Tom Browne - Funkin' for Jamaica

Tom Browne - Jazz Musician

Tom Browne, jazz musician, (born October 30, 1954 in Queens, New York, United States) is an American jazz musician, who rose to prominence first through his early work with Sonny Fortune, and scored two major hits in 1980 and 1981: the No. 1 US Billboard R&B single "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" and the No. 4 US R&B single, "Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)".

Later in 1982 he released a minor hit called, "Fungi Mama (bebopafunkadiscolypso)" which was also recorded on the Arista record label. It reached number 58 in the UK chart.

Tom is perhaps best known for what music icon George Benson said of his “believability in any musical style; his ability to communicate!”. This ability to emerse ones-self into the musical era, style and dreamscape of a composition, and then artistically create as though you are perfectly at home in that location, is a rarity among musicians. Perhaps this ability is resultant of Browne’s upbringing near Jamaica, New York where greats like Count Basie lived on one block and James Brown on another.

Tom Browne Music Reviews

“It was the merger of so many musical influences and styles that created the Jamaica scene, and certainly my approach” says Browne.

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Louis Armstrong - Jazz Musician - is remembered as a towering influence

Louis Armstrong: Jazz Trumpet Player - Singer

Louis Armstrong is remembered as a towering influence in the community of music lovers. He was born August 4, 1901. Nicknamed Satchmo, Satch or Pops. Known as an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and singer, Louis also was an occasional actor. His career covered five decades from the early 1920s to the 1960s.

By virtue of the content of his character, Armstrong was one of the first African-American entertainers to cross the skin color divide that existed in America at the time. To the dismay of many, he avoided publically politicizing his race but stood up for the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock.

By 1920, a younger generation of players, born after 1900, was emerging, and one name above all others began to be mentioned after 1918 when he first started appearing with Kid Ory's band: a talented trumpeter named Louis Armstrong.

The year 1928 was Armstrong's last full one in Chicago before he moved to New York, an…

Damien Escobar | Violinist

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Damien Escobar | Violinist

Damien Escobar, also known as Dame Esco, is an American violinist. He was previously in the duo Nuttin' But Stringz with his brother Tourie, but has been a solo artist since 2012. His "crossover violin" musical style consists of a mix of classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and hip hop.

As kids Damien and Tourie worked as street musicians, playing at Grand Central Station and on the New York City subways. In 2003, they began playing professionally under the name Nuttin' But Stringz. In 2005, Nuttin' But Stringz won a talent contest at the Apollo Theater. In 2006, Escobar appeared in the film Step Up. Nuttin' But Stringz took third place in the 2008 season of America's Got Talent. They performed at the First inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009[2] and won two Emmys. In 2012, Nuttin' But Stringz separated. Escobar returned to school and got his real estate license…

Strange Fruit-Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday - Female Jazz Singer

Billie Holiday, jazz singer, probably best known for the song, "Strange Fruit", was born in 1915. The world enjoyed her work, music, and rare talent for nearly thirty years. Her vocal delivery and improvisational skills, not common in the jazz world, was considered an evolution in the art of jazz composition. At the tender age of eighteen, she was already the headline singing in small clubs in Harlem.
In 1935, Billie Holiday began recording with pianist Teddy Wilson. They put together several small jazz groups that included some of the best musicians in New York like Lester Young, Benny Goodman, and Ben Webster.

In late 1937, Holiday had a brief stint as a big-band vocalist with Count Basie. The traveling conditions of the band were often poor; they performed many one-nighters in clubs, moving from city to city with little stability.

Holiday chose the songs she sang and had a hand in the arrangements, I Must Have That Man", "Tra…

Famous Jazz Musicians 1940s - 2017

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