Original material was the key that opened the doors to recording studios. Best of all, the Premiers even had a few original, unpublished songs to sing, a definite requirement for success in the business. 'Kid stars' such as Little Esther, Teresa Brewer, and the nine-year old boogie-woogie star Sugar Chile Robinson, have always had a place in the music business. The presence of a 12-year old was not all that unusual. Santiago was the usual lead singer and the songs they sang were the R&B hits of the day such as Hearts Of Stone, Work With Me, Annie, Have Mercy Baby and Shake A Hand. He did the high tenor voice in the harmony parts and duets with Santiago, and the quintet called themselves the Premiers. Both the Lymon group and The Coupe DeVilles did well on the amateur show and Frankie began singing with the older guys from that point on. The 12-year old slipped into the harmony routines quickly and showed an exuberant show business flair. They already knew Frankie, who lived right across the street from Santiago, and at a rehearsal at the school, Frankie asked if he could sing along with the Coupe DeVilles on a few of their songs. After seeing ex-schoolmates, the Cadillacs, as guests at one of the school talent shows, the boys picked a new name, Coupe DeVilles. They joined two neighborhood friends, Joe Negroni, born September 8, 1940, and Herman Santiago, born February 18, 1941, and called their group the Ermines with Santiago as first tenor, Merchant second tenor, Negroni baritone, and Garnes bass. He and Garnes, born June 8, 1940, shared a love of harmony singing.
Merchant, born February 10, 1940, had been singing since he was nine years old. Among those at Stitt were Jimmy Merchant and Sherman Marlow Garnes. Like all schools in the Greater New York area in the early 1950s, Stitt had its share of amateur singers. Stitt Junior High in Washington Heights, the Esquires made at least one showing at the Apollo Theater's Amateur Night. Besides appearances at Frankie's school, Edward W. were playing bongos and congas in a mambo group called the Esquires. His father, an amateur singer, sang with a church group and soon had his young sons, Howard, Jr., Frankie, and Lewis, working in a junior version of his group. Jewelcases / Trays / Protection jacketsįrankie Lymon was born in New York City on September 30, 1942.Recorded live at Birdland, New York, 1950.
Lee Konitz (as), Warne Marsch (ts), Lennie Tristano (p), Billy Bauer (g), Arnold Fishkind (b) and Jeff Morton (d).ĬD 1, #5-9: Quintet (Marsh, Bauer, Fishkin & Morton) Recorded live at Birdland, New York, 1950.ĬD 2, #1-9: Sextet (Marsh, Konitz, Bauer & Morton) Jazz fans looking for an easy listen may not find this easy to access, but students of the genre may enjoy this more just because of the historical impact Tristano had.Ġ9. Much of the music is based on Tristano's unique theories regarding improvisation, so even though some of this may seem quite controlled, most of it is part of an elaborate improvisational style that Tristano taught. This double-CD set is comprised of various recordings made by Tristano and his band that have supposedly never seen the light of day. His distinct playing style was based on sonic purity, so there is a certain amount of restraint involved that turned off some jazz fans in the '40s. As one of the true innovators of the bop style, jazz pianist Lennie Tristano influenced a generation of musicians.
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