Stan
Levey, one of the strongest drummers of his
generation, was born in Philadelphia in 1926.
He was one of the very few white drummers involved
in the formative years of bebop and accepted
as one of bop's most important drummers, along
with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach. He played in
Philly with Dizzy Gillespie's group in 1942,
at the tender age of 16. Soon after he went
to New York, where he and Dizzy worked on 52nd
Street with Charlie Parker and Oscar Pettiford.
After his tenure with the Stan Kenton Orchestra
he moved to the west coast in 1954, joining
Howard Rumsey and the Lighthouse All-Stars,
and was a major influence in what was called
"west coast jazz" or the "cool
school". Levey's crisp, melodic style continued
to have more in common with bop than cool, and
he inspired every group he ever played in. Stan
has played on over 2000 recordings. He has performed
with most of the greatest names in the music
business. |
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