SwingDJs

Of the Swing Era artists, who is left?

Patty Andrews
Illinois Jacquet
Jay McShann
Anita O'Day
Artie Shaw
Clark Terry

Can we count Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry or is that a stretch?

Junior Mance definately doesn't count.

Buddy DeFranco
George Shearing

oops

GuruReuben wrote:Of the Swing Era artists, who is left?

...

Can we count Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry or is that a stretch?

Junior Mance definately doesn't count.

I'm curious as to what you define to be "Swing Era Artists". I find it interesting that you're not sure about Oscar, yet Junior Mance definately doesn't count. If anything, I would put it the opposite way. Junior is basically the same age as Oscar (three years younger). And Junior played many times at the Savoy Ballroom in front of Frankie and Company. And he played continued playing a lot for dancers up until his own trio in the 1960s. Now I dont' know 100% Oscar's background, but my perception is that he was up in the boonies in Canada (ha ha) until Norman Granz brought him to the States and then he normally did trio and small combo stuff (ie: JATP).

So once again, why does Junior definately not count, yet Oscar is a maybe?

Does 1950s Ellington and Basie count? 'Cuz if so then Clark Terry counts. As do Frank Wess, Benny Powell, and Frank Foster...

I think he meant someone who played profesional swinging jazz prior to 1946.

O.P. played with a band called the Johhny Holmes Orchestra 1945 to 1949. So he would count but barely.

Roy wrote:I think he meant someone who played profesional swinging jazz prior to 1946.

www.allmusic.com wrote:He [Clark Terry]gained early experience playing trumpet in the viable St. Louis jazz scene of the early '40s (where he was an inspiration for Miles Davis) and, after performing in a Navy band during World War II, he gained a strong reputation playing with the big band of Charlie Barnet (1947-1948), the orchestra and small groups of Count Basie (1948-1951), and particularly with Duke Ellington (1951-1959).

Peterson and Terry played with some outfits in/by 45. Nothing major though, hence the "stretch."

Mance "breakout" came in 47 when he hooked up with Ammons.

Also, Peterson and Terry seem to be more influenced by Swing Era music then Mance (which may account for how these respective artists are typically labeled.)

Shorty Dave wrote:I'm curious as to what you define to be "Swing Era Artists."

I define it just as most Jazz historians do.

From the Jive Junction thread, Peter added the following:

Herb Jeffries
Johnny Best
Spud Murphy
Leonard Reed

I'm going to add:

Fayard Nicholas (did a few vocal numbers)

Shorty Dave wrote:Does 1950s Ellington and Basie count?

What are you taking Jazz history lessons from Joe Lanza now or something?

GuruReuben wrote:Peterson and Terry played with some outfits in/by 45. Nothing major though, hence the "stretch."

that's raises the question of what is major. there were many artists who played during the swing era that weren't in national bands. Is there a national band criteria for being a swing era artist. would someone who played only in territory bands count? From the impression given on the Clark Terry interview on Clark Terry and His Spacemen, Squeeze Me, the band he played with in St Louis had some major chops and even played at the Savoy. Although it's true that he was more tail end of the era.

Also do you have to be playing in a big band to qualify? Would someone like Bobby Short, born in '26, performing since '37 count even though he was mostly playing piano and singing in bars and other houses of questionable virtue back then?

These are the questions I had as well... hence the "stretch."

I did a little research on the famous Great Day in Harlem Picture. According to allmusic, those are still alive:

Emmett Berry
Johnny Griffin
Chubby Jackson
Hank Jones (a bit of a stretch)

Serg

I wonder what a band with all these geriatrics would sound like, hehe.