Teddy Wilson

Those six men made swing history when they first started playing together.

Benny on his clarinet, Gene Proop on the drums, Lionel Hampton on the vibraphone, Teddy Wilson on the piano, Charlie Christian on the guitar, and Artie Bernstein on the bass.

When those fellows played together, the joint really rocked.

Yes, Benny Goodman always hired the men who were tops in their field, the best pianists and drummers and trumpeters in the business.

No, it was music, and music alone he cared about.

And music knows no racial or religious difference.

When he finally broke up his sextet, expecting to retire, the Negro members, Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton, went on to form their own top-notch bands.

And so did Gene Krupa.

Starting out as a young Vaudeville dancer, he, uh, then stepped up to the microphone where he possessed an easy charm and a sharp wit that eventually made him a beloved disc jockey and the legendary master, for many years master of ceremonies at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Though his big band recorded only a, uh, modest number of sides between 1935 and '38, uh, Bryant had a fantastic ear for talent, filling his orchestra with, uh, a number of future, uh, jazz giants like, um, uh, Ben Webster, Teddy Wilson.

Uh, I think Benny Carter played with, uh, Willie.

I know Cozy Cole did also.

Um, he became a professional musician when he was still a teenager.

At that stage, he began to be inspired by Nat King Cole and, uh, the great Teddy Wilson, gradually moving on from classical via, I think, boogie woogie to the sort of technical piano star that he was to become.

[piano music] That was another solo piece, uh, "Bye Bye Blackbird" from the, the, from those German recordings.

Let's, uh, now jump to another collaboration, uh, an album that Peterson recorded, uh, with the vibraphonist of the modern jazz quartet, Milt Jackson, plus, um, that early regular rhythm section of Ed Thigpen and Ray Brown.

And we had this gig at Cleveland State.

And during the breaks, Teddy Wilson's trio was playing.

They were incredible.

And then it was at the art museum.

Ah, how can we be wrong? That's Stanley Wirth on the vocal Eddie Duchin from 1938.

Back to 1937 with Teddy Wilson in the band, and I love this vocalist's name.

Boots Castle.

Here's Remember me.

Ah, remember me.

Lots of recordings of that in 1937.

That's Teddy Wilson and the band.

And that is 30-something.

¶¶ . . .

Great pianist, Teddy Wilson.

Well, he led his own group for a short period of time.

We just heard on Columbia Records.

Coconut Grove, Teddy Wilson and his orchestra.

Recorded in New York City, January the 18th, 1940.

Let's listen to another, then our first email of the day.