John Handy, Saxophone, 1933, Dallas, TX
John, who was also a teacher, began learning the clarinet at the age of 13. Early in his career he switched to the tenor and worked and recorded with blues bands in the San Francisco area. In 1958 John made his home in New York and went to work for Charles Mingus and then for Randy Weston. In the early '60s, back on the West Coast , John studied at San Francisco State College, graduating in 1963. Over the next few years he had groups of his own and also worked again for Mingus at times. In 1970 John performed his "Concerto For Jazz Soloist and Orchestra" with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The next year he began giving concerts with the Sarod player, Ali Akbar Khan, combining techniques of jazz and Indian music. During the late '70s Handy began playing mostly jazz-rock but eventually returned to bop with the group Mingus Dynasty. By the 1960s John was considered one of the finest saxophonists of his generation. He also performed with the flute and mastered a rare instrument called saxello. He began his teaching career in 1968 at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Chico Alvarez, Trumpet, 1920, Montreal, Canada
Chico grew up in Inglewood, California where he studied piano and violin for ten years before switching to the trumpet. From 1941 to 1943 he was was a member of one of Stan Kenton's first bands and then served in the army until 1946. After his discharge he rejoined Kenton where he remained until 1951, except for a brief period when he performed with Red Norvo, Benny Carter, and Charlie Barnet. In the mid '50s he opened a music store in Hormosa Beach, California and also did some freelance work. From 1958 until 1982 he accompanied Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn and others in a number of hotels in Las Vegas. Later he formed a group called the Las Vegas Jazz Band, and in 19 was a featured performer at the Sacramento Dixieland Jubilee, demonstrating his ability to play many styles of jazz. He played in a swing style that was strongly influenced by Roy Eldridge. Chico Alvarez died in 2002.
Christopher Hollyday, Saxophone, 1970, Boston, MA
Bob Stewart, Tuba, 1945, Sioux Falls, SD
Eugene "Snooky" Young, Trumpet, 1919, Dayton, OH
