Jon Hammond theme song for Jon Hammond Show MNNTV and HammondCast Show KYOU Radio San Francisco CBS Radio Network Thanks Joe Lamond President CEO NAMM, TecAmp Jürgen Kunze and Thomas Eich - Puma Combo bass amp powering Jon Hammond's organ Dankeschoen to Yücel Atiker, Tino Pavlis, Poehl, Bernie Capicchiano, Michael Falkenstein Hammond Suzuki Deutschland, Peggy Behling, Christine Vogel Messe Frankfurt, Saray Pastanesi Baeckerei & Konditorei for Chocolate on Chocolate 25 Years Musikmesse Celebration Cake - Mainzer Landstrasse 131, 60327 Frankfurt am Main, Eugen Hahn Jazzkeller Frankfurt Team Kleine Bockenheimerstr. 18a Frankfurt http://www.HammondCast.com/
Only 5 days out to Winter NAMM 2013 folks!
http://www.examiner.com/article/pete-townshend-and-elton-among-the-artists-gracing-namm-week-2013
Pete Townshend and Elton John among the artists gracing NAMM week 2013 (Photos)
MUSIC BY: PHYLLIS POLLACK
*Excerpt:
Sir Elton will be performing for Yamaha at the Hyperion Theater on NAMM's Friday. The concert will be streamed at NAMM, over the internet, and in many countries globally. “That will just be a wonderful event.”
Lamond noted, “This includes hundreds of other concerts that will be going on over the four days of the show. So I just love the fact there will be so much music. And in the hotel lobbies, are just all kinds of people playing. I think Jon (Hammond) will hopefully be playing again this year.”
Jon Hammond also took part in the call. Lamond introduced him as “The best (Hammond) B3 player, right there.” Hammond has performed with many legendary players and as a clinician. As a product artist, he has introduced many innovative products to music stores and their customers over the last 30 plus years.
Hammond, who was a Berklee College of Music attendee, is closely associated with the two main products of his career, the Excelsior Accordion and the Digital B3 Organ.
Lamond stated that drummers Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd will be among players at NAMM. “For a drummer like me, it just doesn’t get much better than that,” said Lamond, praising their talent. “So from an overall point, I think the show is reflective of the industry,” he contended.
Lamond attributed this year’s increased number of female musicians, both performing and endorsing as a result of the exhibitors, saying, “I think it’s a reflection of the environment, and manufacturers, who mainly plan those events. That’s the exhibitors’ doing, so I give the credit to them.”
Jon Hammond stated that this year will mark the first-ever NAMM Hammond organ night, which will be held on Friday in the Hilton lobby. Chester Thompson, who has played with groups including Weather Report and Genesis will be among those playing. Other notable Hammond endorsees will also perform.
The convention is still closed to the public, and open only to those in the industry, or those who have passes. There is still no day that is open to the general public. Lamond explained, “It’s a fragile balance between a trade event and a public event.”
Shuji Suzuki & Jon Hammond
Bernie Capicchiano and Shigeyuki Ohtaka
Winter NAMM 2013, Sound Soul Summit, Hilton Hotel Lobby, Bill Cosby, Milt Hinton, The Judge, Panama Francis, Cab Calloway Day, May 7 1990, New School, Jazz, Local 802, Musicians Union
