Jazz musicians with the same names

[jazztrain]

Mirror image:  George Russell and Russell George (bass)

Easily confused:  Keter Betts and Skeeter Best

[jazztrain]

Easy to confuse:  Warne Marsh and Arno Marsh

[Big Beat Steve]

On 4/12/2024 at 5:27 PM, Pim said:

I’ve been mixing up Lonnie Smith and Lonnie Liston Smith for years. There even has been atime I thought they were the same person.

Things like this even happen to pros from the (journalistic) trade.
Author Tad Richards says this in book "Jazz With A Beat":
Ruth Brown "recorded 'I'll Get Along' with a band led by Budd Johnson, who had done wll with his sister Ella Johnson ..."
Not so. Tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson did back up Ruth Brown at sessions but Ella Johnson was the sister of pianist and bandleader BuddY Johnson. Two unrelated persons.
Obvious? On the face of it yes, but ... 😕

[Rabshakeh]

52 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Things like this even happen to pros from the (journalistic) trade.
Author Tad Richards says this in book "Jazz With A Beat":
Ruth Brown "recorded 'I'll Get Along' with a band led by Budd Johnson, who had done wll with his sister Ella Johnson ..."
Not so. Tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson did back up Ruth Brown at sessions but Ella Johnson was the sister of pianist and bandleader BuddY Johnson. Two unrelated persons.
Obvious? On the face of it yes, but ... 😕

Budd Johnson and Buddy Johnson gets me a lot. In fact I find it very easy to confuse Budd Johnson with a host of other musicians. 

[Rabshakeh]

I have just seen that there is a jazz drummer named John Lewis, who among other things co-led a Strata-East record under the group name The Cosmic Twins. Obviously not the same man as the MJQ pianist John Lewis.

[Ken Dryden]

I saw a Canadian drummer named Jeff Hamilton at several jazz parties, he was not the one who worked with John Clayton and also Oscar Peterson.

[John L]

These multiple artist names drive me crazy when trying to manage my jazz musician database.   Which number did I give to identify Joe Harris the drummer versus Joe Harris the trombone player? Joe Morris the trumpet player and Joe Morris the guitarist?  Willie Jones the 1920s drummer versus Willie Jones the 1950s drummer?  Max Bennett the trombone player and Max Bennett the bass player?   And I have lost track of how many jazz musicians recorded under the name Joe Williams. 

The Lord Database is also completely jumbled in the identification of different artists with the same name.  

[AndreyHenkin]

Deceased South African bassist and current American pianist Harry Miller

[JSngry]

Arnette Coleman and Ornette Cobb.