Sid Bulkin's Jazz House

WE HAVE MOVED

2010-08-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

PLEASE NOTE THAT SID'S JAZZ HOUSE HAS CLOSED.

SID'S NIECE HAS MOVED THE BLOG TO "MEMORIES OF MY UNCLE." YOU CAN CLICK ON THE LINK AND IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY TAKE YOU THERE.

Another Happy Birthday To Our Dear, Departed Sid Bulkin

2010-08-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Vic Damone - As Time Goes By

Happy Father's Day, From Your Kids

2010-06-20T17:51:00.001-07:00

Pictures courtesy of "aunt Ann" from one of her Christmas gatherings.

Play Song And Help Gia Win!

2010-06-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Headstone

2010-04-18T13:04:00.001-07:00

Kelly and Leslie at the gravesite, where the family laid the headstone (on my birthday!)

It's a beautiful headstone, and I especially love the musical notes on the side. Great work.

Happy New Year (from Sid!)

2010-03-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Naw Ruz, for all of you coming off the fast.

Another Year Passes By

2010-03-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

Family and friends still miss Sid, but we celebrate his enduring family on this second anniversary of his death.

From Gia:

I can feel grandpa in the air, no words can describe what an amazing character he was. He had such an impact on every single person he met. We will all be with him so soon, so the only thing we can do here is be the best we can be and spread the teachings of Baha'u'llah the way our grandfater did. I love you grandpa Sid and I dedicate my work here on earth to you. Love Giachary. Allah-u-Abha!!! Hapy Fasting everyone! I'm actually really excited for this fast right now. I can't wait to start the year fresh and get in touch with my Baha'i food within my everyday. Love you!!!

He loved his kids, Kelly, Leslie and Gary. But he was especially fond of his grandchildren, Aria, Sonny, Giachary, Summer, Ruby, Carmel, Kelsey, Chase and Sutherland.

He is smiling from the Kingdom of Abha at his first great grandson, Leroy (Carmel and Michael's child).

Sid died on the eve of the fast.

"The Aqdas states: 'We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity [15 years]; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers ... The traveler, the ailing, those who are with child or giving such, are not bound by the fast ... Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the Book'"

The period of the fast is March 2 through March 20.

Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beseech Thee by this Revelation whereby darkness hath been turned into light, through which the Frequented Fane hath been built, and the Written Tablet revealed, and the Outspread Roll uncovered, to send down upon me and upon them who are in my company that which will enable us to soar into the heavens of Thy transcendent glory, and will wash us from the stain of such doubts as have hindered the suspicious from entering into the tabernacle of Thy unity.

I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast the cord of Thy loving-kindness, and clung to the hem of Thy mercy and favors. Do Thou ordain for me and for my loved ones the good of this world and of the world to come. Supply them, then, with the Hidden Gift Thou didst ordain for the choicest among Thy creatures.

These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou has bidden Thy servants to observe the fast. Blessed is he that observeth the fast wholly for Thy sake and with absolute detachment from all things except Thee. Assist me and assist them, O my Lord, to obey Thee and to keep Thy precepts. Thou, verily, hast power to do what Thou choosest.

There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.

Baha'u'llah

In loving memory of Sid, Allah-u-Abha.

Nice Pictures From Herb Stark

2010-02-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Ruby Summer Doing Lady Gaga's "Let's Dance"

2010-01-30T19:03:00.000-08:00

Sid's granddaughters, Ruby and Summer, singing Lady Gaga's "Just Dance." Enjoy.

Happy Birthday

2009-08-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

I cannot remember the year this was taken, and somewhere I have another picture of all the people that were at this party at the Burbank house on Parish Ave.

Ah, the good old days at 551 S. Parish.

Happy Birthday, Sid. We all miss you.

Moulin Rouge

2009-04-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Leslie and Kelly wrote this song and recorded it for their mom and dad. Hope you enjoy it.

One Year Later

2009-03-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a year since Sid passed away. It has been a wonderful opportunity for me to keep this blog up and running for him.

It's still hard to get songs up on the blog that featured him as a drummer. Here's a fun link to Allen Eager's "Perdido," except it's just a 30 second bit.

Found this interesting piece about Maynard Ferguson and Sid:

By way of background, with close friend tenor saxophonist Willie Maiden as his partner, Maynard used the steady studio gig at Paramount as a means of bankrolling a library of big band arrangements. Both were twenty-six years old in 1955 when they began building a library with arrangements that could be adapted to different set ups for the traditional big band. Funding some arrangements was one thing, but they lacked the necessary financing to put together a band to actually play them.

Until, that is, “Fate” in the form of Maynard’s friend, drummer Sid Bulkin, intervened. As Primack tells it in his Mosaic insert notes:

“… Sid Bulkin met with Birdland owner Morris Levy and Vik Records A&R man Jack Lewis. Levy and Lewis were looking for someone to briefly front a Birdland Dream Band, and Bulkin successfully served as Maynard’s intermediary.”

When Ferguson went to New York in 1956 to meet with Levy and Lewis, his big band book consisted of arrangements by Jazz’s best: Manny Albam, Jimmy Giuffre, Bill Holman, Willie Maiden, Johnny Mandel, Marty Paich and Ernie Wilkins. Once in New York, he would add charts by Al Cohn.

With a book like this, it’s no wonder that Levy and Lewis agreed to put up the money for a Birdland Dream Band that was to initially include:

Trumpets: Maynard [and valve trombone], Al DeRisi, Nick Travis and Joe FerranteTrombones: Jimmy Cleveland, Sonny Russo [or Eddie Bert]Alto Sax: Herb Geller Tenor Sax: Al Cohn and Budd JohnsonBaritone Sax: Ernie WilkinsPiano: Hank
Jones; Bass: Milt Hinton; Drums: Jimmy Campbell [or Don Lamond].

Pretty cool, my uncle Sid!

Belated Birthday to Dad

2008-11-20T18:10:00.000-08:00

I want to Thank my cool cousin Melodi for keeping my Dad, Sidney Bulkin alive! Dad's Birthday on Aug. 3rd was difficult without him this yr. He just loved his Birthday and everyone's Birthday's! He was a proud Leo and loved his Leo daughter Leslie! They shared their Aug. Birthday month together as they were best friends. We miss his daily phone calls and talks about music, and hearing him sing those fantastic old Jazz songs to us. He loved his family and his grandchildren more then anything in the world and bragged about everyone to EVERYONE!!!!

It's been a difficult yr. without him but we're constantly thinking about him, telling his stories, trying to tell his jokes (no one seems to get the punch lines right as good as he did -- although Gary and Mel are pretty good at getting them). He had perfect timing, perfect rhythm, and is still one of the best drummer's in the world!

WE LOVE YOU DAD & MISS YOU TERRIBLY!!!!

Love...kelly bulkin

Charlie Rice In Trouble

2008-09-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

Charlie Rice has never been in trouble before. He's lived a long time -- he's 88 -- and spent most of his life traveling the country and the world as a jazz musician. So saying he's never been in trouble before is really saying something.

"Never gambled, never smoked, never drank, never did drugs, not even reefer," says Rice, a great- grandfather of six who was married to the same woman, Lucy, 62 years until she died four years ago.
But Charlie Rice is in trouble now.

He began his entertainment career in the 1930s as half a tap-dancing duo, Struts and Struggles (he was Struts), and then turned to drums after he saw a set at a pawn shop at Sixth and South in Philadelphia in 1941.
The drummer did gigs with Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. Entertained in Korea with a USO jazz band during the war. Played the Apollo with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Louis Jordan. Toured Europe and cut albums with Chet Baker.

And, according to a state indictment, he stole gas from the Camden school board.

Less than $200 worth, but be cause he was charged under the official misconduct statute, that's enough to have him fired from his public job as a maintenance man, lose his pension and, maybe, face jail just as he approaches his 90th birthday.

"Once the evidence comes out, it will show Charlie was given permission to use the gas," says Michael Pinsky of Westmont, Rice's lawyer.

Pinsky's involvement is a measure of Rice's standing in the jazz world.
He is the longtime attorney for, among others, Joseph Ligambi, considered by the Philadelphia police and the New Jersey attorney general to be head of the Philadelphia crime family once run by Angelo Bruno and Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo.

The veteran criminal defense attorney doesn't usually bother with third-degree crimes charged against superannuated public employees like Rice.

"It's a shame they're coming down on this old guy," says Pinsky.

Pinsky was persuaded to get involved by a Philadelphia group called the Jazz Bridge, begun by jazz singers Suzanne Cloud and Wendy Simon. They raise money to help out jazz artists who, like Rice, face "crises."

"We discovered that many of the old jazz greats were in trouble," says Simon. "They needed help, usually with medical bills."

This will be the Jazz Bridge's biggest challenge, because Pinsky doesn't come cheap, and the lawyer says he has to go to trial on this one. No plea deals because, if Rice pleads, the pension and the medical insurance are gone.

Those benefits are why Rice gave up his lifelong devotion to jazz performance and took a job with the Camden school board 26 years ago. He became a pump jockey, filling up school district vehicles from the board's pumps.

Three years ago, the school board's pumps were contaminated with groundwater, so the district began using pumps belonging to the city in an open maintenance yard across town. Rice used the pumps but, Pinsky says, because there was no shelter, he sat in his own car, running the heater in winter and the air conditioner in summer.

"He was told he could top off his tank when he used his car like that," says Pinsky.

Rice, who lives with his daughter in Camden, was indicted last month along with 11 other public employees, mostly state officials. Five city workers in Newark -- including a sanitation worker charged with stealing nearly $45,000 in gas -- were indicted earlier this year.

Announcing the indictments, Attorney General Anne Milgram said some public employees "literally took a free ride." Pinsky says Camden owes Rice money.

"We're not only going to win this case, we're going to insist that Charlie gets reinstated with back pay," says Pinsky. His client was suspended without pay from his $33,000-a-year job after the indictment. Spokesmen for the Attorney General's Office and the Camden school board would not comment.

Simon, once a singer for the jazz group 52nd Street, says Jazz Bridge is reaching out for help to as many performers and fans as possible.
"Everybody likes Charlie Rice," she says. "He needs help now."

Hat Tip to Bob Braun from the Star-Ledger. Follow the link if you want to Help Charlie Rice.

Happy Birthday, Sid

2008-08-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Sid would have been 84 today. Please take a moment and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Oy, What A Show!

2008-07-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Four more songs performed by a fabulous 17 piece big band, conducted by Pat Longo. These are all songs that were favorites of Sid, and were performed at a tribute concert at Charlie O's on May 26, 2008.

I hope you enjoy them as much as Sid did.

Pat Longo's Big Band Tribute To Sid Bulkin

2008-07-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

The opening and second songs by a big band conducted by Pat Longo, in tribute to Sid, at Charlie O's on May 26, 2008.

More to follow as I work on conversions from the Mini DV tape to digital, and further editing of the digital performances.

For those of us that were at the concert, the band was tight and hot, and I am glad to finally be able to put the live performances up on Sid's blog.

Pat Longo Tribute To Sid Bulkin A Success!

2008-06-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

The tribute to Sid Bulkin at Charlie O's was fabulous. A 17 piece big band, heavy on the horns, with tight arrangements of songs that were Sid's favorites. All directed by Pat Longo.

More pictures. When the videos get here, they will be uploaded, as well.

Some of the family with Pat.

Tribute to Sid at Charlie O's

2008-05-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

LA Jazz Calendar - All SoCal Neighborhoods

Monday, May 26, 2008
Pat Longo Hollywood Big Band - Tribute to Sid Bulkin
8:00 PM
Charlie O's
13725 Victory Blvd.
Van Nuys, 91401
Map this location!
(818) 994-3058
$20 cash cover charge

I know it says 8:00 A.M. so I will call and verify that it really is supposed to be P.M. We all know musicians do not work at 8 a.m., let alone get up at 8 a.m.! Once I confirm that it really is 8:00 p.m., I'll change the entry.

UPDATE: I confirmed it is from 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The band will do two, one-hour sets, with a half-hour break.

The Sticks And The Fedora

2008-04-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

For more pictures and videos of Sid's funeral, check out Carrie's Bar & Grill, "The Sticks And The Fedora."

Mark Spiro Tribute To Sid Bulkin

2008-03-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Mark Spiro's tribute to Sid Bulkin, "New York State Of Mind." "... the New York Times and The Daily News."

Walter Heath At Sid Bulkin Funeral Tribute

2008-03-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Cat On A Hot Fiddle

2008-03-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

To listen to some samples of Sid's drum playing, check out Cat On A Hot Fiddle. Musicians: S.S.: violin, vocals; Paul Smith, Shirley Horn (?): piano; Red Mitchell, Lewis Poers: bass; Sid Bulkin, Harry Saunders: drums; Recorded: 8/59, Wash., DC; 10/59, Hollywood, CA.

Welcome To Sid's Jazz House

2008-03-15T10:51:00.001-07:00

Come on in, join us, and share the music and the history of Sid Bulkin.

Give a listen to some albums by Ralph Flanagan & His Orchestra, Always, and A Tribute To Glenn Miller.

Sidney Bulkin, well known Be bop, jazz drummer, manager, music publisher, formerly nicknamed ‘Broadway Sid,’ when he worked at the Paladium in New York with such stars as: Vic Damone, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Terry Gibbs, Eddie Fisher, Nat king Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Vikki Carr and a slew of others, died of a heart attack in North Hollywood, CA, March 2, 2008. He was 83.

Sid was born in the Bronx in 1924, the son of an Russian immigrant iron-worker, he served in England in the Air Force during world war II, Sid launched his music career in New York city with Ralph Flanagan and was voted one of the 10 top new star drummers in the New York Downbeat Awards.

He produced the first All Star Band and Jazz Album at Bird-land featuring Maynard Ferguson. During the 50’s he contributed to breaking the color line by traveling and performing across the South in Billy Eckstine ’s all black band.

Sidney recorded 10 years with countless artists on the Savoy record label and played on many TV shows, including Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.

In 1957, he and his wife embraced the teachings of the Baha’i Faith and opened their Burbank home weekly for 20 years with children’s classes, youth activities and adult discussions about the influence of the Baha’i faith on present day society.

Sidney will be remembered for his dynamic personality, his incredible sense of humor and his whole-hearted dedication to the Baha’i Faith. One of a cadre of Baha’i artists in the entertainment industry along with Dizzy Gillespie, Doc Holiday and Vic Damone, he labored insistently to promote the ideal of love and unity of all mankind.

Sidney was a devoted father to his three children and a loving grandfather to his nine grandchildren. He is also survived by his older brother and sister