Don Lamond, Drums, 1920, Oklahoma City, OK
Don studied music at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, while growing up in Washington. In the first part of the 1940s he played with Boyd Raeburn and Sonny Dunham before joining Woody Herman's first herd in 1945 as Dave Tough's replacement. Herman's herd broke up in 1946 but Lamond returned the following year as a member of Woody's second herd. During this same period he also managed to record with Serge Chaloff and Charlie Parker. The second herd lasted until 1949, and thereafter, Don devoted much of his time to working in the studuis. An adaptable player, with a wonderful technique, he performed traditional jazz with Ruby Braff, swing with Benny Goodman, and bop with players like Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. During the 1950s and most of the '60s he played and recorded with many of the most prominent musicians in jazz. In the late '60s Don was active working with George Wein, performing at the Newport Jazz Festival and at other festivals promoted by Wein in France. In 1972, while living in Florida, he formed a big band of mostly young players which lasted for many years. Lamond remains best known, however, for his work with Woody Herman.
Eddie Shu, Reed Player/Trumpet, 1918, New York, NY
As a child, Eddie learned violin and guitar, then, while in his teens, played harmonica and tenor sax in vaudeville shows. During military service in world war two, he played trumpet and clarinet in army bands, and developed an act as a ventriloquist. After his discharge he continued working as an entertainer, then performed and recorded with the bands of Tad Dameron, George Shearing, Buddy Rich, and Lionel Hampton. The 1950s found him playing with Chubby Jackson, Gene Krupa, and CharlieBarnet. His versatility was always fully exploited with every leader he worked with. He worked in Cuba with several different groups until the revolution, and then moved to Miami where he led his own small band. In the early 1960s Eddie performed as a freelance musician on the West Coast before joining Louis Armstrong's Allstars where he played clarinet. During the early '80s he performed and taught in the Virgin Islands, then in 1985 he finally settled in Florida. Shu was an extremely talented performer on each of the instruments he played. Eddie Shu died in1986.
Oscar Brashear, Trumpet, 1944, Chicago, IL
Oscar started piano lessons when he was around seven years old, and when eleven, he switched to the trumpet. He studied privately with Charlie Allen,a prominent teacher, learning both classical and jazz trumpet techniques. Oscar attended Write College and Roosevelt University, where he studied with Renold Schilke, another gifted teacher. In 1967 he joined Woody Herman's band for a tour, and the next year he went with Count Basie. He had the gig as house trumpeter at The Apartment, a jazz club in Chicago in 1970, and managed to work with several leading bop artists, among them, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, and James Moody. In 1971 Oscar made his home in Los Angeles, where he became a highly respected session musician and freelance player, recording with Bobby Hutcherson, Hampton Hawes, Joe Henderson, and Dizzy Gillespie. Brashear's trumpet playing has been greatly influenced by the great Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, and Freddie Hubbard. He has taken part in numerous recording sessions, and his playing is consistantly good and is characterized by a fresh and enthusiastic approach.
