Don Abney

Don Abney, actually John Donald Abney, ( born March 10, 1923 in Baltimore, Maryland, † 20 January 2000, Los Angeles, California ) was an American jazz pianist.

Abney first studied privately in Baltimore. After his military service, during which he worked as a bugler in the military band, he played first with Buddy Johnson in 1946 and then moved to New York where he studied at the Manhattan School of Music piano and harmony. He then played at Wilbur de Paris 1948/49, Dixieland jazz. In the 1950s he worked as a solo pianist (1950 /51) and Bill Harris / Kai Winding, with Chuck Wayne in 1952 and Oscar Pettiford 1952, then with Sy Oliver, Thelma Carpenter and Louie Bellson. 1955 Abney had a cameo in the film Pete Kelly 's Blues. With his studio orchestra in which, among other things played Al Cohn, Joe Wilder, Barry Galbraith, and Milt Hinton, he accompanied Marilyn Monroe in 1957 on their album Moody.

With Jazz at the Philharmonic he toured repeatedly throughout Europe. He has performed with many great performers of jazz such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Oscar Pettiford, Carmen McRae and Betty Carter. From 1960 he worked as a studio musician at NBC; In 1962, he moved to Los Angeles, where he played and various studio bands with Benny Carter, Stan Kenton ( 1966). From 1969 to 1971 he led a trio; in the 1970s he worked as musical director for Rosemary Clooney. In 1980, he moved to Japan, where he was almost a decade working as a pianist. Due to illness he had to give up his active musicians activity in 1993; until shortly before his death Abney returned to the United States.

Don Abney also participated in recordings of Eddie South (1947 ), Al Sears ( Swings the Thing! , 1960) and Carol Sloane (1982). He is influenced by view by Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler Nat Cole, Ellis Larkins and Art Tatum.

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