Johnny Richards, Composer/Arranger, 1911, Mexico
Johnny grew up in Schenectady, NY, and learned trumpet, piano, violin, and banjo as a child. Before he was twenty years old he was playing the saxophone and was the house orchestrator at the Mastbaum Theater, Philadelphia. He attended Syracuse University as a music major, and then composed film scores, first in London and then in Hollywood. In Hollywood he was talented enough to work as assistant to Victor Young at Paramount Pictures. During this period he was also fortunate enough to study with the composer Arnold Schoenberg ,and also received a master's degree from the University of Southern California. In the early '40s Johnny led his own big band before he began arranging for Boyd Raeburn, Charlie Barnet, and others. In the early '50s he had an important association with Stan Kenton,composing many successful pieces for the orchestra. He later moved to New York and again led a band of his own that was highly praised by the critics, and at the same time he also composed and arranged for Frank Sinatra. "Young At Heart" was one of Johnny's compositions and one of Frank's big hits. He also wrote many classical works for large orchestras, but is best remembered for his association with Stan Kenton. He never compromised his standards in order to cater to commercial interests. Johnny Richards died in 1968.
Bunny Berigan, Trumpet, 1908, Hilbert, WI
Bunny began playing the trumpet in local groups while in his teens, and in the early '30s decided to move to New York where he started working as a freelance. At various times he worked for Hal Kemp, Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, and the Dorsey Brothers. From around 1935 Bunny led a big band of his own and made several recordings that were well received by the public. During a rather short career he managed to work with most of the prominent people in jazz, and also led big-bands that were always an ideal setting for his wonderful trumpet playing. One of his last jobs before his death, at age 43, was for Tommy Dorsey. Hard living and alcohol ended Bunny's life in 1942. Berigan was often compared to Bix Beiderbecke for their similar lives and their musical conceptions. Berigan, like many white trumpeters of the era, was very much influenced by the playing of Louis Armstrong. He showed too the influence of Beiderbecke in his use of"ghost" notes, attack, and melodic lines. One of the biggest jazz/popular hits of all time is Bunny's "I Can't Get Started".
Phil Woods, Saxophone, 1931, Springfield, MA
Phil began studying the saxophone when he was around 12 years old, and continued with it right through high school. After high school he entered the Juilliard School of Music where he actually majored with the clarinet. His first major gig was with the dance band of Charlie Barnet in 1955. This job lasted a short time before he began working with jazz musicians such as George Wallington and Kenny Durham and also touring South America and the Near East with Dizzy Gillespie. During the next decade Phil led several small groups and worked with Buddy Rich and Quincy Jones. In 1962 Phil was in the big band that Benny Goodman formed to tour the USSR. During the remainder of the 1960's he worked in radio and television, playing various reed instruments and teaching in his summer music camp in New Hope, Pa.. In the early '70s Phil formed an outstanding group with Mike Melillo, Steve Gilmore, and Bill Goodwin. It was while with this group that Phil won acclaim as the finest alto saxophonist in mainstream jazz at that time. In 1957 he recorded "I Love You Just The Way You Are" with Billy Joel, a number that earned him a Grammy Award. During the mid '80s Phil continued to tour internationally with a groupof his own that included Tom Harrell and Hal Galper. Phil's main influence has always been Charlie Parker, and his musical ideas have often been compared to Bird with his tone and gruff ballad style. In the 1970s Phil began to make his alto sound like a tenor, with a larger and brighter tone, and he developed a growl, reminiscent of Coleman Hawkins. Today Woods continues to play in an unamplified but fiery hard-bop style. Phil recently recorded an album with fellow altoist Bud Shank, that has received rave reviews.
Herb Geller, Saxophone, 1928, Los Angeles, CA
