Wikipedia

Junior Mance

Julian Clifford Mance, Jr.(October 10, 1928 – January 17, 2021),[1]known asJunior Mance,was an Americanjazzpianist and composer.[2][3]

Junior Mance
Mance in 1980
Mance in 1980
Background information
Birth nameJulian Clifford Mance, Jr.
Born(1928-10-10)October 10, 1928
Evanston, Illinois,U.S.
DiedJanuary 17, 2021(2021-01-17)(aged 92)
New York City,U.S.
GenresJazz,hard bop,Blues
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
InstrumentPiano
Years active1947–2016
LabelsRiverside,Capitol,Atlantic

Biography

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Early life (1928–1947)

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Mance was born inEvanston, Illinois.When he was five years old, Mance started playing piano on anuprightin his family's home in Evanston.[4]His father, Julian, taught Mance to playstride pianoandboogie-woogie.[4]With his father's permission, Mance had his first professional gig in Chicago at the age of ten when his upstairs neighbor, a saxophone player, needed a replacement for a pianist who was ill.[4]Mance was known to his family as "Junior" (to differentiate him from his father), and the nickname stuck with him throughout his professional career.[4]

Mance's mother encouraged him to study medicine at nearbyNorthwestern Universityin Evanston, but agreed to let him attendRoosevelt Collegein Chicago instead.[4]Despite urging him to enroll inpre-medclasses, Mance signed up for music classes, though he found that jazz was forbidden by the faculty, and did not finish out the year.[4]

Chicago and military service (1947–1953)

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Mance first played withGene Ammonsin Chicago in 1947 while he was enrolled at Roosevelt. He recorded with Ammons on September 23 that year forAladdin Records,[5]and they worked in New York City during a week when Mance was suspended from school (having been caught playing jazz in a practice room).[4]While on tour,Lester Youngcame to see Ammons play at the Congo Lounge in Chicago in 1949.[4]Young's piano player,Bud Powell,[6]had missed his flight to Chicago, and Young asked Mance to replace him, thinking Mance was a fill-in rather than Ammons' regular pianist.[4]Having just been offeredStan Getz's chair in theWoody Hermanband, Ammons was "delighted" to let Mance go.[4]Mance recorded with Young forSavoy Recordsthat year, and reunited with Ammons to record withSonny StittforPrestige Recordsin 1950.[4][5]

The U.S. Army drafted Mance in 1951.[4]Two weeks before shipping out to Korea from basic training,Julian "Cannonball" Adderleyhelped Mance score a position in the 36th Army Band atFort Knox,Kentucky, where he remained as the company clerk.[7]

Discharged from the Army in 1953, Mance immediately started working at the Bee Hive Jazz Club in Chicago, completing the house rhythm section withIsrael Crosby(bass) and Buddy Smith (drums).[6]During his year at the Bee Hive, Mance backed musicians such asCharlie Parker,[6]Coleman Hawkins,[8]Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,[6]and Sonny Stitt.[7]

New York City (1953–1959)

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Charlie Parker encouraged Mance to move to New York, which he did after saving money from working nearly a year at the Bee Hive.[6]In 1954, Mance was asked to record withDinah WashingtonafterWynton Kellywas drafted.[6]Mance toured with Washington over the next two years and learnedaccompanimenttechnique from Washington's arranger,Jimmy Jones.[6]EmArcyreleased two LPs,Dinah JamsandJam Session,from a live session recorded August 14–15, 1954 inLos Angeleswith Mance, Washington,Clifford Brown,Clark Terry,Maynard Ferguson,Herb Geller,Harold Land,Richie Powell,Keter Betts,George Morrow,andMax Roach.[6]

In 1956, Mance joined Cannonball Adderley's first civilian band, along withNat Adderley,Sam Jones,andJimmy Cobb.[8]They made several recordings for EmArcy/Mercuryover the next two years.[7]Dinah Washington hired this group to back her onIn the Land of Hi-Fi,and Mance also recorded sessions withJohnny Griffin,James Moody,andWilbur WareforArgo RecordsandRiversideduring this period.[6]

After the Adderley group broke up for lack of gigs,[7]Adderley became part of theMiles Davis Sextet,while Mance joinedDizzy Gillespie's band, once again replacing Wynton Kelly.[8]Mance backed Gillespie andLouis Armstrongduring a televised performance of the song "Umbrella Man" onCBSin January 1959.[8]

Debut as leader and later career (1959–2016)

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Verve RecordsfounderNorman Granzoffered Mance his first recording date as leader during one of his sessions with Dizzy Gillespie.[8]Granz set Mance up with bassistRay Brown,and Gillespie's drummerLex Humphriescompleted the trio, which recorded together in April 1959.[8]His debut recordJuniorwas released by Verve later that year. A busy release schedule followed, as Mance went on to record six albums for Jazzland/Riverside in the early '60s, and joined the Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis/Johnny Griffin quintet which released seven albums with Mance during 1960–1961.[7]

Mance recorded for major labelsCapitol(1964–1965) andAtlantic(1966–1970), including one date featuring Mance onharpsichord(Harlem Lullaby,1966) and afusionalbum (With a Lotta Help from My Friends,1970).[7]During a recording session withBenny Carterfor the soundtrack to the filmA Man Called Adamin 1965, Carter and Mance took in all three sets of anOrnette Colemanperformance at theFive Spot Café.Mance cited Carter's broad-mindedness as an inspiration for his own stylistic explorations.[8]Hansen House published his bookHow to Play Blues Pianoin June 1967.

Junior Mance continued to record and perform during the next three decades, albeit at a less intense pace. He made several duet recordings with bassist Martin Rivera, and two solo piano recordings for Canadian labelSackville Records,Junior Mance SpecialandJubilation.[7]He also taught atThe New School for Jazz and Contemporary Musicfor 23 years, countingBrad MehldauandLarry Goldingsamong his students before retiring in 2011.[7]

From 1990 to 2009 Mance was part of a group called "100 Gold Fingers" which frequently toured Japan.[9]The rotating line-up of all star pianists[10]includedToshiko Akiyoshi,Monty Alexander,Geri Allen,Lynne Arriale,Kenny Barron,Joanne Brackeen,Ray Bryant,Bill Charlap,Cyrus Chestnut,Gerald Clayton,João Donato,Tommy Flanagan,Don Friedman,Benny Green,Barry Harris,Gene Harris,Hank Jones,Duke Jordan,Roger Kellaway,John Lewis,Harold Mabern,Dave McKenna,Marian McPartland,Mulgrew Miller,Dado Moroni,Hod O'Brien,Eric Reed,Ted Rosenthal,Renee Rosnes,Mal Waldron,Cedar Walton,James Williams,andChihiro Yamanaka,with bassistBob Cranshawand eitherAlan DawsonorGrady Tateon drums.[9]

Mance and his wife Gloria formed their own record label, JunGlo, in 2007.[7]Their first release,Live At Café Loup,featured Mance in a trio with Hidé Tanaka on bass and Jackie Williams on drums, with guest vocalistJosé James.Drummer Kim Garey later took over from Williams, with the addition of saxophonistsRyan AnselmiandAndrew Hadro.Mance toured the U.S., Italy, Japan, and Israel in 2013 accompanied by Tanaka and violinist Michi Fuji (a former New School student of Mance's.) This Mance trio held their Sunday night residency at Café Loup until his retirement in the spring of 2016.

He died in New York of a brain hemorrhage that he had suffered after a fall, aged 92. He had also been suffering from Alzheimer's.[1]

Discography

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As leader

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Live albums

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  • Junior Mance Trio at the Village Vanguard(Jazzland, 1961)
  • Live at the Top of the Gate(Atlantic, 1968)
  • Live at Sweet Basil(Flying Disk, 1977)
  • First: Live at 3361 Black(Tokuma, 2004) – recorded in 1984
  • Second: Live at 3361 Black(Tokuma, 2004) – recorded in 1984
  • At Town Hall, Vol. 1(Enja, 1995)
  • At Town Hall, Vol. 2(Enja, 1995)
  • Jubilation(Sackville, 1996)recorded in 1994
  • Live at the 1995 Floating Jazz Festival(Chiaroscuro, 1996)
  • Live at the 1996 Floating Jazz Festival(Chiaroscuro, 1997)
  • Live at the 1997 Floating Jazz Festival(Chiaroscuro, 1998)
  • Live at the 1998 Floating Jazz Festival(Chiaroscuro, 1999)
  • Mance(Chiaroscuro, 2000) – recorded in 1998
  • Opus de Funk(Absord, 2003) – recorded in 1991
  • The Music of Thelonious Monk(Chiaroscuro, 2003) withJoe Temperley– recorded in 1996, 2000
  • Live at Cafe Loup(JunGlo, 2007)
  • Out South(JunGlo, 2010)
  • Letter From Home(JunGlo, 2011)
  • The Three of Us(JunGlo, 2012)

As sideman

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References

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  1. ^abSandomir, Richard (January 24, 2021)."Junior Mance, Jazz Pianist Who Played with Giants, Dies at 92".The New York Times.
  2. ^Junior Mance biography,AllMusic
  3. ^"Junior Mance, jazz pianist and educator, dies at 92".January 19, 2021.
  4. ^abcdefghijklMyers, Marc (January 5, 2011)."JazzWax".Jazzwax.com.RetrievedNovember 29,2013.
  5. ^ab"Gene Ammons Discography".jazzdisco.RetrievedJune 4,2021.
  6. ^abcdefghiMyers, Marc (January 6, 2011)."JazzWax".Jazzwax.com.RetrievedNovember 29,2013.
  7. ^abcdefghiMilkowski, Bill."Junior Mance: Saved By A Cannonball."JazzTimes.Madavor Media, LLC, January 16, 2012. Web. November 29, 2013.
  8. ^abcdefgMyers, Marc."Interview: Junior Mance (Part 3)".JazzWax,January 7, 2011. Web. November 29, 2013.
  9. ^ab"100 Gold Fingers Discography".jazzdisco.RetrievedJune 4,2021.
  10. ^Dryden, Ken. "Various Artists: 100 Gold Fingers".AllMusic.N.p., n.d. Web. January 21, 2014.
  11. ^"Reviews: Jazz-Fusion - Recommended".Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 12, 1985. pp. 101–.ISSN0006-2510.
  12. ^"Junior Mance" For My Fans...It's All About You "by Gloria Clayborne Mance".Kickstarter.com.RetrievedMarch 18,2020.
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