The Wailin' Mailman, Buck Hill, Live at Montpelier.

8 MP3 Songs in this album (63:32) !
Related styles: Jazz: Bebop, Jazz: Neo-Bop, Featuring Saxophone

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Details:
Album Introduction

In 1984, a soft-spoken, distinguished looking gentleman walked into my office and asked if the Arts Center ever rented out the Main Gallery for jazz performances. I explained that while we did occasionally rent the Main Gallery for public performances, we could do so only when the exhibition scheduled permitted. I mentioned that the Center did, however, present concerts itself including a chamber music series which would include one jazz concert in the following season. I added that I had been thinking of possibly offering a separate jazz series as well, and suggested he send me a tape and a resume if he would like to be considered. The gentleman said he lived just down the street and said he would drop something by soon.
The next day I received the promised cassette tape and promotional materials. I listened to the first four bars and became at once awestruck and embarrassed: a genius had visited me the day before and I had not recognized him. Yes, despite several recent and highly successful engagements in New York, many superb records on a good label, and several acclaimed European tours, Buck Hill was still not known as he should have been outside the Washington, D.C. Area. Growing up in the Philadelphia Area, I was completely unaware of the brilliance of his artistry, and of his fascinating life story. To my credit, I wasted no time in calling him to apologize for my ignorance and begged him to play in our new jazz series.
From that point, it was not long before Buck Hill became an essential member of the Montpelier community of artists, and was recognized as the âDean of Montpelier Musicians.â From his first performance in 1985, his powerful, driving style has electrified Montpelier audiences. He has developed a loyal following who demands that he play here at least 3 times per year, including at the Annual Spring Festival which attracts over 15,000. Because of his selfless, generous devotion to his art and his colleagues, he helped me develop the Montpelier Jazz Series into a significant showcase for regional musicians. It was Buck who suggested such great local performers as Abdu Raschild Ya Ya, The Howard University Ensemble, The UDC Jazz Ensemble, Art Monroe, and Charlie Byrd to play at Montpelier. It was on the solid foundation of Buck Hill, Keter Betts, and Charlie Byrd that the Montpelier Jazz Series was built. I came to know Buck as the dedicated family man that consummated artist who continued the arduous discipline of endless practice, composition, and performance at the most challenging level of the Jazz idiom while working a demanding full-time job with the postal service. Besides earning him the moniker âThe Pulsating Postman,â his life serves as a model of the hard-working artist who maintains a solid family life and sincere commitment to his community.
-Richard Zandler

Artist Bioâs

Buck Hill
Buck Hill is a living treasure. He is the consummate artist, possessing both extraordinary discipline and compelling passion for his craft. His talent as a performer is equaled only by his own prowess as a composer and arranger. His music is a perfect blend of be-bop, swing, and straight-ahead jazz, which has been dazzling audiences for over 40 years.
Born in 1927, Buck Hill started playing the saxophone when he was 13 years old. While attending Armstrong High School he studied the instrument both in school and on stage in local D.C. jazz clubs. In 1948 he married lovely Helen Weaver. In a few years they had three children, making it necessary for Buck to take two jobs: taxi driving and mail delivery. Despite the demands of family and work, Buck continued a rigorous regimen of practice and performance. His appearances in the 50âs were so impressive that his reputation grew dramatically, leading to gigs with great jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie as they passed through town. After a while, he was in such demand that he quit the post office to maintain his schedule of performances. By 1957, he was often performing with other local jazz greats Charlie Byrd and Keter Betts. In that same year he made his first recording with Charlie Byrd as the leader.
As a result of the dominance of rock music in the 1960âs, Buck returned to the Postal Service. He continued to perform at local clubs and devoted himself to teaching jazz as well. Many years later, one of his most successful students, renowned drummer Billy Hart, arranged for Buck to re-launch his recording career with the Danish recording Company Steeplecase. In 1978 they recorded This is Buck Hill,â and later âScopeâ which featured Hillâs superb compositions.
Before long, Hillâs career soared, including numerous appearances at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland and triumphant engagement in New York City (1982) hailed by the Village Voice and the New York Post. He went on to play in France, Canada, throughout the eastern United States. Other great albums also followed, including the classic, âBuck Hill Uphillâ, and the fabulous âCapitol Hill.â He has recorded albums for Polygram-Verve, Turning Point, Muse and Improv Records. He now plays regularly at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. as well as yearly at the East Coast Jazz Festival.

Cheyney Thomas
A native of West Philadelphia, Cheyney Thomas has resided in Washington, D.C. since graduating from Howard Universityâs Jazz Studies Program in 1983. He is a former Jazz Studies professor at George Washington University and has taught young artists in the DC Summer Youth Program. Currently he is Washingtonâs most talented free-lance bassist and appears regularly in many of the Cityâs jazz clubs. He has played with such notables as Buck Hill, Marlena Shaw, Freddy Cole, Stanley Cowell, and Larry Corryell, to name a few. Most recently he recorded the âGamesâ CD for Steeple Chase Records as part of the Stanley Cowell Trio and was featured at the last two East Coast Festivals. Mr. Thomasâ superb compositions are often presented when he leads his own quartet at concerts in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Jon Ozment
Jon Ozment is a highly regarded pianist and keyboardist who resides in Washington, D.C. One of his most satisfying and exciting musical accomplishments has been his ongoing association with Buck Hill with whom he has played for more than 17 years. The power and significance of that association is beautifully documented on this recording. Jon has performed with a diverse array of jazz artist including Bobby Hucherson, Ethel Ennis, Jon Faddis, Davey Yarborough, Ron Holloway, and Webster Young. He recently toured extensively in Europe and the U.S. with saxophonist Maceo Parker.

Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones hails from Delair, New Jersey and attended Benjamin Franklin High School, in Philadelphia. After high school, he played with a number of R&B Bands including tours with the Delphonics in the early 70âs. He moved to Detroit in the mid-seventies and became a Motown âsession-manâ working with well known groups like the Four Tops, and the Funkadelics. While still in Detroit, he began to play in jazz trios, working often with Marcus Belgrave. He also toured with the Austin Murell Big Band, and later with Marlena Shaw. After returning to the East Coast in the mid-eighties, he has played with many jazz greats including Stanley Turrentine and of course, Buck Hill.