SLIM Gaillard

Was born Bulee Gaillard on January 4th, 1916, in Santa Clara, Cuba. He led an adventurous childhood, --one time travelling aboard a ship on which his father was steward. Slim was left behind in Crete when the ship sailed. Gaillard dabbled in just about every profession:
He was a boxer, mortician, truck driver and bootlegger. In Detroit he entered Vaudeville in the early 30s where he played guitar and tap-danced. Later he moved to New York and formed a duo with Slam Stewart the renowned bassist. Gaillard sang and played guitar—with his own personal version of the current ‘Jive talk’. He went on to record several hits—"Flat foot Floogy" with Stewart, and " Cement mixer putti putti" with Bam Brown. Another hit, " Down by the station" which began as a unique jazz piece, became a classic among children’s nursery rhymes. Later on, Gaillard worked with Dizzy Gillespie ands, in the late forties, did some eccentric performances such as
playing piano with his hands upside down. Slim Gaillard was a Character in every sense of the word, and some people never understood his language. In the 80’s he appeared on numerous stage and TV shows in London where he settled down.
Gaillard’s tall, loping figure, invariably topped with a big grin and white beret became a familiar sight and in 1989 he starred in a four-part television series on BBC entitled "The world of Slim Gaillard."

        ERROL GARNER

Erroll Garner was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania June 15, 1921. A self-taught pianist, he played on the radio at the age of 10 and within a few more years was playing professionally. In 1944, Garner moved to N.Y. and began working in night clubs and at the jazz oriented joints along 52nd street. For a short time he played with a trio led by Slam Stewart and then formed his own trio. Garner wirked in this was and as a soloist
for the rest of his life, touring the USA throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s, playing prestigeous hotel and club engagements, appearing at festivals and on radio and TV.
While Garner’s playing suggests that of Fatha Earl Hines to some extent and that of the great stride piano players, Garner is uniquely himself. He was the first jazz pianist since Fats Waller who appealed to a non-jazz audience, and the first jazzman ever to achieve popular acclaim without recourse to singing or clowning around. Garner is in a class all by himself. He came from nowhere and, since his death in in 1977, there has been no other pianist following in his footsteps.

STAN GETZ

Stan Getz was born on February 2nd, 1927 in Philadelphia,Penssylvania, and his big band experience began when he was 15. He played with Jack Teagarden in 1943, with Stan Kenton in 1944.45, with Jimmy Dorsey in 1945 and with Benny Goodman in 1945-46. Getz actually made recording under his own name when he was only 19. From 1947 to 1949 he played with Woody Herman, and then began leading his own quartets and quintets. He also played in Scandanavia in 1951. Getz is one of the most renowned jazzmen and one of the few who have received wide-spread acclaim while retaining the admiration of fellow musicians.

TERRY GIBBS

Terry Gibbs was born as Julius Gubenko. On October 13th, 1924 in New York
city. After an all-round study of percussion, he concentrated on vibraphone,
working with such leaders as Tommy Dorsey, Chubby Jackson and
Buddy Rich. At the end of the 40’s Gibbs received international prominence
thanks to a two year spell with Woody Herman, followed by a brief period
with Benny Goodman’s sextet. In the fifties he formed his own big band and
worked on television with singer Mel Torme’. Towards the end of the decade he reformed his big band in California which he led at the famous Monterey
Jazz Festival in 1961. Gibbs playing always swings and he creates one of the
most exciting sounds in jazz.

Dizzie Gillespie

Dizzie Gillespie, the famous trumpeter was born as John Birks Gillespie in Cheraw, S. Carolina on October 21st, 1917. He began playing trombone at the age of 12 and took up the trumpter one year later. Largely self-taught,Gillespie won a musical scholorship, but preferrred playing music to formal study and quit University in 1935. He went to live in Philadelphia where he played in local bands. It was here that he earned the nickname *Dizzie’ from a fellow trumpeter because of his zestful behavior. You could write a thick book about Gillespie’s rise to fame and his impact on themodern jazz world and—indeed, books have been written for all to read. Suffice it to say that Dizzy ranked only second to Louis Armstrong in development of the trumpet, and actually helped re-shape music. He was one of the true giants in jazz.

Stephane Grappelli

Stephane Grappelli was born in Paris on January 26th, 1908. He played harmonium at ten, his first violin at twelve and was soon studying as the Paris conservatoire.
At sixteen he was playing at silent-film movie theatres and in Paris courtyards
for pennies until he was introduced into the Gregorians—a big band modelled on Jack Hylton’s band It wasn’t long after that Grappelli met Django Reinhardt and a sensational partnership developed: With three other members the Quintet of the Hot Club of France was born and with it..A new jazz. Following Django’s death , Grappelli rapidly turned into a super-star, playing Carnegie Hall in 1974 and touring America and Europe with his own quartet. Right into the 1990’s he continued to play at full strength and with a variety of partners and his talent to improvise seemed to mature—like vintage wine.

Freddie Green

Freddie Green was born in Charleston, S. Carolina on March 31st, 1911.
He was a self-taught musician who began on Banjo. Green became known
around New York Jazz clubs in the early 30’s, and by 1936 he switched
to guitar. He was recommended to Count Basie who was looking for a
replacement at the time, and was hired in 1937. Green became a member of
the famous All-American Rhythm Section—with Basie, Walter Page and
Jo Jones. Green remained with Basie until 1950, when the big band
folded, but returned when Basie reformed the band and remained there
until Basie’s death in 1984. Freddie Green was a meticulous time-keeper
and a driving force that helped ensure the suburb swing of the Basie band
all the way from its Kansas Cotu sound of the 30’s all through 50’s and
afterwards. On many recording, Green’s guitar is virtually inaudible, but
everyone who played with him insist that his beat was a main factor in
ensuring the band’s propulsive swing.

Johnny Guarnieri

Guarnieri was born in New York city on March 23rd 1917. Although he studied piano for Johnny mally, his musical future was determined by meeting Fats Waller, Willy the Lion Smith, James P. Johnson and Art Tatum. Johnson told Guarnieri one time, " After Fats and me—you’re number three!" (Quite a compliment!) Guarnieri had remarkably small hands, but nevertheless was adept at playing stride piano and his big breakthrough came when he played with the swing bands of the era—Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Jimmy Dorsey.With Shaw, he played harpsichord in the famous Gramercy Five.
During the forties Guarnieri worked in broadcast studios extensively—often with Raymond Scott’s orchestra, and enjoyed recording sessions with Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, and Louis Armstrong. In the 60’s he spent many years as house pianist at the Hollywood Plaza Hotel.

Bob Haggart

Was born in New York on March 13^th, 1914. After studying guitar,
formally and Trumpet, informally, Haggart switched to bass—self-taught,
and played with various small time dance bands. He became internationally
known upon joining former members of Ben pollack’s band. The new outfit—
under the nominal leadership of Bob Crosby was a great success during the
swing era, combining currently popular dance music with two-beat dixieland.
Haggart arranged several of the band’s most popular numbers and worked
together with drummer Ray Bauduc on a tune which became one of the great
classics of the swing era, "Big Noise from Winnetka". On this number, Haggart whistled through his front teeth sibilantly while pressing the strings of his bass, and, at the same time, Bauduc played on the bass strings with his drum sticks.
In 1942 Haggart left the Crosby band and returned to studio work and arranging for many artists including Louis Armstrong. In the early fifties he teamed up with Yank Lawson to form the Lawson-Haggart Jazz band, calling it the "World’s Greatest Jazz Band." Haggart remained a popular figure at festivals and reunions of the old Crosby Band, touring the USA and Europe as bandleader and sideman and making records.

EDMOND HALL

Edmond Hall was born in New Orleans on May 15th, 1901,
into a musical family. After playing clarinet in his home town
with Kid Thomas Valentine and others in the early twenties,
Hall headed north and from 1929 and throughout the 30’s
he became one of the most respected and sought-after clarinettists
in jazz. His playing never lost the quality of New Orleans Jazz.
Hall performed with Lucky Millander, Zutty Singleton, Joe Sullivan
and Henry Red Allen and in the 40’s he made recordings with Charlie
Christian, the De Paris brothers and others, and he .turned down an
offer to play with Duke Ellington. Instead, Hall became of member
of Teddy Wilson’s marvelous sextet. After leaving Wilson in 1944,
he led his own band in New York and Boston, and then became a member
of Eddie Condon’s house band at Condon’s Club. In 1955, Hall joined
Louis Armstrong’s All Stars. He left Armstrong in 1958 and started touring
internationally for nine years—until his death in 1967. Hall’s playing was
a wonderful blend of New Orleans ‘down-to-earth’ jazz and Benny Goodman
type polish. He was one of the outstanding clarinetists of the swing era,
and the recordings he made with Teddy Wilson are about the best ever
in the small combo category.

Jimmy Hamilton

Was born in Dillon, S. Carolina on May 25^th, 1917. He was talented
on several instruments. In 1943 he joined Duke Ellington’s orchestra, working in the saxophone section, and was also a featured clarinet soloist. Hamilton stayed on with Ellington for a quarter of a century before leaving to lead his own band in 1963.

Lionel Hampton

Lionel Hampton was born on April 20th, 1908 in Louisville, Ky:
At an early age, he was taken to Chicago, where his grandparents
lived, and they sent him to Holy Rosary Academy at Collins,
Wisconsin where he learned the basics of military band drumming.
By the end of the 20’s Hampton became a professional drummer,
playing in various territory bands on the west coast. He played at
the Los Angeles Cotton club where Louis Armstrong was also performing,
and on some of these dates he also played vibraphone, piano, and sang.
In 1936, while leading his own band at the Paradise club, a fateful event
took place: He was joined by Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson and Gene
Krupa who happened to be passing through during a tour. Goodman was
so impressed by that session that he invited Hampton to attend a recording
date already scheduled for his trio. The resulting records were so
successful that the Goodman trio became a quartet—with Hampton on
vibes. And when Gene Krupa abruptly left Goodman in 1938, Hampton
took over on drums as well. Lionel Hampton formed his own band in
1941 and hired outstanding musicians, and from the early fifties he toured
Europe regularly and became popular at international festivals. In the 70’s
and 80’s, Hamp was still hard at work—touring, recording, playing, singing
and..despite arthritis—dancing in front of his orchestras as if time stood still
since 1941. For many years, Lionel Hampton was the only vibraphonist in
jazz, and one of the truly great giants.

Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock was born in Chicago on April 12th, 1940 and grew up
in a musical household. He studied piano from the age of seven and gave his
first public performance when he was nine. Although he played classical
music, his interest was mainly in jazz, in which he made his debut. Hancock
first played with trumpeter Donald Byrd in New York in 1961, and recorded
with both Byrd and with his own small group. During the early and mid-sixties
Hancock led bands for club engagements and record dates, but his big break-
through came when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet with which he stayed
for five years. In 1968 he formed his own sextet, which became one of the most popular and influential groups in the jazz.rock movement of the 70’s.

Erskine Hawkins

Born in Birmingham, Alabama July 26th 1914. He had already
mastered the trumpet at the age of 13 and with that instrument
established his name as a flamboyant performer with an astonishing
range. Initially an imitator of Louis Armstrong, Hawkins became leader
of the ‘Bama State Collegians’ an orchestra which he built up into an
excellent big band. In the 30’s he rivalled much bigger names in
engagements throughout the USA, particularly a renowned clubs such as the
Savoy and Roseland. Billed as the 20th century Gabriel, Hawkins made a
number of sucessful recordings including ‘After Hours’ and ‘Tuxedo
Junction’ which became his theme song. Hawkins continued to lead his
band throughout the 40’s—a time which saw the end of many a name band.
Even in the sixties and seventies Hawkins led smaller groups at New York hotels and clubs, and in 1986 was aboard the SS Norway for the Fifth Annual
Floating Jazz Festival.

COLEMAN HAWKINS

Coleman, Randolph Hawkins was born in St Joseph, Missouri on November 21st
He invented the tenor saxophone as a serious means of expression,
and continued to be alive in new developments for 40 years. Starting with piano lessons at the age of five, Hawkins later learned the cello and took up
saxophone lessons when he was nine years old. Within a few years he was
playing dances and making appearances in Kansas and Chicago. He joined
Fletcher Hendersons’ orchestra in 1924—the same time that Louis Armstrong
came to work there. Henderson’s recording of "The Stampede" in 1926,
featured Hawkins first notable solo. In his ten years with Henderson’s band,
Hawkins transformed the tenor saxophone from a novelty instrument for
blues and corny music to a powerful instrument for swing. In 19 34 he left
Henderson to tour Europe; In 1937 Hawkins recorded some memorable sides with Django Reinhardt and with his side-kick Benny Carter. In 1940 he toured with his own 16 piece band, appearing at the Arcadia and Savoy Ballrooms, and in 1943 formed a sextet with Thelonious Monk., Don Byas and Benny Harris.
Actually, Hawkins activities are far too many for us to mention. Suffice it to say that he was a jazz master whose life-work spanned six decades of musical history. Coleman Hawkins died of pneumonia in 1969, at the age of 68.

FLETCHER HENDERSON

Born in Cuthbert, Georgia on December 18th, 1897. He was one of the most important figures in the development of big band music. In the early thirties he set the standards by which big band jazz was measured, thru a combination of selecting leading jazz musicians and by having Don Redman make the arrangements which were used by almost all big bands for the next thirty years. Actually, Henderson became a band leader by accident: After getting his degree in chenistry at Atlanta State University, he travelled to New York in 1920 to continue his studies. In order to support himself, he drifted into working as a song-plugger and then became manager of the Black Swan record company, playing piano for the firm’s record dates. Then,
Henderson put a band together to accompany Ethel Waters on tour. Soon he was leading a band at a popular club near Broadway. In 1924 he was in Roseland— one of New York’s most famous ballrooms –where he played on and off for ten years.
By 1927, his was the most talked about band in that city. In the thirties he had an astonishing array of top flight musicians like Bobby Starl, Rex Stuart, Benny Morton Coleman Hawkins, Russell Procope and Edgar Sampson, and finally Red Allen and Roy Eldridge, Omer Simeon, Chu Berry, Israel Crosby and Sid Catlett.
By 1939, Henderson had enough of hassels with promotors and discouragement that came from diminishing audiences, and he folded his band to join Benny Goodman as arranger and pianist. The course that Fletcher Henderson established remained the most significant in big band music.

EARL HINES

Earl ‘fatha’ Hines was born in Dusquene. Pa., on Dec. 28th, 1903. He was an
outstanding musician and a major figure in the evolution of jazz piano.
Hine began his professional career in 1918, having already played cornet in
brass bands in his home town. By 1923—the year in which he came to Chicago.. he had performed with several bands around Pittsburgh . In Chicago, Hines played with the bands of Carroll Dickerson (which we’ll hear a bit later on) and with Erskine Tate. In 1927 he teamed up with Louis Armstrong, playing piano, acting as musical director, and, briefly, working as Armstrong’s partner in a nightclub. The third partner was Zutty Singleton. Hines made a series of recordings with Armstrong which have remained classics. These were mainly with the Hot Five, Hot Seven, and Savoy Ballroom bands. Earl Hines replaced Lil Armstrong at the piano, and gone was her strenuous pounding on the piano.--so different from Hines imaginative musicianship. He unleashed broken chords and delicate improvisations with elegance, and he modelled his phrasing on Louis’ style of trumpet playing.
Hines and Armstrong bounced off each other with breathtaking dexterity,yet it became somewhat of a hostile contest at times and, in fact,the two men nearly came to blows.Even in later years, while playing together,
Hines exuberance was curbed by Satchmo who yelled, "Cut it, boy!". Animosity led to Hines quitting Armstrong’s all stars, and Louis shouted- "Hines and his ego, ego, ego. If he wants to go, the Hell with him. He’s sure good, but we don’t need hime !". In 1927, Hines was also with Jimmy Noone’s band and the following year was invited to form a band to perform over a long period at Chicago’s Grand Terrace. With outstanding arrangers like Jimmy Mundy and top-flight musicians such as Trummy Young, Omer Simeon and Darnell Howard, the band advanced at a speed that surpassed many better known contemporaries. Hines stayed at the Grand Terrace
for an entire decade and the reason is open to question. Some believe it was due to force by gangsters who ran the the place and,as one musician, Jo Jones, remarked: "Earl had to play with a knife at his throat and a gun in is back the whole time!" In the early forties, Earl Hines hired several musicians who modernized the band’s sound: Dizzie Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Wardell Gray.And he hired singers Billy Eckstein and Sarah Vaughan. Yet, he eventually folded his band in 1947 and joined Louis Armstrong’s All Stars where he remained until 1951. Then he led his own small groups,-- holding a long-term residency at San Fransisco’s Hangover Club In 1957 he toured Europe with Jack Teagarden and an all-star band, and then a series of concerts in New York in 1964. Hines enjoyed tremendous success thanks to this and some fine recording dates and, from that point on until his death in 1983, Hines toured and recorded extensively. Until the very end, Earl Hines inventiveness and musicianship were at their peak and some of his performances in the 70’s rank with his early work half a century before. A brilliant, dynamic pianist, Hines had an astonishing technique and was
phenominally inventive. It is difficult to know just how many pianists he influenced, but several Jazz greats have admitted their debt to Earl Hines: Nat King Cole, Mary Lou Williams, Billy Kyle, and Teddy Wilson. Before the 1970’s were out, Hines had toured Britain, Russiam Italy, Japan, and Australia, had met the Pope and played at the White House for President Ford. By the 80’s he admitted that he felt tired, but he kept on playing until
the weekend when he died at the age of 79. By this time he earned  the reputation as the greatest jazz pianist after Art Tatum.

Billie Holiday

Billy Holiday was born as Eleanora Harris on April 7th, 1915,
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She began singing during her
early years in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was brought up.
She moved to New York in 1929. Billie spent much of her life
with friends and relatives and quickly learned how to survive
extreme poverty, racial prejudice and the injustice of black ghetto
life. She had already survived rape at the age of eleven and endured
life as a prostitute for a short time for which she had been arrested.
Despite these traumatic times—including imprisonment on Rykers
Island -the lack of formal education and musical training, her singing
developed and she began to appear at New York Clubs and speak-easies.
Critic John Hammond heard her and arranged appearances and recording
sessions for her—two of these were with Benny Goodman and his
nine-man studio group which included Jack Teagarden. Billie Holiday’s
highly distinctive style was already in place, and was apprent in the movie
she made with Duke Ellington in 1935 entitled, "Syphony in Black." .
Billie Holiday’s life and career was perhaps the most dramatic in Jazz
history -her struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, her collision with
the law, her many broken marriages, heart-and- liver disease, and death
under the most humiliating circumstances—under police guard. That she
survived at all is incredible; that she should become the greatest jazz singer
that ever lived—without an equal—borders on the miraculous. In her
autobiography Billie Holiday wröte: "There’s no damned business like show
business— you had to smile to keep from throwing-up.!"

Peanuts Hucko