Historical Dictionary of Jazz. John S. Davis
Papa Jac joined the band. After 11 years of touring, Freddie suffered from illness and succumbed to a heart attack in 1966. Almost 10 years later, Frank also died, and Papa Jac left the group to resume his teaching career that he had started almost 40 years prior.
ASTORIA HOT EIGHT
An early swing/Dixieland band founded by tenor saxophonist David Jones and cornetist Lee Collins in 1928. The band worked primarily at the Astoria Garden in New Orleans and had regular members Theodore Purnell, Joseph Robichaux, Emanuel Sayles, Al Morgan, and Joe Strode. The band also used the name Jones and Collins Astoria Hot Eight and recorded four sides: Astoria Strut and Duet Stomp (1929, Victor) and Damp Weather and Tip Easy Blues (1929, Bluebird).
ATCO RECORDS
Through the work of Herb Abramson, Atco was created as a subsidiary of Atlantic Records and was committed to popular music. Atlantic Records had primarily focused on rhythm and blues and jazz styles, and the smaller label was created out of a desire to sign more mainstream artists. The label was made famous through recordings and signings of several pop stars including King Curtis, Otis Redding, the Allman Brothers, and Bobby Darin. The label signed several jazz musicians during the 1960s. These included Herb Geller, Betty Carter, and Sir Roland Hanna. The label eventually folded into Atlantic until the 1990s, when it had a brief resurgence. The label name Atco was used for reissues by Warner Group music in 2006.
ATLANTIC RECORDS
Founded by Herb Abramson and Ahmet Ertegun in 1947 with the intention of recording and distributing African American–influenced music, the label became immensely popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The label was divided in 1955 with the creation of the Atco label, which featured primarily pop artists, leaving Atlantic to remain primarily focused on rhythm and blues music. Atlantic produced many popular jazz albums in the late 1950s. John Coltrane’s album Giant Steps (1959, Atlantic) and Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959, Atlantic) were two highly influential albums that were produced on the label. Jazz artists Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, Charles Mingus, Charles Lloyd, Gary Burton, Eddie Harris, and Keith Jarrett were also recorded during a 10-year period in which Atlantic emphasized recording jazz. Warner Bros. bought Atlantic in 1967, although Ahmet Ertegun retained control of the label. This purchase triggered events that led to fewer and fewer jazz recordings as the label pursued interests in recording soul music and artists like Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett. Atlantic eventually expanded to many other different forms of music and has a strong presence in the rock and country music recording industries in addition to R&B. In 2004, Atlantic and its sister label Elektra were merged into the Atlantic Records Group. See also ATCO RECORDS.
AULD, GEORGIE (1919–1990)
Auld began his professional career in the 1930s modeling his idol, Coleman Hawkins, while performing with several New York–based bands in addition to leading his own groups. In 1939, Auld joined Artie Shaw’s band (even leading the band briefly during an extended absence by Shaw) until he left the group to become a member of Benny Goodman’s groups. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Auld constantly changed his tenor sound to imitate other saxophonists and was noted for sounding like Charlie Barnet and Lester Young at different points in his affiliation with various groups. Prior to joining the army in 1943, Auld performed and recorded with Benny Carter and Billie Holiday and briefly rejoined Shaw. From 1943 to 1946, Auld formed a big band with many top jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie and Erroll Garner, and recorded Big Band Jazz (1945, Musicraft).
In 1950, Auld was a member of Count Basie’s octet before moving to the Los Angeles area and freelancing with several groups in addition to starting some of his own. Auld opened up his own jazz club called the Melody Room and started a quintet that featured Frank Rosolino and Stan Levey. During this time, Auld recorded one of his most popular albums, In the Land of Hi-Fi (1955, EmArcy), which also featured Rosolino. Throughout the remainder of the 1950s and 1960s, Auld would primarily freelance and tour with bands in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Japan. Auld also pursued a short-lived career in acting, performing in a stage play in 1949 titled The Rat Race and also ghosting for actor Robert De Niro in the 1977 film New York, New York.
AURORA
A Canadian record label that featured recordings of Duke Ellington and King Oliver during the early 1930s. While the record label was based in Canada, many of the albums were recorded in the United States. Partner companies included Brunswick and Melotone.
AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL GANG
The nickname of a group of musicians from the Chicago West Side who had attended Austin High School and formed a group in 1922. The group was influenced by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. In its early years, the band played for high school fraternity dances and at the homes of fellow students. Members included cornetist Jimmy McPartland and tenor saxophonist Bud Freeman. See also MEZZROW, MEZZ (1899–1972); TOUGH, DAVE (1907–1948).
AUSTRALIAN JAZZ QUARTET/QUINTET
An Australian jazz group featuring pianist Bryce Rohde and Jack Brokensha. There is debate as to whether the group was named after a tour of Australia in 1958 or whether the members of the group had always made the title official when the group began in 1954. The group disbanded in 1959, and Rohde moved to Australia. The group recorded several albums on the Bethlehem label included recordings of the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein and jazz renditions of the music from The Threepenny Opera. Other members of the group before they disbanded included drummers Frank Capp and Osie Johnson.
AVAKIAN, GEORGE (1919–2017)
After graduating from Yale in 1941 with an English literature degree, Avakian began freelancing and writing for jazz magazines, writing liner notes for albums, and serving as a jazz editor for non-music magazines like Mademoiselle. In 1940, Avakian was hired by Columbia to assist with reissuing jazz recordings. This proved to be very important, and he and Columbia would continue to work together after Avakian’s military service and for the better part of the next two decades. Avakian produced albums for Columbia in addition to several other labels, including Warner Bros. and RCA Records. As a producer, he signed Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington to deals in addition to his prized Columbia signing of Miles Davis. In the 1960s, Avakian left Columbia and freelanced as a producer. He remained an important figure in the careers of several jazz musicians including Paul Desmond, Sonny Rollins, and Keith Jarrett. Avakian remained connected to Columbia even throughout the 1990s and contributed liner notes for reissued albums and box sets. Most notably, he was awarded a Grammy in 1996 for his liner notes in a boxed set of the works of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. In 2011, he was included on the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame as a living jazz legend.
AVANT-GARDE
An alternative to the name free jazz that was made popular during the 1960s and 1970s. The name free jazz was often frowned upon because the musicians felt their music was very structured and not as open as the term “free” implied. There is a slight disconnect from the music labeled as free jazz such as was performed by Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler and those musicians who played under the avant-garde style such as Archie Shepp. See also DOLPHY, ERIC (1928–1964); JOHNSON, REGINALD “REGGIE” (1940–); LEADERS.
AX(E)
A term used as a reference to one’s instrument.