Earl Bostic - the general thread

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

The discussion about Stanley Turrentine started me thinking about all those guys who worked with Earl Bostic. So I thought I'd list them by session. The list goes from his first session as a leader to the point at which he appeared to have stopped touring. And as I was copying the info from Lord, I kept saying Jesus Fucking Christ, not HIM too!!!

Majestic sess
Nov-Dec 1945: Roger Jones, Dick Vance, Benny Harris (tp) Claude Jones, Benny Morton (tb) Eddie Barefield (cl) Earl Bostic (as,vcl) Don Byas, Walter "Foots" Thomas (ts) Ed Finkel (p) Tiny Grimes (g) Al Hall (b) Cozy Cole (d) 
Gotham starts
c Mar 1946: Lemon Boler (tp) Tony Scott (cl) Earl Bostic (as,vcl) John Hardee (ts) George Parker (p) Jimmy Shirley (g) Jimmy Jones (b) Eddie Nicholson (d) 
c Jul 1946: same pers
mid 1947: Roger Jones (tp) Rudy Powell (as,cl) Earl Bostic (as) Ted Barnett (ts) George Parker (p) Jimmy Shirley (g) Vernon King (b) Chick Cruickson (d) 
c Jul 1947: same pers
1947: Bostic, rest unknown 
late 1947: Earl Bostic (as) George Parker (p) Vernon King (b) Shep Shepherd (d) 
prob late 1947: Roger Jones (tp,vcl) Earl Bostic (as) Ted Barnett (ts) George Parker (p) Vernon King (b) Shep Shepherd (d) 
prob late 1947: same pers
King starts
12 January 1949: Roger Jones (tp,vcl) Earl Bostic (as,vcl) Lowell "Count" Hastings (ts) Jaki Byard (p) Vernon King (b) Shep Shepherd (d) 
13 January 1949: same pers 
28 May 1949: Rufus Webster (p) Keter Betts (b) replace Jaki Byard, Vernon King 
8 Aug 1949: same pers 
23 Mar 1950: Earl Bostic (as,vcl) Lowell "Count" Hastings (ts) Gene Redd (vib) Cliff Smalls (p) Al Casey (g) Keter Betts (b) Joe Marshall (d) Helen Young (vcl) 
13 Oct 1950: Edward Barefield (g) replaces Al Casey 
10 Jan 1951: Gene Redd (tp,vib) Earl Bostic (as) Lowell "Count" Hastings (ts) Cliff Smalls (p) Rene Hall (g) Keter Betts (b) Jimmy Cobb (d) Clyde Terrell (vcl) 
23 Jan 1951: same pers 
4 Oct 1951: Earl Bostic (as) Buddy Miles (as,bar) Wilbur Campbell (ts) Gene Redd (vib) Cliff Smalls (p) Ike Isaacs (b) Jimmy Cobb (d) unknown (vcl) 
7 Apr 1952: Blue Mitchell (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Pinky Williams (as,bar) John Coltrane (ts) Gene Redd (vib) Joe Knight (p) Jimmy Shirley (g) Ike Isaacs (b) Specs Wright (d) 
15 Aug 1952: Harold Grant (g) replaces Jimmy Shirley 
17 Dec 1952: Blue Mitchell (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Ray Felder (ts) Gene Redd (vib) Joe Knight (p) Mickey Baker (g) Ike Isaacs (b) George Brown (d) Bill Williams (vcl) 
6 Jun 1953: Blue Mitchell, Tommy Turrentine (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Stanley Turrentine (ts) Luis Rivera (p) Herman Mitchell (g) Mario Delagarde (b) Albert Bartee (d) 
24 Aug 1953: Blue Mitchell, Tommy Turrentine (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Stanley Turrentine (ts) Edward Richley (vib) Alexander Sample (p) Charles Grayson (g) Bob Breston (b) Granville T. Hogan (d)
4 Oct 1953: Blue Mitchell, Tommy Turrentine (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Stanley Turrentine (ts) Stash O'Laughlin (p) Clarence Kenner (g) George Tucker (b) Granville T. Hogan (d) 
27 May 1954: Blue Mitchell, Eldridge Morris (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Stanley Turrentine (ts) Stash O'Laughlin, Celia Lopez (p) Mitchell Webb (g) George Tucker (b) Granville T. Hogan (d) Bob Bustamente, Bill Gallardo, Jose Mendoza (perc) Sonny Carter (vcl) 
8 Oct 1954: Blue Mitchell, Eldridge Morris (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Benny Golson (ts) Teddy Charles (vib) Stash O'Laughlin (p) Jimmy Shirley (g) George Tucker (b) Granville T. Hogan (d) 
9 Oct 1954: Sonny Carter (vcl) added 
27 Jan 1955: Elmon Wright, Johnny Coles (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Benny Golson (ts) Teddy Charles (vib) Stash O'Laughlin (p) Jimmy Shirley (g) George Tucker (b) Granville T. Hogan (d) Sonny Carter (vcl) 
4 May 1955: Elmon Wright, Johnny Coles (tp) Earl Bostic, Benny Carter (as) Benny Golson (ts) Frank Flynn (vib) Stash O'Laughlin (p) Ulysses Livingston (g) George Tucker (b) Granville T. Hogan (d) + strings. 
11 Jan 1956: Elmon Wright, Johnny Coles (tp) Phil Olivella (cl) Earl Bostic, Hymie Schertzer (as) Benny Golson (ts) Stash O'Laughlin (p) George Barnes (g) George Tucker (b) Granville T. Hogan (d) Kenneth Tyler (perc) + strings. 
Now recording in Los Angeles
19 Apr 1956: Earl Bostic (as) Bill Doggett (org) Billy Butler (g) George Tucker (b) Shep Shepherd (d) 
23 Apr 1956: Elmon Wright, Johnny Coles (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Benny Golson (ts) Larry Bunker (vib) Stash O'Laughlin (p) Barney Kessel (g) George Tucker (b) Ralph Jones (d) Kenneth Tyler (perc) 
Except for Jewel Grant, Earl's not using his own guys at all from now on. Had he quit touring?
2 Feb 1957: John Anderson, Ronnie Lewis (tp) Earl Bostic, Jewell Grant (as) Bill Green (as,bar) Teddy Edwards (ts) Larry Bunker (vib) Charlie Lawrence (p) Adolphus Alsbrook (b) Roy Porter (d) Billy Jones (vcl) 
28 Feb 1957: Irving Ashby (g) added, unknown vcl group added- , Lou Singer (vib) replaces Larry Bunker 
Billy Jones acc by Earl Bostic and his Orchestra: 
1 May 1957: similar pers. (Billy Jones acc by Earl Bostic and his Orchestra)
24 Jul 1957: Joseph Dolny, Art DePew (tp) Earl Bostic, Jewell Grant (ts) Tom Suthers, Bill Green (ts,bar) Elmer Schmidt (vib) Charlie Lawrence (p) Rene Hall (g) Adolphus Alsbrook (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
25 Jul 1957: same pers 
18 & 19 Dec 1957: Earl Bostic (as) Wallace Snow (vib) Ernest Crawford (p) Tony Rizzi (g) H.J. Timbrell (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
30 Jan 1958: Earl Bostic (as) Elmer Schmidt (vib) Charlie Lawrence (p) Tony Rizzi (g) H.J. Timbrell (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
26 Feb 1958: Earl Bostic (as) Elmer Schmidt (vib) Fletcher Smith (p) Allan Seltzer (g) Margo Gibson (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
8 May 1958: Earl Bostic (as) Gene Redd (vib) Fletcher Smith (p) Allan Seltzer (g) Margo Gibson (b) Charles Walton (d) 
9 May 1958: same except Gene Redd (vib,tp) 
Back to the Midwest - Cincinnati or Chicago
14 & 15 Jul 1958: Earl Bostic (as) Gene Redd (vib) Fletcher Smith (p,org) Allan Seltzer (g) Edwyn Conley (b) William Erskine (d) 
7 Oct 1958: Earl Bostic (as) Claude Jones (p,org) Johnny Gray (g) Johnny Pate (b) Alrock Ducan (d) Frank Rullo (perc) 
10 Oct 1958: Isaac "Red" Holt (d) replaces Alrock Ducan, Allan Seltzer (g) added 
20 Oct 1958: Herb Gordy (b) Walter Perkins (d) replace Johnny Pate, Isaac "Red" Holt 
Way out west again
1 Dec 1958: Earl Bostic (as) Elmer Schmidt (vib) Hal Hidey (p) Rene Hall (g) Herb Gordy (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
2 Dec 1958: same pers 
3 Dec 1958: same pers 
4 Dec 1958: Gerald Wilson, Oliver Mitchell, Joseph Dolny, Anthony Terran (tp) Earl Bostic (as) Ernie Freeman (p) Rene Hall, Allan Seltzer (g) Herb Gordy (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
26 Jan 1959: Earl Bostic, Benny Carter, Jewell Grant (as) Bill Green, Plas Johnson (ts) Buddy Collette (as,ts,bar) Elmer Schmidt (vib) Sir Charles Thompson (p) Rene Hall (g) Herb Gordy (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
27 Jan 1959: Earl Bostic (as) Elmer Schmidt (vib) Sir Charles Thompson (p) Rene Hall, Allan Seltzer (g) Herb Gordy (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
28 Jan 1959: same pers 
29 Jan 1959: George Roberts (tb) Lloyd Ulyate (tb) Bob Pring (tb) Hoyt Bohannon (tb) Joe Howard (tb) added 
Midwest again
25 Mar 1959: Earl Bostic (as) Roland Johnson (vib) Jon Thomas (p) Allan Seltzer (g) Herb Gordy (b) William Erskine (d) 
26 Mar 1959: same pers 
27 Mar 1959: same pers 
28 Mar 1959: same pers 
6 Apr 1959: Earl Bostic (as) Roland Johnson (vib) Claude Jones (p) Warren Stephens, Allan Seltzer (g) Herb Gordy (b) William Erskine (d) 
7 Apr 1959: same pers
8 Apr 1959: same pers 
13 & 14 Apr 1959: same pers 
15 Apr 1959: same pers 
4 Jun 1959: same pers 
5 Jun 1959: same pers 
8 Jun 1959: same pers 
9 Jun 1959: same pers 
10 Jun 1959: same pers 
11 Jun 1959: same pers 
12 Jun 1959: same pers 
15 Jun 1959: same pers 
Big gap - into LA
12 Feb 1963: Earl Bostic (cl,sop,as) Elmer Schmidt (vib) Evelyn Roberts (p,org) Ernest McLean (g) Rene Hall (el-b) Sharkey Hall (d) 
13 Feb 1959: same pers 
14 Feb 1959: same pers 
13 Aug 1963: Earl Bostic (as) Richard "Groove" Holmes (org) Joe Pass (g) Jimmy Bond (b) Charles Blackwell (d) 
14 Aug 1963: Earl Bostic (as) Richard "Groove" Holmes (org) Joe Pass (g) Herb Gordy (b) Shelly Manne (d) 
22, 23 & 27 Jan 1964: Earl Bostic (as) Richard "Groove" Holmes (org) Joe Pass (g) Jimmy Bond, Al McKibbon (b) Earl Palmer (d) 
15, 16 & 17 Jul 1964: Earl Bostic (as) unknown (vib), (p), (org), (g), (el-b), (d) 
There's one more album, released on Philips in 1967, from unknown dates in 1965. I know nothing about this.

Sleeve design is perfect Earl Bostic.

MG

[mrjazzman]

I care about him because my dad Elmon Wright along with his best buddy Benny Golson played in his bands

[Mark Stryker]

Gang, the virtuoso command of the altimissimo register in this track is un-fucking-believable. If you play the saxophone on any level, this is jaw-dropping -- the range, the intonation, the power, the flexiblty.. I don't care what you want to do with a saxophone -- master the language of Hodges, master the language of Bird, master language of Trane, master the language of Ayler, master the language of Marcel Mule, master the language of Maceo, master the language of Roscoe — you have to respect this and maybe see what about it you can incorporate into what you want to do. 

 

And speaking of of Ace Cannon, whose name pops up earlier in this thread:

My friends and I used to have a thing where we'd riff on Ace's  supposed "discography" -- Ace in his free jazz period: "Ace in Space." The record with the poker playing Ace on the cover: "Ace in the Hole." The one where Ace gets into a saxophone battle with a different guest on each track: "Ace at 10 Paces."  The game was to make up the funniest potential LP and tune names as you could punning "Ace" or "Cannon.". Yeah you kinda had to be there. and controlled substances definitely helped spur our creativity. But we did crack ourselves up.  

I also recall a Downbeat interview with Branford Marsalis where he was asked if it bothered him that critics were always likening him to different players who he was trying to emulate. Branford's response was basically," I don't care who they say I sound like as long as they don't say I sound like Ace Cannon." I thought that was hilarious.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Mark Stryker

[Dub Modal]

15 hours ago, Mark Stryker said:

Gang, the virtuoso command of the altimissimo register in this track is un-fucking-believable. If you play the saxophone on any level, this is jaw-dropping -- the range, the intonation, the power, the flexiblty.. I don't care what you want to do with a saxophone -- master the language of Hodges, master the language of Bird, master language of Trane, master the language of Ayler, master the language of Marcel Mule, master the language of Maceo, master the language of Roscoe — you have to respect this and maybe see what about it you can incorporate into what you want to do. 

 

And speaking of of Ace Cannon, whose name pops up earlier in this thread:

My friends and I used to have a thing where we'd riff on Ace's  supposed "discography" -- Ace in his free jazz period: "Ace in Space." The record with the poker playing Ace on the cover: "Ace in the Hole." The one where Ace gets into a saxophone battle with a different guest on each track: "Ace at 10 Paces."  The game was to make up the funniest potential LP and tune names as you could punning "Ace" or "Cannon.". Yeah you kinda had to be there. and controlled substances definitely helped spur our creativity. But we did crack ourselves up.  

I also recall a Downbeat interview with Branford Marsalis where he was asked if it bothered him that critics were always likening him to different players who he was trying to emulate. Branford's response was basically," I don't care who they say I sound like as long as they don't say I sound like Ace Cannon." I thought that was hilarious.

Super impressive. Love following (or trying to anyway) along with the sheets. 

[Shrdlu]

Thanks for posting that long personnel list. Amazing. A lot of quality names in there.

One of the guys who worked with him said that he knew the characteristics of all the brands of saxophones. (I forget who said that.)