Acker Bilk -- or Mr. Acker Bilk, as he was billed -- has won immortality on rock oldies radio for his surprise 1962 hit "Stranger on the Shore," an evocative ballad featuring his heavily quavering low-register clarinet over a bank of strings. To the jazz world, though, he has a longer-running track record as one of the biggest stars of Britain's... [+] Read More

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Self-taught trumpeter Marion "Buddy" Childers played in the Stan Kenton band and also worked with Benny Carter, Les Brown, Woody Herman, and Tommy Dorsey. ~ David Szatmary, All Music Guide

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Dick Cary, best-known for his stint with Louis Armstrong's All-Stars (1947-1948), was most significant as a behind-the-scenes arranger and freelance musician in the trad jazz movement. He made his recording debut with Joe Marsala (1942), worked as a soloist at Nick's (1942-1943), and played for short periods with the Casa Loma Orchestra and Brad... [+] Read More

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Wilbur DeParis, an adequate soloist, was an excellent ensemble player and an important bandleader who helped keep New Orleans jazz alive in the 1950s. He started out on alto horn and in 1922 played C-melody sax while working with A.J. Piron before switching permanently to trombone. In 1925, DeParis led a band in Philadelphia and then had stints... [+] Read More

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