Nica Jazz

Today we received a message from our niece Kristien, who is now in Nicaragua for a training period for her school of acting. Knowing about my passion she promised to search for some Nica Jazz, but up to now without any results. She confronted one of the stage-managers, Yulio, with the music of Billie Holiday and he wasn't used to the voice, but told her he liked it.

To be honest, Kristien, I don't know anything about Nica Jazz. Maybe you can do some research overthere. Although enough music comes from that area that can be labeled as jazz ( think about the Afro-Cuban Jazz, the music of the Buena Vista Social Club with musicans like Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer ) it seems to be focussed on Cuba. Oh, sure, there are some great musicans born in Latin America, like Michel Camilo and Mario Rivera in the Dominican Republic, Ruben Blades in Panama, Juan Tizol and David Sanchez are from Puerto Rico and Carlos Santano is Mexican born; no one seems to have his roots in Nicaragua.

Gigi Gryce, the bebop alto saxophone player, composed and performed a beautiful tune called Nica's Tempo. He wrote it for Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the 1950s. It is likely that this tune was named after Baronness Pannonica De Koenigswarter, Nica for short, a very rich lady who loved jazz and became a patroness of many bebop musicans like Parker and Monk, but maybe it was named after Nicaragua, refering to the daily life as you describe in her blogspot.

I'll try to find out today. !!

So I played this tune today.

This tune Nica's Tempo as played by the Quartet of Gigi Gryce in October 1955 is for me one of his best recordings. Mind that Gigi's quartet is a dream team with Thelonious Monk on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums. I don't think a better rhythm section is to be found in the 1950s.

Wish you all the best and enjoy ..... Nica's Tempo. the tempo of Nica's daily life . Thanks Kristien, for your message and for your informative blogspot

Corrie - Hans