Jazz
In New York from 1936-39 Sharkey Bonano was one of just three trumpeters leading bands, being only 5' 4", loud, flamboyant, cocky and arrogant and with Cavanaugh bowler hat perched on his head, he was the ultimate showman.
A selection of traditional tunes plus a few originals recorded between 1949 and 1953, beautifully crafted and played as if you were a regular at one on the famous Bourbon Street bistros of the time.
As well as being a star of Bourbon Street, Sharkey was also a regular performer on radio broadcasts. He was able to use the cream of the New Orleans musicians including Santo Pecora and Jack Delaney. Other featured artists include Lizzie Miles, and 'Bugle Sam' De Kemel who was also known as the 'Waffle Man'.
With a full discography and stunningly re-mastered this must surely be the foremost reference point for Sharkey Bonano.
In 2008, Jasmine released the largest compilation ever devoted to the music of trumpeter and vocalist Sharkey Bonano. Its 58 tracks represent his complete Kappa and Capitol recordings, which were made in New Orleans between June 8, 1949 and November 2, 1953. With the exception of a few Storyville, Circle, and Riverside albums, these are most of Bonano's recordings from this period. They were preceded only by about a dozen titles dating from 1936. Bonano, whose approach to jazz could be compared with that of Wingy Manone or young Louis Prima, was a boisterous and sometimes bawdy singer. It is Bonano who grabs the microphone and cuts loose during the "Famous Door Boogie." His fellow musicians on the 1949 sessions include trombonist Santo Pecora of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and clarinetist Larry Shields, a cardinal member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. This calls up parallels with recordings made during the '50s by trumpeter Pee Wee Erwin and a band driven by drummer Tony Spargo, also of the ODJB. The collective personnel on this mammoth stash of Truman-era Dixieland also includes trombonists Charles Miller, Julian Laine, Jack Delaney, and Jimmy Blount; bassist and tuba man Chink Martin; clarinetists Lester Bouchon and Leonard Bujie Centobie (who recorded with Art Hodes for Blue Note); pianist Armand Hug, and drummer Monk Hazel who sometimes doubles on mellophone. The vocalist on "Bill Bailey," "Salty Dog," "Darktown Strutters' Ball," and "Lizzie's Blues" is none other than the great Lizzie Miles, who made her first recordings in 1922 and was in the midst of a second comeback when she teamed up with Bonano's band. The guy heard airing his tonsils on "Dinah" and "How'm I Doin'" has been identified as Sam De Kemel, a mysterious character who also blows into a bugle. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide
Sharkey Bonano
Active Decades: '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s
Born: Apr 09, 1904 in Milneburg, Louisiana
Died: Mar 27, 1972 in New Orleans, LA
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Dixieland
In the early '20s, New Orleans native Sharkey Bonano played locally with the bands of Chink Martin and Freddie Newman, among others. Later, he moved to New York where he unsuccessfully auditioned for a spot with the Wolverines. In 1924, he landed a spot with pianist Jimmy Durante. The next year, he returned home to lead his own band. In 1927, he joined the famous Jean Goldkette Orchestra, which then featured Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer. From 1928-1930, Bonano led his own group, the Melody Masters, with Leon Prima. After playing in California with Original Dixieland Jazz Band clarinetist Larry Shields, Bonano once again returned to New Orleans, where he stayed from 1930-1936. In 1936, Bonano worked with Ben Pollack before forming his own New York-based group, the Sharks of Rhythm, with which he recorded much of his finest work. Around that time, he also played sporadically with the ODJB. After a military stint in the '40s, Bonano played around and about New Orleans, where his outgoing musical personality gained him a large following. From 1949 on, he led his own groups; Bonano remained active around New Orleans, Chicago, and New York until the 1960s, when ill health forced him to retire.
---Chris Kelsey, All Music Guide |
