Kirk LightseyJun 28, 20202 minDetroit moments: DINAH WASHINGTONI have a vivid memory of hearing Dinah Washington when I was about six at the Paradise Theater. I can’t remember who was in her band. But...
Kirk LightseyJun 1, 20201 minCOMING & GOING KIRK LIGHTSEY TELLS HIS STORY Patience. A lesson in patience. My whole life seems to be about the lesson of patience. Patience with myself. 18 April 2014 in Paris
Kirk LightseyMay 6, 20203 minDETROIT RIOTS 1943-1967From the tender age of 6 I have had a front row seat for the American performance of race riots and rage. It all began for me at home in ...
Kirk LightseyApr 30, 20207 min9 Great jones streetIn a roundabout way, when I finally moved to New York, Cecil McBee led me to moving into a six story 1900 loft building in Noho full of a...
Kirk LightseyApr 29, 20202 minSHOES, PIMPS & HOESBy the time I was born, Detroit had become a famous and successful city because of the automobile industry. People flocked to Detroit fro...
Kirk LightseySep 4, 201913 minTHE NIGHTS OF BRADLEY’SWhen I came from LA to New York in late 1979, Bradley’s was not my destination; the NY Playboy Club was, with bunnies and all that, for a...
Kirk LightseySep 3, 20196 minDEXTER GORDON part 1For five years (1980-1985) I played piano in Dexter’s quartet with Eddie Gladden on drums, Rufus Reid on bass -later replaced by David Eu...
Kirk LightseySep 2, 201916 mindexter gordon part 2with Johnny Griffin Dexter was a strange kind of person to travel around the world with. He had his own agenda wherever he went. He could...
Kirk LightseySep 2, 20193 minHow it all ended with DexterBefore Maxine became Maxine Gordon, she was Maxine Greg who was with Woody Shaw and had a baby by him about the time when I made the reco...
Kirk LightseySep 1, 20195 minTHE PIANO PLUS SIX Clarinet, bass, flute, cello, bassoon & bass clarinet: Over the years, I’ve played many pianos around the world: in clubs, concert halls...
Kirk LightseyAug 28, 20191 minMUSIC BEGINS AT HOMEI was born bangin’ on the piano. It was just a toy, I guess, and it still is. There was always a piano in our house because my grandmothe...
Kirk LightseyAug 27, 20192 minSPECIAL DETROIT MOMENTSNew stories will be added to this section as we go. In Detroit, I met many wonderful musicians and friends, these stories are my "special...