Martha Hession

It's not unusual for the audience not to know what a jazz band might do next, but with Jim and Martha Hession's American Jazz Quin tet, the same goes for the musicians. "We set the tone for each individual piece right there on the spot," says Jim Hession, the group's pianist. "We don't have set arrangements. We like to see how a number will develop."

Although Jim and Martha Hession are booked at Jax in Glendale under their own names, they prefer to be known simply as members of the band they call the American Jazz Quintet. The name has both democratic and musical implications. "Jim and I feel that every one of the five members is as important as anybody else," said Martha Hession, who possesses a vibrant, pure-toned mezzo-soprano voice.

Although Jim and Martha Hession are booked at Jax in Glendale under their own names, they prefer to be known simply as members of the band they call the American Jazz Quintet. The name has both democratic and musical implications. "Jim and I feel that every one of the five members is as important as anybody else," said Martha Hession, who possesses a vibrant, pure-toned mezzo-soprano voice.

It's not unusual for the audience not to know what a jazz band might do next, but with Jim and Martha Hession's American Jazz Quin tet, the same goes for the musicians. "We set the tone for each individual piece right there on the spot," says Jim Hession, the group's pianist. "We don't have set arrangements. We like to see how a number will develop."

The day Jim and Martha Hession met legendary pianist-composer Eubie Blake was one of the most fortunate of their career. But their 15-year association with the pioneering jazz pianist, who died in 1983 at age 100, also has its down-side. "When people hear you worked with Eubie Blake, they think that you're going to sound like a turn-of-the-century ragtime band," vocalist Martha said in a three-way phone conversation with her pianist husband from their Glendale home.

Dodsworth's, a spacious restaurant and bar at 2 W. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, seems to be drawing large crowds with its four-nights-a-week jazz policy. The attraction last Friday was the Hession-Peagler Quartet. The trouble is that the crowds in question are supremely uninterested in listening to the music; they are here to talk.

Tim Emmons started his musical life as a guitarist, but he didn't click with the instrument. "Look at these mitts," he said, holding up his small hands with thick digits. "My fingers are too fat for the guitar." Bass, to which Emmons switched at age 16, was better. First he played electric, then, at 18, when the West Hollywood native began studying music at UC Santa Barbara, upright bass. The latter felt grand.

Where can you bounce between rooms filled with the sounds of big band and country, swingin' jazz and chamber music, a steel drum ensemble and a Dixieland band? At Bash '98, the Orange County Musicians' Assn. festival, that's where. This 27th annual fund-raiser, benefiting the organization's emergency relief fund and scholarship programs, will be held Sunday at the Doubletree Hotel Orange County Airport. There, 389 musicians will play on six different bandstands.

The first time I saw slipcovered furniture, I was visiting a college friend at his family home in New Orleans' genteel Garden District. My friend's mother, an aristocratic, nervous woman, had just put summer slipcovers on the living room chairs and sofa. I was expected to approve but was, instead, utterly confused: Why, I wondered, would someone want to put what looked like rumpled white pajamas on their furniture?

With the holiday shopping frenzy in full swing, remembering to check to see who might be playing at your favorite jazz venue is easy to forget. With that in mind, here is our first annual holiday reminder of good things to come. Catalina Bar & Grill The Hollywood venue continues to offer an appealing musical menu. Charles Lloyd and Cedar Walton's trio continue their six-night stand through Sunday. Then comes invigorating and extroverted pianist Horace Tapscott on Dec.

The day Jim and Martha Hession met legendary pianist-composer Eubie Blake was one of the most fortunate of their career. But their 15-year association with the pioneering jazz pianist, who died in 1983 at age 100, also has its down-side. "When people hear you worked with Eubie Blake, they think that you're going to sound like a turn-of-the-century ragtime band," vocalist Martha said in a three-way phone conversation with her pianist husband from their Glendale home.

At an age when most of us were just getting a vague idea of what we'd like to do with our lives, Donald Dean launched his career. Dean, from Kansas City, Mo., was on the road, with parental approval, at age 13. He landed a gig, at 14, touring with Amos Milburn, a versatile pianist-singer who had such major hits as "Bad, Bad Whiskey." "A shake dancer named Peaches recommended me for the job," said Dean. "It was a jazz experience with a blues background."