Don Byas
Encyclopedia
Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912, Muskogee, Oklahoma
– August 24, 1972, Amsterdam
, Netherlands
) was an American
jazz
tenor saxophonist, long-resident in Europe
.
was his idol at this time. He started playing in local orchestras at the age of 17, with the likes of Bennie Moten
, Terrence Holder
and Walter Page
's Blue Devils. At Langston College
, Oklahoma, he founded and led his own college band, "Don Carlos and His Collegiate Ramblers", during 1931-32.
Byas switched to the tenor saxophone after he moved to West Coast and played with various Los Angeles bands. In 1933, he took part in a West coast tour with Bert Johnson
’s Sharps and Flats. He worked in Lionel Hampton
’s band at the Paradise Club in 1935 along with the reed player and arranger Eddie Barefield
and the trombonist Tyree Glenn
. He was a member of various other bands in the area including those of Eddie Barefield, Buck Clayton
(1936), Lorenzo Flennoy and Charlie Echols.
, on tour and at the Cotton Club
. He had a brief stint with arranger Don Redman
's band in 1938 and later in 1939-1940. He recorded his first solo in May 1939: "Is This to Be My Souvenir" with Timme Rosenkrantz
and his Barrelhouse Barons for Victor. He played with the bands of such leaders as Lucky Millinder
, Andy Kirk
, Edgar Hayes
and Benny Carter
. He spent about a year in Andy Kirk’s band, recording with him between March 1939 and January 1940, including a beautiful short solo on "You Set Me on Fire". In September 1940, he had an 8 bar solo on "Practice Makes Perfect" recorded by Billie Holiday
. He participated in sessions with the pianist Pete Johnson
, trumpeter Hot Lips Page, and singer Big Joe Turner
. In 1941 at Minton's Playhouse
he played with Charlie Christian
, Thelonious Monk
and Kenny Clarke
in after hours sessions.
In early 1941, after a short stay with Paul Bascomb
, he had his big break when Count Basie
chose him to succeed the post of Lester Young
in his big band.
Despite his bebop associations, Byas always remained deeply rooted in the sounds of swing. He started out by emulating Coleman Hawkins, but Byas always cited Art Tatum
as his greater influence: "I haven't got any style, I just blow like Art".
's big band. The expedition has taken the band through Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. They were the first all black American orchestra to appear in the French capital since the liberation. Byas, like some others in Redman's orchestra, forgot to return across the Atlantic. After a few bookings took him to Belgium and Spain, he finally settled in Paris, and was given a chance to record almost immediately.
While still in Geneva he recorded "Laura" and "How High the Moon". In December 1946 he recorded for the first time in France, with Redman, Tyree Glenn and Peanuts Holland
. Recorded for the Swing and Blue Star labels (January 1947) working with Eddie Barclay
. The years 1947 and 1948 found Byas in Barcelona, where he moved to enjoy the lower cost of living and the thriving atmosphere. He met many friends and had plenty of work. The pianist Tete Montoliu
sneaked into the Copacabana Club in Barcelona to hear the great saxophone player. Byas was at the top of his form in these years, performing with Bernard Hilda's orchestra (August 1947), Francisco Sanchez Ortega, and Luis Rovira.
New Year's 1949, Bill Coleman
; in the autumn toured with Buck Clayton. From 1948 onwards, Byas became a familiar figure not only around the Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, but also on the Riviera, where he could be seen in Saint-Tropez sporting a mask, tuba, flippers and an underwater spear-gun. The tenor found work, could record regularly and had many friends. They adored not only his musical talent but also his skills at the pool table, as a sportsman (fishing and diving) and a chef who dished up Louisiana-style menus to the numerous admirers (mostly ladies) that would be found around this real bon vivant.
When Mary Lou Williams went to live in Paris from 1952 to 1954, the two of them renewed the friendship they formed when they played together in the Andy Kirk band in 1939-40 and later in 1944. They recorded together on Vogue in 1953. Byas also recorded with Beryl Booker
in the same year.
, Kenny Clarke
, Duke Ellington
, Gillespie, Jazz at the Philharmonic
, Bud Powell
, and Ben Webster
. He also recorded with fado
singer Amália Rodrigues
during his time in Europe. Byas did not return to the U.S. until 1970, appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival
.
He died in Amsterdam in 1972 from lung cancer
, aged 59.
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
– August 24, 1972, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
tenor saxophonist, long-resident in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Oklahoma and Los Angeles
Both of Byas's parents were musical: his mother played the piano and father the clarinet. Byas started his training in classical music, first on the violin, then on the clarinet and finally on the alto saxophone, which he played until the end of the 1920s. Multi-instrumentalist Benny CarterBenny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...
was his idol at this time. He started playing in local orchestras at the age of 17, with the likes of Bennie Moten
Bennie Moten
Bennie Moten was a noted American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri.He led the Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the itinerant, blues-based orchestras active in the Midwest in the 1920s, and helped to develop the riffing style that would come to define many of...
, Terrence Holder
Terrence Holder
Terrence Holder was an American jazz trumpeter and territory band leader. While he did not achieve fame in his own life, he worked extensively with bands in and around Kansas City and was an important member of the city's musical life in the 1920s and 1930s.Holders played with Alphonse Trent in...
and Walter Page
Walter Page
Walter Sylvester Page , nicknamed "Hoss," was an African American jazz bassist and leader of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils jazz orchestra from 1925–1931...
's Blue Devils. At Langston College
Langston University
Langston University is an institution of higher learning located in Langston, Oklahoma, USA. It is the only historically black college in the state, and the westernmost historically black college in the United States...
, Oklahoma, he founded and led his own college band, "Don Carlos and His Collegiate Ramblers", during 1931-32.
Byas switched to the tenor saxophone after he moved to West Coast and played with various Los Angeles bands. In 1933, he took part in a West coast tour with Bert Johnson
Bert Johnson
Bert Johnson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003....
’s Sharps and Flats. He worked in Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
’s band at the Paradise Club in 1935 along with the reed player and arranger Eddie Barefield
Eddie Barefield
Eddie Barefield was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and arranger most noteworthy for his work with Bennie Moten, Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman, Coleman Hawkins, Sammy Price, Bernie Young, and Ben Webster...
and the trombonist Tyree Glenn
Tyree Glenn
Evan Tyree Glenn was an American trombone player.-Biography:...
. He was a member of various other bands in the area including those of Eddie Barefield, Buck Clayton
Buck Clayton
Buck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player who was a leading member of Count Basie’s "Old Testament" orchestra and a leader of mainstream-oriented jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
(1936), Lorenzo Flennoy and Charlie Echols.
New York City
In 1937, Byas moved to New York to work with the Eddie Mallory band, accompanying Mallory’s wife, the singer Ethel WatersEthel Waters
Ethel Waters was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha",...
, on tour and at the Cotton Club
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,...
. He had a brief stint with arranger Don Redman
Don Redman
Donald Matthew Redman was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader and composer.Redman was announced as a member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame on May 6, 2009....
's band in 1938 and later in 1939-1940. He recorded his first solo in May 1939: "Is This to Be My Souvenir" with Timme Rosenkrantz
Timme Rosenkrantz
Baron Timme Rosenkrantz A Danish aristocrat, author and jazz enthusiast. Rosenkrantz was an early supporter of African American jazz musicians and promoted many concerts and recordings...
and his Barrelhouse Barons for Victor. He played with the bands of such leaders as Lucky Millinder
Lucky Millinder
Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder was an American rhythm and blues and swing bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical taste made his bands successful...
, Andy Kirk
Andy Kirk
Andrew Dewey Kirk was a jazz saxophonist and tubist best known as a bandleader of the "Twelve Clouds of Joy," popular during the swing era....
, Edgar Hayes
Edgar Hayes
Edgar Hayes was an American jazz pianist and bandleader.Hayes attended Wilberforce University, where he graduated with a degree in music in the early 1920s. In 1922 he toured with Fess Williams, and formed his own group, the Blue Grass Buddies, in Ohio in 1924...
and Benny Carter
Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...
. He spent about a year in Andy Kirk’s band, recording with him between March 1939 and January 1940, including a beautiful short solo on "You Set Me on Fire". In September 1940, he had an 8 bar solo on "Practice Makes Perfect" recorded by Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
. He participated in sessions with the pianist Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson was an American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist.Journalist Tony Russell stated in his book The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray, that "Johnson shared with the other members of the 'Boogie Woogie Trio' the technical virtuosity and melodic fertility that can make this the most...
, trumpeter Hot Lips Page, and singer Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
. In 1941 at Minton's Playhouse
Minton's Playhouse
Minton’s Playhouse is a jazz club and bar located on the first floor of the Cecil Hotel at 210 West 118th Street in Harlem. Minton’s was founded by tenor saxophonist Henry Minton in 1938...
he played with Charlie Christian
Charlie Christian
Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian was an American swing and jazz guitarist.Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar, and is cited as a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra...
, Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
and Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming...
in after hours sessions.
In early 1941, after a short stay with Paul Bascomb
Paul Bascomb
Paul Bascomb was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, noted for his extended tenure with Erskine Hawkins. He is a 1979 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame....
, he had his big break when Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
chose him to succeed the post of Lester Young
Lester Young
Lester Willis Young , nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums....
in his big band.
- "Harvard Blues", Jimmy RushingJimmy RushingJames Andrew Rushing , known as Jimmy Rushing, was an American blues shouter and swing jazz singer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948.Rushing was known as "Mr...
’s vocal version of George FrazierGeorge FrazierGeorge Francis Frazier, Jr. was an American journalist.Boston-raised, Frazier was graduated from Harvard College in 1932. He wrote for the Boston newspapers and for Esquire magazine, as well as many other venues, including the New York papers...
’s tune, recorded November 17 - July 24, 1942, small group session with Buck Clayton, Count Basie, and his rhythm section (Freddie GreenFreddie GreenFrederick William "Freddie" Green was an American swing jazz guitarist. He was especially noted for his sophisticated rhythm guitar in big band settings, particularly for the Count Basie orchestra, where he was part of the "All-American Rhythm Section" with Basie on piano, Jo Jones on drums, and...
, Walter Page, Jo JonesJo JonesJo Jones was an American jazz drummer.Known as Papa Jo Jones in his later years, he was sometimes confused with another influential jazz drummer, Philly Joe Jones...
) recording "Royal Garden BluesRoyal Garden Blues"Royal Garden Blues" is a blues song composed by Clarence and Spencer Williams in 1919. Popularized in jazz by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, it has since been recorded by numerous artists and has become a jazz standard...
" and "Sugar Blues" - August 1942 went to Hollywood with Basie's band to record for the film Reveille with BeverlyReveille with BeverlyReveille with Beverly is an American film starring Ann Miller, Franklin Pangborn, and Larry Parks directed by Charles Barton, released by Columbia Pictures, based on the Reveille with Beverly radio show hosted by Jean Ruth Hay...
- January 1943, another film Stage Door CanteenStage Door CanteenStage Door Canteen is a musical film produced by Sol Lesser Productions and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by Frank Borzage and features many cameo appearances by celebrities, and the majority of the film is essentially a filmed concert although there is also a storyline to the...
- November 1943, last recording with Basie
- Started to play in small bands in New York clubs
- He played with Coleman HawkinsColeman HawkinsColeman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
at the Yacht ClubYacht clubA yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
(1944) - Associated with beboppers such as Dizzy GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Charlie ParkerCharlie ParkerCharles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, George WallingtonGeorge WallingtonGeorge Wallington was a highly regarded American bop pianist and composer....
, Oscar PettifordOscar PettifordOscar Pettiford was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer known particularly for his pioneering work in bebop.-Biography:...
and Max RoachMax RoachMaxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
at the Onyx ClubOnyx Club (New York City)The Onyx Club was a jazz club located on West 52d Street in New York City. Founded in 1928 by bootlegger Joe Helbock, the Onyx remained open through the 1940s and during its existence featured many of the jazz greats of the era, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan and Art...
from early 1944 - Recorded with the above under Coleman Hawkins six sides, which are said to be the first bebop recordings: "Woody 'n You", February 16 and 22, 1944.
- May 1944, shared tenor duties with Hawkins in the latter's "Sax Ensemble"
- May 1944 leader of his own band, performances at the "Three Deuces"
- Recorded for small labels (Savoy, Jamboree, National, Disc, Arista, Super, American, Hub, Gotham)
- Had a hit with "Laura" by David RaksinDavid RaksinDavid Raksin was an American composer born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With over 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music." One of his earliest film assignments was as assistant to Charlie Chaplin in the composition of the score...
, the title tune of Otto PremingerOtto PremingerOtto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
's movieLaura (1944 film)Laura is a 1944 American film noir directed by Otto Preminger. It stars Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews and Clifton Webb. The screenplay by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Elizabeth Reinhardt is based on the 1943 novel of the same title by Vera Caspary....
of the same name (1944)
Despite his bebop associations, Byas always remained deeply rooted in the sounds of swing. He started out by emulating Coleman Hawkins, but Byas always cited Art Tatum
Art Tatum
Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
as his greater influence: "I haven't got any style, I just blow like Art".
- January 4, 1945 - Clyde HartClyde HartClyde Hart is the director of track and field at Baylor University. Hart retired as head coach for the Baylor track program on June 14, 2005 after 42 years with the program....
, singer "Rubberlegs" Williams, Gillespie, Parker, Trummy YoungTrummy YoungJames "Trummy" Young was a trombonist in the swing era. Although he was never really a star or a bandleader himself, he did have one hit with his version of "Margie," which he played and sang with Jimmie Lunceford's Time-Life Orchestra.-Biography:Growing up in Savannah, GA and Richmond, VA, Young... - January 9, 1945: Gillespie, Byas and Young record "Be Bop", "Salt Peanuts", and "Good Bait" for Manor
- Town HallThe Town HallThe Town Hall is a performance space, located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, in New York City. It seats approximately 1,500 people.-History:...
concert, duet with Slam StewartSlam StewartLeroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart was an African American jazz bass player whose trademark style was his ability to bow the bass and simultaneously hum or sing an octave higher. He was originally a violin player before switching to bass at the age of 20.-Biography:Stewart was born in Englewood, New...
in 1945 - Savoy sessions in 1945-46
- January 11, 1946, Esquire magazine, 2nd place in tenor sax
- February 22, recorded with Gillespie, "52nd Street Theme", "Night in Tunisia"
Paris
In September 1946, Byas went to Europe to tour as one of the stars in Don RedmanDon Redman
Donald Matthew Redman was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader and composer.Redman was announced as a member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame on May 6, 2009....
's big band. The expedition has taken the band through Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. They were the first all black American orchestra to appear in the French capital since the liberation. Byas, like some others in Redman's orchestra, forgot to return across the Atlantic. After a few bookings took him to Belgium and Spain, he finally settled in Paris, and was given a chance to record almost immediately.
While still in Geneva he recorded "Laura" and "How High the Moon". In December 1946 he recorded for the first time in France, with Redman, Tyree Glenn and Peanuts Holland
Peanuts Holland
Herbert Lee "Peanuts" Holland was an American jazz trumpeter best known for his contributions in swing jazz. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia and died in Stockholm, Sweden....
. Recorded for the Swing and Blue Star labels (January 1947) working with Eddie Barclay
Eddie Barclay
Eddie Barclay was a French music producer whose singers included Jacques Brel and Charles Aznavour. He founded Barclay Records.-Life:...
. The years 1947 and 1948 found Byas in Barcelona, where he moved to enjoy the lower cost of living and the thriving atmosphere. He met many friends and had plenty of work. The pianist Tete Montoliu
Tete Montoliu
Tete Montoliu was a jazz pianist from Catalonia, Spain. His real name was Vicenç Montoliu i Massana.- Biography :He was born blind, in the Eixample district of Barcelona, and died in the same city....
sneaked into the Copacabana Club in Barcelona to hear the great saxophone player. Byas was at the top of his form in these years, performing with Bernard Hilda's orchestra (August 1947), Francisco Sanchez Ortega, and Luis Rovira.
New Year's 1949, Bill Coleman
Bill Coleman
William Johnson Coleman was a jazz trumpeter from the swing era.He had his musical debut in 1927. Coleman's first recordings were with the Luis Russell orchestra, but all solos on record went to the rising star Henry "Red" Allen. This led to Bill Coleman's departure from the band. By 1935 he...
; in the autumn toured with Buck Clayton. From 1948 onwards, Byas became a familiar figure not only around the Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, but also on the Riviera, where he could be seen in Saint-Tropez sporting a mask, tuba, flippers and an underwater spear-gun. The tenor found work, could record regularly and had many friends. They adored not only his musical talent but also his skills at the pool table, as a sportsman (fishing and diving) and a chef who dished up Louisiana-style menus to the numerous admirers (mostly ladies) that would be found around this real bon vivant.
When Mary Lou Williams went to live in Paris from 1952 to 1954, the two of them renewed the friendship they formed when they played together in the Andy Kirk band in 1939-40 and later in 1944. They recorded together on Vogue in 1953. Byas also recorded with Beryl Booker
Beryl Booker
Beryl Booker was a swing pianist of the 1950s. Born in 1922 in Philadelphia, she played with Slam Stewart's trio in 1946, and played off and on with him until 1951. She also played accompaniment for Dinah Washington. In early 1952, Booker led a quintet which played Birdland, featuring Don Elliot,...
in the same year.
Netherlands
Byas relocated to the Netherlands and married a Dutch woman. He worked extensively in Europe, often with such touring American musicians as Art BlakeyArt Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
, Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Gillespie, Jazz at the Philharmonic
Jazz at the Philharmonic
Jazz at the Philharmonic, or JATP, was the title of a series of jazz concerts, tours and recordings produced by Norman Granz....
, Bud Powell
Bud Powell
Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
, and Ben Webster
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
. He also recorded with fado
Fado
Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
singer Amália Rodrigues
Amália Rodrigues
Amália da Piedade Rodrigues, GCSE, GCIH, , also known as Amália Rodrigues was a Portuguese singer and actress.She was known as the "Rainha do Fado" and was most influential in popularizing the fado worldwide. She was one of the most important figures in the genre's development, and enjoyed a...
during his time in Europe. Byas did not return to the U.S. until 1970, appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
.
He died in Amsterdam in 1972 from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, aged 59.
Trivia
- Byas' Dolnet tenor saxophone (purchased from his widow) is on display at Rutgers University's Institute of Jazz StudiesInstitute of Jazz StudiesThe Institute of Jazz Studies is the largest and most comprehensive library and archive of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world, located at the Newark campus of Rutgers University.-History:...
http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/IJS/instrumentsB/index.html.
Early years
- The Immortal Charlie Christian, (1939-1941 recordings, released, Legacy, 1980)
- Quintessential Billie Holiday, Volume 8 (1940 date led by Billie Holiday, Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
) - "Harvard Blues" (with Count Basie, 1941 on America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years)
- "Sugar Blues" (with Basie, 1942, also on America's #1 Band)
- "Indiana", "I Got Rhythm" and "Laura" (Various Artists, Town Hall Concert, 1945, Commodore RecordsCommodore RecordsCommodore Records was a United States-based independent record label known for issuing many well regarded recordings of jazz and swing music....
) - Midnight at Minton'sMidnight at Minton'sMidnight at Minton's is a 1941 album by jazz musician Don Byas. It is a live recording of a jam session at Minton's Playhouse, the famous New York nightclub at which the emerging style of bebop was being pioneered....
(1941) - Savoy Jam Party: The Savoy Sessions (1944–45)
Exile years
- Don Byas in Paris (1946–49)
- Those Barcelona Days 1947-1948
- Le Grand Don Byas (1952–55)
- The Mary Lou WilliamsMary Lou WilliamsMary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Williams wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records...
Quartet featuring Don Byas (1954) - Don Byas with Beryl Booker (1955)
- A Tribute to CannonballA Tribute to CannonballA Tribute to Cannonball is a studio album by jazz pianist Bud Powell and tenor saxophonist Don Byas, released on Columbia in March 1979, featuring a session recorded at the Studio Charlot in Paris on 15 December 1961, with Pierre Michelot on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums, and trumpeter Idrees...
(with Bud Powell, 1961) - Amalia RodriguesAmália RodriguesAmália da Piedade Rodrigues, GCSE, GCIH, , also known as Amália Rodrigues was a Portuguese singer and actress.She was known as the "Rainha do Fado" and was most influential in popularizing the fado worldwide. She was one of the most important figures in the genre's development, and enjoyed a...
with Don Byas (1973) - A Night in Tunisia (1963)
- Walkin (1963)
- Anthropology (1963)
- Autumn Leaves (live with Stan TraceyStan TraceyStanley William Tracey CBE is a British jazz pianist and composer, most influenced by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.-Early career:...
, 1965) - Don Byas Quartet featuring Sir Charles Thompson (1967)
- Ben Webster meets Don Byas (1968)