Buster Harding
Buster Harding | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lavere Harding |
| Born | March 19, 1912[1][2][3] Ontario, Canada |
| Died | November 14, 1965 (aged 53) New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Swing music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Formerly of | Count Basie |
Lavere "Buster" Harding (March 19, 1917 – November 14, 1965)[4] was a Canadian-born American jazz pianist, composer and arranger.
Early life
[edit]Born to Benjamin "Ben" and Ada (née Shreve) Harding in North Buxton, Ontario,[1][3] Harding was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where as a teenager he started on his own band.[5]
Later life and career
[edit]In 1939, Harding went to work for the Teddy Wilson big band, and then in the early 1940s went to work for the Coleman Hawkins band, and later Cab Calloway.[4] He became a freelance arranger and worked with Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Count Basie, among others.[5]
In 1949, he was the musical director for Billie Holiday recording sessions.[4] In the early 1960s, Harding played with Jonah Jones, though he was known primarily as an arranger and composer.[5] Harding did not record as a leader.[6] He died on November 14, 1965, in New York City.[6]
Select discography
[edit]With Count Basie
- The Count! (Clef, 1952 [1955]) - as arranger
- Basie (Clef, 1954) - as arranger
- The Story of Jazz (Philips Records)
- Basie Ball (Philips Records)
- Sounds of Jazz (Fontana Records)
- One O'Clock Jump (Columbia Records)
With Roy Eldridge
- All the Cats Join In (MCA Records)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- The Big Band Sound of Dizzy Gillespie (Verve Records)
- Dizzy Gillespie: Best of Small Groups (Verve Records)
- Dizzy and Strings (Norgan Records, 1954) also released as Diz Big Band (Verve Records) - as arranger
- Jazz Spectrum Vol. 11: Dizzy Gillespie (Metro Records)
With Billie Holiday
- Broadcast Performances, Vol. 1: Radio And TV Broadcasts (1949-52) (ESP Disk)
- Broadcast Performances, Vol. 2: Radio And TV Broadcasts (1953-56) (ESP Disk)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Abdul, Raoul (September 14, 2005). "Deep roots in 'Musical Buxton'". New York Amsterdam News.
- ^ Miller, Mark (1997). Such Melodious Racket: The Lost History of Jazz in Canada, 1914-1949. Mercury Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-55128-046-2.
- ^ a b 1930 United States Census. -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga -- Cleveland. - United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1081. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ a b c Carr, Ian; Digby Fairweather; Brian Priestley (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. Rough Guides. p. 335. ISBN 9781843532569.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott " Buster Harding – Biography by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
