Hadley Caliman & Thomas Marriott: Cross Border Jazz
posted by Cory Weeds
 OCTOBER 3rd & 4th marks the first concert in a 6 concert series called CROSS BORDER JAZZ. The series is co-production of THE CELLAR RESTAURANT / JAZZ CLUB and THE COASTAL JAZZ & BLUES SOCIETY. Originally scheduled for the opening concert were PHILADELPHIA SAXOPHONIST BOOTSIE BARNES and TRUMPTER JOHN SWANA. Due to some unfortunate health issues, neither musician will be able to make it. We are however very excited to have SAXOPHONIST HADLEY CALIMAN & TRUMPTER THOMAS MARRIOTT joining the CHRIS GESTRIN TRIO. Just in case you’re encountering Hadley Caliman for the first time, here’s a little background. His long career in jazz began at Jefferson High in Los Angeles where his classmates included Art Farmer, followed by gigs on Central Avenue in the 50s where he was known as “Little Dex” (for Dexter Gordon with whom he studied). In the 60s he played with Mongo Santamaria, Gerald Wilson’s Big Band, Willie Bobo and Don Ellis. In San Francisco in the 70s, he played and recorded with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Nancy Wilson, Hampton Hawes, Jon Hendricks and Bobby Hutcherson and led four albums of his own. One of his high profile dates of the period was touring and recording with Santana at a time when rock bands were trying to expand their musical horizons by employing jazz musicians. The pervasive influence of John Coltrane is noticeable in Hadley Caliman’s playing, but it’s tempered by the earlier West Coast bop experience and rounded into his own sound by the years of playing in a myriad of gigs of all description. West Coast tenorists like Dexter Gordon, Harold Land, Joe Henderson, Ernie Watts, and Hadley Caliman generally have a more rounded sound than their East Coast counterparts. |
