Adolph Stanley Levey known professionally as Stan Levey (April 5, 1926 – April 19, 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 ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

. He was known for working with

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 ...

and

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 ...

in the early development of

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 ...

during the 1940s, and in the next decade had a stint with bandleader

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though ...

. Levey retired from music in the 1970s to work as a photographer.

Biography

He was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States, Levey is considered one of the earliest

drummers, and one of the very few white drummers involved in the formative years of bebop. He played in Philadelphia with

's group in 1942, at the age of 16. Soon after, he went to New York City, where he and Gillespie worked on 52nd Street with

and Oscar Pettiford. After his tenure with the

Orchestra he moved to the West Coast in 1954, joining Howard Rumsey, Don Joham and the

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

All-Stars, and was a major influence in West Coast jazz. Though "cool" jazz was common on the West Coast, Levey's crisp, melodic style continued to have more in common with bop than cool, and he inspired every group he ever played in. A right-handed person, Levey played the drums as if left-handed, orienting his drum kit as 'mirror-image' to the standard setup. Levey played on thousands of recordings, including those with musicians

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

, and with bands such as that of

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

, and Skitch Henderson and

The Tonight Show Band The Tonight Show Band refers to the house band on the American television variety show ''The Tonight Show'', which has created an important showcase for jazz on American television. The Tonight Show Band has changed in form and composition since ...

. Levey retired from the music business in 1973 to become a professional

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...

. He died at age 79, two months after surgery for cancer of the jaw, in Van Nuys, California. He was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Discography

With

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

and

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American jazz musician, most known as an alto saxophonist. He occasionally performed and recorded on tenor saxophone, clarinet (his first instrument) and bass clarinet. Active ...

*''The Route'' (Pacific Jazz, 1956) With

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

* ''

Sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds, which are often eaten as a snack food. They are also used in the pr ...

'' (Reprise, 1970) With Buddy Bregman *'' Swinging Kicks'' (Verve, 1957) With Conte Candoli *'' Conte Candoli Quartet'' (Mode, 1957) *'' Little Band Big Jazz'' (Crown, 1960) With Victor Feldman *'' Vic Feldman on Vibes'' (Mode, 1957) *'' The Arrival of Victor Feldman'' (Contemporary, 1958) *'' Latinsville!'' (Contemporary, 1960) With

*'' Stan Getz Quartets'' (Prestige, 1955) *'' The Steamer'' (Verve, 1956) *'' Gerry Mulligan Meets Stan Getz'' (Verve, 1957) with

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, pianist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing t ...

With

*'' For Musicians Only'' (Verve, 1956) With

Jimmy Giuffre James Peter Giuffre (, ; April 26, 1921 – April 24, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He is known for developing forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating f ...

*'' The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet'' (Atlantic, 1956) * '' Herb Ellis Meets Jimmy Giuffre'' (Verve, 1959) with Herb Ellis With Johnny Hartman * '' Unforgettable Songs by Johnny Hartman'' (ABC, 1966) With

*''

Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the tota ...

'' (Capitol, 1953) *'' New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm'' (Capitol, 1953) *''

Sketches on Standards ''Sketches on Standards'' (subtitled ''Request selections from the Kenton Dance Library'') is an album by pianist and bandleader Stan Kenton featuring performances of jazz standards recorded in 1953 and originally released on the Capitol label a ...

'' (Capitol, 1953) *'' This Modern World'' (Capitol, 1953) *'' Portraits on Standards'' (Capitol, 1953) *'' Kenton Showcase'' (Capitol, 1954) With Lee Konitz *'' Lee Konitz Plays'' (Disques Vogue, 1953) With

* '' Pretty Eyes'' (Capitol, 1960) * '' Blues Cross Country'' (Capitol, 1962) * '' Mink Jazz'' (Capitol, 1963) * '' I'm a Woman'' (Capitol, 1963) * '' In Love Again!'' (Capitol, 1964) * '' In the Name of Love'' (Capitol, 1964) * '' Big $pender'' (Capitol, 1966) With

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

*'' Soft Sands'' (Polygram, 1957) With

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

*'' Music for Prancing'' (Mode, 1957) With

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

* '' The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees'' (Colgems, 1968) With Herb Ellis *'' Nothing But the Blues'' (Verve, 1958) With Red Mitchell *''West Coast Rhythm'' (Affinity, recorded 1954–1955, released 1982) With Mark Murphy * '' Mark Murphy's Hip Parade'' (Capitol, 1959) With Shorty Rogers *'' Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers'' (RCA Victor, 1957) *'' Portrait of Shorty'' (RCA Victor, 1957) With

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

*'' Previously Unreleased Recordings'' (Verve, 1973)

References

External links

Stan Levey, Web Site "Drummerworld"Stan Levey, "The Last Post"
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levey, Stan American jazz drummers Jewish American composers 20th-century American photographers West Coast jazz drummers Jewish American musicians 1926 births 2005 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Jewish jazz musicians 20th-century American drummers American male drummers American male jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American jazz composers 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews Drummers from Philadelphia