Herbie Steward sax 1926 Los Angeles CA
Herbie Steward's first notable performance was with guitarist, Barney Kessel in 1945. From Kessel's group he moved to Alvino Rey's band. He performed and recorded in the big bands of Artie Shaw for almost two years. While Herbie was certainly an outstanding saxophonist, his greatest claim to fame was being one of the original "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's band, along with Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, and Serge Chaloff. He stayed with Woody until 1948, and then worked as a freelance musician. Following this period he then played again with Arty Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Elliot Lawrence. Herbie performed with Harry James from 1951 to 1954. Around 1955 he settled in Las Vegas and concentrated on show music. Steward was widely known for his versaitility and exceptional sight-reading ability. His playing is cool, clear and simple. After settling in Las Vegas, Herbie seldom played jazz again.
Teresa Brewer singer 1931 Toledo,Ohio
Teresa started singing in public and on radio when only two years old, and by the late 19'40s she was in the recording studios. Her style was crisp and lively with a sharp tone that sounded more "country-western" than jazz. During the first half of the 1950s she had six gold records. Around this time Teresa was very successful singing in clubs and on stage in Las Vegas, and performing on television. In 1972, after she married jazz record producer Bob Thiele, Teresa began including more jazz numbers in her performances. Although her singing became smoother, she still continued to sing in as lively a manner as she did in the 1950s. Brewer puts a sense of swing to the lyrics, but still places emphasis on key words. Her style is her's alone. Some critics feel that her variations of a tune are based on formulas, whatever that means.
