The Bruce Cameron Jazz Ensemble was an American jazz-rock band from California that released the 1979 album With All My Love on Discovery Records.
Members: Bruce Cameron (trumpet, flugelhorn), James Hunt (bass), Carl Evans, Jr. (keyboards), Gary Nieves (drums), Charlotte Steele (vocals)
Background
The Bruce Cameron Jazz Ensemble formed in San Diego in 1978 when trumpeter and flugelhornist Bruce Cameron assembled pianist Carl Evans Jr., bassist Nathan East, drummer Gary Nieves, and singer Charlotte Steele for a residency at Le Chalet in Ocean Beach. Cameron grew up in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York, and studied trumpet with his high-school teacher. He studied social sciences and anthropology at Bucknell University, then moved to Hawaii in 1967 for a research project and played in backup bands for visiting performers.
Cameron enlisted in the Navy after receiving a draft notice and trained at the Armed Forces School of Music in Virginia. He served with the Navy West Coast Show Band and reached San Diego through his Navy assignment. Cameron left the service in April 1972 and worked as a state placement counselor. He toured with Quicksand and played in the California Theatre house band. Cameron also joined the San Diego Chargers band and entered the local jazz-club circuit in 1976 at San Diego nightclubs.
Evans and East came through Crawford High School, where both played in school ensembles and the funk band Power with saxophonist Hollis Gentry and drummer Skipper Ragsdale. Power toured with Barry White in the early Seventies. East earned a music degree at UC San Diego under Cecil Lytle and Bert Turetzky. Nieves grew up with drummer Ronnie Stewart and later played with Gentry in San Diego bands.
Cameron persuaded the Le Chalet owner to clear the pool tables for live music, and the ensemble expanded the engagement to three or four nights per week. The quartet also worked autumn dates at the Crossroads in San Diego. Cameron used the Le Chalet lineup as the basis for a self-financed four-track album at Musicreations Studio near Cowles Mountain. He then secured Discovery Records distribution for With All My Love.
Discography:
- With All My Love (1979)
Artist/Album Pages:
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