Al Casey
Renowned for his long collaboration with Fats Waller, Al Casey towers alongside the finest acoustic guitarists of the swing era, boasting a subtly powerful presence that flourished in intimate musical contexts. Born September 15, 1915, in Louisville, KY, Casey was a child prodigy who first adopted the violin, briefly moving to the ukulele before zeroing in on the guitar, which he studied at New York City's DeWitt Clinton High School. He joined Waller while in his mid-teens, recommended to the legendary pianist by his uncles, who met Waller while on tour with their gospel group the Southern Singers. Waller insisted Casey remain in school and earn his diploma before he could join the group full-time, but the guitarist was a fixture of recording sessions from the early '30s onward, and even joined Waller on tour during extended holiday breaks. Casey remained with the group until Waller's 1943 death, appearing on more than 200 classic swing sides; the famous blues number "Buck Jumpin'" took shape after Casey appeared late to a gig, prompting Waller to single him out on-stage and invite him to play a solo. The result was so electrifying that it was later captured in the studio.
Casey also recorded with trumpeter Louis Armstrong, singer Billie Holiday, vibist Lionel Hampton, and pianist Teddy Wilson, even joining the latter's short-lived big band in 1939. After Waller's passing, he played with pianist Clarence Profit's trio before assembling his own trio, which headlined New York's Onyx Club for close to a year before moving to the Down Beat. Around this time Casey moved to the electric guitar, and in both 1944 and 1945 he was named the instrument's top player in Esquire magazine's annual jazz poll; he spent much of the decade to follow as a gun-for-hire, capped off by a four-year collaboration with R&B saxophonist King Curtis initiated in 1957. Casey briefly retired from music in 1961, working in a Xerox copy shop before returning to performing, recording sessions in support of singer Helen Humes and pianist Jay McShann. After another extended period of retirement, he resurfaced in 1981 with the Harlem Jazz and Blues Band, which remained his primary vehicle for the next two decades; in 1994, he also cut his first headlining date, signing to the Jazzpoint label for A Tribute to "Fats". After a long battle with colon cancer, Casey died on September 11, 2005, just days short of his 90th birthday.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Artistes similaires
-
-
-
Fabulous Creature
Pop - Paru chez classics & more le 21 mai 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
-
Instrumental Pop Wonders with Al Casey, Vol. 2
Pop - Paru chez Shami Media Group 3 le 29 févr. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Instrumental Pop Wonders with Al Casey, Vol. 1
Pop - Paru chez Shami Media Group 3 le 16 févr. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Buck Jumpin'
Jazz - Paru chez Original Jazz Classics le 7 mars 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Surfin' Hootenanny
Musiques du monde - Paru chez TP4 Music le 6 janv. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of Jazz Legends: More Jazz Guitar, Vol. 2
Jazz - Paru chez Intense Media GmbH le 18 mars 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Swingville Volume 7: Buck Jumpin'
Jazz - Paru chez SINETONE AMR le 31 janv. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
-
Come Here Again With My Best Music
Pop - Paru chez mbw music capital le 28 juin 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Listen This Music
Jazz - Paru chez Archive Catapult le 22 janv. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
That's Why The Moon Was Smiling
Jazz - Paru chez The Moon Was Smiling le 24 juin 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Guitar Town Music
Jazz - Paru chez GTM restart rec. le 8 juin 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo