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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 ZKIRBY, John(b 31 December 1908, Winchester VA; d 14 June 1952, Hollywood) Bass, leader. Played trombone, then tuba; with Fletcher Henderson '30-33, bass with Chick Webb '33-5, Henderson again, Lucky Millinder; lots of freelance work including Teddy Wilson sessions with Billie Holiday, and the Chocolate Dandies. Then he formed his own sextet '37, at first including Pete Brown on reeds and trumpeter Frankie Newton, but the most famous lineup had Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey and Russell Procope on reeds, Billy Kyle on piano and O'Neil Spencer on drums (b 25 November 1909, Springfield, Ohio; d 24 July 1944, NYC; played with Millinder '31-6, with Willie 'The Lion' Smith in the Milt Herth Trio '37-9); Benny Carter and Zutty Singleton on some records. Kirby was one of the most successful small-group leaders of the period: the bright finesse of the group's intricate yet witty and swinging arrangements (many by Shavers) and vocals by Maxine Sullivan (Kirby's then wife) were so popular that it crossed over to gigs at white hotels and a network radio show '40 called Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm. The group was influential in showing what good music a group could present while still remaining a jazz band; see entries for individuals. Sullivan left to go solo, Shavers to Tommy Dorsey, Kyle to the US Army and the magic moment was over. A reunion at Carnegie Hall with Sid Catlett replacing Spencer was a flop; Kirby died in obscurity of diabetes. The Complete Charlie Shavers With Maxine Sullivan '55 on Bethlehem was effectively a reunion. Hits included 'Pastel Blue' (with Spencer vocal), 'Undecided' (written by Shavers); also swing arrangements of classics and folk songs. Two-LP John Kirby: The Biggest Little Band 1937-41 from Smithsonian Collection was a good compilation of 32 tracks including the titles above, eight under Bailey's name and four by John Kirby and his Onyx Club Boys, but no Sullivan vocals; two-CD The John Kirby Sextet on French Columbia had 46 tracks including six with Sullivan. Others on Classics, Musidisc; Circle CDs includes tunes made for broadcast transcription that were not released then on record. |