https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Richardson
Starting from a young age, he first played alto saxophone, taking Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter as models.[1] By the age of fourteen, he was playing professionally around northern California, and also took up the flute. He studied music at San Francisco State College.[2] While in the navy, he worked under Marshal Royal in the 45-piece regimental band that was attached to the Navy's preflight training school for pilots at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California. After his discharge, he joined Lionel Hampton`s band in 1949 before moving to New York in 1954.
IMO, that's a huge difference between them and now. A young guy almost had to learn through osmosis. It was schooling, but it was also regular employment. So when Jerome played lead alto, he was carrying all that backstory with him.
Wendell Marshall was with Ellington from 1948-1955!
Art Taylor was one of the ORIGINAL sSucar Hill Gang, but if you believe Sonny, those guys were all into the other way until they heard Bird. And even then ..
Swing or swing, it was organic in a way then that it's probably not now. It evolved but it didn't stop
I mean, hey -Snooky Young. There it is.