Pete "La Roca" Sims was an American jazz drummer and attorney. Born and raised in Harlem by a pianist mother and a stepfather who played trumpet, he was introduced to jazz by his uncle Kenneth Bright, a major shareholder in Circle Records and the manager of rehearsal spaces above the Lafayette Theater. Sims studied percussion at the High School of Music and Art and at the City College of New York, where he played tympani in the CCNY Orchestra. He adopted the name La Roca early in his musical career, when he played timbales for six years in Latin bands. In the 1970s, during a hiatus from jazz performance, he resumed using his original surname. When he returned to jazz in the late 1970s, he usually inserted "La Roca" into his name in quotation marks to help audiences familiar with his early work identify him. He told The New York Times in 1982 that he did so only out of necessity:
I can't deny that I once played under the name La Roca, but I have to insist that my name is Peter Sims with La Roca in brackets or in quotes. For 16 or 17 years, when I have not been playing the music, people have known me as Sims....When I was 14 or 15, I thought ["La Roca"] was clever; right now, it's an embarrassment. I thought that it would be something that people would probably remember - boy, was I ever right on that one! I can't make my conversion.
Sheila Jordan is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pioneered a bebop and scat jazz singing style with an upright bass as the only accompaniment. Jordan's music has earned praise from many critics, particularly for her ability to improvise lyrics; Scott Yanow describes her as "one of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers." Charlie Parker often introduced Jordan as "the lady with the million dollar ears."
Get Happy! is a 1959 album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, recorded with various studio orchestras over a two-year period.
A Night at the Village Vanguard is a live album by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins released on Blue Note Records in 1958. It was recorded at the Village Vanguard in New York City in November 1957 from three sets, two in the evening and one in the afternoon with different sidemen. For the afternoon set, Rollins played with Donald Bailey on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums; in the evening they were replaced respectively by Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones.
Steve Kuhn is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator.
Cameron Langdon Brown is an American jazz double bassist known for his association with the Don Pullen/George Adams Quartet.
Ezz-thetics is a studio album by the George Russell sextet, released on Riverside Records in mid-1961.
The Stratus Seekers is an album by George Russell released in May or June 1962 on Riverside Records. The album contains performances by Russell with John Pierce, David Baker, Paul Plummer, Don Ellis, Steve Swallow and Joe Hunt.
George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall is a 1965 live album by George Russell originally released in two volumes on the MPS label and featuring a performance by Russell with Don Cherry, Bertil Lövgren, Brian Trentham, Ray Pitts, Cameron Brown, and Albert Heath.
The Right Touch is the tenth album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson featuring performances recorded in 1967 and released on the Blue Note label in 1968.
Little Johnny C is an album by American trumpeter Johnny Coles recorded in 1963 and released on the Blue Note label.
Basra is the debut album by drummer Pete La Roca, recorded in 1965 and released on the Blue Note label.
Heavy!!! is an album by American jazz saxophonist Booker Ervin featuring performances recorded in 1966 for the Prestige label.
Invitation is an album by vibraphonist Milt Jackson's Sextet featuring performances recorded in 1962 and released on the Riverside label.
To Sweden with Love is an album of Swedish folk music by Art Farmer's Quartet featuring guitarist Jim Hall recorded in Stockholm in 1964 and originally released on the Atlantic label.
Barry Harris at the Jazz Workshop is a live album by pianist Barry Harris recorded in San Francisco in 1960 and released on the Riverside label.
Circle Waltz is the second album by pianist Don Friedman which was recorded in 1962 and released on the Riverside label.
That's How I Love the Blues! is an album by American jazz vocalist Mark Murphy featuring tracks recorded in late 1962 for the Riverside label.
Portrait of Sheila is the 1963 debut album of American jazz singer Sheila Jordan, released by Blue Note Records. In the 1963 DownBeat magazine Critics Poll, she was ranked first in the vocal category for "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition". She did not record again as a leader for more than a dozen years.
How Time Passes is the debut album by trumpeter Don Ellis recorded in 1960 and released on the Candid label.
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