Johnny Guarnieri

One of the most talented pianists of the 1940s, Johnny Guarnieri had the ability to closely imitate <a href="spotify:artist:0DYWCXTkNqGFZIf67SrWEa">Fats Waller</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2jFZlvIea42ZvcCw4OeEdA">Count Basie</a>, and even <a href="spotify:artist:3DtSOCXYU6o4EV0K1NgIKq">Art Tatum</a>. Not too surprisingly, he was in great demand during his prime years. Guarnieri started classical piano lessons when he was ten and soon switched to jazz. In 1939, he joined <a href="spotify:artist:1pBuKaLHJlIlqYxQQaflve">Benny Goodman</a>'s orchestra, recording frequently with both the big band and <a href="spotify:artist:1pBuKaLHJlIlqYxQQaflve">B.G.</a>'s sextet. In 1940, Guarnieri became a member of <a href="spotify:artist:5wam12nGWDBIrLDV78TNSF">Artie Shaw</a>'s orchestra and gained fame playing harpsichord on <a href="spotify:artist:5wam12nGWDBIrLDV78TNSF">Shaw</a>'s popular Gramercy Five recordings. After further associations with <a href="spotify:artist:1pBuKaLHJlIlqYxQQaflve">Goodman</a> (1941) and <a href="spotify:artist:5wam12nGWDBIrLDV78TNSF">Shaw</a> (1941-1942), he was with <a href="spotify:artist:4WoGga7UeRcmjD4ufif4nG">Tommy Dorsey</a> (1942-1943) and then freelanced. Among Guarnieri's many recordings during this era were important dates with <a href="spotify:artist:05E3NBxNMdnrPtxF9oraJm">Lester Young</a> ("Sometimes I'm Happy"), <a href="spotify:artist:4RvXA7BDgqNgGDjsSSJnPc">Roy Eldridge</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:34W7ZCX0LZeJd8q6boKGOk">Ben Webster</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0JM134st8VY7Ld9T2wQiH0">Coleman Hawkins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0Tb8S5bNKO7nZV1eunOwZa">Rex Stewart</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:71M7lckOooBtdsLfD1qqqa">Don Byas</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:19eLuQmk9aCobbVDHc6eek">Louis Armstrong</a> ("Jack-Armstrong Blues"). He also recorded frequently as a leader during 1944-1947, including one date on which <a href="spotify:artist:05E3NBxNMdnrPtxF9oraJm">Lester Young</a> was his sideman. Guarnieri joined the staff of NBC in the late '40s, appeared in the <a href="spotify:artist:0JM134st8VY7Ld9T2wQiH0">Coleman Hawkins</a>/<a href="spotify:artist:4RvXA7BDgqNgGDjsSSJnPc">Roy Eldridge</a> television pilot After Hours (1961), moved to California in the '60s where he often played solo piano, and a few times in the 1970s toured Europe. Guarnieri's later records often found him playfully performing stride in 5/4 time. He recorded as a leader through the years for such labels as Savoy, Majestic, Coral (1956), Golden Crest, Camden, Dot, Black & Blue, Dobre, and Taz-Jazz (1976 and 1978). ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi