Sarah Vaughan

Born in Newark, New Jersey on March 27th, 1924. She took piano lessons for ten years, sang in her church choir and became the organist at the age of twelve. She won an amateur singing contest at the Apollo theatre in Harlem in 1942--same place where Ella Fitzgerald  won the contest many years earlier—and spotted by Billy Eckstein who was working for Earl Hines at the time, Sarah was invited to join Hines band as a female vocalist and second pianist. Eckstein had been so impressed by Sarah Vaughan that he gave her a place in his own band in 1944, and it was here that she met Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and other pioneers of modern jazz. In the later forties and fifties she began a decade of recording sessions and world-wide tours, recorded with Miles Davis and produced many albums for Mercury records. Among her most satisfying work  was with Count Basie, Clifford Brown and Cannonball Adderly, and in 1974 she performed at the Monterrey Jazz Festival. Then, in 1980, Sarah Vaughan appeared in concert a Carnegie Hall.

A fine swing-oriented tenor saxophonist, Ventura is best-remembered for his attempt at popularizing bebop during the tail end of the music's mid- to late-'40s heyday. Born Charles Venturo, he came from a large, musically inclined family. His first instrument was C-melody sax. He switched to alto before eventually settling on tenor. Ventura left his day job at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1942 to join Gene Krupas 's band. He became a featured soloist with Krupa, playing with the drummer from 1942-1943 and 1944-1946 (working in the interim with guitarist/bandleader Teddy Powell.). Ventura achieved considerable popularity while with Krupa, winning a Down Beat magazine award as best tenor saxophonist in 1945. ...

Now legend has it that Joe Venuti was born either in Italy or in Philadelphia, or on a ship somewhere in-between filled with Italian immigrants. Nobody seems to know for sure, but at any rate, he teamed up with Eddie Lang—whose real name was Salvatore Massaro—in Philadelphia, and—according to another legend, they bought a violin and a guitar in a pawn shop and
tossed a coin to see who would play which. The result: Venuti got the violin and Lang the guitar, and they played happily ever after. Both men played with the worlds greatest as the years went by—with Red McKenzey, the Dorsey Brothers, Jack Teagarden, Bix Beiderbecke and Paul Whiteman, and Venuti—a practical joker, pulled-off some Lulus: Once, during a rehearsal for the film "King of Jazz", he emptied a bag of flour into a big tuba. When the unsuspecting musican started to blow, the whole stage—band and all..disappeared under a white cloud of flour.

Thomas Wright Waller was born in Waverley, New York on May 21st Influenced by his grandfather, a violinist, and by his mother . Waller was playing piano at student concerts and organ in his father’s church by the time her was ten years old. In 1918, while still in high school, he was asked to fill-in for the regular organist at the Lincoln Theatre, and then gained a permanent seat at the Wurlitzer Grand. A year later he won a talent contest by playing "Carolina Shout" by the famous ragtime pianist James P. Johnson. While a protg’ of Johnson, Waller adopted the Harlem ‘stride’ style of piano playing.—the swinging left hand. Waller’s playing was in demand at rent-parties, bootleg- joints, cabarets and vaudeville, and inevitably he mixed with gangsters. It’s said that he received his first $100 bill from Al Capone, who obviously enjoyed his piano playing.  Fats Waller recorded with the legendary Bessie Smith and toured with her in 1926. Waller enjoyed success after success as a performer and composer: The Broadway revue "Keep Shufflin’", "Shuffle along", the negro revue, "Hot Chocolates", first staged at Connie’s Inn in Harlem. Waller’s greatest hots were scored during the depression—"Honeysuckle Rose", "Blue turning gray over you", "Keepin’ out of mischief now", "I’ve got a feeling I’m falling" and many others. In 1932 Fats Waller toured Europe with fellow-composer Spencer Williams, and played in such prestige places as London’s Kit Kat Club and at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Worldwide fame followed for Fats Waller and his Rhythm in 1934—and all star group with which he made over 150 shellac recordings. Waller had massive hit with "I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter", "Lulu’s back in town", "Dinah", "Hold tight", "It’s a sin to tell a lie"  "Your Feet’s too big"..many written in collaboration with lyricist Andy Razaf.
Waller appeared in three feature films, the first of which was "Hooray for love" with that great dancer Bill Bojangles Robinson. Besides performing concerts in several cities, including a performance  at the London Palladium, he appeared in an early television broadcast from Alexandra Palace, and he was probably the only jazz musician to play the organ of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Back in the USA, returning from his European tour, Waller toured  with a combo for a while,  and during the early forties, performed with his own big band before working again as a solo artist.
In 1942 he tried to play serious jazz in concert at Carnegie Hall—but was poorly received. A year later, Waller teamed up with Bojangles Robinson again for the film "Stormy weather" and he stayed on in California .In 1942, following his engagement at the Zanzibar Club in Los Angeles, Waller was on his way back to New York on the Santa Fe train. He died of Pneumonia just as the train pulled into Kansas City.   Waller’s life had been one of excess—enormous amounts of food and liquor,    and his weight had increased to around 310 pounds. Days of carousing and days of continuous sleeping had played Hell with his work and, finally,  took his life. Fats Waller left a legacy of wonderful tunes and a rich  contribution of unique recordings.  Fats Waller came out of the James P. Johnson ‘stride’ piano style, but added a delicacy, a more powerful rhythmic intensity, and a greater speed and deftness. He wore his genius lightly and his light-hearted music had a profound influence on later generations of musicians. He could make an artistic and witty gem out of the tritest pop song and his compositions enriched the entire jazz repertoire. Many of the more solemn jazz fans lamented Fats popularity and humor: They felt he was throwing away his great talent and that he should have devoted himself to more serious musical persuits. Nevertheless, his influence on pianists has been enormous: perhaps his most famous debtors are Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and --Count Basie (who took lessons from Waller). Waller was indeed, a legend in his own time, and a national treasure. He died at the age of 38.

Was born Ruth Jones, on August 29th 1924 inTuscaloosa, Alabama, and grew up in Chicago. She sang in church choirs and played the piano. Dinah first worked in local clubs where she was heard by Lionel Hampton. He promptly hired her, and her first recording successes began around 1945. After leaving Hamp, she started a successful string of Rhythm and Blues recordings and went on the extend her singing to jazz, blues and popular songs. Physically,Dinah appeared to thrive on her extravagant way of life—jewelry, cars, furs, men, drink and drugs..but her erratic life style caught up with her. She died suddenly at the age of 39.

Lu Watters

He hails from Santa Cruz, California..born there on December 19th, 1911. Watters began leading his own combos after playing trumpet with several bands. By the end of the forties he became dedicated to traditional jazz styles, inspired by the music or New Orleans. He formed the Yerba Buena Jazz band with Turk Murphy, Clancy Hayes and Bob Scobey, and proved to be enormously successful.

Chick Webb represented the triumph of the human spirit in jazz and life. Hunchbacked, small in stature, almost a dwarf with a large face and broad shoulders, Webb fought off congenital tuberculosis of the spine in order to become one of the most competitive drummers and bandleaders of the big band era. Perched high upon a platform, he used custom-made pedals, goose-neck cymbal holders, a 28-inch bass drum and a wide variety of other percussion instruments to create thundering solos of a complexity and energy that paved the way for Buddy Rich (who studied Webb intensely) and Louis Bellson. Alas, Webb did not get a fair shake on records; Decca's primitive recording techniques could not adequately capture his spectacular technique and wide dynamic range.

 Dick Wellstood

was born in Greenwich, Connecticut on November 25th 1927, and after learning to play the piano in his home town went to New York in 1946 and soon began working with well known musicians such as Sidney Bechet and Bob Wilber. In the early 50s Wellstood toured Europe with Jimmy Archies band, but divided his studies between music and law studies. He qualified as a lawyer, but nevertheless returned to playing with small groups and with artists such as Roy Eldridge, Henry Red Allen, Coleman Hawkins and Gene Krupa.

George Wettling
George Godfrey Wettling

Born: November 28, 1907 in Topeka, Kansas
One of the great Dixieland drummers, George Wettling's ability to alertly change patterns behind each soloist usually inspired the other musicians to play their best. He was part of the Chicago jazz scene of the 1920s (where he moved with his family in 1921), and Baby Dodds was his main idol. Wettling, who recorded with Paul Mares in the mid-'30s, was still mostly an unknown when he came to New York in 1935, playing briefly with Jack Hylton Orchestra. He did a fine job with Artie Shaws 1936 big band, as well as the orchestras of Bunny Berigan, Red Norvo, Paul Whiteman and Muggsy Spanier However, his most rewarding work was done with small groups, notably his sessions in 1938 with a trio also including Bud Freeman and Jess and Eddie Condon. Wettling became a regular with Condon on his Town Hall broadcasts and at his club. Although he did not lead bands on a regular basis for long (due to excessive alcohol consumption), George Wettling led excellent Dixieland dates for Decca, Black & White), Keynote, Stycon, and Columbia.

Born in Denver, Colorado on March 28th, 1890. The American Band leader, composer, arranger and violinist played with the Denver Symphony orchestra from 1910 and later with the San Fransisco Symphony orchestra. Whiteman changed his tack and joined a dance orchestra, but he was fired because he couldn’t play jazz. After military service as an army band leader,
Whiteman formed his own orchestra and, in 1920, made a hit with his recording of "Japansese Sandman" and "Whispering, which sold two million copies, followed by yet another hit, "Three O’clock in the morning" which sold 3/12 million. In 1924 he appeared in New York’s Aolian Hall for the first so-called Jazz Concert for which he commissioned George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue." Whiteman dubbed himself "The King of Jazz", which he certainly wasn’t—and he even starred in a film of that name. While Paul Whiteman never lived up to his royal title, he was nevertheless responsible for the concept of Symphonic Jazz, and for his engagement and encouragement of some of the world’s greatest musicians—Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, Frank Trumbauer and others.

Johnny Wiggs

Cornetist Johnny Wiggs was born John Wigginton Hyman on July 25, 1899, in New Orleans, LA. He began his music career playing the violin, but he learned the cornet and moved to New York City to try his luck in their local scene. He moved back to Louisiana in the late '20s, working as a public school teacher under his real name while moonlighting as Johnny Wiggs at local jazz clubs. He gained a reputation not only as a good player, but one of the few Jewish cornet players in jazz at the time. He tried to separate his teaching and music careers as much as possible, but by the '40s the lure of the stage was too much and he took up music full-time again. He led several bands and began to record, finding local success as well as a good musical partnership with Eddie Miller for a period. By the '60s he went back to playing part-time again, but he still recorded and found time to work with Maxine Sullivan on her material. He stopped playing in the '70s due to deteriorating health, and in October of 1977 he passed away a relatively unknown figure in the genre, despite his impressive body of work.

Bob Wilber was born on March 15th, 1928 in New York city, and after studying clarinet as a child, began leading his own band. Still in his teens., he became a student of Sidney Bechet with whom he also recorded. Wilber became adept at the soprano saxophone and was right at home with jazz. To broaden his expertise, he continued studies under Lennie Tristano and in a mid fifties band which he led, Wilber blended traditional and modern concepts in jazz. During the fifties and on through the 60’s he played and recorded with Bobby Hackett, Benny Goodman,Sidney Bechet, Jack Teagarden and Eddie Condon. And at the close of the 60’s, he became one of the founders of the "World’s greatest Jazz band— (so named). In the 70’s, Wilber teamed up with Kenny Davern to form the Soprano sax summit.

Lee Wiley

Wiley was born in 1910 in Ft. Gibson, Oklahoma; early press reports claimed lineage from a Cherokee princess. Her husky, surprisingly sensual voice and exquisitely cool readings of pop standards distinguished her singing, but Lee Wiley earns notice as one of the best early jazz singers by recognizing the superiority of American popular song and organizing a set of songs around a common composer or theme later popularized as the songbook or concept LP. She was also a songwriter in her own right, and one of the few white vocalists with more respect in the jazz community than the popular one. Even more tragic then, that while dozens of inferior vocalists recorded LPs during the late '50s and '60s, Wiley appeared on record just once between 1957 and her death in 1975.

Clarence Williams

Although he was quite spirited playing jug, Clarence Williams was only a decent pianist and a likable but limited vocalist. However, he was also a talented composer, writing or co-writing dozens, of memorable songs like "Royal Garden Blues," "Everybody Loves My Baby," "West End Blues," "Sugar Blues," "Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do," and "Baby Won't You Please Come Home," and he was also a masterful organizer, responsible for scores of hot recordings issued under his name in the 1920s and '30s. A superior businessman and an inventive hustler, Williams worked at all kinds of odd jobs in New Orleans, where he moved in 1906. He played piano in Storyville, always keeping aware of the latest hits from New York; he was a singer, dancer, and emcee with a minstrel show, and ran his own cabaret and publishing company.

Born as Mary Elfrieda Scruggs on May 8th, 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia was a child prodigy. She played piano in public at the age of six and by the time she reached teen-age was already a seasoned professional pianist. When she was 16 she married saxophonist John Williams and played in his band, and later took over the band which eventually became Andy Kirk’s "Clouds of Joy". During the thirties Mary Lou Williams arranged for Earl Hines, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman. Goodman made a hit with her arrangement of "Roll ‘em". She also made arrangements for Duke Ellington. Throughout the forties and fifties she played in clubs in the USA and Europe, and in the late fifties performed at concerts and festivals. She also wrote a classical piece called the "Zodiac Suite" which was performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Paradoxically, it was at this same time that Williams wrote Bop for the Dizzy Gillespie big band.

Spencer Williams

Jazz pianist and composer Spencer Williams was born in New Orleans on October 14, 1889, studying at the local St. Charles University before relocating to Chicago in 1907. A decade later he was in New York City, teaming with Fats Waller to pen a handful of songs including 1918's "Squeeze Me"; the roll call of Williams' subsequent hits is most impressive, and includes jazz standards like "Basin Street Blues," "I Ain't Got Nobody," "Tishomingo Blues," "Everybody Loves My Baby," "Mahogany Hall Stomp," "Royal Garden Blues," "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll," "Fireworks," and "Shim-Me-Sha-Wobble." He traveled to Paris in 1925 and wrote for Josephine Baker and La Revue Negre; returning to the U.S. three years later, Williams later sang and played on sessions with Lonnie Johnson and Teddy Bunn. and. In 1936, he settled in England, collaborating with Benny Carter on "When Lights Are Low"; after spending the better part of the 1950s in Sweden, Williams returned stateside in 1957, dying in New York on July 14, 1965.

Charles Melvin Williams was born on July 10th, 1911 in Mobile, Alabama.
He was a self-taught trumpeter who first played professionally in the mid-20’s when he was barely in his teens. Williams appeared in the band run by the family of Lester Young. He later played in several N.Y. bands including those of Chic Webb and Fletcher Henderson. In 1929 Williams replaced Bubber Miley in Duke Ellington’s orchestra and remained there for eleven years. During this time, he also recorded with Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson and Billy Holiday. In 1940, Williams was with Benny Goodman briefly before forming his own big band. It was just here, according to Williams himself, that he began drinking. While with Ellington, Cootie Williams became a noted soloist in his own right—with a full, rich tone and powerful style. He began with the Duke in 1929 and rejoined Ellington much later in 1962. Williams died in 1985.

Nancy Wilson

Nancy Wilsons musical style is so diverse that it is hard to classify. Over the years her repertoire has included pop style ballads, jazz and blues, show tunes and well known standards. Critics have described her as "a jazz singer," "a blues singer," "a pop singer," and "a cabaret singer." By the age of four, Nancy Wilson knew she wanted to be a singer. Nancys professional singing career began at the age of 15. She had her own television show, Skyline Melody, on a local station. Soon after, she began performing in clubs in the Columbus area. But in 1956, she met Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. Adderley, impressed with her talent and determination, took an immediate interest in her career and the two kept in touch. In 1959, Nancy moved to New York City, and. within four weeks of her arrival in New York she got her first big break, a call to fill in for Irene Reid at The Blue Morocco. Nancy did so well that the club booked her on a permanent basis; Nancys debut single, "Guess Who I Saw Today," was so successful that between April of 1960 and July of 1962 Capitol Records released five Nancy Wilson albums. After years with Capitol, during many of which she was second in sales only to the Beatles, surpassing even Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, the Beach Boys, and early idol Nat King Cole. Last year, Nancy retired from touring, but she still continues to perform select engagements and, happily, to record.

Teddy Wilson

hails from Austin, Texas where he was born on November 24th He studied both violin and piano in Tuskagee, Texas, and later extended his college education in Alabama. In 1929 Wilson became a professional pianist in Detroit, Michigan and later settle in Chicago where he played with Erskine Tate, Louis Armstrong and Jimmy Noone. In the early thirties he played with Art Tatum, holding his own in duets of considerable distinction. In 1933 he went to New York to play in Benny Carter’s band and, during this time, he made a succession of outstanding recordings with Carter’s Chocolate Dandies and as accompanist for Billy Holiday . Some of these sessions proved to be masterpieces in jazz. In 1936 Wilson became a regular member of Benny Goodman’s band—of the famous Goodman trio. He remained in Goodman’s trio and quartet until 1939. He later formed his own sextet and then worked in studios, taught and toured. By the sixties Wilson had become an elder statesman of jazz, touring with Harry Edison and Benny Carter.

Jimmy Yancey, the Father of boogie, was born in Chicago February 20th, 1898—although some authorities differ over the exact date. Yancey worked originally as a singing, dancing vaudevillian, while still a small child. He had just turned 20 after touring the USA and Europe, and then began teaching himself to play the piano. He played at rent parties and clubs in Chicago from 1915 and gradually built up a reputation. In fact, he is said to have given ideas to Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis—those two famous boogie pianists. Nevertheless, Jimmy Yancey felt that music was an uncertain way to make a living, so he became a groundsman with the Chicago White Sox baseball team in 1925. He did continue to play piano, though, and was one of the prime-movers in establishing boogie-woogie. Yancey made many records, often accompanying his wife, Estelle, who became known as mama Yancey. He played clubs and concerts and, shortly before his death in 1951, he played at Carnegie Hall—in 1948.

Lester Young

Lester Young was one of the true jazz giants, a tenor saxophonist who came up with a completely different conception in which to play his horn, floating over bar lines with a light tone rather than adopting Coleman Hawkins ' then-dominant forceful approach. A non-conformist, Young (nicknamed "Pres" by Billy Holiday) had the ironic experience in the 1950s of hearing many young tenors try to sound exactly like him. Although he spent his earliest days near New Orleans, Lester Young lived in Minneapolis by 1920, playing in a legendary family band. He studied violin, trumpet, and drums, starting on alto at age 13. Because he refused to tour in the South, Young left home in 1927 and instead toured with Art Bronsons Bostonians, switching to tenor. He was back with the family band in 1929 and then freelanced for a few years, playing with Walter Pages Blue Devils,, Bennie Moten, and King Oliver. 1933). He was with Count Basie for the first time in 1934 but left to replace Coleman Hawkins in Fletcher Hendersons band.. Young made history during his years with Basie not only participating on the Counts record dates but starring with Billy Holiday and Teddy Wilson on a series of classic small-group sessions. After becoming ill in Paris in early 1959, Lester Young came home and essentially drank himself to death. Many decades after his death, Pres is still considered one of the three most important tenor saxophonists of all time.