Jimmy Dorsey, Saxophone, 1904, Shenandoah, PA
Jimmy, one year older than his brother Tommy, played clarinet and alto sax. His first instruments were slide trumpet and cornet but then he switched to the reed instruments in about 1915. He and Tommy led the Dorsey's Novelty Six and Dorsey's Wild Canaries for about five years. In the early '20s he performed with the Scranton Sirens. By 1924 he joined the California Ramblers, a very popular dance band in New York. During the next decade he worked as a freelance with some of the top bands of the day, including Paul Whiteman, Jean Goldkette, and Vincent Lopez. More importantly, he began recording with people like Bix Beiderbecke and Red Nichols. He played in Nichol's group, The Five Pennies, a widely influential band in this country and in England. In 1934 he and Tommy formed the successful but short-lived Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. After a public argument, Jimmy took over leadership of the band and by the late '30s developed it into one of the leading dance bands in the country. He even appeared with the band in several films. Because Jimmy led a popular dance band, his importance as a jazz player has been neglected; yet in the 1920s he was a major model for other jazz musicians, both on clarinet and alto sax. Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins both acknowledge his influence. Dorsey had an excellent technique and played in a fluid, polished style. Jimmy Dorsey died in 1957.
Richie Cole, Saxophone, 1948, Trenton, NJ
Richie's father owned a jazz club and due to this Richie was exposed to jazz at an early age. He started playing the guitar at age 5 and took up the alto sax at 10. While in high school he studied with Phil Woods and received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, where he studied for over two years. He left in 1969 to join Buddy Rich. In the early '70s he played for Doc Severinson, Lionel Hampton among others. In 1975 he formed his own group. In the same year he also formed an association with Eddie Jefferson that lasted for about 5 years. A saxophonist in the bop tradition, Cole is heavily indebted to his mentor, Phil Woods. He possesses an impish sense of humor, and often interjects musical jokes into his solos and jests with the audience between pieces. Although his playing lacks the depth of Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley and other masters, Cole has enjoyed considerable popularity with jazz audiences.
Willy Bobo, (William Correa) , Percussionist/Leader, 1934, New York, NY
Willy, son of Puerto Rican Immigrants, grew up in Spanish Harlem. He taught himself to play the bongos when in his early teens, and worked as a "band Boy" for Machito. Willy played in Latin bands in New York and then with Perez Prado. In 1951 he recorded with Mary Lou Williams who gave him the nickname Bobo. Between 1954 and 1961 he worked with Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, and Herbie Mann. In 1963 Willy made his first recording as a leader, on which Clark Terry and Joe Farrell performed as sidemen. After settling in California in the late '60s, he played Latin jazz throughout the 1970s, sometimes adding his own vocals to his performances. He worked extensively as a freelance with such musicians as Miles Davis, Chico Hamilton, Les McCann, Cannonball Adderley, and Terry Gibbs. Bobo's importance as a bandleader lay in his ability to combine elements of jazz, Latin music, and rhythm-and-blues to create the most entertaining performances. Willy Bobo died in 1983.
