William Henry Bauer (November 14, 1915 – June 17, 2005) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist.

Life

William Henry Bauer was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He played ukulele and banjo as a child before switching to guitar. He played with the Jerry Wald band and recorded with Carl Hoff and His Orchestra in 1941, before joining

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

in 1944 as a member of the First Herd. In 1946, he played with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

and

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an United States, American jazz Trombone, trombonist and singer. He led both of his bands himself and was a sideman for Paul Whiteman's orchestra. From 1946 to 1951, he played ...

. Working in small groups led by bassist Chubby Jackson and trombonist Bill Harris, Bauer established himself as a soloist in the

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

movement. In 1946, he began working with

Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...

. Tristano and Bauer enjoyed a natural synergy in their style and approach. Their development of "intuitive music" led to the 1949 session (collected on '' Crosscurrents'') which included "

Intuition Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning or needing an explanation. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledg ...

", and "Digression". He was a member of the NBC ''Tonight Show'' band in New York City and played in the ''Today Show'' band at the start of early television. Bauer continued his pioneering guitar work in a partnership with

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

, whose

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

saxophone work was a perfect match for Bauer's guitar. The two musicians' dialogue crossed styles from bop and cool to the avant-garde. Their recordings have been described as "some of the most beautiful duet recordings in jazz". "Duet For Saxophone and Guitar" was an unusual instrument pairing which has been described as redefining the role of jazz guitar. Bauer made one album under his own name, ''Plectrist'', in 1956. The CD reissue has been described as "demand ngthe attention of anyone even remotely interested in jazz guitar". Later, he arranged the song "No One" that appeared on the CD ''Henry Golis Presents Good Music with Friends'', which was released on Park Lane Drive Records in 2007. He died of pneumonia in New York, aged 89.

Teaching

In later life Bauer taught at the New York Conservatory of Modern Music and his own Billy Bauer Guitar School, first in

Albertson, New York Albertson is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. The popul ...

, then in

Roslyn Heights, New York Roslyn Heights is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in N ...

. He also published instructional books on studying music and playing the guitar. In an interview with Rick Beato in May 2025

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...

guitarist Denny Dias stated that he had lessons with Bauer. Near the end of his career, Bauer appeared at the 1997 JVC Tributes for

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" gu ...

and Tal Farlow. Bauer led the way for guitarists like

Jimmy Raney James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) a ...

and student

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...

. In 1997 he published his autobiography ''Sideman'' (with Thea Luba; ).

Discography

As leader

* ''Plectrist'' ( Norgran, 1956)

As sideman

With

* ''Benny in Brussels Volume 1'' (Columbia, 1958) * ''Benny in Brussels Volume 2'' (Columbia, 1958) With

* ''

Lee Konitz with Warne Marsh Lee Konitz with Warne Marsh is a 1955 studio album by jazz saxophonists Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh. The Atlantic catalogue number was SD 1217. It was recorded on June 14, 1955, at Coastal Studios in New York City. The album was re-released on LP ...

'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, 1955) * '' Inside Hi-Fi'' (Atlantic, 1956) * '' The Real Lee Konitz'' (Atlantic, 1957) * ''

Tranquility Tranquillity (also spelled tranquility) is the quality or state of being tranquil; that is, calm, serene, and worry-free. The word tranquillity appears in numerous texts ranging from the religious writings of Buddhism—where the term refers to ...

'' ( Verve, 1957) * '' An Image: Lee Konitz with Strings'' (Verve, 1958) With

* ''Live at Birdland'' (Jazz, 1990) * ''Wow'' (Jazz, 1991) * ''Intution'' (Proper Box, 2003) With others * Ralph Burns 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 ...

: '' Winter Sequence'' (MGM, 1954) * Tony Aless, ''Long Island Suite'' (Royal Roost 1955) *

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

, ''Charlie Parker Plays Cole Porter'' (Verve, 1957) * George Barnes, ''Guitar Galaxies'' (Mercury, 1962) * Al Caiola, ''The Guitar Style of Al Caiola'' (RCA Camden, 1962) *

Harry Carney Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist who spent over four decades as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He played a variety of instruments, but primarily used the baritone saxophon ...

, ''With Strings'' (Clef, 1955) * Helen Carroll, Carl Kress, ''Singin' & Swingin' '' (Stere-O-Craft 1958) *

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

, ''

Mr. Music ''Mr. Music'' is a 1950 film starring Bing Crosby and Nancy Olson, directed by Richard Haydn, and released by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the play '' Accent on Youth'' written by Samson Raphaelson. Filming took place from October to Dece ...

'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, 1955) * Cozy Cole, ''Cozy Cole and Other All-Time Jazz Stars'' (Colortone 1959) *

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...

, ''The Music Goes Round and Round'' (Bluebird, 1991) *

Bobby Hackett Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was a versatile American jazz musician who played swing music, Dixieland jazz and mood music, now called easy listening, on trumpet, cornet, and guitar. He played Swing with the bands ...

, ''Jazz Ultimate'' (Capitol, 1958) *

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

, '' The Complete RCA Victor Recordings'' (

Bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...

, 1995) *

, ''Hawaii Swings'' (Capitol, 1960) * Stan Hasselgard, ''Jammin' at Jubilee'' (Dragon, 1981) *

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

, ''Centerpiece'' (Phoenix Jazz, 1976) *

, '' Songs for Hip Lovers'' (Verve, 1957) *

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

, '' Stay with Me'' (Verve, 1958) * Chubby Jackson, ''Sextet and Big Band'' (Prestige, 1969) * J.J. Johnson, ''Jay & Kai'' (Savoy, 1954) - 4 tracks only * Beverly Kenney, ''Come Swing with Me'' (LPTime, 2007) * Big Miller, ''Did You Ever Hear the Blues?'' (United Artists, 1959) * Chico O'Farrill, ''Jazz'' (Clef, 1953) *

Seldon Powell Seldon Powell (November 15, 1928 – January 25, 1997) was an American tenor saxophonist and flautist whose work spanned multiple genres, including jazz and rhythm and blues. Background Powell worked with Tab Smith (1949), Lucky Millinder (194 ...

, ''Seldon Powell Plays'' (Royal Roost, 1956) * Barry Ulanov, Tadd Dameron, ''Anthropology'' (Spotlite, 1972) * Charlie Ventura, ''Jumping with Ventura'' (EmArcy, 1955) *

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor Saxophone, saxophonist. He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, a ...

, ''Ben and the Boys'' (Jazz Archives, 1976) *

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

, '' The Big Challenge'' (Jazztone, 1957)

References

External links

Billy Bauer official Web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Billy 1915 births 2005 deaths American jazz guitarists Cool jazz guitarists People from Roslyn Heights, New York 20th-century American guitarists American male guitarists Jazz musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians