Nat Jaffe Explained

Nat Jaffe
Background:non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth Date:1 January 1918
Birth Place:New York City, U.S.
Death Place:New York City, U.S.
Genre:Swing jazz
Instrument:Piano
Years Active:1938 – 1945
Label:Onxy Records
Savoy Records
Varsity Records
Signature Records
Black and White Records
Past Member Of:Louis Armstrong, Charlie Barnet, Jack Teagarden, Sarah Vaughn

Nat Jaffe (January 1, 1918 – August 5, 1945) was an American swing jazz pianist. He was married to singer Shirley Lloyd.[1] [2]

Jaffe lived in Berlin from 1921 to 1932, where he received classical training on piano. Upon his return to the U.S., he began playing jazz music, working with Noel Francis, the Emery Deutsch Orchestra, and as a soloist on 52nd Street. In the late 1930s he played with Jan Savitt, Joe Marsala and Billie Holiday, and recorded with Louis Armstrong (1938), Charlie Barnet (1938–39) and Jack Teagarden (1940).[3] He led his own trio in the early 1940s and recorded in 1945 with Sarah Vaughan.

Jaffe died in 1945 as a result of complications from high blood pressure at the age of 27.

Recordings

Solo (1938)

Three solo piano pieces (Body And Soul, Liza and I Can't Get Started) were recorded on January 31, 1938, and released by Onyx Records in 1974 on 52nd Street; Volume 2, which also features performances by Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Don Byas.[4] [5] [6] [7]

With Louis Armstrong (1938)

The line-up of Louis Armstrong's orchestra during a New York recording session on June 24, 1938, included Nat Jaffe on piano, and produced four tracks:[8]

With Charlie Barnet (1938-1939)

During four recording sessions in New York in 1938 and 1939, Nat Jaffe was part of Charlie Barnet's orchestra. He shared piano credits with Graham Forbes for the 1938 recordings. They recorded the following songs:[9] [10] [11]

May 16, 1938

November 5, 1938

January 1939

February 24, 1939

With Jack Teagarden (1940)

In 1940, Jack Teagarden recorded sixteen sides for Varsity, which were reissued in 1986 by Savoy Jazz. During these sessions, his orchestra included Nat Jaffe on piano. These recordings were:[12]

February 19–27

April 14–16

Late July

Fats Waller Songs (1944)

On February 26, 1944, he recorded four of eight sides with Sid Jacobs on bass on a memorial album for Fats Waller, with Earl Hines recording the other four, for Signature Records:[13] [14] [15]

Nat Jaffe Trio (1944)

The Nat Jaffe Trio, with guitarist Remo Palmieri and bassist Leo Guarnieri, made four recordings on December 21, 1944, for Black and White Records:[16] [17]

Nat Jaffe and his V-Disc Jumpers (1945)

On January 24, 1945, Jaffe recorded at least one track with this group, featuring Don Byas and Flip Phillips on tenor saxophone, Charlie Shavers on trumpet and Specs Powell on drums: The Jeep Is Jumpin.[18] [19] [20] [21]

With Sarah Vaughan (1945)

Jaffe played piano on two of three recorded tracks during a recording session on May 25, 1945, in New York:[22]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: "The 27s — Roster" . 2010-06-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180708175347/http://www.the27club.net/nat-jaffe . 2018-07-08 . dead .
  2. http://www.allaboutjazz.com/families.htm "Jazz Families"
  3. http://www.tonyscott.it/billie_holiday.htm "Billie Holiday"
  4. 52nd Street, Volume 2 review
  5. http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Labels/onyx.htm Onyx Records Listing
  6. http://campber.people.clemson.edu/session.html The Session Label
  7. http://www.discogs.com/release/2025416 52nd Street; Volume 2 LP
  8. http://www.michaelminn.net/armstrong/index.php?section4#19380624 Louis Armstrong Discography, 1932-1942
  9. http://www.discogs.com/release/2273965 Make Believe Ballroom: 1935-1939
  10. http://www.discogs.com/release/2363536 The Complete Charlie Barnet, Volume II - 1939
  11. http://www.78discography.com/BB10000.htm Bluebird listing
  12. http://www.discogs.com/release/2118692 Varsity Sides LP
  13. https://archive.org/stream/historyofjazzina030270mbp/historyofjazzina030270mbp_djvu.txt Full text of "A History Of Jazz In America" on archive.org
  14. http://www.78discography.com/Signiature.htm Signature Listing
  15. http://www.discogs.com/release/2103076 Fats Waller Songs LP
  16. http://www.78discography.com/BlackandWhite.htm Black and White Records Listing
  17. http://www.discogs.com/release/2155349 Playing the Black & Whites CD
  18. http://www.hbdirect.com/album_detail.php?pid=312837 Midnights at V-Disc album notes
  19. http://www.answers.com/topic/midnights-at-v-disc Midnights at V-Disc album review
  20. http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11063 Don Byas: Complete American Small Group Recordings article
  21. http://www.cylist.com/List/404759413/various-midnights-at-vdisc.html Midnights At V-Disc CD Track Listing
  22. http://michaelminn.com/vaughan/ Sarah Vaughan Biography and Discography