Luis Russell, Piano, 1902, Careening Cay, Panama
Luis was an arranger and bandleader as well as a pianist. He first came to prominence when he went to work for Joe "King" Oliver in 1925. He remained with Oliver for around five years and then moved to New York where he took over the band of George Howe. It was during this period that Russell began to record. From about 1935 to 1943 he worked with Louis Armstrong with whom he continued recording from time to time. The band he had taken over from George Howe did not do very well, and Russell disbanded and founded another band in 1948, and continued working without much distinction. Luis abandoned music around this time to become a chauffeur and shopkeeper. Although an unexceptional pianist, Russell was very much involved in jazz of the era, and is considered to be an important jazz bandleader of the 1920s. Some very important solo work by various musicians can be heard on the recordings that were made by Russell. Some of Henry "Red" Allen's most characteristic early trumpet work is found in recordings with Russell, and Albert Nicholas' clarinet improvisations are heard on Luis' recordings. Other important musicians who worked with Russell were J. C. Higgenbotham and Charlie Holmes. Luis Russell died in 1963.
Jess Stacy, Piano, 1904, Bird's Point, MO
Stacy was largely self-taught, and he received most of his professional experience working with local bands and on the riverboat bands in the early 1920s. In the mid '20s he made his home in Chicago where he worked with important musicians such as Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschmacher. He gained a great deal of popularity while working with Benny Goodman's orchestra between 1935 and 1939. The highlight of their association was the famous 1938 Goodman concert at Carnegie Hall that featured a wonderful solo by Stacy on Sing, Sing, Sing. His very personal style was technically precise and strong. He was influenced by the playing of Earl Hines and Teddy Wilson. Stacy continued performing and recording with popular big-bands throughout the '40s. He settled in California in the mid '40s and played mostly in bars, where his work was unrewarding. In the late '50s Jess dropped out of music and ceased to be a professional musician. However, he did reappear at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1974 where he was highly acclaimed.
Airto Moreira, Percussionist, 1941, Brazil
As a child, Airo sang and played the tambourine. His teen years were spent in Sao Paulo and then in Rio de Janeiro. In the mid '60s he led a quartet that included the pianist and flutist Hermeto Pascoal. 1968 found Airto living in Los Angeles where he stayed for two years before moving to New York. He made several recordings with Miles Davis (from 1970), and played on the first album that was recorded by Weather Report, and was the first percussionist and drummer in Chick Corea's famous, Return To Forever. During the 1970s he was actually one of the most prominent drummers in jazz. He skillfully used such small instruments as the tambourine and bongos, and introduced to jazz such exotic instruments as the cuica and berimbau. From the mid '70s he performed with his own bands and with his wife, Flora Purim, for whom he has also written arrangements. His influences include Gil Evans, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Antonio Carlos Jobim, John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar.
