Ten underrated jazzmen by Mike Farmer - Part three

8. Tadd Dameron (1917-1965). Played piano during the early days of be-bop and recorded with Miles, Parker, Fats Navarro, Coltrane and other modern jazz innovators but he was also a very talented composer and arranger. Sarah Vaughan had a big hit with his tune If You Could See Me Now. During the late fifties he was off the scene due to health problems but in 1961 he recorded for Riverside an excellent album The Magic Touch which featured a line-up of top rate jazzmen such as Clark Terry, Johnny Griffin, Bill Evans and many more.

9. Eddie Higgins (1932-2009). He played on many of the NCL jazz cruises being able to adapt to any style and being an exciting soloist he went down well with the jazz fans on board. He told me that when he was hired to play at the London House in Chicago for three weeks he ended up playing there for over ten years backing many of the jazz icons. I can recommend his trio CD Portrait in Black and White.     

10. Ira Sullivan (1931-2020). A true Chicago be-bop legend: playing trumpet, saxophone and flute, all extremely well. In the early sixties he moved to Florida, playing around the Miami area in schools and churches.  He then teamed up with Red Rodney and, despite his dislike of touring, they toured Europe and, with a backing trio of Cedar Walton piano, Buster Williams bass and Louis Hayes drums, they were a big success. I like the LP he did for Atlantic - Horizons - which has a brilliant rendition of   Everything Happens To Me.  Mike.