John Kirby
Appearances
Nice reissue featuring the great swing era bandleader Fletcher Henderson and his orchestra on recordings from 1932 to 1937. Some players presented include Omer Simeon, Coleman Hawkins, and Big Sid Catlett. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
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Diminutive fireball Chick Webb led the most explosive swing band of the '30s, and though the group was far too active to enter the studio as much as they deserved, [more]
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Any chance to appreciate the imaginative arrangements of Claude Thornhill is worth savoring, as his meticulous determination and playful disposition flutter out [more]
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With cooperation from the Verve and Columbia Legacy catalogs, the Ken Burns Jazz series on CD individually spotlights the musical excellence of 22 jazz originators whose careers [more]
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When one thinks of the great songwriters of the golden era of the popular song (1910-60), such names as George [more]
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When one thinks of the great songwriters of the golden era of the popular song (1910-60), such names as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Harold [more]
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The War, directed by Ken Burns, was a seven-part documentary series broadcast on PBS television in 2007, focusing on the experiences of American [more]
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Forget for a moment that The Best of Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday was tied into the release of the superb box set, Lady Day: The Complete Billie [more]
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This is a clever collection of 25 tracks that either feature the word Harlem in the title (19 of them) or reference it in the lyrics. The CD includes five tracks by Duke Ellington, [more]
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Biography
- Born Dec 31st 1908 in Baltimore, MD
- Died Jun 14th 1952 in Hollywood, CA
John Kirby led a most unusual group during the height of the big-band era, a sextet comprised of trumpeter Charlie Shavers, clarinetist Buster Bailey, altoist Russell Procope, pianist Billy Kyle, drummer O'Neil Spencer, and his own bass. Although Shavers and Bailey could be quite extroverted, the tightly arranged ensembles tended to be very cool-toned and introverted yet virtuosic. Kirby, originally a tuba player, switched to bass in 1930 when he joined Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra. He was one of the better bassists of the '30s, playing with Henderson (1930-1933 and 1935-1936) and Chick Webb's big band (1933-1935). By 1937, Kirby had his own group at the Onyx Club; Frankie Newton and Pete Brown passed through the band before the personnel was set. With Maxine Sullivan (Kirby's wife at the time) offering occasional vocals, the John Kirby Sextet was quite popular during 1938-1942. Shavers' "Undecided" became a hit and the band's abilities to "swing the classics" caught on. The sextet gradually declined in the '40s. Spencer became ill and was replaced by Specs Powell and later Bill Beason, Kyle was drafted and Procope was replaced by George Johnson. By 1945, after with Shavers' departure to join Tommy Dorsey, the only original members still in the group were Bailey and Kirby himself. The following year the band disbanded and despite some attempts by the bassist to form another similar sextet (including a poorly attended Carnegie Hall reunion in 1950), John Kirby was never able to duplicate his earlier successes. Classics has reissued all of Kirby's prime recordings. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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