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8 October 1893, Plaquemine, Louisiana, USA, d. 6 November 1965, New York City, New York, USA. Although Williams first made his mark as a pianist, singer and dancer, it was as a composer, record producer, music publisher and entrepreneur that he made a lasting impact on jazz. Before he was in his teens he had decided upon a career in showbusiness and had run away from home to
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Arthur W. Hodes, 14 November 1904, Nikoliev, Ukraine, d. 4 March 1993, Harvey, Illinois, USA. A few months after Hodes was born, his family emigrated from Russia and settled in Chicago, Illinois. He began playing piano and by his late teenage years was working in dancehalls and clubs. He played with several local bands, including Wingy Manones, but also established him
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4 December 1915, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, d. 2 January 1989, North Miami, Florida, USA. Heywood received his first piano lessons from his father, also named Eddie, who was a well-known band leader in the 20s. Heywood joined his father, playing piano in the pit band at an Atlanta theatre. He also accompanied singers, including Bessie Smith, and thereafter worked in various smal
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James Hubert Blake, 7 February 1883, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, d. 12 February 1983, New York City, New York, USA. Eubie Blake grew up to the sounds of ragtime music, and before the turn of the century was playing piano in sporting houses and other similar establishments. He was a composer too, and in 1915 joined forces with Noble Sissle; they played in vaudeville as a double
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James Price Johnson, 1 February 1894, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, d. 17 November 1955, New York City, New York, USA. Taught piano by his mother, Johnson assimilated a wide range of musical styles. In the years following his familys relocation to New York, he continued his studies and by his late teens was working in clubs in the Hells Kitchen district. Johnso
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Erroll Louis Garner, 15 June 1921, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 2 January 1977, Los Angeles, California, USA. A self-taught pianist, Garner played on the radio at the age of 10 and within a few more years was playing professionally in his home town. Among the bands with which he played during this period were those led by Leroy Brown and, reputedly, Fate Marable. In 194
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Donald Tyson Ewell, 14 November 1916, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, d. 9 August 1983, Pompano Beach, Florida, USA. Although classically trained on piano, Ewell was drawn to jazz and in particular to the music of the early jazz masters of New Orleans. This was despite the fact that by the mid-30s, which was when his career got under way, such forms were suffering a decline in pop
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Keith Christopher Ingham, 5 February 1942, London, England. Ingham is a self-taught jazz pianist who turned professional in 1964. He played with artists including Sandy Brown and Bruce Turner. In 1974 he recorded in London with Bob Wilber and Bud Freeman and recorded two solo albums for EMI Records. In 1978 he moved to New York where he played with Benny Goodman and the Wor
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Benjamin Moten, 13 November 1894, Kansas City, Missouri, USA, d. 2 April 1935, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. In his youth, Moten gained a substantial reputation in and around his home town as a pianist; by 1920 he had become an established and respected band leader. His unit, originally a small outfit, gradually expanded until it was a big band ready to take advantage of the u
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13 August 1919, London, England. Shearing was born blind but started to learn piano at the age of three. After limited training and extensive listening to recorded jazz, he began playing at hotels, clubs and pubs in the London area, sometimes as a single, occasionally with dance bands. In 1940 he joined Harry Parrys popular band and also played with Stéphane Gra
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