Lavere "Buster" Harding (March 19, 1917 – November 14, 1965)[4] was a Canadian-born American jazz pianist, composer and arranger.
Buster Harding | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lavere Harding |
| Born | March 19, 1912[1][2][3] Ontario, Canada |
| Died | November 14, 1965 (aged 53) New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Swing music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
Early life edit
Born to Benjamin "Ben" and Ada (née Shreve) Harding in North Buxton, Ontario,[1][3] Harding was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where as a teenager he started on his own band.[5]
Later life and career edit
In 1939, Harding went to work for the Teddy Wilson big band, and then in the early 1940s went to work for the Coleman Hawkins band, and later Cab Calloway.[4] He became a freelance arranger and worked with Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Count Basie, among others.[5]
In 1949, he was the musical director for Billie Holiday recording sessions.[4] In the early 1960s, Harding played with Jonah Jones, though he was known primarily as an arranger and composer.[5] Harding did not record as a leader.[6] He died on November 14, 1965, in New York City.[6]
Select discography edit
With Count Basie
- The Count! (Clef, 1952 [1955]) - as arranger
- Basie (Clef, 1954) - as arranger
- The Story of Jazz (Philips Records)
- Basie Ball (Philips Records)
- Sounds of Jazz (Fontana Records)
- One O'Clock Jump (Columbia Records)
With Roy Eldridge
- All the Cats Join In (MCA Records)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- The Big Band Sound of Dizzy Gillespie (Verve Records)
- Dizzy Gillespie: Best of Small Groups (Verve Records)
- Dizzy and Strings (Norgan Records, 1954) also released as Diz Big Band (Verve Records) - as arranger
- Jazz Spectrum Vol. 11: Dizzy Gillespie (Metro Records)
With Billie Holiday
References edit
- ^ a b Abdul, Raoul (September 14, 2005). "Deep roots in 'Musical Buxton'". New York Amsterdam News.
- ^ Miller, Mark (1997). Such Melodious Racket: The Lost History of Jazz in Canada, 1914-1949. Mercury Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-55128-046-2.
- ^ a b 1930 United States Census. -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga -- Cleveland. - United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1081. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ a b c Carr, Ian; Digby Fairweather; Brian Priestley (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. Rough Guides. p. 335. ISBN 9781843532569.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott " Buster Harding – Biography by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2016.