John “Johnny” Adriano Acea

The Blue Note catalog is really a buffet table that attracts and satisfies an endless group of jazz noshers, and those that stay longest and dig deepest in to the more obscure salads will find yourself finding this funky Philly pianist. He supported the outstanding guitarist Offer Green in addition to providing the unlimited cycles of chord adjustments required by individuals in tenor saxophone fights such as for example Ben Webster and Illinois Jacquet. Acea also got his jive aspect, evidenced by his participation using the zany music group of Dizzy Gillespie and its own off-the-wall vocalist Babs Gonzales. Acea, who’s sometimes recognised incorrectly as the tempo and blues performer Johnny Ace and also a typo, originated from a Cuban family members who resolved in Philadelphia around 1910. Census forms from that town within the ’20s reveal there have been spelling problems also in the past, with both pianist and his father’s name detailed as Adrino Acea, that could imply that the performer frequently acknowledged as John Adriano Acea added a supplementary notice to his name, or the census taker still left one out. Acea was created with rheumatic fever, and the initial prediction from doctors was that he’d not really survive his years as a child, aside from the all-night jam periods that lay forward. He did superior to anyone anticipated, became recognized to the majority of his close friends as basically “John” and found many musical nicknames including “Johnny Acey” and “Acey.” Without exactly the most well-known jazz pianist to emerge from Philadelphia, legends still abound regarding the man’s skill. It is stated that he could play every one of the instruments within the music shop, but he quickly found a popularity for piano in addition to an uncanny knack for burning singers. He’d ultimately record with greats such as for example Gloria Lynne, Diana Washington, Ruth Dark brown and Patti Web page. He performed cornet within the military, however, and proved helpful being a trumpeter using the music group of pianist Sammy Cost when he got out in the past due 30s. Through the same period, he also performed tenor saxophone within the Don Bagley group. Acea shifted to NEW YORK in the first ’40s, executing and documenting on piano with tenor sax great Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis in 1947 and 1948. He completed out the 10 years with Gillespie, and in the first ’50s began burning Illinois Jacquet. Acea also positively freelanced on information, in 1951 using the talented Adam Moody with another tenor great, Al Sears, the next season. From 1954 through 1957 he used Joe Newman, adding the melody “Blues for Slim” towards the recording Joe Newman and His Music group. Acea’s composing abilities also required him in to the globe of doo wop and tempo and blues, styles that melded frequently with jazz with regards to the musicians included, otherwise the listeners which were enticed. He composed music for the Cadillacs, who afterwards became the Coasters, along with the big rings of both Frankie Laine and Ray Charles. Jacquet documented the Acea melody “Small Jeff”; Acea repaid the tribute giving one of is own children “Jacquet” being a middle name.