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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZTUCKER, Mickey(b 28 April 1941, Durham NC) Piano, composer; other instruments. Raised in Pittsburgh, back to Durham at 13; later lived in East Orange NJ. He was lucky with good teachers when he was a child, and became a teacher himself at an early age. He taught high school in Florida, college in Mississippi; played for Texas-born vocalist Damita Jo (d 25 December 1998 aged 68), Little Anthony and the Imperials, did string arrangements for a Carla Thomas album, played organ with James Moody '69-72, piano with Thad Jones/Mel Lewis band, Cecil Payne; he worked with singer Joe Lee Wilson, and appeared at an International Jazz Festival in Singapore '83. He recorded on organ with Roland Kirk, and did a two-piano date with Jake Hanna on Blue Note '73; he worked with Roy Brooks band Artistic Truth, Art Blakey, many others. He has roots in Fats Waller and Earl Hines with technique to match: solos full of pleasant surprises, often furious energy; at Ronnie Scott's club '85 with Benny Golson quartet, playing Golson's fine tunes as well as his own lovely waltz 'I Should Have Known'. Compositions include Rhapsody For Alto Flute And Strings, played by New Jersey Chamber Music Society '81; Trilogy For Piano And Orchestra. His own albums include Triplicity and Sojourn on Xanadu, Mister Mysterious '78 and The Crawl '80 on Muse; trio Sweet Lotus Lips and septet Theme For A Woogie Boogie with four horns combined as Sweet Lotus Lips on a Denon CD many years after Denon's cheque bounced: Tucker has often made more money from composer's royalties and residuals than from record dates. Quartet Blues in Five Dimensions '89 (with Ted Dunbar), sextet Hang In There '91 (with Donald Harrison, Marvin 'Smitty' Smith) and Gettin' There were all on Steeplechase. |