Frank Butler

Drummer Frank Butler's career began on USO shows during the Second World War and went out with what is probably considered even more of a bang to jazz fans, a pair of superb albums for the Xanadu label released in the late '70s. He died a bit more than five years after finally getting his chance to take charge of a recording session. Butler hailed from Kansas City, where he played drums in high-school bands, then local jazz combos. In terms of the big-name scene he made an auspicious debut, taking charge of the drum chair in the <a href="spotify:artist:3kUKwTJdH8FuWzF8p6Dg9E">Dave Brubeck</a> combo during a 1950 engagement in swinging San Francisco.

Butler would eventually win praise from some difficult taskmasters, including <a href="spotify:artist:0kbYTNQb4Pb1rPbbaF0pT4">Miles Davis</a>. The drummer's precision chops were honed during an extended stint with pianist <a href="spotify:artist:7LuYKkS2JVhnt6x2HmwK2P">Edgar Hayes</a> from 1951 through 1953, preparing him for a period that followed with <a href="spotify:artist:4F7Q5NV6h5TSwCainz8S5A">Duke Ellington</a>. The fiery leader and composer <a href="spotify:artist:1ZKhPkCXXgtiGgALn4OYtT">Pérez Prado</a> became a regular collaborator of the drummer soon thereafter, the two often playing with bassist <a href="spotify:artist:5WtyRAZhrecjFZRNH1yTXn">Curtis Counce</a> as well as performing on several television series such as Stars of Jazz. The quite hip Contemporary label recorded Butler together with <a href="spotify:artist:5WtyRAZhrecjFZRNH1yTXn">Counce</a>. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi