Jagsu's Posts - Pittsburgh Jazz Network2024-03-29T01:16:23ZJagsuhttp://jazzburgher.ning.com/profile/Jagsuhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/353500784?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://jazzburgher.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1c5s357caw7ee&xn_auth=noCrawford Grill #2—Institute of Jazz & Knowledge by Louis 'Hop' Kendrick in New Pittsburgh Couriertag:jazzburgher.ning.com,2019-12-03:1992552:BlogPost:4571632019-12-03T23:58:02.000ZJagsuhttp://jazzburgher.ning.com/profile/Jagsu
<p><a href="https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2018/07/06/crawford-grill-2-institute-of-jazz-knowledge-july-4/">https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2018/07/06/crawford-grill-2-institute-of-jazz-knowledge-july-4/</a></p>
<p>Crawford Grill #2—Institute of Jazz & Knowledge</p>
<p>Louis 'Hop' Kendrick</p>
<p>Life is complex, and often there are a number of people, places and things that help formulate how we live it. I was blessed to have my parents, who introduced me to religion and God, helped me…</p>
<p><a href="https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2018/07/06/crawford-grill-2-institute-of-jazz-knowledge-july-4/">https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2018/07/06/crawford-grill-2-institute-of-jazz-knowledge-july-4/</a></p>
<p>Crawford Grill #2—Institute of Jazz & Knowledge</p>
<p>Louis 'Hop' Kendrick</p>
<p>Life is complex, and often there are a number of people, places and things that help formulate how we live it. I was blessed to have my parents, who introduced me to religion and God, helped me to understand the importance of respect and earning of respect and that education could be the key to your future. One of the most important lessons they instilled into our family was that richness was not materialism, but living out God’s greatest commandment, LOVE and health and happiness. They also instilled in us that “can’t” was not acceptable in our lives of vocabulary, and we were no better than anyone, but just as good. There are some periods of time that I often reflect on the built-in advantages I had as I began to become a part of the communities around me.<br/> I was a typical student in school, played football, paid attention to the teachers, never late or absent. (Parents did not allow that.) In January 1949 I graduated from Fifth Avenue High School, and that same year out of curiosity (or maybe concern) became involved in politics. Although I was only 17 years of age, it was instantly apparent to me that the political process was just another form of slavery. All political positions were occupied by Whites but one, and he was the kind of colored man who would say, “we tired, boss.”<br/> As a teenager I took an active part in every political campaign until I was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1952. In 1953 I registered to vote, honorably discharged in 1954 and was actively involved in every political campaign until 2016 (over 60 years). As I became more involved in politics I began to frequent the Crawford Grill #2 located at Wylie Avenue and Elmore St., and that became further maturity of my growth as it related to improving the overall quality of life for Black people. My original expectation on my introduction to the grill was music. One of my first lessons was being made aware of the fact that the Crawford Grill was the only music house between New York and Chicago that exclusively played Jazz. The surroundings grew on me as the entire business was Black-owned and a first-class operation, the likes I had never seen. The class emanated from the owner, Mr. Joseph Robinson, to the total operation of the business, first-class dining facility where you would be more comfortable taking your family. The entire staff were professionals and it was more than an institute of Jazz, especially to me, the customers were a cross-section of the entire Allegheny County, and it was my introduction to enhance my knowledge of people and things, the beginning of the kind of schooling that, if you pay attention, you can earn a PhD in Social Realities.<br/> It would not be possible or fair for me to attempt to list all of those who unwittingly played the roles of professors, because I would omit too many deserving persons. I am compelled to list the chancellor of the institution, because he was the owner, Mr. Joseph Robinson, not only was he an astute businessman, he was intelligent—a number of persons are smart, even educated, but not intelligent. There were a number of us who qualified to be regulars in the corner of the Crawford Grill, but the Angel of Death has called all of them home, but myself and the son of the owner of the Crawford Grill, William “Buzzy” Robinson. Buzzy is an example of what we were exposed to in the Crawford Grill, because he is a world traveler—he was able to describe to us and particularly to those who had only read and saw foreign countries in movies about some of the places and things he was able to see and participate in, and he lived for years in “The Big Apple.”<br/> The town, so nice, they named it twice—New York, New York.<br/> The Crawford Grill is where I got to meet and know THE Mal Goode, Mr. William “Bill” Nunn Sr., editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, Mr. William Young, first Black to be appointed to the Governor of Pennsylvania’s cabinet as Secretary of Labor, all of the Black judges, all BLACK CANDIDATES. Everybody who believed he was somebody frequented the Crawford Grill. There were those persons I met, respected, learned from, listened to, and paid attention to. There were those persons who had traveled the entire country, been to the great 500 automobile race, 25 consecutive Kentucky Derbys, world championship fights, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jack Johnson, etc. There were those who had met and known Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, and they would tell how they would use their personal funds to finance Black organizations and candidates (something we don’t do today).<br/> All of these men of yesterday are deceased, and CRAWFORD GRILL #2 IS CLOSED.<br/> <em>(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a contributor to the New Pittsburgh Courier.)</em></p>Nathan Davis, Jazz Saxophonist and Educator, Is Dead at 81tag:jazzburgher.ning.com,2018-04-18:1992552:BlogPost:4285022018-04-18T16:38:46.000ZJagsuhttp://jazzburgher.ning.com/profile/Jagsu
<h1 id="headline" class="headline" style="visibility: visible;">Nathan Davis, Jazz Saxophonist and Educator, Is Dead at 81<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/obituaries/nathan-davis-jazz-saxophonist-and-educator-is-dead-at-81.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/obituaries/nathan-davis-jazz-saxophonist-and-educator-is-dead-at-81.html</a></h1>
<h1 id="headline" class="headline" style="visibility: visible;">Nathan Davis, Jazz Saxophonist and Educator, Is Dead at 81<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/obituaries/nathan-davis-jazz-saxophonist-and-educator-is-dead-at-81.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/obituaries/nathan-davis-jazz-saxophonist-and-educator-is-dead-at-81.html</a></h1>Master drummer Michael Carvin beats his path to greatnesstag:jazzburgher.ning.com,2009-06-26:1992552:BlogPost:790382009-06-26T18:30:56.000ZJagsuhttp://jazzburgher.ning.com/profile/Jagsu
<b>Drummer Michael Carvin says there is no real mystery about why so many great drummers have come from Pittsburgh.<br />
<br />
He looks at a hard-working city, where success is never guaranteed, and says that simply creates an attitude that demands a high level of effort.<br />
<br />
"It wasn't that the city produced great drummers," he says. "Rather, they were simply great people who played drums."<br />
<br />
Carvin, who runs the Michael Carvin School of Drumming in New York City, will be here Saturday for a workshop, panel…</b>
<b>Drummer Michael Carvin says there is no real mystery about why so many great drummers have come from Pittsburgh.<br />
<br />
He looks at a hard-working city, where success is never guaranteed, and says that simply creates an attitude that demands a high level of effort.<br />
<br />
"It wasn't that the city produced great drummers," he says. "Rather, they were simply great people who played drums."<br />
<br />
Carvin, who runs the Michael Carvin School of Drumming in New York City, will be here Saturday for a workshop, panel discussion and solo concert sponsored by the African American Jazz Preservation Society of Pittsburgh.<br />
<br />
The event is a celebration of June's Black Music Month by the group that promotes jazz as well as fosters the memory of Local 471 of the American Federation of Musicians. That was known as the "black musicians union," which was merged with Local 60 in 1968.<br />
<br />
Carvin, 64, a Houston native, has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody and Jackie McLean, but now says he does only about 10 dates a year, preferring to focus on his teaching.<br />
<br />
With humility and some pride, he says he prefers the title "master drummer" because of his concentration on the skill of the playing. That is far different from being "the kind of great drummer who everybody knows because he leads a band."<br />
<br />
The key to his work with students is building around what he believes should be everyone's mantra: "Each one, teach one." By passing on knowledge and skills, he says, talents can be honed and arts strengthened.<br />
<br />
He also says he tries not to teach students to imitate his manner because he wants them to develop their own skills.<br />
<br />
"None of my students sound like me and none of them sound the same," he adds. His school, which has been open since 1970, has produced drummers such as Pittsburgh native Poogie Bell, Nasheet Waits and Marcus Baylor from the Yellowjackets.<br />
<br />
Carvin says that type of individuality is what has created the long legacy of Pittsburgh jazz drummers such as Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey, Joe Harris, Roger Humphries and Jeff "Tain" Watts.<br />
<br />
He thinks their guidance and education developed in them the strength to be great at whatever they would have done. Part of that greatness includes the ability to see the proper direction, and that led them to the sticks.<br />
<br />
But greatness can go other ways, too, Carvin adds. When he was with the 89th Infantry in Vietnam, he met George Suranovich (1944-90), the Pittsburgh drummer who performed with such stars as Eric Burdon and Mose Allison.<br />
<br />
Suranovich let Carvin sit in at a session and led him to a position in an Army band, which removed him from combat.<br />
<br />
"So he probably saved my life," Carvin says. "Can't get too much greater than that."</b><br />
<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
Master drummer Michael Carvin beats his path to greatness<br />
By Bob Karlovits, TRIBUNE-REVIEW<br />
<br />
Black Music Month Celebration<br />
When: Saturday<br />
<br />
• 10 a.m.: Drum clinic at the African American Music Institute, 7131 Hamilton Ave., Homewood<br />
<br />
• 3 p.m.: Panel discussion on Pittsburgh's great drummers at the New Hazlett Theater, Allegheny Square East, North Side<br />
<br />
• 4 p.m.: Reception, film screening at the Hazlett<br />
<br />
• 6 p.m.: Solo drum concert by Michael Carvin at the Hazlett<br />
<br />
Admission: Concert is $10; all other events are free.<br />
<br />
Details: 412-867-1721Alvin Batiste Tribute at Southern Universitytag:jazzburgher.ning.com,2009-04-02:1992552:BlogPost:553172009-04-02T04:11:53.000ZJagsuhttp://jazzburgher.ning.com/profile/Jagsu
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/396639030?profile=original" alt="" width="1644" height="2466"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/396639030?profile=original" alt="" width="1644" height="2466"></p>Memory of Mike Taylor [Poem by Michael Dennison]tag:jazzburgher.ning.com,2009-01-18:1992552:BlogPost:399112009-01-18T00:05:45.000ZJagsuhttp://jazzburgher.ning.com/profile/Jagsu
MEMORY OF MIKE TAYLOR – A YEAR ROUND<br />
[Poem by Michael Dennison]<br />
<br />
A spring day, rain for the grass<br />
puts the green on the table and evenings of late sun<br />
and then the History Channel<br />
time in a man’s life to ripen, to pass<br />
<br />
as June crawls in with a birthday, stands up<br />
like green corn on the stalk, fresh and wide open<br />
to a good joke, the promise of a late show loaded with guests,<br />
with irony gentle, universal as night<br />
<br />
and June struts into July. Fireworks churn<br />
in endless blue dusk of heaven as…
MEMORY OF MIKE TAYLOR – A YEAR ROUND<br />
[Poem by Michael Dennison]<br />
<br />
A spring day, rain for the grass<br />
puts the green on the table and evenings of late sun<br />
and then the History Channel<br />
time in a man’s life to ripen, to pass<br />
<br />
as June crawls in with a birthday, stands up<br />
like green corn on the stalk, fresh and wide open<br />
to a good joke, the promise of a late show loaded with guests,<br />
with irony gentle, universal as night<br />
<br />
and June struts into July. Fireworks churn<br />
in endless blue dusk of heaven as steaks char at the grill.<br />
As certain as morning, there’s time<br />
for some more good coffee with cream.<br />
<br />
Sky comes to earth with sun and rain, comes for roses<br />
and a cold drink of water from the well.<br />
So the air buzzes with waves of talk radio<br />
all day, so the necessary fly dies by nightfall.<br />
<br />
Mike says <i>take your own time, the bass register<br />
is mine.</i> The little clocks? Doesn’t matter<br />
what they say, only the great clock counts<br />
and no man born can really read the time.<br />
<br />
Autumn has promises of its own, bronze and rust,<br />
amber chamber music bittersweet as russets.<br />
A slow finality, lonely, you hear a train<br />
as you close windows and doors to rest.<br />
It’s a hard drive in snow along the bluffs from sixty-five<br />
and even the good Ford wants to stall, cover up, and sleep,<br />
as tires crunch ice on snow, crack the code to asphalt<br />
soft as divorce, hard as a father’s love.<br />
<br />
At the top of the hill tired and bowed by the new year,<br />
he gets out, stares down the icebound curve of river<br />
thinks about you, me, hungry doves and the hard road down.<br />
How we share is the true measure of love.<br />
<br />
And as all things break, the cold breaks<br />
as one hand turns the window latch and two lift the frame.<br />
First one window and then more windows open as<br />
Mike says <i>take your own time, the bass register is mine.</i>