Jay "Hootie" McShann

Jay McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American Grammy Award-nominated blues, mainstream jazz, and swing bandleader, pianist and singer.

During the 1940s, McShann was at the forefront of blues and hard bop jazz musicians mainly from Kansas City. He assembled his own big band, with musicians that included some of the most influential artists of their time, including Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Ben Webster and Walter Brown. His kind of music became known as "the Kansas City sound"[1][2]

McShann died on December 7 2006, at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City.[3]

Biography

Nicknamed "Hootie",[4] McShann was born James Columbus McShann in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Musically, his education came from Earl Hines' late-night broadcasts from Chicago's Grand Terrace Ballroom: "When 'Fatha' [Hines] went off the air, I went to bed".[5] He began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma and neighboring Arkansas.
Orchestra

He moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1936, and set up his own big band, which featured variously Charlie Parker (1937-1942), Al Hibbler, Lawrence Anderson, Ben Webster, Paul Quinichette, Bernard Anderson, Gene Ramey, Jimmy Coe, Gus Johnson (1938-1943),[6] Harold "Doc" West, Earl Coleman[7] and Walter Brown, among others.

Although they included both swing and blues numbers, the band played blues on most of its records; its most popular recording was "Confessin' the Blues." The group disbanded when McShann was drafted into the Army in 1944, and he was unable to successfully restart it when he got out.

Jay McShann and his Orchestra at an NBC Broadcast, "Blue Network," Savoy Ballroom, New York City, February 13, 1942:[8] Jay McShann (p); Bernard "Buddy" Anderson (tp); Bob Merrill (tp); Orville "Piggy" Minor (tp); Lawrence Anderson (tb); Taswell "Joe" Baird (tb); Charlie Parker (as); John Jackson (as); Fred Culliver (ts); Bob Mabane (ts); Jimmy Coe (bars); Leonard "Lucky" Enois (g); Gene Ramey (b); Harold "Doc" West (d); Al Hibbler (voc).

The line-up was slightly different a few months later for the classic Decca recordings in New York City, July 2, 1942::[8] Jay McShann (p); Bernard "Buddy" Anderson (tp); Bob Merrill (tp); Orville "Piggy" Minor (tp); Lawrence Anderson (tb); Taswell "Joe" Baird (tb); Charlie Parker (as); John Jackson (as); Fred Culliver (ts); Bob Mabane (ts); Jimmy Coe (bars, arr); Leonard "Lucky" Enois (g); Gene Ramey (b); Gus Johnson (d); Albert Hibbler (voc); Walter Brown (voc); Archie "Skippy" Hall (arr); William J. Scott (arr).
Smaller groups

After World War II McShann began to lead small groups featuring blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. Witherspoon started recording with McShann in 1945, and fronting McShann's band, and had a hit in 1949 with "Ain't Nobody's Business." As well as writing much material, Witherspoon continued recording with McShann's band, which also featured Ben Webster, until 1951, whence McShann then played in obscurity until 1969.

McShann later became popular as a singer as well as a pianist, often performing with violinist Claude Williams. He continued recording and touring through the 1990s. Well into his 80s, McShann still performed occasionally, particularly in the Kansas City area and Toronto, Ontario.
Influence

On one of their earliest albums, Five by Five (1964), The Rolling Stones recorded a cover of "Confessin' the Blues", a song McShann had co-written with Walter Brown in the 1940s.

Crime-fiction writer Elmore Leonard featured McShann as a character in his 2005 novel, The Hot Kid.

Honors

* Blues Hall of Fame.
* Pioneer Award of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
* Paris All-Star Blues (A Tribute to Charlie Parker) - Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance - Nominee, 1991 Grammy Awards
* Goin' to Kansas City - Best Traditional Blues Album - Nominee, 2003 Grammy Awards.

Discography

* 1954: Kansas City Memories - The Jay McShann Orchestra with Charlie Parker, Walter Brown, Al Hibbler and Paul Quinichette (DECCA)[9]