The Jazz Culture Feature Carline Ray, a musician with a million dollar voice, a bassist who broke many glass ceilings for women musicians, passed on July 18; she is survived by her daughter, singer Catherine Russell.
Leajato Robinson, hoofer in "Storyville" dance above, R, cast, below R, Joe Magnarelli's cd party.
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Storyville by L. Hamanaka
“Storyville” book by Ed Bullins, Lyrics & Music by Mildred Kayden, Orchestration & Arrangements by Danny Holgate, Director Bill Castellino, Musical Direction Billy McDaniel, Choreography Mercedes Ellington. From 1897-1917, Storyville was the prostitution district established by the New Orleans government to isolate the red light district, and it was the custom of better houses to Mercedes Ellington provide a piano player or musical group. talking to another dancer While jazz did not originate in Storyville, it flourished there as well as the rest of the city. Jazz was not exclusive to the red light district, but jazz musicians did gig there, and jazz was first heard by travelers before they heard it in the north. In the musical “Storyville” now playing at the York Theatre, in the lower level of St. Peter’s Church, there are examples of early jazz, before swing, including a jazzy tune, a bluesy number, and excellent arrangements and orchestrations by noted music man Danny Holgate, with music excellently performed and conducted by a small band that includes a tuba. “Storyville” is a historical musical; it recounts an event which paralleled reality, when four soldiers were killed there in the early days ofWorld War I, and the Army and Navy demanded that Storyville be shut down. Some buildings were razed, almost overnight. It also simulates mardi gras, a romance between an unemployed trumpet player and a singer, and shows the graft, corruption and class and racial strife of New Orleans at that time. As far as we know, the prostitution halls of today no longer provide live jazz and gigs to the musician population, but it adds a note of reality to our knowledge of the type of venues where a lot of musicians played. The band of 2
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"Storyville" was of great quality and well conducted by Mr. McDaniels. Mercedes Ellington, the granddaughter of Duke Ellington and one of Mercer Ellington’s daughters, did the choreography for this musical. The production dances move with grace and optimism through a seedy environment, and shows the courage and spirit of African Americans in the struggle for survival. One interesting device used during one dance is showing the “Blue Book” (a 40 page promotional of individual prostitutes) by using the empty frames of paintings, with a girl in each, holding a Blue Book.An artistic highlight is a “hoofer” named Leajato Robinson, whose intricate and swinging choreography was a collaboration between he and Mercedes Ellington, a gifted choreographer with her own style, tinged with "Ellingtonia" elegance and verve. Mr. Leajato Robinson's solo dance was the jazziest thing about this production and a beautiful memento of the lost dances of so many great dancers who helped make jazz something tangible to billions of people around the world. Actors: Ernestine Jackson, D.C. Anderson, Cory Bretsch, Kyle Robert Carter, Dameka Hayes, Michael Leonard James, Leajato Robinson, Christopher Spaulding, Carl Wallnau, Debra Walton, NaTasha Yvette Williams and Zakiya Young. Musicians: Billy McDaniels, conductor/pianist; Clarence Banks, trombone, Stanton Davis, trumpet, Robert Cartan, saxophone, Dave Gregory, tuba and bass, Micah Burgess, guitar, Napoleon Revels-Bey, drums.
Stanton Davis, trp, Billy McDaniels, music dir., Visitors Julia Lema, choreog. Doug Askew, actor, L; James Morgan, Artistic Dir., & Mr. Robinson
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The "Storyville" cast and dancers. Mr. Robinson in back left in upper photo; and in the front line ofthe dancers ofthe 2nd photo. 4
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PHOTOSPREAD OF JOE MAGNARELLI'S CD PARTY
The band above, before the first tune; Left, Joe Magnarelli waiting outside with friend and Mitch; expectant crowd finally gets to enter club, and below, the crowd in the club The Jazz Culture, V.II:3
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for info on Joe Magnarelli's new cd: JoeMagnarelli.com; musicians present in these photos: Mike Karn, bass, Jason Brown, drums, Peter Bernstein, guitar, pianist. This performance was a tribute to the wonderful Mulgrew Miller, the original pianist on the cd.
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Obituary: Carline Ray “Carline Ray was a gem among women artists, a no-nonsense bassist with a swinging driving beat. I learned so much about music from playing with her over a 30 year span. I will miss her, but her feisty spirit lives on.” --Bertha Hope, (pianist-composer and a member of Jazzberry Jam, a combo that Ms. Ray was associated with) The jazz community lost Carline Ray, bassist, guitarist and vocalist, on July 18, 2013 due to complications from a stroke. Ms. Ray, long a role model for female musicians and vocalists and well respected by the entire New York musical community, had a career for seven decades. She worked with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm in the 30’s. Her husband died in 1963 when her daughter was 7 and Ms. Ray became a single parent. Ms. Ray went to Juilliard. Her father, Elisha Ray, was a horn player who graduated Juilliard the day she was born. She got her Masters from Manhattan School of Music. The list of people she worked with is innumerable: It includes Leonard Bernstein and spans the classical, pop, jazz, and innumerable studio recordings. Possessor of a gorgeous alto voice, Ms. Ray sang back up to singers like Patti Page, Bobby Darren and others. “It has been a great pleasure knowing and working with Carline and I am going to miss her beautiful and rich voice. Her musicianship was always excellent. God bless her for all the joy she’s given us.” -- Keisha St. Joan, a singer who worked with Ms. Ray. She received a scholarship to study acoustic stand up bass with Major Holley. She worked with Sy Oliver, Skitch Henderson, Mercer Ellington and performed Mary Lou Williams’ “Mary Lou’s Mass” in 1971 with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. The Jazz Culture, V. II:3
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Ms. Ray had recently completed a duo cd that got rave reviews, “Vocal Sides,� with her daughter, singer Catherine Russell. She became mentor to Nikki Parrot and Mimi Jones, other bass players. Ms. Ray was part of Jazzberry Jam, a well known female jazz group that toured and did educational seminars.
Ms. Carline Ray & daughter, Catherine Russell, above; below left, with a group in the 30's Below right, Bertha Hope, pianist, and Keisha St. Joan, vocalist, at a jam session they help lead sponsored by the Jazz Foundation at Local 802. These two musicians worked with Carline Ray during part ofMs. Ray's 70 year long performing career. 8
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