Tag Archives: West Coast Jazz

Hampton Hawes was among the finest jazz pianists from the 1950s, a fixture around the Los Angeles picture who also brought his own interpretations towards the dominant Bud Powell design. In the middle- to past due ’40s, he used Sonny Criss, Dexter Gordon, and Wardell Grey, amongst others on Central …

An excellent tenor saxophonist who was simply an underrated journeyman throughout a lot of his profession, Gordon Brisker was usually known for his dependability and adaptability. Given birth to in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 6, 1937, he began playing piano as a kid, so when he was an adolescent he …

Probably the most famous and probably greatest jazz baritonist ever, Gerry Mulligan was a huge. A versatile soloist who was simply always prepared to jam with anyone from Dixielanders to probably the most advanced boppers, Mulligan brought a relatively revolutionary light audio to his possibly uncomfortable and brutal horn and …

Younger brother of pianist Claude Williamson, Stu Williamson was a fixture on West Coast jazz schedules from the 1950s. He transferred to LA in 1949 and spent intervals using Stan Kenton (1951), Woody Herman (1952-1953), and Kenton once again (1954-1955), furthermore to shorter stints with Billy Might and Charlie Barnet. …

Despite an amazingly colorful and challenging life, Artwork Pepper was quite consistent within the saving studios; just about any recording he produced is really worth buying. In the 1950s he was mostly of the altoists (alongside Lee Konitz and Paul Desmond) who was simply in a position to develop his …

This West Coast bop combo featured Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and drummer Shelly Mann; the trio produced its Poll Winners moniker from your three music artists’ placements in 1956-1957 Down Defeat, Metronome, and Playboy visitors’ polls as greatest on their particular instruments. Created in 1957, they …

Controversial, misunderstood, and underappreciated, Jimmy Giuffre was an improbable applicant to break just as much floor as he did within the art of free of charge improvisation. A golf swing orchestra veteran, Giuffre produced his name within the Western Coast college of awesome jazz, but his restless innovative soul drove …

Mel Tormé was a jazz-oriented pop singer who worked in his art steadily from your ’40s towards the ’90s, primarily in nightclubs and concert halls. In his 1988 autobiography, It Wasn’t All Velvet (its name a mention of his nickname, “The Velvet Fog,” bestowed upon him by way of a …

A very handy musician, Jerry Dodgion is definitely a greatly in-demand sideman, whether for jazz combos, big rings, or studio function. His firmness on his many devices is always interesting and Dodgion can continually be counted to consider an inventive single that perfectly suits the conditions. He started playing alto …

A robust pianist who found fame around the Western Coastline in the 1950s, Pete Jolly is a fixture in LA for over 40 years. He began on accordion when he was three and started piano when he was eight. He performed his first work when he was 12. In 1946, …