R&B artists with jazz backgrounds

[JSngry]

[johnlitweiler]

Even during his R&B heydays, Glenn somewhat surprisingly had a regular job as pianist in Kid Ory's traditional jazz band.

He also spent some time accompanying Rex Stewart in a swing combo during those years.

[johnlitweiler]

Yes, he did. It's a nice album; awfully difficult to pin down as either blues or jazz.

I love Little Brother - he has that melancholy touch. When he does New Orleansy stuff, on his own - like Buddy Bolden's Blues or Salty Dog - it has that same kind of feel to it that Jelly Roll Morton had in the Library of Congress recordings, not that they sounded alike - but just that mood of recollection

Yes indeed. Brother at the piano certainly had that special, relaxed New Orleans swing - does any pianist have that quality of grace in the 21st century? A good example of Brother's swing is the Bajes Copper Station album. He played regularly in Chicago clubs as a soloist and his music was a visit to another, better world.

Off topic perhaps, but Muddy Waters' band used to often open sets with Back At The Chicken Shack or Spirit Feel, to let Pat Hare stretch out. They'd play Intermission Riff at the ends of sets. Two decades later Jimmy Johnson recorded Take Five on his first Delmark album (other Chicago blues bands took this song up too).

Captain Walter Dyett, who taught Von Freeman, Gene Ammons, Joseph Jarman, most of the early Sun Ra band, etc. etc. etc. also taught Bo Diddley (to play violin) and the great blues-band drummer Freddie Below.

Dave Waldman of WHPK likes to point out the swing-band pieces Little Walter quotes in his solos, from Lunceford, Mills Blue Rhythm Band, McShann, and so on - who knows, maybe enough that someone can write a Ph.D thesis tracing the sources of Walter's harmonica solos.

Didn't Wayne Bennett start as a jazz musician?

[jeffcrom]

The first name that popped into my mind when I saw this thread was Jesse Stone, aka "Charles Calhoun," the name under which most of his R & B hits were written. Stone was born in 1901 and lived to the age of 97. The two 1927 Okeh sides by his Blues Serenaders (which included Jack Washington, later with Basie) are beautiful, raw territory big band music of the time - I've loved those two sides for years. He also record a couple of big band sides in the thirties, which I haven't heard. But in the 1950s, he was hired by Atlantic Records - the only African-American on the staff at the time - and wrote/produced "Losing Hand" for Ray Charles, "Money Honey" for The Drifters, and "Shake, Rattle and Roll" for Joe Turner.

"Jesse Stone did more to develop the basic rock 'n' roll sound than anybody else." - Ahmet Ertegun

[cih]

The first name that popped into my mind when I saw this thread was Jesse Stone, aka "Charles Calhoun," the name under which most of his R & B hits were written. Stone was born in 1901 and lived to the age of 97. The two 1927 Okeh sides by his Blues Serenaders (which included Jack Washington, later with Basie) are beautiful, raw territory big band music of the time - I've loved those two sides for years. He also record a couple of big band sides in the thirties, which I haven't heard. But in the 1950s, he was hired by Atlantic Records - the only African-American on the staff at the time - and wrote/produced "Losing Hand" for Ray Charles, "Money Honey" for The Drifters, and "Shake, Rattle and Roll" for Joe Turner.

"Jesse Stone did more to develop the basic rock 'n' roll sound than anybody else." - Ahmet Ertegun

'Starvation Blues' is one of my favourite recordings, and would probably accompany me to the desert island

[Rooster_Ties]

Just stumbled on this thread for the first time. And by coincidence, I just picked up the first two Soul Searchers albums on CD a few weeks ago - Chuck Brown's band before they stepped out under his name (as, I believe Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers). Lotta jazz stuff going on behind the r&b vocals; good stuff!

[johnblitweiler]

Charles Brown said he began by playing classical music, as a youngster, and only later came to play blues. A very fine pianist, too, more "sophisticated" than most other blues pianists, but his style was not like Nat King Cole's.