George Wallington

George Wallington ( born October 27, 1924 in Palermo, Sicily Giorgio Figlia, † 15 February 1993 Cape Coral, Miami) was an American jazz pianist and composer.

Life and work

A year after his birth his family emigrated to the U.S., where it received an early age by his father singing lessons. Wallington played six year old violin and mandolin and piano at age nine.

He became a professional musician in 1940. Soon he was playing in the quintet of Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Pettiford in Onyx Club ( Winter 1943-44 ), then he played until 1953 with Joe Marsala, Charlie Parker, Serge Chaloff, Allen Eager, Stan Getz, Terry Gibbs, Brew Moore, Al Cohn, Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims, Red Rodney and Lionel Hampton. He recorded with his own trio plates for Savoy and Blue Note. Between 1954 and 1960 he led bands in New York, which included musicians like Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean and Phil Woods; with these he took on plates for prestige and Atlantic. In 1960 he retired from the music world to work in the family business. In the 1980s, he returned once to the scene to make a record and give some concerts.

His playing style is strongly oriented to Bud Powell. To Wallingtons -known compositions include the standards "Lemon Drop" and " Godchild ". He also composed with Buddy Goodman, the title " Way of There" and "My April Heart".

Discography (selection)

  • The George Wallington Trio ( Savoy, 1949-51 ) with Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, Max Roach
  • The George Wall Unitingon Trios ( OJC, 192-53 ) with Charles Mingus, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach, Curly Russell
  • Trios ( RCA Vogue, 1954) with Pierre Michelot
  • Live At The Cafe Bohemia ( OJC, 1955) with Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean
  • Jazz For The Carriage Trade ( OJC, 1956) with Phil Woods
  • The New York Scene ( OJC, 1957)
  • The Pleasure Of A Jazz Inspiration ( VSOP, 1985) piano solo

As a sideman

  • Serge Chaloff: We the People Bop ( Cool & Blue, 1946-49 )
  • Al Cohn: Cohn 's Tones ( Savoy, 1950, 1954)
  • Stan Getz: Getz Early ( OJC, 1949-53 )
  • Gerry Mulligan: Mulligan Plays Mulligan ( OJC, 1951)
  • Annie Ross Annie Ross Sings ( OJC, 1952)
  • Lionel Hampton: Oh! Rock (Natasha, 1953)
  • Bobby Jaspar Bobby Jaspar with George Walligton, Idrees Sulieman ( OJC, 1957)

Swell

  • Biography by Scott Yanow
  • Richard Cook, Jazz Encyclopedia. London 2007 ISBN 978-0-141-02646-6
  • Richard Cook & Brian Morton, The Penguin Guide To Jazz, New Edition 1994
  • Richard Cook & B. Morton, The Penguin Guide To Jazz On CD, Sixth Edition, London, Penguin, 2002 ISBN 0-14-051521-6
  • Jazz Pianist
  • Composer (Jazz)
  • American musician
  • Born in 1924
  • Died in 1993
  • Man
Cape Coral, Florida Savoy Records Blue Note Records Prestige Records Richard Cook (journalist) Integrated Authority File Italy
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