Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Spencer Williams was born on October 14, 1889 in New Orleans, Louisiana and was educated at St. Charles University in New Orleans. By 1907 he was performing in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to New York City around 1916. After arriving in New York, he co-wrote several songs with Anton Lada of the Louisiana Five. Among those songs was Basin Street Blues, which became one of his most popular songs and is still recorded by musicians to this day.

He toured Europe with bands from 1925 to 1928 during this time he wrote for Josephine Baker at the Folies Bergère in Paris. Spencer returned to New York for a few years until 1932 when he moved to Europe, spending most of his time in London, England before moving to Stockholm, Sweden in 1951.

His hit songs include Basin Street Blues, I Ain’t Got Nobody, Royal Garden Blues, Mahogany Hall Stomp, I’ve Found a New Baby, Everybody Loves My Baby, Shimmy-Sha-Wobble, Boodle Am Shake, Tishomingo Blues, Fireworks, I Ain’t Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll, Arkansas Blues, Georgia Grind, Paradise Blues, When Lights Are Low, and My Man o’ War.

Returning to New York City in 1957, composer, pianist, and singer Spencer Williams, who was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, before passing away in Flushing, New York on July 14, 1965.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Jimmy Archey was born on October 12, 1902 in Norfolk, Virginia. He began playing when he was twelve and was getting professional gigs a year later. He studied at Hampton Institute from 1915 to 1919, played in Atlantic City, New Jersey for a while before moving to New York City in 1923.

During the Roaring Twenties, he played with Edgar Hayes, Most noteworthy for his work was in several prominent jazz orchestras and big bands of his time, including leading one of his own. He performed and recorded with the James P. Johnson Orchestra, King Oliver, Fats Waller, and the Luis Russell Orchestra, among others.

The late 1930s saw Archey participating in big bands that simultaneously featured musicians such as Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Claude Hopkins. In the 1940s he toured France with Mezz Mezzrow and in the 1950s, he spent much of his time working with New Orleans revivalist bands with artists such as Bob Wilber and Earl Hines.

Becoming a bandleader, during the next few years, he headed a sextet, which in 1952 had trumpeter Henry Goodwin, Benny Waters on clarinet and pianist Dick Wellstood. A major yet underrated musician, his only sessions recorded as a leader were for Nec Plus Ultra, the French Barclay and the 77 label. Trombonist Jimmy Archey passed away on November 16, 1967 in Amityville, New York.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Fred Norman was born on October 5, 1910 in Leesburg, Florida and started out playing trombone when he was 14. After working with local bands in Florida, until moving to Washington, D.C. in 1930. There he worked with Duke Eglin’s Bell Hops, Booker Coleman, and Elmer Calloway (Cab’s younger brother). When he joined Claude Hopkins’ Orchestra in 1932, he doubled as a singer and contributed many arrangements.

Norman was with the Hopkins Big Band during its key years (1932-37), and when he departed, gave up the trombone and stuck exclusively to writing. Norman wrote arrangements for many big bands including those of Benny Goodman (1938), Bunny Berigan, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Harry James, Artie Shaw, and Tommy Dorsey.

Landing the position of staff arranger for Krupa from 1940 to 1943, he spent periods writing exclusively for Dorsey and Charlie Spivak. In the 1950s, Fred started working closely with MGM and Carlton record labels, among others, and often as a musical director for singers such as Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, and Brook Benton.

Although his orchestra backed numerous singers, he led his own orchestra record date, producing Norman Plays Novello. Trombonist, vocalist, and arranger Fred Norman, who spent most of the swing era as a busy arranger, passed away on February 19, 1993 in New York City, New York.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Jimmy Butts was born on September 24, 1917 in New York City, New York. Early in his career, he played with local groups Dr. Sausage and His Pork Chops and Daisy Mae’s Hepcats. Early in the 1940s, he played in the orchestras of Les Hite and Chris Columbus. He accompanied Frances Brock on USO tours during World War II.

In the 1940s Jimmy played with Don Redman, Art Hodes, Lem Johnson, Tiny Grimes, and Noble Sissle. Late in the decade he played in a duo with Doles Dickens and formed his own ensemble, which continued into the early 1950s.

The 1960s had Butts emigrating to Canada and playing with Juanita Smith. In the 1970s returning to New York City, he played with his own small group, working almost up until his death.

Double-bassist Jimmy Butts passed away on January 8, 1998 in New York City. His band remained together under the name Friends of Jimmy Butts after his death.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz

Fred Hunt was born Herbert Frederick Hunt was born in London, England on September 21, 1923. As the younger son of a pianist mother and a cellist father, he enjoyed thorough musical education from his distinguished parents. A self-taught pianist, he started playing piano at the age of 13 and played local gigs before joining the Royal Air Force.

After his discharge, Hunt began his musical career playing semi-professionally with Mike Daniels and the Cy Laurie Four in 1951. Becoming professional and went on to join Alex Welsh’s band from 1954 to 1962 and again from 1964 to 1974.

As Welsh’s primary pianist, and often a featured soloist, he became one of Britain’s leading trad jazz musicians and recorded with Eddie Davis, Bud Freeman, Eddie Miller, and Ben Webster in 1967. Accompanying visiting Americans, he recorded with the four-tenor group, Tenor Of Jazz, featuring Webster and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, which toured in the late 60s.

Departing Welsh in 1974, he played in Copenhagen and South Africa, however, after 1976 he split his time between Britain, Denmark, and Germany. He led a trio featuring drummer Lennie Hastings beginning in 1978 and the following year the German label Erus Records released a direct cut LP called Yesterdays which featured his trio with bassist Brian Mursell and drummer Roger Nobes in front of a live audience.

He toured with Wild Bill Davison in the latter part of the 1970s and played with Welsh once more in the early 1980s before retiring due to failing health after being incapacitated and confined to a wheelchair. He worked frequently at London’s PizzaExpress Jazz Club until 1986. Pianist Fred Hunt, who became a top pianist in both modern jazz and trad jazz musical settings, passed away on April 25, 1986. in Weybridge, Surrey aged 62.

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