Adelaide Hall
(1895–1993), singer.The short, hefty African‐American performer, who was celebrated for her sizzling renditions of popular songs, was born in Brooklyn and first appeared before a New York audience in ...
Alix Combelle
B. 15 June 1912, Paris, France, d. 27 February 1978, Mantes, France. Although his father was a saxophonist Combelle began playing drums but later switched to clarinet and tenor saxophone. ...
André Ekyan
B. André Echkyan, 24 October 1907, Meudon, France, d. 9 August 1972, Alicante, Spain. A self-taught clarinettist and alto saxophonist, Ekyan became well known in France in the early 30s. ...
André Hodeir
B. 22 January 1921, Paris, France. Hodeir studied music formally for many years but also developed a fascination for jazz. In the late 40s he frequently wrote jazz criticism, becoming ...
Bernard Peiffer
B. 23 October 1922, Epinal, France, d. 7 September 1976, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Following intensive training as a classical pianist, Peiffer began playing jazz in distinguished company. ...
Bert Firman
B. Herbert Feuerman, 3 February 1906, London, England, d. 9 April 1999, England. Although intent on medicine, Firman’s father persuaded him to follow the family tradition of a career in ...
Bert Weedon
B. 10 May 1920, East Ham, London, England. Weedon may be one of the most omnipotent of British electric guitarists, given that fretboard heroes including Jeff Beck and George Harrison ...
Bill DeArango
B. 20 September 1921, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, d. 26 December 2005, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. DeArango took up the guitar in childhood and by his late teens was playing with local ...
Biréli Lagrène
B. 4 September 1966, Saverne, Alsace, France. The son of Fiso Lagrène, a popular guitarist in pre-war France, Lagrène displayed a prodigious talent as a very young child. Born into ...
Cal Collins
B. Calvin Collins, 5 May 1933, Medora, Indiana, USA, d. 26 August 2001, Dillsboro, Indiana, USA. Collins was born and raised in an atmosphere of bluegrass and country music. Although ...
Charlie Byrd
B. 16 September 1925, Chuckatuck, Virginia, USA, d. 2 December 1999, Annapolis, Maryland, USA. Byrd began playing guitar while still a small child and by the start of World War ...
Chris Flory
B. 13 November 1953, New York City, New York, USA. Flory first played guitar as a child. Strongly influenced by such major guitarists as Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt, he ...
Claude Barthélémy
B. 1956, Paris, France. A self-taught musician, Barthélémy took up the guitar in 1970 but remained undecided on a career for some years, shifting between music and mathematics. Late in ...
Coleman Hawkins
(1904–1969)Black US jazz tenor saxophonist, also called ‘Hawk’ or ‘Bean’. He was one of the most influential saxophone players in jazz.Born in St Joseph, Missouri, he studied music in Topeka, Kansas, ...
Coleridge Goode
B. Coleridge George Emerson Goode, 29 November 1914, St. Andrew, Jamaica, West Indies. While studying at Glasgow University, Goode began playing violin, later switching to bass. He first played ...
Denny Dennis
B. Ronald Dennis Pountain, 1 November 1913, Derby, England, d. 1 November 1993, Kirkby-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Sometimes called ‘Britain’s Bing Crosby ’ because of his similarity to the young ...
Diz Disley
B. William C. Disley, 27 May 1931, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Disley grew up in Wales and the north of England, where he learned to play banjo, switching to guitar at ...
Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli (Django Reinhardt/Stéphane Grappelli album)
This is a superb collection of guitar master Django’s Quintette of the Hot Club of France recordings from 1947-49. His fusion of Gypsy/Rom music and jazz, as well as his ...
Django Reinhardt And Friends (Django Reinhardt album)
A fantastic collection of tracks, Django Reinhardt And Friends pairs the legendary guitarist with the likes of Coleman Hawkins, the Quintet of the Hot Club of France and long-time partner ...
Eddie South
B. Edward Otha South, 27 November 1904, Louisiana, Missouri, USA, d. 25 April 1962, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Taught violin as a child, South was educated for a career as a ...
