Sunday 6 September 2020

Eddie Duran born 6 September 1925


Eddie Duran (September 6, 1925 – November 22, 2019) was an American jazz guitarist who spent nearly 80 years as the standard bearer of jazz guitar in the San Francisco Bay Area. He recorded often with Vince Guaraldi and was a member of the Benny Goodman orchestra during the 1970s.

Edward Lozano Duran was born to Fernando, a cigar roller, and Emma, a housewife, both immigrants from Veracruz, Mexico. He was the youngest of six children growing up together in San Francisco’s Mission District. The family was extremely poor, and the children made the decision on their own to learn instruments and try to bring in some extra pay. At seven years old, with his brother Carlos already playing guitar, Edward was assigned to piano. However, his personal preference was for guitar, and he began picking out the tunes he heard Django Reinhardt play on the family record player. He officially switched instruments at 12 and took lessons for about seven months before returning to teaching himself. The family band played Mexican music and won several talent contests; however, by the time he was 15, Edward had quit high school and was working behind touring jazz musicians who came to town, continuing until he joined the Navy at 18.

Returning to San Francisco at World War II’s end, Duran and his brothers, pianist Manny and bassist Carlos, formed a trio inspired by Nat King Cole’s star band. The youngest Duran also became a licensed barber; married a singer, Arlene Wolf; and continued freelancing with travelling musicians, including Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Shearing, and Getz. From 1948 to 1952 Eddie was in a trio with his brothers, Carlos Duran and Manny Duran. They became the house band at a new club, the hungry i, in San Francisco’s North Beach neighbourhood, opening for the headlining comedians.

Soon, however, Duran was asked by his childhood friend, pianist Vince Guaraldi, to join Guaraldi’s own trio with bassist Dean Reilly, and in 1954 they became the Hungry I’s house band—with the Duran Brothers as their opening act. The following year, Guaraldi introduced the Durans to his previous employer, vibraphonist Cal Tjader, and they joined his mambo quintet as well.
Duran quickly became the predominant guitarist on San Francisco’s bebop scene, a ubiquitous presence at the clubs in the city’s Fillmore, Tenderloin, and North Beach districts. Along with Guaraldi, Reilly, and Tjader, he also became a regular session musician for San Francisco’s Fantasy Records, and later for Concord Jazz.he worked with Chet Baker, Charlie Parker, Red Norvo, George Shearing, and Flip Phillips.

Around 1957, Duran was the guitarist in the CBS Radio Orchestra under the direction of Ray Hackett for the Bill Weaver Show, a variety show broadcast by CBS's San Francisco affiliate, KQW, later renamed KCBS, from the Palace Hotel. While playing with the CBS Orchestra, Duran met Brunell and performed on her debut album, Intro to Jazz of the Italian-American. The album was recorded by San Francisco Jazz Records, a short-lived label that was part of the production of the radio station.

In 1958, Duran played a concert at the Marines Memorial Auditorium with Tjader and Stan Getz six years before Getz became famous. The concert was recorded by Fantasy. In an interview, Duran said, "There was no rehearsal before the date, no alternates, no second takes. It went very smoothly. It just kind of fell into place. The feeling was happy and relaxed." Also in 1958, Duran was joined by Manny Duran on Tjader's album San Francisco Moods. Duran led a trio from 1960 to 1967.

                Here's "Skyliner" from Eddies debut album.

                          

He spent several years in the early 1970s touring with Pearl Bailey and her husband Louie Bellson, including a State Department tour of the Middle East. Benny Goodman had called Duran in 1945 with an offer to join his band, though the guitarist had then declined; when Goodman called again in 1976, shortly after the death of Duran’s first wife from cancer, Duran joined the band, working in Goodman’s small group as well and continuing with them through 1981.

 Between 1980 and 1982, Duran recorded with Tania Maria. In1983, Duran remarried to Madeleine ("Mad") Askew. In the late 1980s, after his last two children had grown, Duran moved to New York City and performed in a quartet that he organized. Duran crossed paths with Getz again in 1983 while recording the Dee Bell studio album, Let There Be Love. On October 19, 1983, he married Madeleine ("Mad") Askew in Sonoma County, California who is a classically trained clarinetist and saxophonist and music educator. In the late 1980s, they built a career in New York (though they returned after a few years to the Bay Area).  Duran and his wife have collaborated on five albums, including From Here to the Moon: Mad and Eddie Duran, which they produced in 1996.


 Duran also performed frequently in duos and trios with his daughters Sharman, a pianist, and Pilar, a fellow guitarist. He remained a busy freelancer and solo performer well into his nineties. He died at his home in Sonoma, California in the company of his three favourite guitars on November 22, 2019 at the age of 94.  (Edited from Wikipedia & Jazz Times)

7 comments:

boppinbob said...

For “Eddie Duran ‎– Jazz Guitarist:
Modern Music From San Francisco” go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/12242190/Eddie_Duran_-_Jazz_Guitarist.rar.html

1. My Inspiration 3:27
2. Soon 4:10
3. Rise 'n Shine 3:39
4. My Shining Hour 2:53
5. Taking Life Easy 4:36
6. Why Not? 3:33
7. A Room With A View 5:00
8. Skyliner 3:48
9. It Could Happen To You 2:52
10. Sugar 3:54
11. I'm Glad There Is You 2:50
12. You Turned The Tables On Me 2:10
13. When I Fall In Love 3:03
14. Falling In Love With Love 2:00
15. Ginza 4:07
16. The Night We Called It A Day 3:48
17. The Masquerade Is Over 6:32

Bass – Dean Reilly (tracks: 1-14), Ron Crotty (tracks: 15-17)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Howard Dundane* (tracks: 1-10)
Drums – John Markham (tracks: 1-10)
Guitar – Eddie Duran
Piano, Celesta – Vince Guaraldi (tracks: 15-17)
Vocals – Ree Brunell (tracks: 11-14)

Tracks #1-10, from the Eddie Duran LP “Jazz Guitarist” (Fantasy LP 3247)
Tracks # 11-14, from the LP “Intro to Jazz” (San Francisco Jazz Records JR-1)
Tracks #15-17, from the LP “Modern Music from San Francisco” (Fantasy LP 3213)

Duran was 32 when he recorded Jazz Guitarist, his first album as a leader in 1957. His sound and approach were deeply rooted in the bebop tradition, with echoes of Tal Farlow. With Duran on this debut was Howard Dudune—a cleantoned young clarinetist and Getz-derived tenor saxophonist—with support from bassist Dean Reilly and drummer John Markham.

Completing this salute to a fine guitarist is a 1956 date where he and Reilly backed singer Ree Brunell on a relaxed stroll through four well-chosen standards, along with a 1955 trio session with Ron Crotty and Vince Guaraldi. Crotty was a part of Dave Brubeck’s early groups, while Guaraldi was one of the brightest young pianists of the local scene, and the trio produced some relaxed and swinging jazz.

San Francisco emerged in early 50s as one of the most important centres of jazz activity in the US and the musicians playing in these three sessions are a fine example of what the city had to offer.

Myndflower said...

Thank you for your excellent blog.
First-time commenter, long-time reader. I appreciate the breadth of knowledge and styles.

rntcj said...

Hi!

Thanx for this one. A "new" artist here = "new" hears here too!

Cheers!
Ciao! For now.
rntcj

peacenik said...

Thank for this. I was familiar with Eddie Duran from his work with Guaraldi, but I didn't know he had any solo albums. Your bios are greatly appreciated.

Mich58 said...

𝙃𝙞 𝘽𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙗!
𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙀𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙚, 𝙄 "𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙" 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.
𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙖 "𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙" 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙗𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮.
𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/qzp4recpg0pfyzr/Mad_%2526_Eddie_Duran_%255B1997%255D_-_From_Here_To_The_Moon.rar/file
♪♫ 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 & 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨. 🖖😎

boppinbob said...

Hello Mich58, Thanks for the kind comment and of course the album link. Much appreciated. Regards, Bob.

Mich58 said...

𝙙( ̄◇ ̄)𝙗 🖖😎