John Kirby

John Kirby led a most unusual group during the height of the big-band era, a sextet comprised of trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:1yOf0GbMOo9zdD2FF0rUoK">Charlie Shavers</a>, clarinetist <a href="spotify:artist:5WYWug13vXKOCdxwnGoTQr">Buster Bailey</a>, altoist <a href="spotify:artist:5vaCDVsZZuXM6xw1VX8DR3">Russell Procope</a>, pianist <a href="spotify:artist:1ovp96z0Med6m1qAN3f7Qt">Billy Kyle</a>, drummer <a href="spotify:artist:7lmt3XhocH1YvDAH6dcmrp">O'Neil Spencer</a>, and his own bass. Although <a href="spotify:artist:1yOf0GbMOo9zdD2FF0rUoK">Shavers</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5WYWug13vXKOCdxwnGoTQr">Bailey</a> could be quite extroverted, the tightly arranged ensembles tended to be very cool-toned and introverted yet virtuosic. Kirby, originally a tuba player, switched to bass in 1930 when he joined <a href="spotify:artist:2ovJLSejirvJybNers2YG6">Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra</a>. He was one of the better bassists of the '30s, playing with Henderson (1930-1933 and 1935-1936) and <a href="spotify:artist:7AgtFmxbJL1wDbp7yYrzQb">Chick Webb</a>'s big band (1933-1935). By 1937, Kirby had his own group at the Onyx Club; <a href="spotify:artist:2wko1HAL8BbDIKHSXVveHn">Frankie Newton</a> and Pete Brown passed through the band before the personnel was set. With <a href="spotify:artist:0tEpMx1r2UhJNf6yMvVBLG">Maxine Sullivan</a> (Kirby's wife at the time) offering occasional vocals, the John Kirby Sextet was quite popular during 1938-1942. <a href="spotify:artist:1yOf0GbMOo9zdD2FF0rUoK">Shavers</a>' "Undecided" became a hit and the band's abilities to "swing the classics" caught on. The sextet gradually declined in the '40s. <a href="spotify:artist:7lmt3XhocH1YvDAH6dcmrp">Spencer</a> became ill and was replaced by <a href="spotify:artist:511XIZieVM2tikPPhBhXM0">Specs Powell</a> and later Bill Beason, <a href="spotify:artist:1ovp96z0Med6m1qAN3f7Qt">Kyle</a> was drafted and <a href="spotify:artist:5vaCDVsZZuXM6xw1VX8DR3">Procope</a> was replaced by George Johnson. By 1945, after with <a href="spotify:artist:1yOf0GbMOo9zdD2FF0rUoK">Shavers</a>' departure to join <a href="spotify:artist:4WoGga7UeRcmjD4ufif4nG">Tommy Dorsey</a>, the only original members still in the group were <a href="spotify:artist:5WYWug13vXKOCdxwnGoTQr">Bailey</a> and Kirby himself. The following year the band disbanded and despite some attempts by the bassist to form another similar sextet (including a poorly attended Carnegie Hall reunion in 1950), John Kirby was never able to duplicate his earlier successes. Classics has reissued all of Kirby's prime recordings. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi