 |
Earl Okin | |
|---|---|
 Okin performing in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 31 January 1947 Surrey, England |
| Genres | Jazz, bossa nova |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals (including mouth trumpet), [1] piano |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | Sony |
| Website | earlokin.net |
Earl Okin (born 31 January 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, [2] musician and comedian.
Born in Carshalton, Surrey, Okin has lived in Notting Hill since he was six years old. He holds a degree in philosophy from the University of Kent at Canterbury (1968) and worked as a schoolmaster for 11 years before going being invited on a 1979 tour with Paul McCartney & Wings. By that time, he'd reached the level of deputy-headmaster.
Okin recorded his first single at Abbey Road in 1967. [3] [4] Some of his songs were covered during the 1960s by Cilla Black, Georgie Fame and Helen Shapiro, the latter recording now popular within the world of Northern Soul.
During the 1970s, Okin started to perform as a support act in large venues. Beginning with folk acts such as Ralph McTell and Fairport Convention, he progressed to open for such varied performers as Jean-Luc Ponty and Van Morrison. However, it was the tour with Wings which prompted him to pursue his musical career full-time. He also began to perform at jazz festivals.
In 1981, he appeared on Parkinson and was invited by Nigel Planer to perform at the Comic Strip. This led to his second career on the "alternative comedy" circuit where he remains a headline act. However, his act continues to be primarily musical. He has never performed stand-up. Fans' favourite comedy songs of his are "Mango", "Bessie" and "My Room".
In 1983, he began to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe where he performed over 500 shows. However, hating what had become of the Fringe, he ceased performing there in 2000.
Okin continues to work as a songwriter and jazz singer/musician, with a particular interest in Bossa Nova. He gives concerts in Brazil from time to time, as well as touring his one-man show, a mixture of music and comedy, worldwide. He has performed in New York at Birdland, The Apollo and other jazz venues, but, not forgetting his comedy side, also at Caroline's. In addition he toured India, Singapore, and other nearby countries. He has also performed at most major venues in London, including the Royal Albert Hall [5] and Royal Festival Hall, The Palladium and Wembley Arena. [6]
Okin has performed on TV in several countries, including Brazil, Australia and Germany.
Apart from self-published LPs, he has had CDs issued by the Bertelsmann Music Group in Germany and Austria and Sony in the UK. He has completed two CDs, one of Jazz and Bossa Nova, Bossa Britanica, and more recently a CD of his songs in various genres called, after the recording studio, Songs From A Garden Shed and a similarly named follow-up album.
In 2012–13, Okin completed his autobiography, Earl's Caught, and a musical (in conjunction with the late Jackie Skarvellis), called A Harlem Story. He has also written a six-movement symphony.
In 2017 the biographical documentary Who is Earl Okin? was presented in festivals and selected theatres.
"Jazz From A Basement" (2021) "Earl Sings Duke" (2022) "Smooth Since 1947" (2023)
Washington, D.C., has been home to many prominent musicians and is particularly known for the musical genres of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, bluegrass, punk rock and its locally-developed descendants hardcore and emo, and a local funk genre called go-go. The first major musical figure from District of Columbia was John Philip Sousa, a military brass band composer. Later figures include jazz musicians, such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Rouse, Buck Hill, Ron Holloway, Davey Yarborough, Michael A. Thomas, Butch Warren, and DeAndrey Howard; soul musicians, including Billy Stewart, The Unifics, The Moments, Ray, Goodman & Brown, Van McCoy, The Presidents, The Choice Four, Vernon Burch, guitarist Charles Pitts, and Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul.
David Nicholas O'Doherty is an Irish comedian, author, musician, actor and playwright and son of renowned jazz pianist Jim Doherty. His stand-up has won many international awards, including the if.comedy award in 2008 and Best International Comedian at the 2014 Sydney Comedy Festival.
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932. Though most famous for their visual spectacle, revues frequently satirized contemporary figures, news or literature. Similar to the related subforms of operetta and musical theatre, the revue art form brings together music, dance and sketches to create a compelling show. In contrast to these, however, revue does not have an overarching storyline. Rather, a general theme serves as the motto for a loosely related series of acts that alternate between solo performances and dance ensembles.
Joyce Moreno, commonly known as Joyce, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Sérgio Santos Mendes was a Brazilian musician.
Jazz music has a long history in Australia. Over the years jazz has held a high-profile at local clubs, festivals and other music venues and a vast number of recordings have been produced by Australian jazz musicians, many of whom have gone on to gain a high profile in the international jazz arena.
Mitchell John Benn is an English comedian, author and musician known for his comedy rock songs performed on BBC radio. He was, until 2016, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's satirical programme The Now Show, and has hosted other radio shows.
Jorge Duílio Lima Menezes is a Brazilian popular musician, performing under the stage name Jorge Ben Jor since the 1980s, though commonly known by his former stage name Jorge Ben. Performing in a samba style that also explored soul, funk, rock and bossa nova sounds, Ben has recorded such well-known songs as "Chove Chuva", "Mas, que Nada!", "Ive Brussel" and "Balança Pema". His music has been interpreted by artists such as Caetano Veloso, Sérgio Mendes, Miriam Makeba, Soulfly and Marisa Monte.
Charlie Lee Byrd was an American jazz guitarist. Byrd was best known for his association with Brazilian music, especially bossa nova. In 1962, he collaborated with Stan Getz on the album Jazz Samba, a recording which brought bossa nova into the mainstream of North American music.
Stephen Andrew Lynch is an American comedian, musician and actor who is known for his songs mocking daily life and popular culture. Lynch has released four studio albums and four live albums along with a live DVD. He has appeared in two Comedy Central Presents specials and starred in the Broadway adaptation of The Wedding Singer. Lynch released a double-disc album, Lion, on November 13, 2012. In 2016, he released a live concert video, Hello Kalamazoo. He released his studio/live album My Old Heart in 2019.
Ethno jazz, also known as world jazz, is a subgenre of jazz and world music, developed internationally in the 1950s and '60s and broadly characterized by a combination of traditional jazz and non-Western musical elements. Though occasionally equaled to or considered the successor of world music, an independent meaning of ethno jazz emerged around 1990 through the commercial success of ethnic music via globalization, which especially observed a Western focus on Asian musical interpretations. The origin of ethno jazz has widely been credited to saxophonist John Coltrane.
Dave Pietro is an American saxophonist, woodwind artist, bandleader, sideman, composer and educator. A native of Southboro, Massachusetts, he has been on the New York City music scene since 1987.
Howard Fishman is an American author, culture writer, singer, guitarist, bandleader, playwright, and composer from Brooklyn, New York. Since 2016, Fishman has been a contributing writer for The New Yorker. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post Magazine, The Boston Globe, Artforum, Vanity Fair, San Francisco Chronicle, MOJO, and No Depression.
John Kenneth Pochée, OAM was an Australian jazz drummer and bandleader. As drummer, bandleader and organizer he played a major role in the history of Australian jazz.
Ara Dinkjian is an Armenian-American musician. He is the founder of the band Night Ark. Dinkjian is considered one of the top oud players in the world, his compositions have been recorded in thirteen different languages, which include the multi-platinum hit "Dinata" which was performed in the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
John Osborne writes books, scripts and stories for Radio 4. He co-created the Sky 1 sitcom After Hours. He is based in Norwich, United Kingdom and studied at the University of East Anglia.
Ricardo Garcia is a Spanish guitarist, leader of the group Flamenco Flow, who is known for his interpretations of Flamenco blended with other musical forms.
The University of California Jazz Ensembles, also known as the UC Jazz Ensembles, UC Jazz, or UCJE, is the student jazz organization founded in 1967 on the University of California, Berkeley, campus. Founded in 1967, it comprises one or more big bands, numerous jazz combos, a vocal jazz ensemble, an alumni big band, and instructional classes. With a mission statement to foster a community for the performance, study, and promotion of jazz at U.C. Berkeley, its Wednesday Night big band provides free concerts every Thursday noon on Lower Sproul Plaza, its various units perform throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including area high schools, travel to collegiate jazz festivals, and perform overseas, and for many years it sponsored the annual Pacific Coast Jazz Festival. It also provides master classes by its instructors and clinics by prominent guest artists. It has nurtured numerous musicians who have become professional jazz musicians and educators. UC Jazz Ensembles is one of three groups, with the Cal (marching) Band and UC Choral Ensembles, forming Student Musical Activities (SMA), a department within Cal Performances on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Its members are primarily U.C. Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students, representing many academic disciplines.
Kevin Figes is a British saxophonist, flutist, bandleader, composer and filmmaker based in Bristol.
Jonny & the Baptists are an English musical comedy duo consisting of Jonny Donahoe and Paddy Gervers. Initially founded as trio in 2011, founding member Amy Butterworth left after their first live tour and album, and the duo of Donahoe & Gervers have since released two studio albums, multiple live albums and several digital singles, as well as gaining attention for their podcast series Making Paddy Happy which began in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
