Slam Stewart, Bass, 1914, Englewood, NJ
Stewart had a great deal of formal training with private teachers and at the Boston Conservatory. He came to prominence when he and the guitarist Slim Gaillard recorded the novelty tune "The Flat Foot Floogie", in 1938. The tune became a huge hit and sold very well. Later, Stewart became a freelance musician and performed with a number of important swing and mainstream musicians, including; Red Norvo and Benny Goodman. Slam's most important association was with the great Art Tatum from 1943 into the early '50s. After leaving Tatum, around 1953, he worked with various artists, such as Roy Eldridge, Beryl Booker, and Rose Murphy. During the 1970s he was on the faculty at SUNY, Binghampton, but continued to perform, touring with Goodman, and in 1978 forming a partnership with Bucky Pizzarelli. Although Slam is especially known for his unique style, in which he bowed and hummed the melody simultaneously, he was also a wonderful accompanist. In 1984 he was awarded an honorary doctorate at SUNY, Binghampton.
Tommy Potter, Bass, 1918, Philadelphia, PA
.Tommy took lessons on the guitar and piano before settling on the bass, around 1940, at the relitively "old' age of 22. After performing with John Malachi and Trummy Young at the beginning of his career, he played with Billy Eckstine's big band, but he is probably best known forthe work he did with Charlie Parker during the latter part of the 1950s. The wonderful recordings he made with Parker reveal a technique with a clear tone and an ability to create varied and interesting lines, while maintaining a strong pulse, even at extremely fast tempos. As a result of his work with Bird, Potter was, after Oscar Pettiford, one of the most influential bass players of the bop era. He also recorded with Fats Navarro, Wardell Gray, and Bud Powell. Tommy went into semi-retirement in the mid '60s, seldom playing again. Tommy Potter died in 1988.
Chico Hamilton, Drums, 1921, Los Angeles, CA
Chico was playing the drums while in high school, where his class-mates were some of the most prominent future musicians in the world of jazz; Dexter Gordon, Ernie Royal, Buddy Collette, and Charles Mingus. He then spent time freelancing ,when he played with Floyd Ray, Lionel Hampton, Slim Gaillard, and others, until he entered the service, from 1942 to 1946. After his discharge he played with Jimmy Mundy's band and briefly with Count Basie and Lester Young. In 1948 Chico began a seven-year association with Lena Horne, and, based in Los Angeles between tours, did studio work with Charlie Barnet and the original Gerry Mulligan quartet. He formed a quintet of his own in the mid '50s which became popular internationally, through the use of a flute, clarinet and cello. He later replaced the cello with a trombone so that he could achieve a "harder" sound. Hamilton touredon a regular basis until the mid '60s when he wrote the music for Polanski's "Repulsion". Since then he has been very busy in the studios, writing advertising jingles and film music, and in the late 1980s, he put together a new group with which he toured Europe and the U.S. several times. Chico's original reputation as a Jo Jones type drummer has been largly forgotten to the public, and even to the jazz world. His quintet veered constantly between capitulation to European influence and being an acceptable forum for aspiring improvisers. Chico deserves credit for offering the first touring opportunities to such interesting musicians as Buddy Collette, Jim Hall, Paul Horn, Eric Dolphy, Ron Carter, and Gabor Szabo.
Shafi Hadi, Saxophone, 1929, Philadelphia, PA
