THE MODERN JAZZ DISCIPLES

Not to be confused with the Modern Jazz Quartet, the Modern Jazz Disciples were a noteworthy but short-lived hard bop combo that was active in the late '50s and early '60s. The Disciples, who were led by the late alto and tenor saxman Curtis Peagler (born September 17, 1930, Cincinnati, OH, died December 19, 1992, Beverly Hills, CA), did not play cool jazz -- their acoustic bop was extroverted, aggressive, and hard-swinging (although they could be lyrical on ballads). The group was formed in Cincinnati, OH, in 1958 when Peagler got together with pianist William Brown (born December 10, 1934, Harlen, KY), bassist Lee Tucker (born December 19, 1933, Cincinnati, OH), and drummer Ron McCurdy (born March 19, 1933, Belfast, Ireland). The fourth member was William "Hicky" Kelley (born March 12, 1929, Cincinnati, OH), who was employed on two instruments that are hardly prominent in jazz: One was the euphonium read more...