Fro Brigham: Enduring Presence on the Jazz Scene

During the post-war years, trumpeter Fro Brigham was a mainstay on the San Diego jazz scene. Top players came through his bands, including saxophonist Harold Land, today a revered tenor man with a Coltrane-inspired sound.

Land was a baby-faced San Diego teen-ager when he joined Brigham’s group during the 1940s. Others who launched careers with Brigham were Texas saxman Herman Riley, Duke Ellington bassist Major Holley and drummer Leon Petties, who backed Nat King Cole for many years.

San Diego’s jazz scene has come of age since the 1940s, according to Brigham, who earned his living working in San Diego’s Park and Recreation Department before retiring in 1979. There may be more interest in jazz, but Brigham still finds himself playing other types of music to satisfy audiences.

“I’ll say it like this,” said Brigham, who will be featured at KSDS-FM’s “Jazz Live” concert at 8 tonight in the San Diego City College Theater. “Music, like many other industries, has followed the people. At one time, the population here in San Diego wasn’t what it is today. With people moving here from all over the country, jazz has got a hold, there’s support for it.

“But right now, we’re guided by the dollar. Whatever the people want, that’s what we try to play, and enjoy it as we’re going along. But my heart lies with soft jazz.”

Sets by Brigham’s seven-piece band cover this range. One moment, Brigham, who also sings, might be belting out his version of an R&B; number like “Shotgun” or “Chain, Chain, Chain,” the next, he’ll launch into such jazz favorites as “Take the A-Train” or “Satin Doll.”

“Times have changed,” said Brigham, who has held down Friday and Saturday nights at Pal Joey’s on Waring Road in San Diego for nearly 20 years.

“You play ‘How High the Moon,’ sometimes you get a strange glare, like, ‘What are you doing?’ and we immediately change to something they can identify with, which is usually rock ‘n’ roll.”

Brigham, who keeps his age to himself, will probably stick to his jazz guns tonight, when his show will be aired live on KSDS-FM (88.3), the San Diego City College jazz station. The program will also feature pianist Bob Long’s trio.

It has become an eagerly anticipated annual event for San Diego jazz and blues fans: the release of a new recording by Jeannie and Jimmy Cheatham and their Sweet Baby Blues Band.

Their newest outing, “Basket Full of Blues,” released last month, offers no radical departures from earlier efforts. Why mess with a dynamite formula?

As always, Jimmy Cheatham turns in great arrangements, using the nine-piece band’s horn section to achieve a Big Band-like carpet of sound that buoys the soloists and Jeannie Cheatham’s voice. Jimmy Cheatham also does surprising things with his bass trombone, as when he duels with his wife on the high-speed “Bye N’ Bye Blues.”

Jeannie Cheatham remains one of the under-appreciated greats of jazz and blues, both for her spare, tasteful piano playing, which ranges from boogie-woogie to Monk-ish surprises, and for her earthy but sensuous voice.

Each Cheatham release also features a guest artist. Past guests have included Clarence (Gatemouth) Brown, Papa John Creach, Charles McPherson and Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson. This time around, it’s sax-flute player Frank Wess, whose breathy, bluesy flute makes an especially fine partner for the Sweet Baby Blues Band’s gutsy Kansas City-based swing.

Appropriately enough, Wess was born in Kansas City, Mo. He played with Count Basie’s band during the 1950s and ‘60s and went on to a productive studio career that included television, theater and recording studio work, along with his jazz.

“Basket Full of Blues” includes nine original tunes by the Cheathams. These come in a variety of moods and tempos, but all capture the sexy, sassy ‘tude that has become the Cheathams’ trademark.

The full Sweet Baby Blues Band won’t be appearing in town any time soon, but the Cheathams will appear with a smaller version of the group April 24 and 25 at the Horton Grand Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter.

RIFFS: KSDS-FM (88.3) is giving away tickets to Friday night’s showing in UC San Diego’s Mandeville Auditorium of the movie “Dingo,” with music by Miles Davis. Tickets for the event are only available through the station’s on-air giveaways. Tune in for a chance to win. . . .

Japanese-born saxman Sadao Watanabe, who launched his jazz career in earnest during the 1950s when he took over Toshiko Akiyoshi’s quartet, has since digested a range of international influences. During the 1980s, after years of paying his dues in straight-ahead jazz, Watanabe reinvented himself with a lighter, accessible sound and became a favorite of pop jazz radio stations. According to KIFM music director Tony Schondel, Watanabe is on the verge of becoming a “core” artist on the station, meaning even more frequent play for his music. Watanabe plays Sound FX at 8:30 Sunday. . . .

The weekly Sunday jazz jams at the Jazz Note have been discontinued, but the club may still present one or two a month with nationally known headliners. The next Sunday jam will probably be held later this month. . . .

Hollis Gentry & Neon play the City Colors bar at the Doubletree Hotel downtown Thursday from 6 to 10. . . . San Diego trumpeter Mitch Manker and his Miles Davis tribute group, ESP, will appear at Elario’s Wednesday night. . . . Tickets are on sale for singer Harry Connick Jr.’s three-night stand May 8, 9 and 10 at the Civic Theatre downtown. Call 278-TIXS for information.

CRITIC’S CHOICE: SCHUUR ‘IN TRIBUTE’ IN EAST COUNTY

East County residents don’t often get a chance to host first-rate jazz in their own back yard, but Friday’s performance by vocalist Diane Schuur at the Theatre East in El Cajon will momentarily remedy that.

Schuur has a new release out, “In Tribute,” which pays homage to her heroes with a collection of great jazz and popular standards. Packaged with the CD is a 42-page commemorative booklet with text by jazz critic Chip Deffea explaining the impact of Schuur’s mentors, ranging from obvious heroes like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald to unsung heroes such as Mabel Mercer, Helen Morgan and Libby Holman.

The danger of essaying songs such as “The Man I Love,” so strongly associated with Holiday, is that Schuur instantly puts herself up for comparison with her legendary predecessors. Schuur is a strong singer, but in most cases, her versions of these classic songs aren’t as memorable as earlier renditions. Still, she acquits herself respectably, singing with sincerity, power and great control.

Schuur will undoubtedly include many of these nostalgic gems at the Friday show, where she will be backed by both the San Diego State University Jazz Ensemble and a small group including bassist Bob Magnusson, drummer John Guerin and Schuur on piano. Music begins at 8. Schuur will play two sets. Tickets are $23.50.