Noble Lee Sissle was an American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer, and playwright, best known for the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, and its hit song “I’m Just Wild About Harry Continue reading Profile: Noble Sissle (1889-1975)
ames Hubert “Eubie” Blake, was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans. Continue reading Profile: Eubie Blake (1983-1983)
John Coltrane was an acclaimed American saxophonist, bandleader and composer, becoming an iconic figure of 20th-century jazz with albums like ‘Giant Steps,’ ‘My Favorite Things’ and ‘A Love Supreme.’ Continue reading Profile: John Coltrane (1926-1967)
African-American pianist Fats Waller wrote such jazz standards as “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and earned fame for his comedic radio performances in the 1930s. Synopsis Born on May 21, 1904, in New York City, Fats Waller was influenced as a teenager by jazz great James P. Johnson. He proved a gifted piano player and songwriter, delivering such jazz standards as “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” In the 1930s, Waller’s fame … Continue reading Fats Waller (1904–1943)
