Adele Beatrice Girard Marsala (née Girard; June 25, 1913 – September 7, 1993) was a jazz harpist associated with

dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

and

swing music Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands ...

. She is the first woman to bring the concert harp to prominence in jazz, with only

Casper Reardon Casper Reardon (April 15, 1907 – March 9, 1941) was an American classical and jazz harpist. He studied classical harp at the Curtis Institute of Music and went on to play for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. La ...

preceding her. As a musician she is known by her birth name Adele Girard, but she became Adele Girard Marsala after marrying clarinetist

Joe Marsala Joseph Francis Marsala (January 4, 1907 – March 4, 1978) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist and songwriter. His younger brother was trumpeter Marty Marsala and he was married to jazz harpist Adele Girard. Music career He was born in Ch ...

Biography

Adele Girard's father, Leon, was a violinist who conducted and played in the

pit orchestra A pit orchestra is a type of orchestra that accompanies performers in musicals, operas, ballets, and other shows involving music. The terms was also used for orchestras accompanying silent movies when more than a piano was used. In performances ...

for silent movies at the Bijou Theater in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

. He conducted the Holyoke City Band and the Springfield Broadcast Symphony. Girard's mother, Eleisa Noel Girard, was a pianist who studied opera and had been offered a scholarship to La Scala in Italy, though she turned it down because she was unable to afford the trip. She taught both her children, Adele and Don, how to play piano. When she was four, Girard accompanied her uncles as they sang "K-K-K-Katie" and "Over There", songs from the First World War. At age fourteen, she was given harp lessons by Alice Mikus, a family friend who played in the Springfield Broadcasting Symphony. In 1933, she got a job as a vocalist with the Harry Sosnik orchestra in Chicago. When Sosnik learned she could play the harp, he bought her one. She performed with the

Dick Stabile Richard Dominic Stabile (May 29, 1909 – September 18, 1980) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Career He was born in Newark, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, United States. The son of a band leader and violinist, Sta ...

orchestra in New York City in 1935 and in 1936 with the Three Ts, the Teagarden brothers (

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

and Charles) and

Frankie Trumbauer Orie Frank Trumbauer (May 30, 1901 – June 11, 1956) was an American jazz saxophonist of the 1920s and 1930s. His main instrument was the C-melody saxophone, a now-uncommon instrument between an alto and tenor saxophone in size and pitch. He a ...

at the Hickory House in New York City on 52nd Street. She replaced harpist

, who had been hired for a Broadway show. (Portrait of Adele Girard, Turkish Embassy, Washington, D

When the Ts toured, Girard worried that she would be unable to continue payments on her first harp. She asked the proprietor of Hickory House to keep her on, and he introduced her to

. In 1937 she wed Marsala and became a member of his band. Marsala's band included

Eddie Condon Albert Edwin Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was an American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in Chicago jazz, he also played piano and sang. Early years Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana, the son of ...

and

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

. The Marsalas worked in the house band at Hickory House for ten years. He introduced her to

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, ...

Charlie Byrd Charlie Lee Byrd (September 16, 1925 – December 2, 1999) was an American jazz guitarist. Byrd was best known for his association with Brazilian music, especially bossa nova. In 1962, he collaborated with Stan Getz on the album '' Jazz Samba'', ...

Gene DiNovi Eugene Salvatore "Gene" DiNovi (born May 26, 1928) is an American jazz pianist. DiNovi was born in New York City. He worked with Joe Marsala and Chuck Wayne while a teenager. He was very active live and on record in the late 1940s, working with ...

, and

Neal Hefti Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for '' The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series. He began arranging professionally in his ...

. She had perfect pitch and could improvise any tune on the spot. In 1946, Marsala found a job at ABC as a studio musician while Girard worked for NBC. Although Marsala was unhappy with the work, he wrote the song "Don't Cry Joe" which became a hit when it was recorded by Frank Sinatra. Inspired by a photograph of

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

in ''Life'' magazine, they bought a station wagon and moved to Colorado. Marsala co-wrote the musical ''I've Had It'' which made fun of Aspen's mixture of cowboys and classical musicians. Girard sang in the leading role. Although Marsala tried to take the show beyond Colorado, he was unsuccessful, and in 1954 the couple returned to New York City where Marsala helped start a music publishing company, Beatrice Music, that bore Adele Girard's first name. Girad returned to studio work. Beatrice Music was bought by Seeburg Music Corporation in 1962 and Marsala was hired as vice president. He helped organize the album ''Warm and Sentimental'' by clarinetist Bobby Gordon on which Girard recorded. Back in Chicago, Girard drifted out of music and spent her time restoring furniture, drawing, painting, and ice skating. When Seeburg struggled financially, she and Marsala moved to California, where she was hired to teach drama at the University of California. She played piano for some of the shows and occasionally filled an acting role. She and Marsala performed publicly for the last time in 1970 during a two-week residency at Donte's in North Hollywood, where visiting sidemen included Shelly Manne,

Dick Cary Richard Durant Cary (July 10, 1916 – April 6, 1994) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Cary earned a bachelor's degree in music from Wesleyan University in 1938 and star ...

, Neil Hefti, and

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

. After Marsala died in 1978, Girard performed at venues along the California coast, sometimes accompanied by Bobby Gordon. Despite having suffered two strokes, she agreed to record the album ''Don't Let It End'' ( Arbors, 1991) with Gordon. The song was Joe Marsala's tribute to the swing era. Girard died from congestive heart failure in Denver, Colorado, in 1993.

References

Sources

* Atteberry, Phillip D. "The Sweethearts of Swing: Adele Girard and Joe Marsala". ''The Mississippi Rag''. April 1996 * Marsala Trampler, Eleisa, "Don't Let It End Pt. I: Joe Marsala". ''The Clarinet''. June 2007 * Marsala Trampler, Eleisa, "Don't Let It End Pt. II: Bobby Gordon". ''The Clarinet''. September 2007 * Marsala-Trampler, Eleisa, "Adele Girard Marsala: First Lady of the Jazz Harp". ''The American Harp Journal''. Winter 2005 * Liner Notes: ''Bobby Gordon Plays Joe Marsala: Lower Register''. Arbors. 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Girard, Adele Girard-Marsalis, Adele Girard-Marsala, Adele Girard-Marsala, Adele Girard-Marsala, Adele 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American women musicians Jazz harpists