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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 ZBLANTON, Jimmie(b James Harvey Blanton Jr, October 1918, Chattanooga TN; d 30 July 1942, Los Angeles) Bass. The name is often spelled 'Jimmy', but he himself chose 'Jimmie' (some speculated because he admired the Jimmie Lunceford band). Playing with the Tennessee State Collegians, he used a half-sized bass that he had played as a teenager; he quit college and joined the Jeter/Pillars band, where he bought his first and only full-sized instrument. he was discovered by Duke Ellington '39 playing in a St Louis hotel, and in the short time before he died of TB he revolutionized the instrument, influencing all who came after him. He was first to utilize the bass fully, playing harmony and melody lines as on a solo instrument, while 'pushing' the beat slightly with such graceful swing that the band sounded as if it was dancing on tip-toe. He was a capstone of one of Duke's greatest periods; best heard on 'Jack The Bear' with full band, on small-group sessions (e.g. led by Johnny Hodges, including 'Squatty Roo'), and duets with Duke's piano (all RCA '40-41). Blanton is thought to have been developing as a composer and arranger, too; 'The Strollers' played by Ellington was said to be his piece. He is one of those who left us much too soon. |