|
Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZFEATHER, Leonard(b 13 Sep. '14, London; d 22 Sep. '94, L.A.) Composer, pianist, journalist, lecturer. Became jazz critic and concert promoter in England '30s; to NYC '39, to L.A. '60. An indefatigable sparkplug on behalf of jazz, he was instrumental in establishing Esquire magazine's annual awards '43 (the first to be made by critics); all-star poll-winners' recording date on Commodore late '43, concert early '44 (recorded on V-discs, later issued in Japan commercially) and Esquire Jazz Book; it all ended '47 when the book was co-opted by 'moldy figs' on behalf of (white) traditional jazz as opposed to the innovative musicians of the day, who were mostly black. In the era's vicious war of words between modernists/ traditionalists which seems quaint now, Feather did not coin the term 'moldy figs', but he later was the first to use 'Crow Jim' to describe discrimination in reverse among the black jazz fraternity. E produced countless recording sessions and was active on behalf of women: first to record Una Mae Carlisle '38, Hazel Scott '39; in mid-'40s Charlie Christian-inspired guitarist Mary Osborne (d 4 March '92, age 70) and all-woman dates led by Mary Lou Williams, pianist Beryl Booker, bassist/vocalist Vivien Garry, all-female band the International Sweethearts of Rhythm; in mid-'50s German pianist Jutta Hipp (d 7 April 2003, Sunnyside NY); first to record Dinah Washington as a solo artist '43: he wrote 'Evil Gal Blues' and 'Salty Papa' for her. Other songs included 'Mighty Like The Blues' '38 (used by Woody Herman), 'Unlucky Woman' (aka 'Unlucky Blues') '44, sung by Helen Humes and Lena Horne; his 'Baby Get Lost' was a no. 1 R&B hit for Washington '49, also recorded by Billie Holiday, who was his close friend: he organized the European tour early '54 that included Holiday, Booker, Red Norvo and others. As a writer he originated the famous 'blindfold test' in down beat, in which musicians pass judgement on records with no information about them; he won a Grammy '64 for the album booklet in three-disc Columbia set The Ellington Era; his millions of words over 50 years included yearbooks of jazz which became the first Encyclopedia Of Jazz '60, then Encyclopedia Of Jazz In The Sixties '66, Seventies '76; a new edition on the way was completed by Ira Gitler. His weekly column in the L.A. Times was syndicated to 350 papers. Almost continuously a broadcaster, beginning with Platterbrains radio show in NYC; the Leonard Feather Show on KUSC LA won an award '78. Other books included From Satchmo To Miles, essays on jazz giants; memoir The Jazz Years: Earwitness To An Era '86. His home and library were destroyed by an earthquake early '94; he was already ill. There was very little that was original or demanding in any way about Feather's work (he seemed to believe literally everything that Holiday's ghost-writer put into Lady Sings The Blues '56, though he knew that her account of the European tour was seriously deficient). But he was remarkable in effectively proselytizing for the music he loved while making few enemies. |