Lawrence Brown, Trombone, 1907, Kansas City, MO
Lawrence was born in Kansas, but grew up in California. Before the trombone he learned to play the piano and the tuba. He worked with various bands, big and small, on the West Coast, and recorded with Paul Howard's Quality Serenaders, and Les Hite's band while Louis Armstrong was the director. He joined Duke Ellington in 1932, and became one of the band's stars for most of the rest of his career. His beautiful solos on ballads and blues, were perfect for what Duke wanted. He was also an excellent trombone section leader. His work had a beautiful and personal tone, and he had a clear understanding of what Ellington was looking for from his sidemen. Brown was part of the group that left Ellington in 1951 to play in in a band that Johnny Hodges assembled. He stayed with Hodges until 1955, when he left to concentrate on freelancing in New York, and as a studio musician for CBS. Brown returned to Duke's band in 1960, and once again became one of the band's chief personalities. Brown retired from music in 1970, and worked for a short time with the government before retiring fully and settling in California.
Charlie Shavers, Trumpet, 1917, New York, NY
Charlie's first major work in music was with Tiny Bradshaw and Lucky Millinder. He went to New York in 1937 to work with John Kirby's sextet and made quite an impression with the jazz crowd in the Big Apple. He was a big success with the Kirby group, and also began to do some wonderful writing and arranging for the ensemble. In 1945 he left Kirby to work for Tommy Dorsey's big band where he performed on trumpet and wrote some dynamic arrangements. He played in numerous studio groups, but spent the latter part of his life playing mainly in small groups where he continued to display an astonishing versatility. During the 1960s Charlie had a band that included Louie Bellson and Terry Gibbs. He also made a European with Frank Sinatra. Shavers was originally influenced by Roy Eldridge, but he soon developed a complete sound of his own. A well-schooled musician, he was able to improvise long lines in the altissimo register of the instrument with complete control. In addition to excellent work in the high register, he played beautifully in the mid and low tone areas.
Eddie Jefferson, Singer, 1918, Pittsburgh, PA
Eddie was a dancer and lyricist as well as a singer. For much of the first part of his career he worked principally as a tap dancer, not as a vocalist. Around 1948 he began singing in a style that became known as jazz vocalese, by setting lyrics to the famous improvisation on Body And Soul, a classic by Coleman Hawkins. About ten years later this type of singing became an important element in the success of the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross. From 1952, following King Pleasure's popular recording of Jefferson's Moody's Mood For Love" (based on a saxophone solo by James Moody), Jefferson began to record his own gritty-voiced vocalese. For around twenty years he sang with and managed Moody's bop group (1953-73). From 1975 to the late '70s Eddie enjoyed a successful run with Roy Brooks and Richie Cole. Eddie was murdered in 1979, just as his career was beginning to receive critical recognition and public popularity. A film of Jefferson performing with Cole's group, Eddie Jefferson: Live At The Showcase, was made two days before his death.
Tony Bennett, Singer, 1926, New York, NY
Tony began his singing career by singing with military bands during WWII, and then studying voice at the American Theater Wing school. He was singing in a nightclub with Pearl Bailey when he was discovered by Bob Hope in 1950. Some claim he was discovered on the Arthur Godfrey talent scout show. It was Bob Hope that suggested to Tony that he change his stage name to Tony Bennett from Joe Bari. Also in 1950, Tony managed to secure a contract with Columbia, and during the '50s he released a series of popular hit singles. During the next decade he performed with swing bands, such as those led by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Woody Herman. Later he recorded two classic albums with the pianist Bill Evans, "The Tony Bennett-Bill Evans Album" and "Together Again". Earlier, he had recorded with jazzmen Chuck Wayne and trumpeter Charles Panely. For many years Tony worked with the British pianist, Ralph Sharon, who was also his music director. Ruby Braff and Bobby Hacket were two favorite trumpeters of Tony's, and at times they toured with him. He has always been enthusiastic and generous in his association with projects undertaken by jazz players. Bennett's voice is a lyric baritone with a distinctively husky edge. An admirer of classic jazz, he claims to have modeled his phrasing on the playing of Art Tatum, and his relaxed delivery on that of the great Mildred Bailey.
