Born Oran Page in Dallas, Texas on January 27, 1908. In the 20’s, Page played trumpet mostly in his home state but also toured with bands accompanying some of the best blues singer—Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Ida Cox. He later joined Walter Page’s Blue Devils and in 1931 joined Benny Moten’s band. Upon Moten’s death in 1935, Page went to work for Count Basie in Kansas city where he was heard by Louis Armstrong’s
manager who promptly signed him up. (It’s believed that Armstrong was suffering lip problems at the time, and his manager needed an able trumpeter—just in case.)
As it turned out, Page didn’t replace Satchmo, but went on leading bands, large and small. Mostly around New York. He played with Artie Shaw for a short time and was also featured on some excellent V-discs during the war in ’44. Hot Lips Page was an inventive and interesting blues-oriented trumpeter as well as a superb blues singer

Walter Page

Walter Page was born in Gallatin, Missouri on February 9th, 1900. In the early 20’s he played bass with Benny Moten in Kansas City. In 1925, Page was stranded in Oklahoma City when a band he was playing with folded, and he decided to form a band of his own out of the wreckage. Well, this group became the legendary Blue Devils. It was one of the outstanding territory bands of the Southwest and was instrumental in forming the style known as Klansas City Jazz. Page gathered many fine musicians like Hot Lips Page, Jimmy Rushing, Lester Young and Count Basie.
Later on, Page joined Count Basie’s band to become the fourth member of the fables All American Rhythm section—with Basie, Freddie Green and Jo Jones. A solid player with an impeccable sense of timing, Page is credited as one of the originators of the so-called ‘walking bass’—a style of playing in which the bassist plays notes up and down the scale in addition to the three or four basic notes of the chord. –But, we’re getting pretty academic ! Suffice it to say: Walter Page found his place in the Jazz Hall of Fame as one of really great bass players. He passed away in 1957.

Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker

Was born in Kansas City, Kansas August 29th, 1920. They nicknamed him "Yardbird" because’ of his love for fried chicken. His mother gave him a saxophone while he was in high school, and
at the age of 14 he dropped out of school and devoted full time to his instrument. After gaining experience with several bands, Parker got his first real break with Jay McShann’s band in 1938,
with which he made his first recordings three years later. As the years went on, Charlie Parker pioneered new music with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clark and Charlie Christian,
and helped shape the course of 20th century music and the face of jazz. Parker’s last public appearance was in March, 1955 at Birdland—the club named after him.

Joe Pass

Was born Joseph Anthony Passalaqua, in New Brunswick, N.J. on
January 13th In his teens guitarrist Pass worked with Tony Pastor
and Charlie Barnet. Then, after more than two decades of obscurity
due to severe drug addiction. Pass was rehabilitated, cured of his habit,
and returned to work as a ‘new man.’ Thanks to the patronage of
Norman Granz, Pass joined the biggest names in Jazz, including
Oscar Peterson with whom he made a Granny-winning album.
He also proved an especially gifted accompanist to Ella Fitzgerald,
but it was as a solo performer that Joe Pass displayed his mastery
of the guitar.

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson

Was born in Montreal, Canada on August 15^th, 1925. Blessed with
an attractive stage personality, this giant of mainstream Jazz technique
was influenced by Art Tatum, Errol Garner and, later by George
Shearing. After studying trumpet, illness turned Peterson’s attention
toward the piano, and his enthusiasm and endless hours of practice
helped mould his remarkable playing skill. In his teens—after winning a
talent contest, Peterson was heard regularly on radio in Canada and beyond.
He made his debut at Carnegie Hall with Norman Granz’ Jazz at the
Philharmonic, and he collaborated with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald,
Billy Holiday, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and many others.
Peterson is rated as one of the most highly regarded and instantly
identifiable pianists in Jazz.

Oscar Pettiford

From Oklahoma—played with such greats as Charlie Barnet, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and—with the Woody Herman band, before taking his big bass to Dizzy Gillespie. Pettiford often played in the company of Thelonius Monk and Art Blakey, and finally toured Europe and settled in Denmark where he died in 1960.

Nat Pierce

Pianist Nat Pierce was born in Somerville, Mass. On July 16^th, 1925.
After playing in local bands he worked with several name
bands, including Larry Clinton, and then briefly led his own band
from 1949 to 1951. He then went to work with Woody Herman where
he played piano, arranged and acted as *straw boss’ . Later Pierce
arranged for Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. He was in great demand
and made countless record dates with just about everyone in the upper
jazz bracket. In 1957 Pierce appeared on the TV program "The Sound of Jazz" on which he arranged performances by Basie, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Joe Newman, Vic Dickenson, Gerry Mulligan and many others.
In the late fifties, Pierce led a band including Buck Clayton and had the
honor of having the last band to play at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom before
it closed forever. Pierce was such a superb pianist that he served as
a substitute for the greatest pianists in big band history: Count Basie,
Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton.

Ben Pollack

Was born in Chicago on June 22nd, 1903. After playing drums with the New Orleans Rhythm Kings in the early 20’s, Pollack formed his own band which he stocked with the best of young white musicians from jazz and dance bands. These included Benny Goodman, Glen Miller and Jack Teagarden. By the mid-thirties, Pollack gave up drumming for the most part to direct the band and concentrate on business affairs. The drumming was taken over by Ray Bauduc. By this time, his musicians included Yank Lawson, Eddie Miller and Gil Rodin. A hefty argument broke out and practically everyone left to form a cooperative band with Bob
Crosby put in charge. But Pollack formed a new band starring Harry James. Yet, in a short while James left to join Benny Goodman who by now had become country’s most famous band leader. Well, all the accumulated resentments on the part of Pollack caused him to sue just about everyone..Crosby, Goodman, Victor records, Goodman’s sponsors, Camel cigarettes and a motion picture company. Ben Pollack never
recovered from his depression over losing what he believed to be his rightful heritage, and he took his own life by hanging himself in June 1971. Whatever else, it must be said that Ben Pollack gave many of the greatest jazz musicians their start, and he did manage to enjoy one last stroke of success before his death—in 1964, when he and his Pick-a-rib
boys attracted more than 20,000 people at the Disneyland Dixieland Festival.

BUD POWELL

Earl Powell was born in New York City on September 27th, 1924. After learning to play piano in the classical tradition as a child, he began working around New York’s Coney Island. During the next couple of years he became a regular visitor to Minton’s Playhouse where the first stirrings of Be-bop were heard. Powell was especially influenced by Thelonious Monk’s innovations, but he quickly developed his own style. He was hired by Cootie Williams to play in that big band. It was at this time that Powell was arrested in Philadelphia and, according to reports, was badly beaten by police officers (presumably for the possession of drugs). This is cited as the beginning of  mental problems that were to haunt Powell for the rest of his life. However, he did keep up with the events on 52nd st. in New York and was soon one of the most striking of bop pianists. But—by 1945 he displayed the first overt signs of mental instability and was hospitalized and subjected to electro-convulsive therapy. Throughout the 50’s
Powell worked regularly with the leading be-bop figures—Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach, but his physical and mental health gradually deteriorated. Powell died in 1966—at his performing peak, and will always be regarded as a major figure in be-bop and an important influence on pianists since the 50’s.

RUSSELL PROCOPE

Russell Procope was born in New York City on August 11th, 1908 as a neighbor of famous musicians Benny Carter, Rudy Powell and Bobby Stark.
Procope played clarinet and sax in N.Y. clubs in his late teens, and when
he was 20 he recorded with Jelly Roll Morton. A year later he joined Benny Carter’s big band and went on to work with Chic Webb, Fletcher Henderson, Tiny Bradshaw, Teddy Hill and Andy Kirk. From 1946 until 1974—nearly three decades, he was a member of Duke Ellington’s orchestra—with only a short period in Wilbur de Paris’ band in the sixties. Much of Procope’s solo playing reflected a warmth and style of New Orleans jazz—rather than that of New York.

Django Reinhardt

Jean Baptiste Reinhardt came from a gypsie family in Liberchies, Belgium and began touring with his guitar while still in his teens. He lost the use of two fingers on his right hand following an accident and, to compensate,
developed a unique way of playing. He was soon featured in Parisian clubs and, in 1934, teamed up with violinist Stephane Grappelli to form the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. He was also a popular side-man with visiting Americans like Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins and others, and after World War Two was invited by Duke Ellington to come to New York, which he did.

BUDDY RICH

Bernard Rich was born in New York on September 30th, 1917 and actually
started in show business at the age of two ! He achieved fame as a drummer and tap-dancer, performing on Broadway as the four-year-old member of his parents act and, at six, was touring as a solo artist in the USA Vaudeville circuit and also in Australia. Rich formed his own band at the age of 11 and in a few more years was attracting attention by playing with bands in New York clubs. In 1937 he was hired by Joe Marsala and, in quick succession played in several important bands of the swing era—Bunny Berigan, Harry James, Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey. He formed his own big band in the late 40’s, and then worked with Les Brown and became a regular with Jazz at the Philharmonic. Rich was characterised by he phenomenal speed of
playing and his astonishing dexterity. He was also a subtile accompanyist,
adept with brushes, bust always swinging and propulsive. Rich was notorious for his short-temper, but remained caustically witty..even during his last days when he was dying of a brain tumor. A nurse, preparing him for brain surgery asked him if there was any music he didn’t like and Rich answered: "Only country music." Buddy Rich passed away in 1987.

MAX ROACH

Was born in New Land, North Carolina on January 10th, 1924 and began to play drums in his pre-teen years. He later studied in New York and was active in the Be-bop revolution. Roach backed-up all the leading practitioners of the new art and, along with Kenny Clarke he established a new drummer’s vocabulary. His work with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker demonstrates his inventiveness and masterly technique. In the 40’s, Roach worked with bands led by Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter, and toward the end of the decade he was with Miles Davis for two years. In 1954 he formed a quintet with Clifford Brown, and when Brown died in an accident in 1956, the shock was so great for Roach that it literally incapacitated him for many years. He left music for a time to engage in
black cultural projects and the Civil Rights Movement. He did go back to playing in the seventies, forming small groups with Freddy Hubbard, Sonny Rollins and Stanley Turrentine, and performed with his songstress wife, Abbey Lincoln. By this time, Roach had become an elder statesman of jazz, and recorded with members of the ‘Avant Guarde.’
Roach continued to perform and to engage in Black Politics throughout the eighties and into the nineties, and was seen as one of the most gifted musicians in jazz.

SONNY ROLLINS

Theodore Walter Rollins was born in New York on September 7th, 1929.
He played saxophone in high school and began gigging in New York
on tenor sax in 1944, inspired by Coleman Hawkins. Rollins first recording
date was with scat-singer Babs Gonsalez, in 1948, and he was soon recording with Bud Powell, Fats Navarro and J.J. Johnson. In ’49 Rollins played with Art Blakey,--a year later with Tadd Dameron, and in 1951 with Miles Davis— and then with Thelonious Monk. Rollins left for Chicago and, in 1956, joined the Clifford Brown/Max Roach quintet for a year and a half. Then he began leading his own groups.
In a Jazz poll conducted by Leonard Feather at the end of the 60’s, Miles Davis voted for Sonny Rollins as the the ‘Greatest Tenor saxophone man -ever! "

Luis Russell

Was born on August 6^th, 1902, in Bocas del Toro, Panama. He played
numerous instruments in his homeland and then moved to New Orleans
in 1919. Russell played piano in local saloons and clubs and in the early
20’s worked for Albert Nicholas and others. Russell also led bands in the
Crescent City. He went to work for King Oliver in Chicago, in 1925,
and then moved to New York in 1927 to become leader of a band there.
For the next few years he led his band there and on tours—often backing
Louis Armstrong. In fact, in 1935 the band became known as Louis Armstrong’s Orchestra, BUT—Russell kept on as leader until the early 40’s when he formed a new band for touring. Russell was a dedicated musician who attempted to integrate New Orleans style jazz into big band music. He died in 1963.

Pee Wee Russell