Today in Jazz

Tommy Flanagan, Piano, 1930, Detroit, MI

Tommy began studying the clarinet at the age of six, and took up the piano when he was eleven. He first performed professionally with Milt Jackson, Thad Jones, and Elvin Jones in and around Detroit.  At that time he was influenced by Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Hank Jones, and Bud Powell.  In the mid '50s Tommy moved to New York where he occasionally substituted for Powell at Birdland.  He was deeply affected by the music of Charlie Parker. In the late '50s and early '60s he worked as a freelance with all of the important musicians of the period.  Flanagan is probably best-known for his long association with Ella Fitzgerald as pianist and music director.  From the mid '60s he served in the same capacity for Tony Bennett. He later began working in small instrumental groups and began to get recognition as a solid jazz pianist.  He was a master of bop, a poetic interpreter of popular tunes, and an eloquent spokesman for the music of DukeEllington and Billy Strayhorn.  Tommy Flanagan died in 2001.

Ruby Braff, Cornet, 1927, Boston, MA

During the '40s and early '50s Ruby worked in the Boston area with Pee Wee Russell and Edmond Hall and frequently played in Storyville. In 1953 he moved to New York where he soon became popular, playing everything from dixieland to bop.  He began recording with people like Vic Dickenson, Buck Clayton, and Urbie Green. His mainstream style, which was  flavored with modern influences, enabled him to play in a variety of groups.  During this period (1950s) he made numerous important recordings with his own group as well as with others.  Although he was admired for his musical ability, Braff's high standards and his frankly expressed opinions sometimes impeded his career.  For a time his popularity waned and he became less in demand, but this changed in the 1960s when he began a long and fruitful association with George Wein's Newport All Stars.  He began performing as a soloist and toured the U.S. and Europe. Braff's style was characterized by a strong melodic sense, a warm full tone, and a raspy vibrato.  His playing was particularly effective in the cornet's lower register.  Ruby Braff died in 2003.

Brian Torff, Bass, 1954, Hinsdale, IL

Don Raye, Composer, 1909, Washington, DC

March 2010

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