Pianist, composer, and producer Duke Pearson (born August 17, 1932) is hardly a household name, but his influence on jazz music is far out of proportion to his personal fame. In addition to his compositions like "Jeanine" being accepted as jazz standards, his behind-the-scenes work as producer and arranger on a plethora of Blue Note records contributed immeasurably to that label’s success in its heyday. His piano playing and compositions were essential to the success of the Donald Byrd / Pepper Adams quintet, and for several years his New York-based big band and 8-10 piece bands featured many of the best jazz musicians in the city, and his fresh innovative original writing.

Occasionally, jazz musicians are asked to play certain requests that don’t really fit into our stylistic framework. Today, we’re going to make an effort to explain why that is. Some tunes not originally intended to be played in a jazz style fit easily into one, and some don’t, and we’ll try to explain why that is.

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard (born April 7, 1938) was one of the most gifted and technically proficient of any of the jazz trumpet players of his generation. His fiery, athletic, harmonically rich, seemingly effortless style influenced virtually all trumpet players who came after him. Serving his apprenticeship with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, his compositions provided a springboard for that group as well as his own groups, and he was a popular sideman on quintessential recordings by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and many other jazz greats.

Trumpeter/composer Lee Morgan (born July 10, 1938) first rose to national prominence as a teenager with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band. Becoming one of the most prominent hard bop trumpet soloists, he spent years with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, eschewing forming his own bands even as he issued numerous recordings as a leader in his own right. His recording of his tune "The Sidewinder" became an unexpected hit for Blue Note Records, leading to a scramble of the label to replicate that success for years after, with no success. Morgan was tragically struck down at the age of 33 in 1972, after an altercation with his common-law wife during a gig in NYC, cutting short what was a mercurial career for the influential trumpet player.

Tenor saxophonist/composer Hank Mobley (born July 7, 1930) has been described as one of the most underrated musicians of the bop era. Even though his career included stints with Miles Davis, Max Roach, Horace Silver and recordings with most of the greatest players of his generation, addiction and poor health adversely affected his life, leading to homelessness and an early death at the age of 55. He left behind a legacy of wonderful recordings and compositions, and has influenced myriad players to this day.

Kurt Weill (born March 2, 1900) and Vernon Duke (born Vladimir Dukelsky, October 10, 1903) were both European born composers who composed “serious” concert music before emigrating to the United States and becoming two of the greatest exponents of American popular song. Kurt Weill felt strongly that music should have a political point of view, his "Three Penny Opera" and "Mahagony", both composed in Germany before he emigrated to the United States are biting social commentaries on the drawbacks of capitalism run amuck.   Vernon Duke wrote concert music throughout his career under his birth name. His music was commissioned by Diaghalev for his ballet company that also commissioned Stravinvisky’s groundbreaking work, as well as Koussevitsky for the New York Philharmonic. He had a close personal relationship with Russian composer Prokofiev. His Broadway career was no less stellar, over the course of 30 odd years they produced a number of songs that have become standards in the great American songbook.

Pianist/composer Chick Corea (born June 12, 1941) is widely considered one of the most important pianists of the post Coltrane era. A prolific composer, a great many of his tunes have become jazz standards as well. His association with Miles Davis in the 1960’s lead to the birth of jazz fusion, and his various groups remained on the cutting edge of the music throughout his career. He was honored with 28 Grammy awards, and was nominated 72 times.

Composer Cole Porter (born June 9, 1891) was something of an anomaly among songwriters of the Tin Pan Alley era. Born to an affluent Indiana family, songwriting was initially just a hobby for him, but he soon parlayed his gift for penning witty urbane lyrics and totally original melodies and harmonies into one of the most important creative voices in American popular songwriter.

Trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer/arranger Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) has been critically acclaimed for most of his career. Starting as a sideman with Woody Herman, Horace Silver and Phil Woods, he has gone on to lead his own groups and record wonderful original music on dozens of recordings. His prolific creative output is made even more astounding considering he suffers from schizophrenia and has only one lung. His lyrical, original compositional style is completely original and immediately accessible.

Songwriter Arthur Schwartz(born Nov 25, 1900) was trained as a lawyer, but encouraged by friends George Gershwin and Lorenz Hart, soon abandoned that career and became a successful popular songwriter. His tunes are featured in several Broadway shows, and many of his tunes are favorite vehicles for jazz musicians due to their interesting harmonic structure. His longtime lyricist, Howard Dietz, a collaborator with composer Jerome Kern, initially rebuffed Schwartz’s entreaties to write with him, but by 1927 relented and their partnership produced many songs that are much loved contributions to the Great American Songbook. 

Gerry Mulligan (born April 6, 1927) is possibly the best known baritone saxophonist in jazz, but he has also recorded on soprano and tenor saxophones, clarinet and piano. He is a prolific  composer and arranger, contributing scores to the Miles Davis Birth of the Cool nonet, the Claude Thornhill and Stan Kenton bands, and his own Concert Jazz Band in the early 60s and 80s. His innovative piano-less quartet with trumpeter Chet Baker was the accidental result of the piano having been put into storage at the club where the group made its debut, and the group’s spare, lyrical, contrapuntal style immediately became emblematic of the west coast jazz style.

John Lenwood “Jackie” McClean (born May 17, 1931) grew up in the same neighborhood in Harlem that was home to Sonny Rollins, Bud Powell and Thelonius Monk, and soon fell under the sway of the Bebop Revolution, particularly as espoused by Charlie Parker. Throughout his career, Jackie kept his ears open to new developments in the music, while still remaining grounded in the bebop vocabulary of his youth, he recorded with many more adventuresome players, Ornette Coleman and Woody Shaw to name two. He became a well respected professor at Hart School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut and produced many talented students who have gone on to distinguished careers in jazz.

[Note: Stay tuned at the end to hear the band play Blue Skies!] It has been said that Irving Berlin didn’t write American music ... he was American music. Indeed, the scope and length of his career, and his vast body of work in a variety of musical contexts give credence to this argument. One of the very few songwriters of his generation who wrote his own lyrics as well as the music, it is staggering to realize that English wasn’t even his native language. Many of his witty, urbane lyrics belie the fact that he grew up speaking Yiddish, primarily. Jazz musicians have embraced his strong melodies and interesting harmonic twists for generations. The fact that he really never studied harmony and could only play on the black keys of the piano make his output even more astounding!

[Note: Stay tuned at the end for some music from the band!] Thomas “Fats” Waller (born May 21, 1904) grew up the son of a preacher in the vibrant musical community of Harlem. He played the organ for his dad’s church as a child, with the organ pumped for him by Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. His prodigious keyboard abilities were soon encouraged by many of the lions of stride piano in the neighborhood, who bought him his first pairs of long pants so he could attend their “cutting” sessions and benefit from their experience and tutelage. From an early age, he started performing his original piano compositions, soon adding his idiosyncratic vocals as well. He became a well-loved entertainer, in addition to adding a number of compositions that have become standard repertoire in the great American songbook. He is often credited with composing the first jazz waltz, Jitterbug Waltz.

It’s impossible to overestimate the impact that Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (born April 29, 1899) had on jazz and indeed the world of music in general. Even if his myriad contributions to the Great American Songbook were his only accomplishment, he would be one of its most hallowed creators, but his legacy is far more sweeping. He managed to field an orchestra for several decades consisting of totally unique musical personalities for which he tailored new compositions to feature their individual and combined strengths in a way that was completely original and influenced literally everything that came after him.

Herbie Hancock, born April 12, 1940, is one of the most influential pianists and composers in jazz. He first rose to prominence with trumpeter Donald Byrd and later revolutionized jazz itself with Miles Davis, and pop music with his headhunters and rockit bands. He remains a big influence on younger players to this day, now an elder statesman of the music.

Victor Feldman is considered the finest all-around jazz musician ever to come from Great Britain. He was born on April 7, 1934, and was performing on stage playing the drums with Glenn Miller’s band at the age of six. Glenn Miller called Feldman “The greatest young percussionist ever created.” He was featured in several motion pictures and on the BBC.   Since his arrival in the United States, he recorded over twenty albums and a video music lesson. Over a hundred of his compositions have been recorded, including the instantly recognizable jazz classics “Seven Steps To Heaven” and “Joshua,” made famous by Miles Davis and recorded and performed by thousands of artists worldwide.

Pianist/composer Cedar Walton (born January 17, 1934) first rose to prominence with drummer Art Blakey’s band and his own groups featured his original compositional voice for decades: fresh original takes on the hard bop style he came up in. Many of his tunes have become jazz standards.

Saxophonist and jazz composer Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) was one of jazz’s senior statesmen, passing away last year at the age of 95. He was one of the last surviving subjects of the well known photograph “A Great Day in Harlem”, which was featured in the film “The Terminal” (2004) which also featured a cameo by Golson himself. He penned a number of compositions which have become well loved jazz standards.

Songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock on January 26, 1913) picked his professional name inspired by the shirt company. In the course of his career, he won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for best song. Many of his tunes have become beloved jazz standards over the years.