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Sidney Bechet
Born in New Orleans on May 14th, 1897, Sidney Bechet was a
major figure in early jazz. He was an outstanding clarinetist, and for many years the
only soprano saxophone virtuoso.
He played with legendary musicians such as Buddy Petit and Bunk Johnson. In 1917 he left
New Orleans for Europe, and it was in London that he picked up a soprano saxophone which he
eventually learned to master after a seemingly hopeless struggle. Bechet received rave
revues in Europe,-but, was briefly imprisoned in London after a dispute with a lady
of ill renown. Back in the U.S.A. he worked with James P. Johnson and Duke Ellington,
before returning to Europe for a lengthy period. Once again—back in the U.S.A.,
Bechet played extensively with Noble Sissle throughout the thirties and recorded with
numerous noted jazzmen including Louis Armstrong, Tommy Ladnier and Eddie Condon. In 1949
he made another trip to France and this time he stayed—as a king in his new homeland.
He played and recorded extensively, and on his 62nd birthday, a statue was
erected in his honor in Antibes, where he settled down. Bechet was a most passionate
performer who was second to none in
melodic richness and emotional intensity.
Cannonball Adderly:
Julian Edwin Adderley was born in Tampa, Florida on September 15th, 1928 and was
one of the great saxophonists of his generation. His fiery, blues-soaked interpretations
of Charlie Parker’s tunes brought jazz to many people who had not as yet been touched
by it. In the ‘60’s, Adderley launched a new genre which enjoyed popularity all
the way into the ‘90’s, He created a sensation at New York’s Cafe Bohemia,
playing alongside bass man Oscar Pettiford, and in 1958 Adderley signed with Riverside
Records and released a series of albums over the next six years. Many of these were
recorded LIVE, which laid the foundation for the ‘soul-jazz’ genre. From 1957 to
’59, Adderley was part of the classic Miles Davis Quintet, which also included John
Coltrane.
Asked about his inspiration, Adderley cited Benny Carter and, of course, Charlie Parker.
Henry Red Allen
Born in New Orleans on January 7th, 1908. He was one of the best and brightest young
trumpeters in New Orleans by the early 1920’s (his father ran a famous brass band in
that city.) Allen first moved north to Chicago to join King Joe Oliver’s Dixie Synchopators in 1927. He then moved back to New Orleans to work with Walter Pichon and
Fate Marable, and then Victor Records hired him as that label’s answer to Louis
Armstrong. Allen travelled
to New York and recorded with Luis Russel’s orchestra, and then joined Russell full
time. "It was the happiest band I ever worked with", he said.
And he added, "It was also the swingiest band in New York. "
In 1933, tempted by money and prestige, Allen joined Fletcher Henderson for a year, and
then came three years with Lucky Millander, during which time he recorded his famous
"Ride Red Ride" . For the last 27 years of his
life, Henry Red Allen led his own bands and travelled between Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and New York, and made visits to England in 1964, 66, and 67.
Henry Red Allen died of cancer in 1967.
Albert Ammons
A
major inspiration to generations of improvising musicians, Albert Ammons is best
remembered as an exciting pianist who inaugurated the Blue Note record label by
hammering out blues and boogie duets with Meade "Lux Lewis ", and as the father
of hard bop tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons. Born in Chicago on September 23,
1907, he learned the rudiments of piano from his parents and neighbors and began
cultivating an ability to play the blues when he was 12 years old.
Ernestine Anderson
Positioned
squarely in the mainstream camp, at home in the worlds of jazz and pop standards
as well as the blues, comfortable with small groups and big bands, Ernestine
Anderson regularly receives a lot of airplay on traditional jazz radio stations
these days. She fits those demographics well with her tasteful, slightly gritty,
moderately swinging contralto, someone who doesn't probe too deeply into
emotional quagmires (and thus doesn't disturb the dispositions of those who use
the radio as background) but always gives you an honest, musical account.
Anderson's career actually got rolling in the embryonic R&B field at first; as a
teenager, she sang with Russel Jacquets band in 1943.
William "Cat" Anderson
Cat
Anderson was arguably the greatest high-note trumpeter of all time. His solo on
"Satin Doll" from Duke Ellingtons 70th birthday concert is a
perfectly coherent chorus consisting of notes that are so high that it is
doubtful if another trumpeter from all of jazz history could hit more than one
or two. He first learned trumpet while at the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston
and toured with the Carolina Cotton Pickers, a group in which he made his
recording debut. During 1935-1944, Anderson played with many groups including
those of Claude Hopkins, Lucky Milander, Erskine Hawkins and Lionel Hampton..
Hampton loved his high-note mastery.
Ray Anthony
He has been one of Big Band music's most dedicated ambassadors. For sixty
years he has helped keep alive the sounds of America's golden age of jazz and
pop music. Born in 1922, Anthony began his musical career at age five, playing
in his family's group, the Antonini Family Orchestra. During high school he
worked with local bands in the Cleveland, Ohio, area and later made his
professional debut with Al Donahue in 1940. After only a short time with
Donahue, Anthony was hired by Glenn Miller but left after six months, unable to
get along with the famous orchestra leader. He then played briefly with Jimmy
Dorsey before forming his own group. During the 1950s he had a string of hits,
including "Peter Gunn," "The Bunny Hop," "Harbor Lights," and a jazzed-up
version of the Dragnet theme song. He also appeared in several movies during
that decade, such as This Could Be the Night and the Fred Astaire vehicle Daddy
Long Legs. Ray Anthonys Harry James style trumpet and arrangements were mainly
aimed at a more commercial oriented crowd rather than jazz fans. However a few
of his late 50s releases show the swinging side of Ray Anthony. During the
1960s, as the market for big bands dropped off, Anthony toured the lounge
circuit with a sextet and a female vocal duo called the Bookends. His popularity
continued and he was eventually able to add to his group, ending up with ten
musicians and six female singers. During the 1980s Anthony began touring with a
big band again. He also formed Big Bands 80s, an organization dedicated to
providing big band music to schools, radio stations and other venues. Ray
Anthony remains, to this day, dedicated to his calling.
Harry Arlen
Born Hyman Arluck, February 15, 1905 Buffalo, NY, he changed his name after
he quit high school and began to perform professionally. Arlen first learned to
sing in his father's synagogue choir but most of his musical training and
background was gained from his mother. Arlen was noticed by Broadway and popular
music composer Vincent Youmans, who gave him a part in the 1929 musical "Great
Day" as rehearsal pianist. . It was there that Arlen established a long time
collaboration with composer and lyric writer Ted Koehler. During a rehearsal
they combined to write "Get Happy" and soon convinced the financial backers of
the program that Arlen had great potential as a songwriter. "Get Happy" was
subsequently used in 9:15 Revue and was made a major hit by singer Ruth Etting
in 1930. "Get Happy," Arlen's first song, still remains a standard today. In the
early thirties, Arlen joined the music publishing house of J. H. Remick and also
recorded as a vocalist with the big bands fo Joe Venuti, Eddie Duchin , Red
Nichols, and Benny Goodman. He continued his collaboration with Ted Koehler and
they combined to write revues for New York's Cotton Club. Arlen also served as
the club's musical director. Classic standards were introduced during this time
including, "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," "Stormy Weather," "I Gotta
Right to Sing the Blues," "I Love a Parade," "I've Got the World on a String,"
and "Kickin the Gong Around." "Stormy Weather" was received so favorably, it led
to Arlen receiving his first film contract. Arlen wrote the music for three
Broadway musicals from 1930-34. He departed for Hollywood where he continued for
a decade to concentrate on motion pictures with the exception of one Broadway
show "Hooray for What?". In Hollywood, he began his new collaboration with
Johnny Mercer and they received Academy Award nominations for "Blues in the
Night," "That Old Black Magic," "and `My Shining Hour." One of Arlen finest
screen songs was "Last Night When We Were Young" and was written for the motion
picture "Metropolitan" with lyrics written by Harburg. In later years it was
recorded by Judy Garland and other vocalists but did not become a major hit
until the 1950's when Frank Sinatra released it on the Capitol Record label. All
in all, Arlen composed music for over 25 films. He once confessed, "I wanted to
be a singer. Never dreamed of songwriting." Harold Arlen died on April 23, 1986;
he suffered from Parkinson's disease.
Louis 'satchmo' Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4th,1901, and was raised in and around the notorious Storyville district.
It was a place of Run-down apartment building, brothels, Honky-tonks, dance halls and
churches. He grew up here with his mother and younger sister..his father having abandoned
the family when Louis was born.
His childhood combine being free to run the street and earn money which his family needed
desperately. Louis formal education was limited severely, but he was a bright child who
quickly gained the kind of wisdom needed for survival. He learned to hustle for money. a
lesson he never forgot.
Even later in life, when he was rich and famous, Louis still regarded his career as a
'Hustle*. As a child he was singing at street corners, and by the age of thirteen--as an
inmate of a colored waifs home, played percussion, and then bugle and finally cornet. It
was the period that changed his life.
Amstrong had found his path. He not only displayed a
remarkable affinity for music, but also understood harmony. After his release from the
home, it was some time before he could afford to buy an instrument of his own.
He borrowed a cornet whenever he could and played with any band that would hire him.
Meanwhile, he took on other jobs, mainly delivering coal with a horse and cart. Through
his late teens, Armstrong played in countless bands in New Orleans, gradually working his
way up to the best of them.
The precocious young cornetist attracted the attention of the city's
jazz masters, one of them being Joe 'King' Oliver. Oliver became Louis' coach and
occasional employer. That was around 1917.
Unfortunately, there are no recordings with Louis Armstrong from that early date. It
wasn't until the twenties, after he joined King Oliver in Chicago, that we hear his
playing.
In his autobiography, Armstrong describes his departure from New Orleans for the exciting
and almost dreadful trip to Chicago to join King Oliver there. "Joe Oliver left New
Orleans in 1918 and was now up in Chicago doing real swell. He kept sending me letters and
telegrams telling me to come up and play second cornet for him. I had made up my mind that
I would not leave New Orleans unless the King sent for me. I wouldn't risk leaving for
anyone else. I finally accepted Joe's offer. The day I was leaving for Chicago I played a
funeral over in Algiers on August 8th, 1922.
The boys in the Tuxedo Brass Band and Oscar Celestin's band did their best to talk me out
of leaving, but soon as the funeral was over I rushed home, threw my glad-rags together
and hurried to the train station. The whole band came to the station to see me off.
Everybody hollered and one guy yelled, "You're a lucky black son-of-a-bitch going up
north to play with ol' Joe. "
For two years, Armstrong and Oliver made musical history, and if it
hadn't been for the piano player in the band, they might have continued doing so for many
more years. The pianist was Lil Hardin who took special interest in the young cornetist
and who became the second major interest in his life: By 1924, Louis and Lil were married,
and she prompted him to leave Oliver's band and head for New York. Once there, Satchmo
joined Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, giving that band a quality of solo
playing the likes of which that city had never heard.
Armstrong's musical ideas, developed together with King Oliver, also spurred Fletcher
Henderson's arranger, Don Redman. Armstrong stayed with Henderson for a little over a year
and then returned to Chicago in 1925 at his wife's behest to star as "The world's
Greatest Trumpeter with her band. And for the next couple of years Louis recorded
extensively with the first of the famous Hot Five and Hot Seven bands.
In 1932 and 1933, Armstrong made his first trips to Europe, playing to tremendously
enthusiastic audiences. and from 1935 onwards, he fronted Luis Russel's orchestra, playing
along with that other great trumpeter, Henry Red Allen.
Actually, Louis began fronting Russel's orchestra quite a few years earlier--in 1929.
In 1938, Louis and Lil were divorced and he married Alpha Smith. That marriage lasted
about four years. He then married Lucille Wilson who survived him. From that point on,
some observers suggest that Armstrong's career began to slide downwards. His musical style
was, in fact, a little out of step with public demand and by the early 40's he was out of
vogue.
Armstrong's promoter, Joe Glaser, had Louis form a new band: The All- Stars, and this
remained the setting for Satchmo's music for the rest of his life. This was the first All
Star Band:
For almost half-a-century. Louis Armstrong had been an entertainer and he was not about to
change. He toured on until almost the very end recovering from at least one heart attack.
He had become a major influence on jazz musicians and jazz itself and hardly a trumpeter
in the world didn't idolize him or ever hope of achieving his greatness. Indeed, nobody
ever has matched his virtuosity or his commitment to jazz.
Louis Satchmo Armstrong died in his sleep in his New York home
on July 6th, 1971 at the age of 70.
Sidney Arodin
Sidney Arnodrin was born in Westwego, Louisiana on March 29, 1901.
He began playing clarinet in his early teens and was soo working
professionally. He moved to New York in the early 20’s and joined
the Original New Orleans Jazz Band. He then returned to the south
and played in Texas and Louisiana. Arodin made records with Wingy Manone and others and in
1930 he wrote the music for "Lazy River" for which Hoagy Carmichael wrote the
lyrics. Arodin played in many of the popular bands of the time, including that of Louis
Prima.
Svend Asmussen
Was born in Copenhagen on February 28th, 1916. He began playing violin as a
small child and first played professionally in 1933. In the mid-thirties Asmussen recorded
with other Danish musicians and played on radio.
He also performed with visiting American stars, including Fats Waller.
During World War Two he continued in show business and in the early 60’s he worked
with Alice Babs and Duke Ellington, among others.
In later years, Asmussen worked with many other jazz artists, including Stephan Grappelli,
Lionel Hampton and Bucky Pizzarelli. Throughout the 70’s and 80’s he continued
to record and to appear at International festivals and was still active on the scene into
the 90’s.
Ge
orgie Auld
GeorgieAuld had a long and varied career, changing his
tenor sound gradually with the times and adapting to many different musical
situations. He moved from Canada to the U.S. in the late '20s and, although
originally an altoist, he switched to tenor after hearing Coleman Hawkins. While
with Bunny Berigan during 1937-1938, Auld sounded like a dead ringer for Charlie
Barnet. After spending a year with Artie Shaw in 1939 Auld sounded much closer
to Lester Young when he joined Benny Goodman., Auld was a major asset, jamming
with a version of Goodmans Sextet.
Mildred Bailey
An early jazz singer with a sweet voice that belied
her plump physique, Mildred Bailey balanced a good deal of popular success with
a hot jazz-slanted career that saw her billed as Mrs. Swing (her husband, Red
Norvo, was Mr. Swing). Born Mildred Rinker in Washington state in 1907, Bailey
began performing at an early age, playing piano and singing in movie theaters
during the early '20s. By 1925, she was the headlining act at a club in
Hollywood, doing a mixture of pop, early jazz tunes, and vaudeville standards.
Influenced by Ethel Waters , Bessie Smith, and Connie Boswell, she developed a
soft, swinging delivery that pleased all kinds of nightclub audiences in the
area.
Ray Bauduc
Ray Bauduc was born in New Orleans on June 18th, 1909,
and his home town instilled in him a love for two-beat drumming
which he retained even when he played with Bob Crosby’s swing
era big band. Long before, Bauduc had worked with Eddie
Lang, Joe Venuti and Freddie Rich, and , in 1928, joined
Ben Pollack’s band. After leaving Bob Crosby in 1942, Bauduc went to work with Jimmy
Dorsey, Jack Teagarden, and others, and in the 50’s became co-founder of a popular
west coast band.
Buster Bailey
William C. (Buster) Bailey was born in Memphis, Tennessee July 19th, 1902.
His teacher was the same man who taught Benny Goodman—Franz Schoepp.
After working with the bands of W.C. Handy and Joe King Oliver, Bailey joined Fletcher
Henderson’s orchestra in 1924. Later he moved to John Kirby’s sextet. He stayed
with Kirby until 1946 and then joined a number of traditional and mainstrean bands led by
Wilbur de Paris and Henry Red Allen. In 1965 Bailey joined Louis Armstrong where he
remained until his death in 1967.
Chet Baker
Born as Chesney Baker on December 23rd, 1929 in Yale Oklahoma, was one of the
more lyrical of the early post-war trumpeters. His fragile sound exemplified the so-called
"cool" school of West coast
musicians who dominated the American jazz scene of the 5o’s.
In 1951, Baker played with Charlie Parker and then gained
international prominence as a member of Gerry Mulligan’s quartet-Baker, unfortunately succumbed to drug addiction and the rest
of his life was a battle against dependency. Baker died in 1988 –at the age of 59, after falling—or jumping from an Amsterdam hotel window..
Kenny Ball
Kenny Ball was born on May 22nd, 1930 in Ilford, Essex
England. He played harmonica and bugle in a local band
before switching to the trumpet. He had played for a BBC
radio broadcast and joined clarinetist Sid Phillips band in 1954.
Later he formed his own Dixieland band. Kenny Ball
had worked with the top British jazz men including Freddy Randall, Chris Barber
and Acker Bilk and, together with the last two, made an album which reached
Number One on the music charts in the U.K. In 1963, Ball was made an honorary
citizen of New Orleans and he also received the Carl Alan award for the most
outstanding traditional jazz band. In 1968, he and his band appeared with Louis
Armstrong during his last European visit. Throughout the seventies and eighties,
Ball toured extensively abroad, while maintaining his British popularity with
regular concerts.
Ball claimed his own career peak came in 1981 when he and
his jazzmen played at the wedding reception of Prince Charles and Princess
Diana.
Paul Barbarin
Paul Barbarin was born in New Orleans on May 5th, 1899. He became one of the
most famous and best drummers in the Crescent City. With his father, an established brass
player and member of the Onward Brass Band, and three brothers all playing jazz, Barbarin
could hardly have done anything but become a jazz musican. Still in his teens he moved to
Chicago where he worked with Joe King Oliver and Jimmy Noone.
From 1928 Barbarin worked mainly in New York with Luis Russell’s
band which—in 1935 came under the nominal leadership of Louis Armstrong.
In 1939, he returned to New Orleans and, apart from occasional trips to Chicago in the
40’s and 50’s when he played with Henry Red Allen and Sidney Bechet, he led his
own band. It was in New Orleans that he stayed and played and enjoed life as an elder
statesman of jazz. Paul Barbarin—the man who composed "Bourbon Street
Parade", continued family tradition when, like his father before him, he became
leader of the Omward
Brass Band. It was, in fact, while leading this band in a New Orleans Street Parade that
he collapsed and died in February 1969.
Chris Barber
Was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England,
April 17th, 1930. He studied trombone and Bass and eventually
chose trombone as his main instrument. He formed his first band
in the 40’s and by the 50’s had gained a considerable following.
Barber’s band was one of Great Britain’s leading traditional groups, and despite
the decline in interest in traditional jazz, Barber refused to compromise his high musical
standards. He did accommodate to other forms of music, but always worked the traditional
elements of Dixieland and ragtime into his arrangements. In the 70’s, Barber focused
more on mainstream music—like the small *Ellington styled’ bands, and toured
with visitors like Wild Bill Davison, Russell Procope, and Trummy Young and he maintained
contact with his jazz roots. The top British jazz man in England and internationally,
Barber entered his fifth decade as a bandleader in the 90’s, with no sign of flagging
interest, enthusiasm or skill.
George Barnes
George Barnes was born in Chicago Heights on July 17th, 1921,
and won the Tommy Dorsey Swing contest in 1937 when he was
only 16. He was then already a seasoned guitarist, having worked
extensively in the mid-west as leader of his own small group.
Barnes went on to a whole string of recording dates in which
he accompanied leading blues singers, and he spent most of the 40’s in staff jobs
with the leading radio networks in Chicago and with Decca records in New York. In the
sixties he worked with fellow guitarists Carl Kress and Bucky Pizzarelli and played
brilliant duets with Ruby Braff and Joe Venuti. Barnes died all too young—in 1977 at
the age of 56.
CHARLIE BARNET
Charlie Barnet was born in New York City on October 25th, 1913, into a wealthy
family, where he played piano and reed instruments while still in school. By his teens he
decided that he wanted to play jazz and, for a number of years he played on ocean-going
liners, often as a band leader. He formed his first mainland big band in 1933, and
continued to lead a band throughout the swing era. Barnet could afford to indulge his
whims and musical preferences, and he did so. Of all the swing era bandleaders, Barnet was
the one most able to do what he pleased. Although he lived riotously, having married six
times, Barnet adopted high musical standards and refused to compromise on commercial
matters. Barnet was also a leading figure in breaking racial taboos in the hiring of black
musicians and, as early as 1935, he had a mixed-race band. Over the years his men included
Charlie Shavers, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie and Trummy Young, a featured Lena Horne as
songstress. By the 40’s, Barnet’s was one of the best big bands After
that—having accomplished everything he wanted in the band business.
Barnet left music temporarily, and became a hotel owner, but he continued, periodically to
form both small and big bands for special engagement.
Count Basie
William (Count) Basie was born in Red Bank, New Jersey Aug. 21st,
1904..just across the Hudson river from N.Y. His mother gave
him his first piano lessons, and he took every opportunity to hear
the celebrated kings of the keyboard—James P. Johnson, Willie‘the Lion’ Smith and Fats Waller. Basie actually studied under
Fats Waller for a while and became a professional musician in the
early 20’s. He toured as a vaudeville accompanist and, once while stranded on a tour
in Kansas City, he joined Benny Moten’s band there. When Moten died, Basie took over
the band’s nucleus.: Hot Lips Page, Jimmy Rushing, Lester Young, Buster Smith and so
on.
In 1939 a recording contract took Basie’ to New York where his band expanded to 12
musicians, including Freddy Green and Earl Warren.
Basie’s performances at Roseland Ballroom and the Famous Door nightclub established
his reputation , and his band continued playing, pretty much with the same group all the
way into the eighties.
Bix Beiderbecke
One of the legendary figures in Jazz, Leon ‘Bix’ Beiderbecke was
born in Davenport, Iowa on March 10th, 1903. His role as a ‘legend’
would have probably been amusing to him, had he lived long enough to know about it.
For Bix died at the age of 28 after a tragic life-story. Beiderbecke began when he was 15,
and like thousands of other white boys, was inspired by records of the Original Dixieland
Jazz band and by hearing bands on the Mississippi River boarts. He started picking out
tunes on the piano. Bix, who had been, by the way enrolled at a nearby military academy
for the sons of middle-class families, was expelled in 1922 due to his frequent escapades
and increasing use of alcohol. He joined the Cascades Band in Chicago, played on the
Great Lakes Steamer excursion boats, and met the young Benny Goodman. Now, in 1923, a band
called the New Orleans Rhythm Kings was playing in Chicago. It was the first important
white band in Jazz history and among those which brought to Chicago the authentic source
music of New Orleans. It was their music that influenced the style of Bix and the
Wolverines when they began playing in 1924.
The Wolverines was the first white band composed entirely of non New Orleans musicians. At
about this time, Bix broke away from his middle-class, middle-American family— German
immigrants who knew European music and tried to school their son in what they thought they
knew).They never forgave Bix for leaving home in favor of the jazz scene, and this had a
profound effect on Bix’s future. He was already achieving fame with the
"Wolverines," and went on to play with dance bands in New York and Chicago,
while spending his spare time listening to the leading black musicians of the
day—mainly Louis Armstrong and King Joe Oliver. In 1926 he worked with Frankie
Trumbauer and, with him, moved on to the bands of Jean Goldkette and Paul Whiteman two
years later. At this time
--from 1927, Bix also formed his own group called "Bix and his gang"
The problems plaguing Bix Beiderbecke were twofold: His desire to dignify his playing with
‘classical’ overtones. He was the first jazz musician to try
broadening the harmonic scope of jazz by adding basic modern harmony and, the first
improvisor to lift primitive New Orleans music by tinting it with subtile colors of
European impressionist composers. If Bix was obsessed with this,—even more troubling
to his mind—was being rejected by his own family.
As one biographer revealed, Bix paid a visit to his home one day and found all the records
that he mailed to his family still lying, unopened on a cupboard shelf. The third factor
in the Beiderbecke tragedy was his general weakness of character. He took refuge in drink
which quickly degenerated into chronic alcoholism. This, together with bad health, kept
Bix out of the Whiteman band for long periods, although Whiteman kept his chair empty for
him and paid all his bills. Let’s hear some of his work when he WAS able and willing.
By the end of 1929 Bix was back home in Davenport trying vainly to restore himself. During
his last year he tried out with the Casa Loma orchestra and played with pick-up bands in
New York—including sessions with Benny Goodman, Red Nichols and others. During the
short span of his productive years, Bix Beiderbecke continually demonstrated his fertile
imagination. Although his contribution to jazz may fall short of the advances made
by Louis Armstrong , Bix often displayed a sensitivity that foreshadowed the cooler
approach to the jazz trumpet of a later generation. Beiderbecke’s early death and the
tragic manner of his passing, helped to make him a legend. In his book entitled "The
reluctant art" Benny Green wrote. " Bix is Jazz’s Number One Saint".
He was the first—perhaps the only white musician to contribute something completely
original to the jazz art. He really was a key figure in the development of jazz. Hoagy
Carmichael, who had a whole collection of legends about Bix, one remarked in his typically
wry fashion: " When I first heard Bix play I nearly fell off the Davenport! " (
which may or may not have been a reference to his home town and this tune—"The
Davenport Blues."
Beiderbecke was only 28 years old. While his technique had been limited, the sound of Bix
cornet had a fragile, crystalline quality—and not surprising, since he loved the
music of Debussy.) He loved classical music-period ! Back in the days of his Wolverines,
drummer Victor Moore testified that Bix attended concerts and said "I met Bix in New
York in later years
and the first thing he said to me was ‘ Come on, I’ve got tickets for the
symphony tonight!’ ". Many a musician and jazz critic has rated Bix Beiderbecke
as the greatest cornet player of all time, based on purity and classical precision.
Tex Benecke
Tex
Beneke played a major role in establishing the Glenn Miller sound as one of the
most successful inventions of the big band era. His tenor saxophone solos and
amiable vocals featured prominently on many of Millers biggest hits, including
In The Mood, String of Pearls, Chattanooga Choo Choo, I Got a Girl in
Kalamazoo and Dont Sit Under the Apple Tree, and he was a key member of the
saxophone section in his four years with the band. He joined in 1938, having
been recommended to Miller by drummer Gene Krupa, and remained in the band until
the trombonist disbanded the unit when he entered the armed forces in 1942.
Beneke was never a member of Millers final Army Air Force Band, which was based
in England prior to the bandleaders still mysterious death when his aircraft
disappeared over the English Channel while on a flight to France in 1944.
Instead, the saxophonist toured in the USA with The Modernaires, the vocal group
formerly associated with the Miller band, then led a Navy band in Oklahoma.
Glenn Millers widow approached Beneke to lead a reformed version of the
posthumous Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1946. The band was an immediate success,
touring intensively to wildly enthusiastic audience responses and racking up a
sequence of hit records, all in the classic Miller mould.
Bunny Berigan
was born Roland Bernard Berigan November 2nd, 1908 in Hilbert,
Wisconsin. Heavily influenced by Louis Armstrong, he performed with his idol's power and
zest at his peak He started out playing in local Wisconsin bands and then moved to
Philadephia and New York. His first important engagement was with Hal Kemp with whom he
toured in Europe. Actually, reports are that Kemp didn't hire Berigan at first because
" he had the tinniest, most ear-splitting tone you ever heard!" Yest, Kemp did
finally hire Bunny for the tours back in 1928, and two years later Berigan acquired one of
the most beautiful sounds any jazz trumpeter ever had.
Bunny also worked with Fred Rich's CBS studio band in 1931 and
then Paul Whiteman's highly successful orchestra as a replacement for Bix Beiderbecke. The
arrangement wasn't to Berigan's liking, since he felt that he had too few solo
opportunities and he didn't care much for Whiteman's musical policy either. Berigan seldom
liked anyone's musical policy which is why he formed he own bands time and time again. At
any rate,. he did join the Dorsey Brothers, and, in 1934 he played with Abe Lyman's
orchestra. In 1935 Berigan joined Benny Goodman where , while drinking pretty heavily, was
present on that great night at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles where the crowds went
wild and the swing era was born. Benny Goodman recalled that night saying, "When Bunny
stood up and blew 'Sometimes I'm Happy' and 'King Porter Stomp', the place exploded!"
Berigan was never one to sit around much and seemed to move around all the time--from band
to band. Like the following year-- in 1936 for example, when he joined Red McKenzie's
Rhythm Kings in New York. Bunny Berigan had leadership ideas of his own. After a spell
with Red McKenzie's band, Berigan started his own big band.
Berigan's big band was a flop right from the start. Yet, he managed to top the metronome
jazz poll with five times as many votes as his nearest rival--Louis Armstrong, and that
was when Satchmo was at his absolute peak. Berigan was THE trumpeter of the year.
During the few years he led his own big band, the critics and public alike were delighted.
CBS engaged him for a series of network radio shows--"The Saturday night swing
club", and his live appearances at clubs rivaled other bands fiercely. Haywood
Henry, a musician with Erskine Hawkins band at the time recalled, "Bunny stole the
show from us at the Savoy, and there were only three bands that could do that: The Duke,
Lionel Hampton and-- Bunny! I've no doubt that he was the best white trumpeter!."
Berigan's performances were, indeed, of unbeatable brilliance.. Unfortunately, Berigan
lacked discipline in his playing which could run out of control in much the same way that
his personal life ran helter-skelter.Heavy drinking had ruined his health and his bank
account, and one source claims he became mentally unbalanced. Berigan rejoined Tommy
Dorsey's band in 1940, but after a radio broadcast he simply walked out abruptly.
"I had to fire him" said Dorsey. "I hated to do it, but I couldn't bring
him 'round."
Ironically Berigan had been Dorsey's most vital solo trumpeter in the years of that band
leader's most successful recordings--with tunes that helped seal Dorsey's future In 1942,
Berigan was scheduled to play at New York's Manhattan Center.
His band turned up but Bunny didn't. He was seriously ill with liver cirrhosis and
internal bleeding caused by drinking cheap rot-gut whiskey. Berigan was rushed to the
hospital where he died--at the age of 34.
Bunny Berigan and Louis Armstrong may have been kindred spirits, but Bunny was white and
Louis black; Armstrong, beneath his easy-going manner had a streak of steel, and Bunny was
weak. Armstrong saw his career as 'hustle' and a struggle to survive; Berigan took
everything casually--everthing from trumpet playing to women. Armstrong's solos were
polished pieces; Berigan's were audacious creations with neither Armstrong's technique nor
inspiration. Berigan remains..with Bix Beiderbecke, the trumpet tragedy of the 1930's. ..a
super talent that blew itself away too soon. As Armstrong said--in tribute to his rival:
"Bunny was great, but he had no business dying that young.!"
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin (1888-1989) was the most successful songwriter
of the 20th century. Though, like his contemporaries, he spent the better part
of his career writing songs (usually both words and music) to be used in
Broadway musicals, he is better remembered for the songs themselves than for the
shows (and sometimes films) in which they were introduced. This is because
Berlin was a master at the kind of music that flourished from the turn of the
century until World War II, shows that were really just collections of
production numbers, scenes, and novelty acts (organized vaudeville
presentations.
.BARNEY BIGARD
Was born as Albany Leon Bigard in New Orleans on March 3rd, 1906.
Of a musical family, he began studying clarinet at the age of seven.
And worked in street parades. Bigard switched to Tenor saxophone in 1922 when he joined
the band led by Albert Nicholas (that grand clarinetist) and then played in several New
Orleans bands before going to Chicago to join King Oliver. That’s when he switched
back to clarinet. In the mid-twenties he played in Chicago and New York with Luis Russell,
among others, and then Joined Duke Ellington in 1927. Bigard remained with the Duke for
fifteen years..until 1942, when he began leading his own bands and working for the film
studios in Hollywood. In 1947 he joined Louis Armstrong’s all-stars where he stayed
for five years and, returned to Satchmo for another stint in the 60’s. Bigard then
went on to play with many bands led by Johnny St. Cyr, Muggsy Spanier, Red Stuart and Art
Hodes. In the 70’s he toured with Hodes, Eddie Condon, and many others. Bigard’s
was one of the most distinctive jazz voices with a rich, flowing sound that seemed to
improve with time, like vintage wine.
Acker Bilk
Acker
Bilk or Mr. Acker Bilk, as he was billed has won immortality on rock oldies
radio for his surprise 1962 hit "Stranger on the Shore," an evocative ballad
featuring his heavily quavering low-register clarinet over a bank of strings. To
the jazz world, though, he has a longer-running track record as one of the
biggest stars of Britain's trad jazz boom, playing in a distinctive early New
Orleans manner. After learning his instrument in the British Army, Bilk joined
Ken Colyers 's trad band in 1954 before stepping out on his own in 1956.
EUBIE BLAKE
James Hubert Blake was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 7th, 1883.
He grew up to the sounds of Ragtime music and before the turn of the century was playing
piano in sporting houses and similar establishments. (Sporting house is a euphenism for
brothel) Blake was also a composer and in 1915 joined forces with Noble Sissle, playing in
vaudeville as a double-act. In 1921 the two wrote a score for a Broadway musical,
"Shuffle along" in which the both took part—Blake at the piano.
They also composed an enormous hit song, "I’m just wild about Harry". This,
by the way, was a boost to President Harry Truman’s election campaign in 1948. Blake
also contributed to other Broadway musicals and revues.
One of the lovely ballad he wrote was "Memories of you". Blake reunited with
Sissle in 1937 and later spent much of World War Two entertaining troops with the USO. In
1969, at the age of 86, Blakes fortunes were revived when John Hammond Jr. Recorded the
old man playing piano and talking about his life. The revival of ragtime at the time
helped his comeback and the next years were filled with honors, recordings, concerts,
festivals and TV appearances and, in 1978 Blakes life and music were celecbrated
in a broadway show, "Eubie" which was also televised in the USA and later stages
in London. On the occasion of his 100th birthday Blake said, "If I had
known I was going to live this long I would’ve taken better care of myself." He
died five days later.
Art Blakey
In
the '60s, when John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman were defining the concept of a
jazz avant-garde, few knowledgeable observers would have guessed that in another
30 years the music's mainstream would virtually bypass their innovations, in
favor of the hard bop style that free jazz had apparently supplanted. As it
turned out, many listeners who had come to love jazz as a sophisticated
manifestation of popular music were unable to accept the extreme esotericism of
the avant-garde; their tastes were rooted in the core elements of "swing" and
"blues," characteristics found in abundance in the music of the Jazz Messengers,
the quintessential hard bop ensemble led by drummer Art Blakey.
Jimmy Blythe
Considering
how many fine recording sessions he was on in Chicago in the 1920s (particularly
with Johnny Dodds), it is surprising how little is known about the mysterious
Jimmy Blythe. He was raised in Kentucky, moved to Chicago in 1918, and studied
with pianist Clarence Jones.. Blythe recorded dozens of piano rolls in the early
'20s. He began cutting records in 1924 (Blythe's "Chicago Stomp" from that year
is considered by some to be the first full-length boogie-woogie recording).
During the next seven years, he made a few piano solos;. Jimmy Blythe died at
the age of 30 from meningitis.
Buddy Bolden
Although no one knows when jazz music was "invented," a good starting point
is when cornetist Buddy Bolden formed his first band in 1895. The first
important name in jazz history, Bolden's career has long been buried in legend,.
Bolden left school in 1890, learned cornet, and originally played dance music.
Because he never recorded (a legendary 1898 cylinder has never been found), one
can only guess how Bolden sounded, but according to reports he was very
blues-oriented. He was the most popular musician in New Orleans by 1900, and an
influence on later cornetists, but by 1906 he was slowly going insane. The
following year, Bolden was committed to Jackson Mental Institute where he
remained completely forgotten for his final 24 years.
Sharkey Bonano
His Kings of Dixieland was another fine example of a small, typical
New Orleans Dixieland band. Sharkey, the trumpeter, actually lived in New Orleans for over
50 years, very seldom venturing north except for a fe brief engagement. For a third of a
century Sharkey has done much to establish Dixieland jazz throughout America.
Earl Bostic
Alto
saxophonist Earl Bostic was a technical master of his instrument, yet remained
somewhat underappreciated by jazz fans due to the string of simple, popular
R&B/jump blues hits he recorded during his heyday in the '50s. Born Eugene Earl
Bostic in Tulsa, OK, on April 25, 1913, Bostic played around the Midwest during
the early '30s, studied at Xavier University, and toured with several bands
before moving to New York in 1938. There he played for Don Redman, Edgar Hayes,
and Lionel Hampton, making his record debut with the latter in 1939. In the
early '40s, he worked as an arranger and session musician, and began leading his
own regular large group in 1945.
Perry Bradford
Although he lived until 1970, Perry Bradford's main importance
to music was during the first half of the 1920's. He grew up in Atlanta (where
his family moved when he was six) and in 1906 started working with minstrel
shows. He played in Chicago as a solo pianist as early as 1909 and visited New
York the following year. As a pianist, singer and composer, Bradford worked in
theatre circuits for the next decade. After settling in New York, he became
Mamie Smiths musical director and was responsible for her being the first blues
singer to appear on record (singing his "Crazy Blues" in 1920). Bradford toured
and recorded with Smith, worked with Alberta Hunter and also headed seven
recording sessions of his own during 1923-27. With the rise of the Depression,
Bradford (who was a spirited if limited singer) slipped away into obscurity. In
later years he appeared to some to be a bit of a braggart although that was
probably a reaction to him being completely forgotten.
Wellman Braud
Born in St. James Parish, Louisiana on January 25th, 1891 began playing violin
and then bass. He started in Tom Anderson’s New Orleans Saloon and then moved to
Chicago in 1917 to work with Sugar Johnnie and Charlie Elgar’s band. By 1923 Braud
was on tour with James P. Johnson’s "Plantation Days Revue" and later went
to work in Vaudeville with Jelly Roll Morton and others. Braud joined Duke Ellington in
1927 and stayed with the Duke for eight years. He then went to manage the "Spirits of
Rhythm", ran his own restaurant, and got involved in other business ventures in
Harlem. He remained active in jazz, however, and toured with Kid Ory in 1956. Braud
died of a heart attack in 1961.
Like Pops Foster, Wellman Braud had a colossal impact on younger contemporaries like Milt
Hinton and set a style for Bassists. Said Hinton: "I just worshipped him—he was
my mentor! Braud has such dignity and power—a real New Orleans gentleman!
Bob Brookmeyer
Bob Brookmeyer has long been the top valve trombonist in jazz and a very
advanced arranger whose writing is influenced by modern classical music. He
started out as a pianist in dance bands but was on valve trombone with Stan
Getz. (1953). He gained fame as a member of the Gerry Mulligan quartet
(1954-1957), was part of the unusual Jimmy Giuffre Three of 1957-1958, and then
re-joined Mulligan as arranger and occasional player with his Concert Jazz Band.
Brookmeyer, who was a strong enough pianist to hold his own on a two-piano date
with Bill Evans, occasionally switched to piano with Mulligan.
Clifford Brown
Clifford
Brown's death in a car accident at the age of 25 was one of the great tragedies
in jazz history. Already ranking with Dizzie Gillespie and Miles Davis as one of
the top trumpeters in jazz, Brownie was still improving in 1956. Plus he was a
clean liver and was not even driving; the up-and-coming pianist Richie Powell
and his wife (who was driving) also perished in the crash. Clifford Brown
accomplished a great deal in the short time he had. He started on trumpet when
he was 15, and by 1948 was playing regularly in Philadelphia. Fats Navarro, who
was his main influence, encouraged Brown, as did Charlie Parker and Dizzie
Gillespie.
Lawrence Brown
Lawrence Brown was born in Lawrence Kansas on August 3rd, 1907.
Having already mastered piano, violin and tuba, Brown settled
with the trombone while studying medicine in California.
At this time he was moonlighting with school and local bands
and by 1926 he abandoned his academic studies in favor of
a musical career. Brown joined Duke Ellington in 1932 and remained with him for the next
20 years. Brown’s melodic and gentle lyrical quality shocked some fans who were used
to hearing his more aggressive predecessors. He also kept away from the drinking and
high-life enjoyed by the rest of the band—a rather puritan behavior that earned him
the nickname "The Deacon." In time, both fans and fellow musicians began to
recognize him for what he really was: A remarkably gifted player with a beautiful tone.
Brown retired from music in 1970 and lived in California as a business and political
consultant until his death in 1988.
Sandy Brown
Clarinet,
bandleader. Another self-taught European player, Brown's tastes and style
evolved from strictly traditional to mainstream and jazz-rock over the course of
his career. He led a traditional jazz and swing band in Scotland in the
mid-'40s. Brown moved to London in 1954, where he played occasionally with
British musicians Humphrey Littleton, Ken Colyer and Chris Barber.. He recorded
often as a leader from 1949 -
Dave Brubeck:
David Warren Brubeck was born in Concord, California on December 6th, 1920 and
was initially taught piano by his mother. He performed with professional jazz groups by
the time he was thirteen, and continued his involvement in jazz by establishing a a
12-piece band, but he spent most of his time studying musical theory and composition under
the great French composer Darius Milhaud.
After graduating from the college of the Pacific, he continued his formal classical
training at Mills College under another famed composer—Arnold Schonberg.
Following service in the miltary during World War Two, Brubeck formed his first serious
group—the Jazz Workshop Ensemble, which later recorded as The Dave Brubeck Octet. It
was with the addition of saxophonist Paul Desmond in 1951 that Brubeck achieved major
critical acclaim. Brubeck was invited to play at the White House in 1964 and again in
1981. Brubeck will always be mainly associated with his quartet recording with Paul
Desmond..especially for "Take Five".
George Clarence Brunies
Was born in New Orleans on February 6th 1900. He was the best known member
of a distinguished musical family And played trombone in his pre-teen years.
By 1920 Brunies was working with Paul Mares’ Friars Society Orchestra in Chicago..a
band which later on became the New Prleans Rhythm Kings.
Brunies moved on to New York, however, to join Ted Lewis in 1924.
He worked in N.Y. extensively from 1934 playing in numerous bands and clubs, and at the
end of the 60’s Brunies played with Art Hodes, Wild Bill Davison, Muggsy Spanier and
others. He was a tough, peppy performer and a skilled trombonist who preferred to stay
within the true New Orleans Jazz
framework.
Kenny Burrell
Kenny
Burrell has been a very consistent guitarist throughout his career. Cool-toned
and playing in an unchanging style based in bop, Burrell has always been the
epitome of good taste and solid swing., Burrell started playing guitar when he
was 12, and he debuted on records with Dizzie Gillespie in 1951. Part of the
fertile Detroit jazz scene of the early '50s, Burrell moved to New York in 1956.
Highly in demand from the start, Burrell appeared on a countless number of
records as a leader and as a sideman. Starting in the early '70s, Burrell began
leading seminars and teaching He toured with the Phillip Morris Superband during
1985-1986, and led three-guitar quintets, but generally Kenny Burrell plays at
the head of a trio/quartet.
Buddy Burton
A talented if generally overlooked pianist, Buddy Burton also
played organ, drums, and percussion, as well as kazoo. After freelancing both in
and out of music, Burton moved from Louisville to Chicago in 1923. He recorded
on drums (1923) and kazoo (1925) with Jelly Roll Morton, and in 1928 did the
bulk of his recordings including as a soloist (both singing and playing piano),
in piano duets with Jimmy Blythe. Little is known of Burton's later life; except
that he probably remained active (although off records) in Chicago for decades,
until returning to Louisville in 1965.
Lloyd Scott, Earl Horne, Gus McClung, Don Frye, Dave
Wilborn, Buddy Burton, Cecil Scott
Joe Bushkin
Pianist
Joe Bushkin lent his unmistakably light, spirited style to classic swing-era
dates headlined by Bunny Berigan and Tommy Dorsey, , later moving into pop,
cabaret, and even Broadway. The son of a cellist father, he was born in New York
City on November 7, 1916 although reputedly a student of the great Polish
pianist Leopold Godowsky, he in fact began his musical studies at the age of ten
with lessons from a neighbor who was, in turn, a student of their landlord's
son. The teenaged Bushkin also studied the trumpet after a bicycle accident
injured his hand and put his piano career in jeopardy, but he quickly recovered
and soon joined a jazz group formed by classmates at DeWitt Clinton high school;
Billy Butterfield
Was born in Middleton, Ohio on January 14th, 1917. He was taught to play cornet
as a child, but began to study medicine as a teen-ager.
Yet, he continued to play and to such good effect that he was soon
working regularly with well known bands of the day and eventually quite his medical
studies. In 1937 he was hired by the Bob Crosby band, and in 1940 he joined Artie Shaw.
Then he worked with Benny Goodman and Les Brown, and finally entered the reliable area of
studio work. Later he began working with old pals like Eddie Condon, and recorded with
Louis Armstrong—playing trumpet while Satchmo sang. One fine example is Louis’
recording of "Blueberry Hill" of 1949.
In the late sixties, Butterfield became a member of ‘the world’s
greatest jazz band’ with Bob Haggart and Yank Lawson.
DONALD BYRD
Donald Byrd was born on Dec. 9th, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. He studied trumpet
and composition in the early 50's, and later was frequently called upon to record with
leading bop musicians like John Coltraine, Jackie McLeans, Sonny Rollins and Art Blakey.
Byrd also entered a partnership with Pepper Adams which lasted until 1961, and then
Continued his studies in Europe. He later began long and parallel continued studies
in Europe, and a Career as a jazz educator and trumpeter Byrd's striking technique and rich
beautiful tone made him one of the most lyrical of his
generation of jazzmen.
Charlie Byrd:
Charlie Byrd was born on September 16th, 1925 in Chuckatuck, Virginia
and began playing guitar while still a small child. He was already quite
proficient by the start of World War Two and it was during the war that he met
and played with Django Reinhardt. Soon afterwards he became a full-time
professional musician, playing with a number of popular dance bands. In the late
40s Byrd abandoned jazz in favor of classical guitar and after studying under
several tutors, including Andres Segovia, he returned to the USA and formed his
own band in Washington D.C. He played jazzbut with techniques of his own and
some forms of classical music. In the late 50s Byrd played with Woody Herman
and in the 60s with Stan Getz with whom he helped generate the Bossa-nova
craze. In 1973 he joined Barney Kessell and Herb Ellis to found *Great Guitars.
Cab Calloway
Cabell Calloway was born in Rochester, New York on December 25th,1907, and was
involved in show business at a very early age. The singer, M.C. and occasional drummer
worked mostly in Baltimore—where he
was raised, and in Chicago where he relocated in the ‘20s, Dressing outlandishly in
an eye-catching zoot-suit, knee-length drape jacket, enormous trousers, a hugh
wide-brimmed hat and watch chain that trained on the floor, he was the center of
attention. His speech was peppered with "Hip" expressions..always followed by a
"Hi-de.Hi".
Calloway and his orchestra moved into the Cotton Club in 1931 as
a replacement for Duke Ellington (allegedly forced to do so by the club’s Mafia
owners.) It was hard for real jazz fans to swallow Calloway’s singing which seemed to
be infected by his style of dress—hooping and hollering—as even his own
musicians called it. Yet Calloway’s biggest contribution to jazz was the top calibre
musicians he hired—at the highest wages—people like Chu Berry, Ben Webster, Doc
Cheatham and Dizzie Gillespie. And- he was unique in entertainment.
In 1993, Cab Calloway celebrated his honorary doctorate in fine arts at the University of
Rochester by leading the 9000 graduates in
singing "Minnie the Moocher".
Mutt Carey
Thomas "Papa Mutt" Carey was an old-fashioned
trumpeter who spoke of Buddy Bolden with reverence, made a point of honoring
Freddy Keppard, and named Joe Oliver as a major inspiration, especially in the
use of mutes. A longtime cohort of Kid Ory, he embodied the earliest stylistic
manifestations of the jazz trumpet tradition. Born in Hahnville, LA, in 1891,
Thomas Carey was the youngest of 17 offspring. He tried his hand at drumming,
took up the guitar, and studied the peck horn with his brother Pete before
settling on the cornet in 1912.
Hoagy Carmichael
One
of the great composers of the American popular song, Hoagy Carmichael differed
from most of the others in that he was also a fine performer. Such Carmichael
songs as "Stardust," "Georgia on My Mind," "Up the Lazy River," "Rockin' Chair,"
"The Nearness of You," "Heart and Soul," "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the
Evening," "Skylark," and "New Orleans" have long been standards, each flexible
enough to receive definitive treatment numerous times. Carmichael, who was
briefly a lawyer, loved jazz almost from the start, and particularly the cornet
playing of Bix Beiderbecke. His first composition, "Riverboat Shuffle," was
recorded by Bix and the Wolverines.
Harry Carney
Harry
Carney's baritone saxophone was the anchor, the lodestone, the foundation of a
distinctive tonal blend that virtually defined the Duke Ellington Orchestra for
more than 45 years. A mainstay of the Ellington experience, he remained with
Duke longer than anyone else and outlived him by only a little more than four
months. Harry Howell Carney was born in Boston on the first of April 1910 and
grew up in the same neighborhood as alto saxophonists Johnny Hodges and Charlie
Holmes.. Together they gathered inspiration from 78-rpm jazz records.
Benny Carter
To
say that Benny Carter had a remarkable and productive career would be an extreme
understatement. As an altoist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and occasional
trumpeter, Carter was at the top of his field since at least 1928, and in the
late '90s, Carter was as strong an altoist at the age of 90 as he was in 1936
(when he was merely 28). His gradually evolving style did not change much
through the decades, but neither did it become at all stale or predictable
except in its excellence. Benny Carter was a major figure in every decade of the
20th century since the 1920s, and his consistency and longevity were
unprecedented. Essentially self-taught, Benny Carter started on the trumpet and,
after a period on C-melody sax, switched to alto. In 1927,
Bob Casey
Born Robert Hanley Casey, this musician was adept at bass and guitar,
performing and recording on both and perhaps owing a technical debt of gratitude
to his early training on the tenor banjo, an instrument which is played with a
technique similar to the guitar but like the standard bass has only two pairs of
strings. Bob Casey taught himself this type of banjo at the age of 14. In 1933
he moved on to Chicago, notching up a bit in terms of jazz prestige by signing
up with trumpeter Wingy Manone. Casey was a typically busy player in the eager
Windy City music scene, gigging with other bands and working as a staff musician
for the NBC affiliate. Muggsy Spanier, another of Chicago's lively Dixieland
combo honchos, nabbed Casey for his rhythm section commencing in the stifling
summer of 1939. This meant more of a life on the road, but when the leader broke
the group up Casey came back to Chicago and began working with Gus Arnheim and
Charlie Spivak among others. In the early '40s he showed up in New York City,
playing frequently at the Nick's venue, usually with Brad Gowans. Condons Club
was another Big Apple venue where a typical rhythm section would feature him on
either bass or guitar. Casey became part of a scene involving players such as
trumpeter Bobby Hackett and pianist Art Hodes. all heartened by the fact that
the public didn't seem to be abandoning classic forms of jazz after all. In 1957
he went to bat in Florida and in the early '60s was with the Dukes of Dixieland
and apparently enjoying more bookings than ever. Casey briefly decided to slow
down at the end of that decade yet within a few years was back in New York
answering the call for veteran players able to deliver a certain type of
authentic rhythmic feel that younger generations simply haven't caught onto.
Dick Cathcart
Dick Cathcart was born in Michigan City, Indiana on November 6th,
1924.
He was a splendid trumpet player, his first major appearance being with Ray
McKinley’s band . Later, he performed with U.S. army bands during the second World
War, and then with Bob Crosby prior to a stint in Hollywood studios. Cathcart became well
known—for his playing if not by his name—in the radio series "Pete
Kelly’s Blues." He also made a series of Jazz albums which were successful, and
named his band ‘Pete Kelly’s Big Seven’.
Cathcart was very active throughout the 60’s and 70’s and by the eighties he was
back on jazz stages playing trumpet as well as ever.
SID CATLETT
‘Big’ Sid Catlett was born in Evansville, Indiana on January 17th,
1910.
After briefly trying piano, Catlett switched to drums and received formal training when
his family settled in Chicago. After working with Darnell Howard, Catlett moved to New
York where he played with Benny Carter, among others, and went on to work with Don Redman,
Fletcher Henderson, and McKinnet’s Cotton Pickers. Catlett happily switched from big
bands to smaller groups such as those led by Eddie Condon and Lionel Hampton.
In 1941 he joined Benny Goodman. In the late 30’s and 40’s, Catlett
worked and played unceasingly, appearing on countless record sessions with an enormously
wide variety of musicians. He was also a member of the Teddy Wilson sextet in the
40’s, and then led his own band until he joined Louis Armstrong’s All Stars in
1947. He remained with Armstrong until 1949, when the years of all night jam sessions
caught up with him, and although very ill, he continued to work right up to 1959. It was
in March of that year
that Catlett collapsed and died while visiting friends backstage at a Hot Lips Page
benefit concert at the Chicago Opera House. Catlett was a brilliant technician and he
always swung mightily. On stage he was a spectacular showman, clothing his massive frame
in green plaid suits and tossing his sticks high in the air during solos.
OSCAR CELESTIN
Papa Oscar Celestin, Born in La Forche, Louisiana on January 1st, 1884, is a
legend of New Orleans jazz who played with the Algiers Brass Band in the early 1900s and
with Henry Allen Senior’s Olympia band. Celestin led the Tuxedo Hall band from 1910
and his Tuxedo Brass Band became one of the city’s most popular featuring star names
like Zutty Singleton, Kid Shots Madison and Paul Barnes.
Celestin recorded a lot in the 1920s and toured widely until
the depression when he left music and went to work in the
shipyards during the war. After the war Celestin reorganized his
band for a late burst of success, began recording again and played
for President Eisenhower in 1953. A bust of Celestin, bought by
the New Orleans Jazz foundation, today stands at the Delgado Museum in New Orleans.
Doc Cheatham
Adolphus Anthony Cheatham was born in Nashville, Tenn. On June 13th.
His long career began in the early 20’s when he worked in
Vaudeville theatre pit bands. He often accompanied important blues singers of the era.
Later, he worked in Chicago where he met the most influential person in his life: Louis
Armstrong. Until this point, Cheatham had dabbled with the saxophone, but now he
concentrated on the trumpet. Cheatham went on to play with many bands—Wilber de
Paris, Chick Webb, Sam Wooding and Cab Calloway. He remained with Calloway for six years
and toured Europe with Cab’s band. In 1939, Cheatham became a member of Teddy
Wilson’s band and then joined Benny Carter’ elegant orchestra. In the 60’s
he led his own band and also played with
Benny Goodman In the seventies and on into the eighties, Doc Chatham defied age and
changing styles of music and continued playing in his grand old manner at festivals and
club dates.
Charlie Christian
Born in Bonham, Texas, July 29th, 1916. From a very poor Texas family—his
father was a blind violinist-singer,--Charlie made a guitar out of old cigar Boxes and
soon gained an impressive reputation among musicians. In 39, Christian played at the
Ritz cafe in Oklahoma City under the urgings of Mildred Bailey, and Jazz patron John
Hammond tried to persuade Benny Goodman to hire the guitarist. Goodman wasn't
interested—he didn't care much for either Christians appearance or the electric
guitar—but the King of Swing finally gave in—at the persistance of Hammond, and
gave Christian a little audition at the Victor Hugo restaurant in Beverly Hills. Goodman
called for "Rose Room" (which he was sure the guitarist didn't know) and gave
the count-down. Well, when Christian's solo came up, he played 25 of the most brilliant
choruses that knocked Goodman right off his chair.
The audience went wild and kept yelling for more. "Rose Room" went on for over
45 minutes ! Christian was hired by Goodman and became a regular member of the sextett.
JUNE CHRISTY
came to the world as Shirley Luster on November 20th, 1925.,in Springfield, Illinois. She first came to prominence singing with the bands of Boyd
Raeburn and Stan Kenton. Her bright, bubbling personality glowed through her performances
and she was never afraid to have fun with a song.
With Kenton she enjoyed success on all kinds of ballad and swinging numbers, and one of
her first recording with that band was "Tampico" which sold a million or more
copies.
BUCK CLAYTON
Wilbur Dorsey Clayton was born November 12th, 1911 in Parsons.
Kansas. He was already an accomplished trumpeter in his late
teens, playing in both Kansas and in California. He formed his own band, which he took to
China for two years, and in 1936 was invited to join Count Basie. He remained with Basie
until his induction into the army in 1943, and by this time his fame was fairly high
thanks to a number of solos on Basie's best band recordings. After the war Clayton worked
mostly with small bands and appeared at Jazz at the Philharmonic. In the 50’s he
toured with Mezz Mezzrow, Eddie Condon and Sidney Bechet, but by the late 60’s
Clayton began suffering from severe lip problems. Extensive surgery failed to improve
matters, and he finally gave up playing in favor of arranging.
Clayton’s activities as a band leader, lecturer and arranger continued into the late
80’s. He was a major figure in the establishment of mainstream jazz and one of the
most respected musicians. Buck Clayton passed away in 1991 at
the age of 80.
ARNETT COBB
Was born in Houston, Texas August 1oth, 1918. He began playing the tenor
saxophone professionally in 1933. He spent his early years in the fine territory band led
by Milt Larkins, which many of the older generation still hold in awe. In 1941 Cobb was
approached by Lionel Hampton who was forming a new band after leaving Benny Goodman.
But—Cobb preferred to stay with Larkins. A year later Hampton again offered Cobb a
job and, this time, Cobb joined him. In 1947 he briefly formed his own
band. In 1956, Cobb was seriously injured in a road accident while
driving his bands’ bus and spent the rest of his life on crutches and in considerable
pain. None of this stopped him from playing though, and he worked extensively back in
Texas. In later years, Cobb became a popular figure in the International Festival circuit,
occasionally working with his old boss Lionel Hampton. Cobb was a powerful player,
drenched in the blues, and his eruptive, emotion-packed roars brought pleasure to many who
could never imagine the grave physical pain he endured and which he disguised for more
than 30 years. Cobb passed away in 1989.
Junie Cobb
Alto,
tenor sax, clarinet. Junie Cobb attained reputation for flexibility and
versatility; he played many instruments well, though wasn't great on any one. He
began as pianist in Johnny Dunns band as a teen, then moved from Arkansas to
Chicago, leading his own band at the Club Alvadere in 1920 and 1921. He also
doubled on clarinet. He subsequently played banjo with King Oliver and Jimmy
Noone, , and also recorded as a leader on clarinet, alto and tenor sax. He
retired from full time playing in 1955, but kept his hand in scene by doing
periodic concerts, dates.
COZY COLE
Cozy William Randolph Cole was born in E. Orange, N.J. on October 17th,
1909.
He was first inspired by Sonny Greer’s drumming with Duke Ellington’s orchestra
and moved to N.Y. in 1926 to work as a barber and shipping clerk while building his
musical career. He went to Julliard school of music and by the early 1930’s began
building a big reputation with the bands of Blanche Calloway, Benny Carter and Willie
Bryant. From 1936 on he was playing with Stuff Smith and Jonah Jones at the Onyx Club and
in 1938 played with Cab Calloway.
Cole performed on CBS radio with Raymond Scott’s band In 1942 and then was busy
playing in movies. In the Carmen Jones show, Billy Rose’s Ziegfield Theatre, and
briefly, 1n 1946 with Benny Goodman at the Paramount theatre in N.Y.
In 1949 he replaced Sid Catlett with Louis Armstrong’s All Stars, and in 1957 Cole
toured Europe with Ear Hines and Jack Teagarden. Cozy Cole is rated as one of the greatest
classic drummers.
Bill Coleman
A
mellow-toned swing trumpeter with a distinctive sound and a lyrical style, Bill
Coleman was a consistent if never particularly famous musician. In 1927, he went
to New York with Cecil and Lloyd Scotts band, with whom he made his recording
debut. He worked with Luis Russell (1929-1932), and then in 1933 traveled to
France with Lucky Millinder.. Coleman recorded with Fats Waller (1934) and
played with Teddy Hills Orchestra (1934-1935), but then moved to France for the
first time in 1935. While overseas, he recorded frequently as a leader.
Max Collie
A fine trombonist who is actually more significant as a bandleader, Max
Collie has been an important force in the Australian trad jazz movement since
the 1950s. Collie led the Jazz Bandits (1948-1950) and the Jazz Kings
(1950-1962), part-time groups that gave him a great deal of practical
experience. In 1962, Collie joined the Melbourne New Orleans Jazz Band. When
they visited England in 1963, he stayed overseas, becoming a member of the
London City Stompers. In 1966, he became the group's leader and they were
renamed Rhythm Aces.. The group toured constantly during the late '60s and all
throughout the 1970s and early '80s, often playing 250 concerts a year; the
talented Phil Mason was the group's cornetist. Collie's first records as a
leader were made for the WAM label in Hamburg, West Germany, in 1971. Since then
he and his Rhythm Aces have also recorded for Reality, Happy Bird, Black Lion,
GHB (during a 1974 tour, one of three that the group made of the United States).
John Coltraine
Despite
a relatively brief career (he first came to notice as a sideman at age 29 in
1955, formally launched a solo career at 33 in 1960, and was dead at 40 in
1967), saxophonist John Coltrane was among the most important, and most
controversial, figures in jazz. It seems amazing that his period of greatest
activity was so short, not only because he recorded prolifically, but also
because, taking advantage of his fame, the record companies that recorded him as
a sideman in the 1950s frequently reissued those recordings under his name and
there has been a wealth of posthumously released material as well.
EDDIE CONDON
Eddie Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana on November 16th 1905.
After working in local bands, the guitar and banjo player moved to Chicago in th early
20’s.
He quickly associated with the very finest young white musicians
—Bix Beiderbecke, Frank Teschemacher, Jimmy McPartland and Bud Freeman, Dave tough
and others in the Auston High School gang. In 1928, after making his first recording,
Condon tried his brand of music in New York, happily starving along with Fats Waller,
Louis Armstrong and a number of later day greats. Local musicians like Gene Krupa and Jack
Teagarden were impressed with Condon and his friends..Condon stayed on in New York,
organizing concerts and recording dates. He eventually opened his own club which became
synonymous with the best Chicago-style jazz as played by Wild Bill Davison and Pee Wee
Russell.
A rough-talking, hard-drinking, wisecracking entrepreneur, Condon never lost his love for
the music of his youth. Condon was not inclined to play in the sessions he himself
organized, which is why only his name appears on record albums—not his playing. He
preferred to sit at the bar and talk to customers. But he was a great organizer of jazz
concerts and recording sessions.
Doc Cooke
Unlike
most pioneer jazz musicians who went by "Doc" or "Professor," Charles "Doc" Cook
actually had a doctorate degree in music, from the Chicago College of Music.
Cook made a name for himself as conductor and music director of the Orchestra at
Paddy Harmons Dreamland Ballroom from 1922 to 1927 in Chicago. Many of
Chicago's finest musicians played for Cook, including Freddy Keppard, Jimmy
Noone, Johnny St. Cyr, Zutty Singleton and Luis Russell.. Cook's Dreamland
orchestra ended in 1927 when he took his orchestra to Chicago's Municipal Pier
and on to the White City Ballroom. Cooke moved to New York in 1930 to become
staff arranger at R.K.O. and Radio City Music Hall, where he remained until the
early 1940s.
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony Corea was born in Chelsia, Mass. On June 12th,
1941.
After a musical home environment, his first notable
professional engagements were in Latin bands, playing a
style of music that continue to influence him today. Corea’s
first recordings appeared in 1966 and show his leaning toward
hard-bop. In 1968 he joined Miles Davis for that trumpeter’s
experiments with fusion Playing on some of Davis’ most important
albums, Corea’s electric piano became an integral part of the new
sound. After playing with numerous top musicians in the early 80’s.
--including Herbie Hancock, Corea concentrated on his acoustic and electric bands and went
on to playing that involves extreme virtuosity.
Ida Cox
Born Ida Prather in Toccoa, Georgia, she left home at fourteen to tour with a
minstrel revue. Cox excelled at vaudeville singing, but when the popularity of
vaudeville shows began to fade, she transformed herself into a formidable blues
singer and worked the Southern tent show and vaudeville circuit. She spent some
time with pianist Jelly Roll Morton before signing a recording contract with
Paramount in 1923. In 1923 she made her first blues recordings, "Graveyard Dream
Blues" and "Weary Way Blues," for the Paramount label. She met with immediate
success and went on to record seventy-eight songs between 1923 and 1929,
including "Cemetery Blues," "Handy Man," and her best-known song, "Wild Women
Don't Have the Blues." Cox wrote most of the songs that she recorded. Ida seemed
to sing directly to Black women who saw themselves trapped by demeaning racial
and social conditions, yet longed for dignity and respect, especially from the
men in their lives. Cox symbolized the liberated spirit of some black American
blues women in the '20s with her stylish outlook, lavish wardrobe, and business
savvy. Cox wrote many of her own songs, often produced her own stage shows, and
managed her own touring company, appropriately called Raisin' Cain. With many
blues fans Cox is best remembered for her graveyard songs- "Graveyard Dream
Blues" "New Graveyard Dream Blues" "Coffin Blues" "Bone Orchard Blues" and
"Cemetery Blues". In the 1930s Cox continued to perform and occasionally record.
In 1939 Cox performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of John
Hammond's second presentation of From Spirituals to Swing. She sang "Lowdown
Dirty Shame" and "'Fore Day Creep" before a sold-out, integrated audience. The
historic concert introduced the blues diva to a crowd that was perhaps just
beginning to appreciate the artistry and significance of black music. Cox also
recorded with jazz artists Charlie Christian, J.C. Higgenbottom, Lionel Hampton,
Hot Lips Page, and Fletcher Henderson for the Vocalion and Okeh labels that same
year. Later, in the early '60s, she recorded with Coleman Hawkins before
retiring to Knoxville, Tennessee. She died of cancer on November 10, 1967.
BOB CROSBY
George, Robert Crosby was born in Spokane, Washington on August 25th, 1913.
Although Bob was overshadowed during most of his career by his older brother, Bing, he
nevertheless enjoed a modest success thanks to a pleasant voice and personality. In
the time just before the big swing era , Bob Crosby sang with Anson Weeks and then joined
the bands led by the Dorsey brothers.
In 1935 he became the leader of a band made-up of musicians from the old Ben Pollack
aggregation, and gained enormous popularity with two-beat dixieland jazz.
The men included Billy Butterfield, Yank Lawson, Eddie Miller, Matty Matlock Nappy
Lamare and Ray Bauduc. When the band folded in 1942, Bob Crosby continued to make films
and personal appearances, as leader of dixie bands and more contemporary groups. Crosby
died of cancer in California in 1993.
Israel Crosby
Was born in Chicago on January 19th, 1919. He was a musical prodigy who had
mastered several instruments before taking up the bass in 1934. Crosby made his first
recordings with Gene Krupa and Jess Stacy in 1935—one of the results being
"Blues for Israel" which became a jazz classic. On this, he demonstrated a new
style of bass playing in jazz which was brought to full bloom later by Jimmy Blanton.
Crosby went on to work with Fletcher Henderson and made records with Teddy Wilson, Roy
Eldridge and Coleman Hawkins. Crosby was a master musician with a virtuoso technique who
was mostly engaged in studio work throughout the 40’s and 50’s, and also played
with Benny Goodman and George Shearing. Israel Crosby died in 1962.
Cutty Cutshall
The nickname of this trombonist, spun off of his surname, makes him sound
like someone about to run amuck with a pair of scissors. Cutty Cutshall was
armed with a trombone, however, and the main cutting he did was either besting
other bonemen in jam sessions or simply making records. He evolved into one of
the grand old men of the swing revival of the '60s and is on the list of
journeymen musicians who passed away alone in their hotel rooms while on tour.
The trombonist worked for two years with Jan Savitt beginning in 1938, then was
in and out of the Benny Goodman band through the first half of the '40s,