Dave McKenna piano 1930 Woonsocket RI
Dave studied the piano as a child, but essentially learned to play jazz by listening to the radio and his record collection. By his early teens, Dave was playing with various groups at weddings and all types of parties, and when he was 15 he joined the musician's union. By the mid '40s Dave was playing in and around Boston with a group led by the alto saxophonist Boots Mussulli. From the late '40s to the early '50s Dave worked with CharlieVentura and then Woody Herman before serving a couple of years in the army. After his discharge he once again played for Ventura for about a year and a half, after which he played mainly in small groups; Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Bobby Hackett. In the mid '70s Dave moved from New York City to Cape Cod, and New England has remained his base ever since. He still occasionally toured the U.S. and Europe. His piano style combines a great rhythmic drive and what seems like an endless supply of new ideas. While he possesses a very large repertoire of tunes, Dave especially likes to play the tunes we call Tin Pan Alley "standards". He favorites seem to be ballads, drawing on his command of the rich harmonic sounds of the progressive jazz of the '40s and '50s. At the faster tempos he displays the great energy of his powerful left hand. Exciting, is the only way to describe Dave's piano playing. Due to Ill health, McKenna has not performed in recent years.
Sidney DeParis, Trumpet, 1905, Crawfordsville, In
In addition to the trumpet, Sidney also played the tuba. Sidney was the brother of Wilbur DeParis, the famous trombonist and bandleader during the '20s and '30s. He studied music with his father who was a bandleader, and worked with Charlie Johnson's band from 1926 to the early '30s. For most of the 1930s Sidney played and recorded with many prominent bandleaders such as Don Redman, Zutty Singleton, Benny Carter, Art Hodes, Roy Eldridge and Claude Hopkins. He is probably best known for the playing he did when employed by his brother, Wilbur, in traditional jazz groups between the mid '40s and the mid '60s. While usually playing traditional jazz, Sidney introduce elements of swing as well as growls and some unusual effect he achieved with various types of mutes. Some band members didn't care for these effects, but they were in keeping with the style of Wilbur's band. While making a recording with Mezz Mezzrow, in 1938, Sidney was actually fired because of these special effects. Sidney DeParis was a wonderful musician, capable of working alongside the best jazz musicians of his time. Sidney DeParis died in 1967.
Benny Goodman, Clarinet/Leader, 1909, Chicago, IL
Benny received his early clarinet training at his Synagogue in 1919, and within year joined the boys club band at Jane Addam's Hull House, where he studied withr James Sylvester, who was the director of music at Hull House. More important, he also received two years of instruction from the classically trained clarinetist Franz Schoepp. Goodman first played professionally in 1921 at the Central Park Theater, Chicago, doing an imitation of Ted Lewis. He attended Harrison High School, not Austin High, but he did occasionally play with the so-called Austin High Gang (Bud Freeman, Jimmy McPartland, Frank Teschemacher, Dave Tough, and others) who modeled their music after The New Orleans Rhythm Kings. The clarinetist with the Rhythm Kings , Leon Ropolla, was an early influence on Goodman as was Armstrong and King Oliver, and especially the clarinetists Johnny Dodds and Jimmy Noone. Around this time Benny met Bix Beiderbecke while playing a gig on a lake excursion boat. Some of Bix's phrasing actually influenced Benny, especially on blues numbers. In the mid '20s Goodman moved to the West Coast where he became a member of Ben Pollack's orchestra. He remained with Pollack until 1929, but he also worked with Sam Lanin's society orchestra during this period. In the early '30s Goodman was a leading freelance player in the New York area, working with the most popular bands of the day and also in the Broadway pit bands. Also during this period he developed important associations with John Hammond and Teddy Wilson. Benny formed his first big-band in 1934, (a twelve piece group), and started recording for Columbia Records. Benny Carter became one of the band's first arrangers. Benny auditioned sucessfully for NBCs "Let's Dance" series where he gained a great deal of national exposure. With John Hammond's encouragement, Benny hired Fletcher Henderson to write and arrange for the band. This association established the band's musical character, which brought evenb more popularity. It was during these broadcasts for NBC that Benny hired Gene Krupa, one of the most popular soloists (along with Harry James) he ever employed. The Benny Goodman trio was formed in 1935 with Benny, Teddy Wilson, and Krupa, a group that would make jazz history. They recorded many jazz "classics", songs like "After You've Gone" and "That's A Plenty". After the Let's Dance series ended at NBC, Benny took his big-band on a cross- country tour that was rather disappointing, but ended with a huge success at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. The engagement was broadcast nationally, and is considered by many to be the beginnig of the Swing Era. In 1936 the Goodman trio became The Benny Goodman Quartet with the addition of Lionel Hampton on vibes. This exciting group also went on to create jazz history. Goodman was now the "King of Swing" with the the most popular big band in the country and a quartet that was second to none. On January 16th, 1938 Benny Goodman became the first jazz orchestra to perform in Carnegie Hall performing the most famous jazz concert in the history of jazz. Also in the late '30s, Goodman became the first famous jazz musician to achieve success performing the classical repertory. His early training with Schoepp had prepared him for this dual career by laying the foundation for a "legitimate" clarinet technique. Benny Goodman died in 1986.
Armando Peraza percussion 1924 Havana Cuba
