Buck Clayton, Trumpet, 1911, Parsons, KS
Buck's early career was spent in Los Angeles where he organized a band that he took to Shanghai, China in 1934 to play an extended job. . After returning to Los Angeles, Buck formed another group with which he worked locally. During a visit to KansasCity in 1936, Buck was persuaded by friends to join the Count Basie band. It didn't take long for Buck to become one of the band's star attractions. He was known for his beautiful tone and wonderful technique. He also wrote arrangements and compositions for the group. After leaving Basie, Buck became one of the central figures in mainstream jazz. He worked frequently with Joe Bushkin, Tony Parenti, Jimmy Rushing, and Benny Goodman in the mid '50s. In 1955 he appeared in the film, "The Benny Goodman Story". Clayton also made annual tours of Europe during the '60s, working with various English groups and playing major jazz festivals. From 1967 illness interfered with his career as a performer causing him to concentrate on writing and supplying arrangements for various groups. In the late '70s Clayton returned to playing and made a tour of Africa under the auspices of the State Department. He taught at Hunter College, CUNY in the early '80s and also led his own big band, playing his own charts.
Charlie Mariano, Saxophone, 1923, Boston, MS
After studying music for three years in Boston, Charlie joined Shorty Sherock in 1948. He next worked with Larry Clinton and Nat Pierce into the early '50s. Before spending two years with Stan Kenton in the mid '50s, Charlie worked briefly with Bill Harris and Chubby Jackson. After leaving Kenton, he moved to the West Coast and worked with Shelly Manne's group. He returned to Boston in 1958 and worked with Herb Pomeroy and taught at the Berklee College of Music. The next year he again worked with Kenton and also married Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he formed a cooperative group that lasted about seven years. He also traveled in India and the Far East to study ethnic music. In the early '70s he settled in Europe where he led the group Pork Pie, and worked with fusion bands. During this period he often played Indian instruments, and attempted to combine the principles of non-Western music with bop. In 1975 he was a founding member of the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble. He also recorded with many jazz-rock musicians.
Sam Jones, Bass, 1924, Jacksonville, Fla
While in his teens, Sam learned to play the drums, Cello, and guitar, before settling on the bass. His first major job was with Tiny Bradshaw in Cincinnati during the mid '50s before he moved to New York, where he began playing bop with Kenny Dorham, Cannonball Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, and Monk. By the early '60s Sam had developed a wide reputation and began recording with groups of his own. In 1959 he began a six-year association with Cannonball Adderley, a group to which he contribute numerous arrangements. In 1966 Sam replaced Ray Brown in Oscar Peterson's trio, remaining until 1970, and then worked with Bobby Timmons, Wynton Kelly, Cedar Walton, Duke Jordan, and Lucky Thompson. Sam played the cello on many recordings, and on this instrument he was certainly in the class of Oscar Pettiford and Ray Brown. He had the amazing ability to construct an entire solo from a walking-bass line. Sam Jones died in 1981.
