Melvin Lastie

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Melvin Lastie (born November 18, 1930 in New Orleans , † December 4, 1972 ibid) was an American musician ( trumpet , cornet ), manager and music producer in the field of rhythm and blues and soul jazz .

Live and act

Lastie became a member of the Paul Barbarin Band at the age of 15 . During his time at Booker T. Washington High School in New Orleans, he organized a professional jazz band that also included pianist Antoine “Fats” Domino and Ed Blackwell . He toured with the Hosa Hills Band at the age of 16 and returned to New Orleans in 1948 to form the short-lived Melvin Lastie Orchestra . Ornette Coleman lived with him for a short time. In the same year he was drafted into the US Army; after his release he formed the formation The Lastie Brothers with his brotherwho went on numerous tours and accompanied the blues singer Big Joe Turner in 1954 . In the following years he worked in his father's shop in New Orleans; he also appeared regularly in the Show Bar on Bourbon Street . From 1957 to 1959 he ran his own nightclub, The High Hat ; he was also active in the American musicians' union. In 1961 he performed as a soloist on the cornet on the first hit "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" by R&B singer Barbara George .

In 1961, Lastie founded the AFO Records ( All for One ) label with Harold Battiste , with whom he moved to Los Angeles in 1963 and also worked as a producer for Sam Cooke's label . Lastie performed as an accompanist on two of his hits, Tennessee Waltz and A Change Is Gonna Come ; he also worked as a session musician for artists such as King Curtis , Lou Donaldson ( Alligator Boogaloo , 1967), Dr. John , Herbie Hancock (on Don't Even Go There, 1967), Eddie Harris ( The Electrifying , 1967), Freddie King , Herbie Mann ( Memphis Two-Step , 1970), Wilson Pickett , Dave Pike ( Jazz for the Jet Set , 1968) or Aretha Franklin ( Lady Soul , 1968) as well as arranger and musician for Willie Bobo , for whom he eventually also worked as a manager. He also produced Bobo's first hit, Spanish Grease, and his second album Uno, Dos, Tres . In 1969 he worked with Battiste again when they were producing recordings of King Floyd and Al "Shine" Robinson. In the field of jazz, he was involved in 36 recording sessions between 1958 and 1971, according to Tom Lord .

In his honor, Cannonball Adderley composed "Suite Cannon: For Melvin Lastie", which appeared on his last album Phenix (1974).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Edward Blackwell, WKCR, May 4, 1986
  2. ^ Mick Burns Keeping the Beat on the Street: The New Orleans Brass Band Renaissance , p. 78
  3. ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed November 28, 2019)
personal data
SURNAME Lastie, Melvin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician
DATE OF BIRTH November 18, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans
DATE OF DEATH 4th December 1972
Place of death New Orleans