Natty Dominique
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Bios D-F
Born on August 2nd, 1896 in New Orleans –in a musical milieu with Barney Bigard as his cousin. Dominique was tutored on trumpet by Manuel Perez and then went north to play in Chicago in 1919. During the 20’s he worked with Carroll Dickerson’s band and also played with Johnny Dodds. He actually stayed on with Dodds for the most part throughout the thirties. Dominique left music for a while in the 40’s due to ill health, but returned to lead his own band in the 50’s. Natty faded from sight in the mid-sixties, and passed away in 1982.Pete Dailey
Pete Dailey was born on May 5th, 1911, in Portland, Indiana. Dailey
was a Dixieland cornetist with his own popular combos in the 40’s
and 50’s. He first played tuba before switching to cornet, and played professionally
in Chicago working with Bud Freeman. After forming his own band in the early forties, he
moved to California and worked with Ozzie Nelson and others. After his military sevice in
World War Two, Dailey formed his own Dixieland band—Pete Dailey’s Chicagoans in
1946—based in California. This group was popular there for several years and recorded
for Capitol records.
Tadd Dameron
Tadd Dameron as a composer and arranger was the man who in the 1940s and 50s was among the first to use the then-new style of jazz called bebop in well-developed arrangements for big bands and small groups. Perhaps more than any other musician, Dameron added form to the then-emerging style of bop. Born in Cleveland in 1917, Dameron grew up with music all around him, his mother first taught him to play piano, "not to read, but by memory." Before long, a Central High School friend, trumpeter Freddie Webster, persuaded Dameron to join his band playing in Cleveland. By 1938 at the age of 21, he began to write arrangements for a band that had been formed in Cleveland by James Jeter and Hayes Pillars. In 1940, Dameron went on the road with bands led by Zack Whyte and Blanche Calloway and went to New York with Vito Mussos band. When Mussos band folded, he went to Kansas City where he composed and arranged for Harlan Leonards Rockets. He began to experiment with a few new ideas while writing arrangements for the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. He was soaking up all the new bebop he was hearing and was beginning to use some of the new style in his big band arrangements. Dameron recalled, "I started writing in my own style when I got on Count Basies band." In 1942, Trummy Young, a trombonist
Dameron had known on the Lunceford band, introduced Tadd to Dizzy Gillespie. Dameron was honored by Esquire magazine in 1947 as "The Best New Jazz Arranger." That same year, he formed his own small group that featured Fats Navarro, an amazing young trumpet player. They recorded some classic sides for Blue Note and Capitol. After Navarro died in 1950 at the age of 26, Dameron found another young trumpeter who would become a jazz legend. Dameron was preparing for a recording session and later recalled he had decided to hire a relative unknown, Clifford Brown. After recording a couple of albums as "Mating Call," with John Coltrane in 58, he spent much of 1959-61 in jail, on narcotics charges. After he was released, Dameron wrote for Sonny Stitt, Blue Mitchell, Milt Jackson, and Benny Goodman. Tadd Damerons last session recording was "The Magic Touch of Tadd Dameron," (1962) a definitive set that sums up much of his career. The record showcases all originals as; "On a Misty Night," "Fontainebleau," "If You Could See Me Now," and "Our Delight." Recorded with a large group of all-stars, Bill Evans on piano, tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin; trumpeters Charlie Shavers, Joe Wilder, and Clark Terry; trombonist Jimmy Cleveland; Julius Watkins on French horn; and drummer Philly Joe Jones. Barbara Winfield was the vocalist on two of the selections. This record is an appropriate farewell from be-bops finest arranger, whose time was cut much too short. Tadd Dameron died in 1965.
Kenny Davern
Was born in Huntington, Long Island, N.Y. on January 7th, 1935.
He fell under Benny Goodman’s spell when he was young, and his
first professional job was with Jack Teagarden (who always encouraged
good young musicians.) Later, Davern played on the New York Club
circuit with such notables as Billy Butterfield, Wild Bill Davison and
Eddie Condon. He first achieved world-wide recognition in the
super-group Soprano Summit, which he co-led with Bob Wilber.
At the end of this group—nine years later, Davern switched from his
soprano saxophone to clarinet.
EDDIE (Lockjaw) DAVIS
Was born in New York City on March 2nd, 1922 and began to make his
mark on the jazz scene there when he worked at Clark Monroe’s
Uptown House in the late 30’s. Despite that establishment’s close
ties with Be-bop, Davis Tenor saxophone playing was rooted in
swing and blues. Davis went on to work with Cooty Williams, Lucky
Millander and Andy Kirk, and he also led his own small groups. In 1952
he made his first appearances with Count Basie and continued with the
Count throughout the 60’s and 70’s. It was with Basie that Davis made
his greatest impact. Davis was at ease with both hard-driving swing
numbers and slow, tender ballads.
Wild Bill Davis
Miles Davis
WILD BILL DAVISON
Was born in Defiance, Ohio on January 5th, 1906. He played conet with local
bands and went on to Cincinnati and to New York in the mid-twenties. He made his first
trip to Chicago with the Seattle Harmony Kings and remained there for most of his life.
Davison worked with Frank Teschemacher and, from 1941 on he played mostly in New York. He
was a regular at the city’s most famous Dixieland clubs—Nick’s, Ryans and
Condon’s. He made numerous recordings with Condon and also toured Europe. A tough-
talking, hard-drinking and powerful cornetist, Davison won a host of admirers and was seen
by many as the epitome of Chicago style jazz. He retained his playing ability and vitality
into old age and practiced daily in his 80’s. Davison died in 1989 at the age of 83.
Volly DeFaut
Jazz
fans might not expect one of the grand old men of the Chicago scene to have such
a French-sounding name, associating that background with New Orleans. At 18 De
Faut was performing on clarinet and sax and the following year his reputation
was boosted considerably through membership in the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. It
was a busy period for him, also involving playing in an orchestra and flowing in
Art Kassels musical moat. His recording debut took place in 1924 courtesy of
trumpeter Muggsy Spanier and the discography continued growing in 1925 with
Jelly Roll Morton sides. In the second half of the decade De Faut became
associated with bandleader Meritt Brunies, a New Orleans musical dynasty kingpin
who had brought his trademark brand of early jazz upstream. De Faut played with
Jean Goldkette for several years beginning in 1928, but also became more
involved in working as a studio musician and in Chicago theatre bands. In 1945
he played with Bud Jacobsos Jungle Kings and was a happy face at many a local
jam session. For some five years he was out of the city, mellowing out in
Davenport, Iowa, but he returned to Chicago once again from 1965 until the end
of his life.
Buddy De Franco
Buddy Boniface De Franco was born in Camden, New Jersey
on February 17th, 1923. He was a child prodigy who won an
amateur contest playing the clarinet while 14 years of age.
At 18 he was in Gene Krupa’s band, and then joined Charlie
Barnet. In 1944 he became a featured player with Tommy Dorsey,
and worked with smaller groups like Count Basie’s. In 1954,
DeFranco toured Europe with Billy Holiday and in 1966 he
became leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Wilbur De Paris
was born on January 11th, 1900 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. After working
in tent shows and carnivals, the trombonist appeared in New Orleans
in the early twenties where he played with Louis Armstrong and other
young musicians. Throughout the twenties he toured extensively
working with a wide-range of small groups and big bands. In 1940
De Paris joined the old Chic Webb band, which was now working under the
leadership of Ella Fitzgerald. He later worked with Roy Eldridge and
Duke Ellington, but in 1947 he formed his own band which featured his
brother, trumpeter Sidney De Paris. That remained in existence for the
next 20 years. The De Paris brothers maintained the music and inspiration
of the old New Orleans masters, but perked-up with a skillful addition of
contemporary styling. Enormously popular in concerts and on records, it was
one of the most successful bands of its kind.
Sidney De Paris
Sidney De Paris was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana on May 30th, 1905.
He was in New York from 1925 on and worked with Fletcher Henderson
where he replaced Rex Stuart in 1931, and went on to join Don Redman’s
band. In the decade to follow De Paris played for the most diverse bands—Mezz Mezzrow and Charlie Barnet, and also led his own groups and
played in theatre orchestras. Next, he joined his brother Wilbur’s
New Orleans Jazz band which formed in 1947 and for the next sixteen years
was a success, playing everything from blues to light classics. Sidney De Paris
died in 1967.
Paul Desmond,
Born as Paul Breitenfeld, saw the light of the world on
November 25th, 1924 in San Francisco, Cal. He’s best known as the Alto
sax man with the Dave Brubeck quartet in which he played from
1951 to 1967. He also wrote the big hit "Take Five". Yet fans and critics
alike agree that Desmond’s best work was not with Brubeck, but with other
groups and musicians—such as the Modern Jazz Quartet and with Gerry
Mulligan.
Harry Dial
Harry Dial was one of the classic drummers of the early jazz world, his specialty keeping time behind artists known for their fun and pep. Dial was a solid, energetic drummer who pushed the beat forward without cluttering the airspace, leaving plenty of room for Fats Wallers muttered asides or Satchmos famous behind the beat phrasing. His use of the sock cymbal and his fat, marching band snare drum sound are often imitated. Dial also was one of the rare breed of singing drummers, the vocal side of his talents usually only exposed when he was in charge of the band. He was allowed to make comments on records with Fats Waller, the best example of which is the introduction to the upbeat "Don't Let It Bother You.". He was already recording with Louis Armstrong in 1929 , and began cutting tracks with Waller as as member of Fats Wallers Rhythm before the middle of the decade. Finally, the dapper, suave Dial would have felt it important that he is most certainly not the Harry Dial who made it into the Guiness Book of World Records by claiming to have gone 78 years without bathing.
Vic Dickenson
Was born in Xenia, Ohio on August 6th, 1906. He was a self-taught trombonist
whose only experience came from playing in the territory bands of Speed Webb and Zack
Whyte. Dickenson was ready for the big time by the 30’s and began working for Luis
Russell, Claude Hopkins, Benny Carter and Count Basie. He was active with small groups
throughout the forties, --with Sidney Bechet, Frankie Newton, and Eddie Heywood. In the
50’s and 60’s Dickenson played with Bobby Hackett, Henry Red Allen and others.
While his roots were planted in traditional jazz, his big band experience and natural
feeling for melody made him an ideal ‘mainstream’ performer.
Warren (baby) Dodds
Warren (Baby) Dodds was born in New Orleans on December 24th, 1898.
The younger brother of Johnny Dodds. He began taking drum lessons
in his teens and played in street parades. His first professional work
included drumming for Bunk Johnson, Papa Celestine and Fate Marable,
and then he joined King Oliver. From 1924 he played with a succession of
leading bands—Honore Dutrey, Freddy Keppard and his brother Johnny,
as well as with Mezz Mezzrow, Art Hodes and Miff Mole. Generally held
to be the Master of New Orleans drumming, Baby Dodds style was based
on immaculate time-keeping and faultless technique. In fact, we was a
major influence on Dave Tough, and Tough urged Gene Krupa to listen
to Baby Dodds.
Johnny Dodds
Johnny Dodds was born in New Orleans on April 12th, 1892. He was
17 years of age before he began playing clarinet, and in the years
before World War One he played with Kid Ory and Fate Marable—mainly in New Orleans. Dodds also worked in a minstrel show.
In 1920 he joined King Oliver in Chicago, and in 1923 he worked
with Freddy Keppard, Honore Dutrey and others and it was at this
time that Dodds appeared on the famous Hot Five and Hot Seven
records with Louis Armstrong. In the thirties he worked mostly in
Chicago, leading bands at several clubs. In 1939, a heart attack took
him away from music for a few months, but he returned in 1940—
in poor health and he died in August of that year. Johnny Dodds was
a brilliant performer with a fluent style and an important contributor to
jazz—especially to clarinet playing.
Arne Domnerus
Swedish-born saxophonist Arne Domnrus looms large in the annals of European jazz his breakthrough performance at the Paris Jazz Fair of 1949 is widely cited as the tipping point of the Scandinavian bop movement. Born in Stockholm on December 20, 1924, Domnrus studied clarinet as a child and made his professional debut during the early '40s, playing alto sax in popular dance bands led by Simon Brehm. By 1942 he led his own group and made his recorded debut in 1945, honing an urbane, sophisticated style that nevertheless possessed an urgency often absent from the cool, remote tone often associated with Swedish jazz.
JIMMY DORSEY
Was born in Shenandoah , Pennsylvania on February 29th, 1904. He
was musically active as a small child, tutored by his father—a coal
miner who turned music teacher. Dorsey switched from brass to reed
instruments while still in his teens. He concentrated on clarinet and alto
saxophone and played in various bands, mostly with his brother Tommy.
Their co-led group, Dorsey’s Novelty Six was later re-named Dorsey’s
Wild Canaries—one of the first jazz bands to broadcast on radio.
Sometimes alone, sometimes with his brother, Jimmy Dorsey played in a
number of leading bands including those led by Paul Whiteman, Jean
Goldkette, Red Nichols and Ted Lewis. He also recorded frequently with
Bix Beiderbecke. In 1934, he and Tommy formed the Dorsey Brothers
Orchestra which became extremely popular. Unfortunately, the brothers
frequently disagreed sometimes violently, and after one such argument
Tommy walked out leaving Jimmy to run the band on his own. One of
the most accomplished white bands of the swing era, Jimmy Dorsey’s
band retained a strong jazz element, but catered to popular demands.
His recordings, with vocalists Bob Eberly and Helen O’Connell –songs
like "Amapola", "Yours", "Green Eyes" and
"Tangerine" were big hits
and ensured Dorsey’s success. By the mid-40’s his was one of the most
popular of the big bands. Jimmy Dorsey was one of the finest jazz
saxophonists of his era and a major influence on many contemporaries
and successors.
TOMMY DORSEY
Tommy
Dorsey was born on November 19th, 1904 in Shenandoah, Pa. He studied music under
his father, a coal miner who turned music teacher- and after first playing
trumpet he switched to trombone. He played in various bands, often with his
brother Jimmy and this led to their Dorsey Novelty Six and later to Dorseys
Wild Canaries. Tommy later played in a number of leading bands including that of
Jean Goldkette and Paul Whiteman. He also recorded frequently with leading
jazzmen of the day. In 1935, he and Jimmy formed the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra
which became extremely popular. The brothers frequently argued, sometimes
violently, and one day Tommy simply walked out leaving Jimmy to take over. Tommy
then took over the excellent dance band of Joe Haymes and turned it into the
finest of the era. Over the years, Dorsey employed such outstanding
arrangers as Axel Stordahl, Carmen Mastren , Paul Weston and Sy Oliver. And he
took on great jazz players like Bunny Berigan, Buddy Rich, Yank Lawson, Buddy
DeFranco, Gene Krupa and Charlie Shavers.
Later he hired Frank Sinatra as
his leading singer. Tommy Dorsey was an outstanding technician and brought
trombone playing to new heights of perfection. Dorsey a heavy eater, choked to
death in his sleep on November 26th, 1956---exactly one week after his 52nd
birthday.
Vernon Duke
Vernon
Duke was among the most popular composers of the Depression era, scoring a
series of hits including the standards "April in Paris," "Autumn in New York,"
and "I Can't Get Started"; under his real name Vladimir Dukelsky, he also
enjoyed a concurrent career in classical music. Born October 10, 1903, in
Parafianovo, Russia, he was raised in Kiev, and at age 11 was admitted to the
Kiev Conservatory, studying composition under Reinhold Gliere and theory under
Boleslaw Jaworski.. Civil unrest forced his family to flee Russia in 1919, and
after spending some 18 months in Constantinople, they settled in New York City
in 1921.
Johnny Dunn
Before
Louis Armstrong arrived in New York in 1924, Johnny Dunn was considered the top
cornetist in the city. His staccato style, double-time effects and utilization
of wah-wah mutes gave him notoriety for a time. Dunn had attended Fisk
University in Nashville and had a solo act in Memphis before being discovered by
W.C. Handy.. He joined Handys 's band in 1917 and during the next three years
became known for his feature on "Sergeant Dunn's Bugle Call Blues" (which later
became the basis for "Bugle Call Rag"). A pioneer with plunger mutes, Dunn's
Honore Dutrey
A
trombonist who suffered from asthma? Not a promising situation. And so the
professional career of the classic New Orleans slide tailgate trombonist Honore
Dutrey was cut short at a mere quarter of a century, while some of his peers
kept playing for close to 75 years. Dutrey began gigging with various New
Orleans combos starting around 1910, including clarinetist Jimmy Noones band,
with whom his taste for intriguing voices was amply demonstrated. He also worked
with the Excelsior Jazz Band, a group whose roots extended as far back as 1880,
but do not actually connect to the '90s jazz group from Toronto, whose link to
the historic New Orleans band is in name only.
Harry Edison
The great trumpeter was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 10th, 1915, and was
inspired by Louis Armstrong. He played with a number of territory bands including that of
Lucky Millander and joined Count Basie in 1938, remaining there until that band folded in
1950. Edison then began a long career as the leader of small groups and also played with
Buddy Rich. He toured with jazz at the Philharmonic and also became known to millions as
the sensational trumpeter with Nelson Riddles orchestra in backing Frank Sinatra. Few
musicians have matched his sense of humor and inventiveness.
Roy Eldridge
One
of the most exciting trumpeters to emerge during the swing era, Roy Eldridge's
combative approach, chancetaking style and strong musicianship were an
inspiration (and an influence) to the next musical generation, most notably
Dizzy Gillespie. Although he sometimes pushed himself farther than he could go,
Eldridge never played a dull solo! Roy Eldridge started out playing trumpet and
drums in carnival and circus bands. With the Nighthawk Syncopators he received a
bit of attention by playing a note-for-note recreation of Coleman Hawkins' tenor
solo on "The Stampede." Inspired by the dynamic playing of Jabbo Smith (Eldridge
would not discover Louis Armstrong for a few years), Roy played with some
territory bands Eldridge's recorded solos with Teddy Hill backing Billie Holiday
and with Fletcher Henderson (including his 1936 hit "Christopher Columbus")
gained a great deal of attention. In 1937 During 1941-42 Eldridge sparked Gene
Krupas Orchestra, . Eldridge recorded steadily for Norman Granz in the 1950s,
was one of the stars of JATP (where he battled Charlie Shavers and Dizzy
Gillespie and by 1956 was often teamed with Coleman Hawkins in a quintet; their
1957 appearance at Newport was quite memorable. Only a serious stroke in 1980
was able to halt his horn. Roy Eldridge recorded throughout his career for
virtually every label.
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington was the most important composer in the history of jazz as well as
being a bandleader who held his large group together continuously for almost 50
years. The two aspects of his career were related; Ellington used his band as a
musical laboratory for his new compositions and shaped his writing specifically
to showcase the talents of his band members, many of whom remained with him for
long periods. Ellington also wrote film scores and stage musicals, and several
of his instrumental works were adapted into songs that became standards. In
addition to touring year in and year out, he recorded extensively, resulting in
a gigantic body of work that was still being assessed a quarter century after
his death. Ellington was the son of a White House butler, James Edward
Ellington, and thus grew up in comfortable surroundings. He began piano lessons
at age seven and was writing music by his teens. He dropped out of high school
in his junior year in 1917 to pursue a career in music. At first, he booked and
performed in bands in the Washington, D.C., area, but in September 1923 the
Washingtonians, a five-piece group of which he was a member, moved permanently
to New York, where they gained a residency in the Times Square venue The
Hollywood Club (later The Kentucky Club). They made their first recordings in
November 1924, and cut tunes for different record companies under a variety of
pseudonyms, so that several current major labels, notably Sony, Universal, and
BMG, now have extensive holdings of their work from the period in their
archives, which are reissued periodically. The group gradually increased in size
and came under Ellington's leadership. They played in what was called "jungle"
style, their sly arrangements often highlighted by the muted growling sound of
trumpeter James "Bubber" Miley. A good example of this is Ellington's first
signature song, "East St. Louis Toodle-oo," which the band first recorded for
Vocalion Records in November 1926, and which became their first chart single in
a re-recorded version for Columbia in July 1927. The Ellington band
underwent several notable changes at the end of the 1930s. After several years
recording more or less regularly for Brunswick, Ellington moved to Victor. In
early 1939 Billy Strayhorn, a young composer, arranger, and pianist, joined the
organization. He did not usually perform with the orchestra, but he became
Ellington's composition partner to the extent that soon it was impossible to
tell where Ellington's writing left off and Strayhorns 's began. Two key
personnel changes strengthened the outfit with the acquisition of bassist Jimmy
Blanton in September and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster in December. Their impact
on Ellington's sound was so profound that their relatively brief tenure has been
dubbed "the Blanton-Webster Band" by jazz fans. These various changes were
encapsulated by the Victor release of Strayhorns 's "Take the 'A' Train," a
swing era standard, in the summer of 1941. The recording was later inducted into
the Grammy Hall of Fame. 
With the end of the war, Ellington's period as a
major commercial force on records largely came to an end, but unlike other big
bandleaders, who disbanded as the swing era passed, Ellington, who predated the
era, simply went on touring, augmenting his diminished road revenues with his
songwriting royalties to keep his band afloat. In a musical climate in which
jazz was veering away from popular music and toward bebop, and popular music was
being dominated by singers, the Ellington band no longer had a place at the top
of the business; but it kept working. Ellington continued to perform regularly
until he was overcome by illness in the spring of 1974, succumbing to lung
cancer and pneumonia. His death did not end the band, which was taken over by
his son Mercer, who led it until his own death in 1996, and then by a grandson.
Meanwhile, Ellington finally enjoyed the stage hit he had always wanted when the
revue Sophisticated Ladies, featuring his music, opened on Broadway on
March 1, 1981, and ran 767 performances. The many celebrations of the
Ellington centenary in 1999 demonstrated that he continued to be regarded as the
major composer of jazz. If that seemed something of an anomaly in a musical
style that emphasizes spontaneous improvisation over written composition,
Ellington was talented enough to overcome the oddity. He wrote primarily for his
band, allowing his veteran players room to solo within his compositions, and as
a result created a body of work that seemed likely to help jazz enter the
academic and institutional realms, which was very much its direction at the end
of the 20th century. In that sense, he foreshadowed the future of jazz and could
lay claim to being one of its most influential practitioners.
Ziggy Elman
Was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Harold Finkleman on May 26th,
1914.
The trumpeter and band leader joined Benny Goodman in 1936 where he
became well known for his solos in such songs as "And the angels sing." Elman
also wrote that number. He left Goodman to join Tommy Dorsey in 1940, and led his own band
on the west coast. Later he toured with Goodman in 1953.
Nick Fatool
A top drummer of the 1930's and 40's, Nick Fatool was best-known for his association with Bob Crosby and dixieland settings. Oddly enough, he did not regularly work with Crosby until 1949 and he spent most of his formative years playing in swing-oriented big bands. Fatool started out playing drums in Providence, Rhode Island., Fatool hit the big time by joining Benny Goodmans Orchestra. He made his recording debut with BG and also recorded with Ziggy Elmans studio bands and Lionel Hampton ....
Art Farmer
Art Farmer was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Aug. 21st, 1928,
and began playing trumpet early in life. During the 40’s he worked with
Benny Carter and others and, in 1952, joined Lionel Hampton with whom
he toured Europe a year later. Farmer settled in New York and recorded with
such notables as Gerry Mulligan, Horace Silver, and Quincy Jones, and
later led a quartet with Jim Hall. In the 60’s, Farmer began touring
extensively as a soloist at clubs and festivals around the world.
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 4th
He was already a band leader in his native land in his early teens,
and played trumpet in the bands of Boyd Rayburn, Jimmy Dorsey and
Charlie Barnet in the 40’s. Ferguson’s breakthrough came when he
joined Stan Kenton in 1950, electrifying audiences with his
high’notes. But unlike many trumpeters who played high notes,
he proved that it was possible to play music way up there rather than
just makes noises. Skillful use of arrangements allowed Ferguson bands
to create an impression of much larger size: His 12 piece band at the 1958
Newport Jazz Festival had the impact and power of many groups twice
that size. In the late 60’s, Ferguson moved to England, formed a big band
and toured extensively. In the seventies he returned to the U.S. where he
switched to Jazz rock and found a new audience.
Ted Fio Rito
He is remembered as the swank bandleader and composer of remarkably infectious melodies, Fiorito began his career at the age of sixteen playing piano in a nickelodeon, after which he worked as a song demonstrator for publisher Al Piantadosi. By the time he was eighteen, Ted was a member of Ross Gorman's band. Fiorito's own orchestra was initially named for Detroit's Oriole Terrace, where he premiered the ensemble in partnership with Dan Russo. As this band roamed the midwest throughout the middle 1920s, it became known as the Russo-Fio Rito Orchestra. They then held down a steady gig playing sugary music for four years at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Atlantic City. Their theme song was called "Rio Rita."
Ella Fitzgerald
Born on April 25th, 1917 in Newport New, Virginia. At school she sang with a
glee club
and showed promise., but preferred dancing to singing. Nevertheless, Ella entered a
talent contest and eventually reached the top by singing at the Harlem Opera House
where she was heard by several important people. Among those most likely to have
had a hand in establishing her as a professional singer were Benny Carter and Charles
Linton with the Fletcher Henderson band. The most important break-through of her life
came at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre during another talent show. It was here that Linton
heard her and introduced her to Chick Webb. Webb, who led a band at the Savoy Ballroom
took Ella on, paying her out of his own pocket. She quickly became the band’s main
attraction
and recorded extensively with Webb and with a small combo led by Teddy Wilson. She even
recorded with Benny Goodman. Following Chick Webb’s death in 1939, Ella became
nominal
leader of the band, a position she held until 1942. She then began her solo career,
recording with
numerous artists. She also toured extensively with Norman Granz’s Jazz at the
Philharmonic.
For all the high quality of her jazz work, it is as a singer of popular songs that
Fitzgerald’s
importance is most profound.
Tommy Flanagan
Known
for his flawless and tasteful playing, Tommy Flanagan received long overdue
recognition for his talents in the 1980s. He played clarinet when he was six and
switched to piano five years later. Flanagan was an important part of the
fertile Detroit jazz scene until he moved to New York in 1956. He was used for
many recordings after his arrival during that era; cut sessions as a leader for
New Jazz, Prestige, Savoy, and Moodsville; and worked regularly with Oscar
Pettiford, J.J. Johnson, Harry Edison and Coleman Hawkins. Flanagan was Ella
Fitzgeralds regular accompanist during 1963-1965 and 1968-1978, which resulted
in him being underrated as a soloist. However, starting in 1975, he began
leading a series of superior record sessions. Flanagan has been in demand as the
head of his own trio, consistently admired for his swinging and creative
bop-based style. Flanagan continued performing until the end of his life,
performing two-week stints at the Village Vanguard twice a year, recording and
touring. He died on November 16, 2001.
Troy Floyd
Jazz bandleader and instrumentalist Troy Floyd was born in 1901 in Texas. Floyd led various jazz groups in San Antonio during the late 1920s and early 1930s. He played alto and tenor saxophone and clarinet. His first unit was a sextet, organized in 1924 and increased to nine pieces by 1926.
His band broadcast regularly on radio station HTSA from the Plaza Hotel in San Antonio, from which the group took the name Troy Floyd and His Plaza Hotel Orchestra when it recorded for the first time on March 14, 1928. This was one of the first black bands to record in Texas. Floyd's band also appeared at the Shadowland club, from which its 1928 recording of "Shadowland Blues" derived its title. Kennedy organized his own band, the Oleanders, in 1927 and later left for California.
Pops Foster
One
of the first important bassists Pops Foster had the longest career and he kept
the tradition of slap bass solos alive into the late '60s. Foster was playing in
bands around New Orleans as early as 1906. He played tuba with Fate Marables 's
group on riverboats (1918-1921) and was with Kid Orys band in California.
Foster was in St. Louis in the mid-'20s, working with Charlie Creath and Dewey
Jackson.. After he arrived in New York in 1928, Foster played with King Oliver
and then joined the great Luis Russell Orchestra, where his thumping bass really
propelled the ensembles. Foster stayed with Russell during the long period
(1935-1940) when the orchestra was really the backup group for Louis Armstrong.
After that stint ended, Foster was in demand during the New Orleans revival
period, freelancing with many bands.
Helen Forrest
One
of the more popular big-band-era singers, a performer that some might not
consider a jazz vocalist, but one with exceptional ability to project lyrics and
also an excellent interpreter. She began singing in her brother's band in
Washington, D.C., then was featured in Artie Shaws band after Billie Holiday
left in 1938. Forrest joined Benny Goodman when Shaw disbanded in 1939, staying
until 1941. She recorded with Nat King Coles trio and Lionel Hampton in 1940,
then began to score hits working with the Harry James orchestra. During the
early '40s, she had string of successes. Later she teamed with Dick Haymes on
his radio show and on six duets that were big hits. Forrest cut back her
activity in the '50s, then sang with Tommy Dorseys Orchestra in the early '60s.
She continued to work on the club circut in the '70s and '80s, making a new
album for Stash in 1983. Forrest died July 11, 1999 at age 82.
Pete Fountain
Pete Fountain was born in New Orleans on July 3rd, 1930.
He took up the clarinet as a small boy and played professionally
and recorded before he was out of his teens. In the early fifties
he worked with several bands in New Orleans and in 1954 he formed his own small
band. Fountain played with this groups for
the next several years and also with the Dukes of Dicxieland.
In the late fifties he appeared as a featured soloist on Lawrence
Welk’s nationwide radio show. Regular performances with Trumpeter
Al Hirt ensured that he remained in demand, both in New Orleans and
in the vastly different atmosphere of Las Vegas.
Bud Freeman
When Bud Freeman first matured, his was the only strong alternative approach on the tenor to the harder-toned style of Coleman Hawkins and he was an inspiration for Lester Young. Freeman, one of the top tenors of the 1930s, was also one of the few saxophonists to be accepted in the Dixieland world and his oddly angular but consistently swinging solos were an asset to a countless number of hot sessions. Freeman, excited in Chicago by the music of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, took up the C-melody sax in 1923, switching to tenor two years later.