James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) 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 ...

pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included

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 ...

, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and

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 ...

Early life and education

McShann was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and was nicknamed Hootie. During his youth he taught himself how to play the piano through observing his sister's piano lessons and trying to practice tunes he heard off the radio. He was also heavily influenced by late-night broadcasts of pianist

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

from Chicago's Grand Terrace Cafe: "When 'Fatha' (''Hines'') went off the air, I went to bed". He began working as a professional musician in 1931 at the age of 15, performing around

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, and neighboring Arkansas.

Career

1936–44

McShann moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1936, and set up his own

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

which variously featured

(1937–42), Al Hibbler,

, Paul Quinichette, Bernard Anderson, Gene Ramey, Jimmy Coe, Gus Johnson (1938–43), Harold "Doc" West, Earl Coleman, Walter Brown, and

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues and jazz singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, an ...

, among others. His first recordings were all with Charlie Parker, the first as the Jay McShann Orchestra on August 9, 1940. The band played both swing and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

numbers, but played blues on most of its records; its most popular recording was "Confessin' the Blues" with Walter Brown on vocals. The group disbanded when McShann was drafted into the Army in 1944. After his return two years later, he found that small groups were now taking the place of big-bands in the jazz scene. McShann told the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

in 2003: "You'd hear some cat play, and somebody would say, 'This cat, he sounds like he's from Kansas City.' It was Kansas City Style. They knew it on the East Coast. They knew it on the West Coast. They knew it up North, and they knew it down South."

1945–2006

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

McShann began to lead small groups featuring the blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. Witherspoon began to record with McShann in 1945 and, fronting McShann's band, he 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

. McShann had a modern

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

hit with " Hands Off", featuring a vocal by Priscilla Bowman, in 1955. In the late 1960s, McShann often performed as a singer as well as a pianist, often 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 Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, where he made his last recording, ''Hootie Blues'', in February 2001, after a recording career of 61 years. In 1979, he appeared prominently in '' The Last of the Blue Devils'', a documentary film about Kansas City jazz. One of McShann's favorite stories to tell was how band member and friend Charlie Parker got his nickname "Bird". During their drive to a gig in Nebraska with a car full of musicians, the driver of the car accidentally hit a chicken. According to McShann, Parker requested the driver turn around so he could get the bird, and sat with it in the backseat of the car all the way to Lincoln. Once they arrived he asked the keeper of the home they were staying in to cook it up for him. McShann died on December 7, 2006, in Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 90.

Awards and honors

* Member, Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, 1998 * Member,

Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...

* Member, Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 1989 * Pioneer Award, Rhythm and Blues Foundation * Grammy nomination, Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance, ''Paris All-Star Blues (A Tribute to Charlie Parker)'', 1991 * Grammy nomination, Best Traditional Blues Album, ''Goin' to Kansas City'', 2003 *American Jazz Masters Grant from National Endowment for the Arts, 1986

Discography

As leader

* ''Kansas City Memories'' (Decca 0" 1955) * '' Goin' to Kansas City Blues'' (RCA Victor, 1957) * '' McShann's Piano'' (Capitol, 1967) * ''Confessin' the Blues'' (Black and Blue, 1970) * ''Going to Kansas City'' (Master Jazz, 1972) * ''Jumpin' the Blues'' with Milt Buckner (Black and Blue, 1972) * ''Kansas City Memories'' (Black and Blue, 1973) * ''The Band That Jumps the Blues!'' (Black Lion, 1973) * ''Early Bird'' with Charlie Parker (Spotlite, 1973) * ''Vine Street Boogie'' (Black Lion, 1974) * ''Kansas City Joys'' with Buddy Tate, Paul Quinichette (Sonet, 1976) * ''Crazy Legs & Friday Strut'' with Buddy Tate (Sackville, 1977) * ''Kansas City On My Mind'' (Black and Blue, 1977) * '' The Last of the Blue Devils'' (Atlantic, 1978) * '' A Tribute to Fats Waller'' (Sackville, 1978) * '' Kansas City Hustle'' (Sackville, 1978) * '' The Big Apple Bash'' (Atlantic, 1979) * ''The Man from Muskogee'' with Claude Williams (Sackville, 1980) * ''Tuxedo Junction'' with Don Thompson (Sackville, 1980) * '' Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players'' with Ralph Sutton (Chaz Jazz, 1980) * ''Saturday Night Function'' with the Sackville All-Stars (Sackville, 1981) * '' After Hours'' (Storyville, 1982) * ''The Early Bird Charlie Parker (1941–1943)'' (MCA 'Jazz Heritage series', 1982) * ''Best of Friends'' with Al Casey (JSP, 1982) * '' Blowin' in from K.C.'' with Joe Thomas (Uptown, 1983) * ''Just a Lucky So and So'' (Sackville, 1984) * ''Live in France Vol. 2'' with Eddie Cleanhead Vinson (Black and Blue, 1984) * ''Roll 'em'' (Black and Blue, 1987) * '' Last of the Whorehouse Piano Players'' with Ralph Sutton (Chiaroscuro, 1989) * ''Blue Pianos'' with Axel Zwingenberger (Vagabond, 1991) * ''Paris All-Star Blues: A Tribute to Charlie Parker'' (Limelight; Musicmasters; Jazz Heritage, 1991) * ''Stride Piano Summit'' with Dick Hyman, Ralph Sutton (Milestone, 1991) * ''Jimmy Witherspoon & Jay McShann'' (Black Lion, 1992) * '' The Missouri Connection'' with John Hicks (Reservoir, 1993) * '' Some Blues'' (Chiaroscuro, 1993) * ''Airmail Special'' (Sackville, 1994) * ''Swingmatism'' with Don Thompson, Archie Alleyne (Sackville, 1994) * ''Piano Playhouse'' (Night Train, 1996) * ''Hootie's Jumpin' Blues'' with Duke Robillard (Stony Plain, 1997) * ''Jazz and Blues on Marians' Records'' (Marians' Records, 1997) with Milt Hinton, Buddy Tate, J.C. Heard, and Carrie Smith * ''My Baby with the Black Dress On'' (Chiaroscuro, 1998) * ''Still Jumpin' the Blues'' with Duke Robillard, Maria Muldaur (Stony Plain, 1999) * ''What a Wonderful World'' (Groove Note, 1999) * ''Hootie!'' (Chiaroscuro, 2000) * ''Goin' to Kansas City'' with Duke Robillard (Stony Plain, 2003) * ''Hootie Blues'' (Stony Plain, 2006)

As sideman

With Clarence Gatemouth Brown * ''Cold Strange'' (Black and Blue, 1977) * ''More Stuff'' (Black and Blue, 1985) * ''Pressure Cooker'' (Alligator, 1985) * ''Just Got Lucky'' (Orbis, 1993) With others * Walter Brown, ''Confessin' the Blues'' (Affinity, 1981) * Al Casey, ''Jumpin' with Al'' (Black and Blue, 1974) * Slim Gaillard, ''Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere!'' (Hep, 1983) * Jim Galloway, ''Thou Swell'' (Sackville, 1981) * Jim Galloway, ''Kansas City Nights'' (Sackville, 1993) * Tiny Grimes, ''Tiny Grimes'' (Black and Blue, 1970) * Tiny Grimes, ''Some Groovy Fours'' (Black and Blue, 1996) * Helen Humes, ''Helen Comes Back'' (Black and Blue, 1973) * Helen Humes, ''On the Sunny Side of the Street'' (Black Lion, 1975) * Julia Lee, ''Tonight's the Night'' (Charly, 1982) * Duke Robillard, ''The Acoustic Blues & Roots of'' (Stony Plain, 2015) * Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, '' Kidney Stew is Fine'' (Delmark, 1969) * T-Bone Walker, ''Feelin' the Blues'' (Black and Blue, 1999) * Jackie Washington, ''Keeping Out of Mischief'' (Borealis 1995) * Claude Williams, ''Fiddler's Dream'' (Black and Blue, 1977) * Axel Zwingenberger, ''Swing the Boogie!'' (Vagabond, 1996)

References

External links

Interview with Jay McShann
for the NAMM Oral History Program October 11, 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:McShann, Jay 1916 births 2006 deaths American big band bandleaders Swing pianists Mainstream jazz pianists Jump blues musicians Musicians from Muskogee, Oklahoma Singers from Oklahoma American blues singers American blues pianists American male jazz pianists American jazz pianists Vee-Jay Records artists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American singers Jazz musicians from Oklahoma 20th-century American male musicians Sackville Records artists Black Lion Records artists Black & Blue Records artists Chiaroscuro Records artists Stony Plain Records artists Atlantic Records artists Uptown Records (jazz) artists NEA Jazz Masters