Jess Stacy
Jess Alexandria Stacy (born August 11, 1904 in Bird's Point , Missouri , † January 1, 1995 in Los Angeles ) was an American swing jazz pianist who played with Benny Goodman for a long time .
Stacy was born in a small town across the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois , and initially played on river paddle steamers (and in winter with Tony Catalano's Iowans in Davenport , Iowa ). In the mid-1920s he moved to Chicago , where he a. a. played with Paul Mares and in the orchestra of Joe Kayser from 1926 to 1928 , as well as in the speakeasies of the Prohibition era. He then played a lot in dance orchestras before going to Benny Goodman (recommended by John Hammond ) in July 1935 to 1939 , with whom he became known as one of the most important swing pianists (e.g. in the Carnegie Hall Concert 1938 , famous (unplanned ) Solo in "Sing Sing Sing"). In 1939/40 he briefly had his own band and played with Bob Crosby from 1940 to 1942 , again with Goodman in 1942/43 and then with Horace Heidt and Tommy Dorsey . In the musical film Sweet and Low-Down , in which Benny Goodman played a leading role, he took part in 1944. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the “Best Song” category.
In 1945 Stacy founded his own big band ("Jess Stacy and his All Stars"), in which his wife Lee Wiley (1908-1975, marriage 1943) also sang. The band only lasted a year, and after a few months at Goodman, Stacy worked solo in New York, as well as with old-time jazz musicians like Eddie Condon . In 1947 he moved to California, where his reputation faded (despite a temporary comeback on the occasion of the 1950 Carnegie Hall Concert reissue). In 1963 he withdrew completely from music and worked as a representative for the cosmetics company Max Factor . In the 1970s he experienced a comeback z. B. with soundtrack recordings for the film "The Great Gatsby" (1973), successful appearances in 1974 at the Newport Jazz Festival and new recordings such as "Stacy Still Swings" in 1977.
In 1995 he was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame .
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stacy, Jess |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stacy, Jess Alexandria (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 11, 1904 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bird's Point , Missouri |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 1995 |
| Place of death | los Angeles |