Teddy Brannon

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Humphrey "Teddy" Brannon (* 27. September 1916 in Moultrie , Georgia ; † 24. February 1989 in Newark , New Jersey ) was an American jazz - and rhythm and blues - pianist .

Brannon's family moved to Linden, New Jersey , in the early 1920s ; he began playing the piano at the age of nine and performed in dance bands during his school days and played in nightclubs in his hometown of Newark from 1937 to 1942. From 1942 to 1945 he played with Benny Carter , then as a freelance musician in the jazz clubs on 52nd Street in New York City , from 1947 to 1950 with his own trio, which also included guitarist Dickie Thompson . In April 1945 he was involved in a session of the blues singer Rubberlegs Williams with the Herbie Fields Band, in which the young Miles Davis also played; in May he was a member of Don Byas' quartet and took part in their recordings for Savoy ("I Don't Kno Why").

In the 1950s and 1960s Brannon worked as a studio musician with what were then Doo Wop groups and also played frequently with jazz musicians such as Roy Eldridge , Buddy Rich , Bennie Green in 1951, Johnny Hodges in 1952, Jonah Jones in 1961 and Illinois Jacquet . He also accompanied singers such as Dinah Washington 1947, Ruth Brown , Billie Holiday , the vocal ensemble The Gordons and Babs Gonzales , who was his cousin.

Discographic notes

  • Don Byas: Savoy Jam Party The Savoy Sessions (Savoy, 1944-46)
  • Bennie Green / Jay Jay Johnson / Kai Winding: Trombone by Three (Prestige / OJC)
  • Coleman Hawkins / Benny Carter (Forlane, 1943)
  • Johnny Hodges: The Complete 1941-1954 Small Group Recordings, Vol. 4 (Blue Moon)
  • Jonah Jones: Jumpin 'with a Shuffle (Capitol / Pathe, 1961)
  • Tab Smith: Jump Time ( Delmark Records , 1951)
  • Dinah Washington: Complete 1943-1951 Mercury Master Takes
  • Rubberlegs Williams: Obscure Blues Shouters, Vol. 2 (Blue Moon)

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personal data
SURNAME Brannon, teddy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brannon, Humphrey
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American blues and jazz pianist
DATE OF BIRTH September 27, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Moultrie (Georgia)
DATE OF DEATH February 24, 1989
Place of death Newark , New Jersey