Buster Bailey

Buster Bailey stood out as an exceptional clarinetist whose work with John Kirby's sextet was typically marked by smooth, restrained phrasing, though he sometimes unleashed bold and unrestrained improvisations, as heard on the track "Man With a Horn Goes Berserk." His command of the instrument stemmed from rigorous study under the classical instructor Franz Schoepp, the same teacher who guided Benny Goodman. In 1917 Bailey performed in W.C. Handy's ensemble; two years later he relocated to Chicago, where he soon joined Erskine Tate and King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. National recognition arrived in 1924 upon his entry into Fletcher Henderson's New York orchestra. He remained associated with Henderson intermittently from 1924 through 1934 and again during 1936-1937, while also appearing with Noble Sissle and the Mills Blue Rhythm Band between 1934 and 1935. From 1937 to 1946 he anchored the cool-toned swing of John Kirby's sextet, a setting that suited his approach exactly. Once that group disbanded, Bailey concentrated on Dixieland contexts, performing with Wilbur DeParis from 1947 to 1949, Big Chief Russell Moore from 1952 to 1953, Henry "Red" Allen in 1950-1951 and again from 1954 to 1960, Wild Bill Davison during 1961-1963, and the Saints and Sinners from 1963 to 1965, before concluding his career with the Louis Armstrong All-Stars between 1965 and 1967. Among the clarinetists who rose to prominence in the 1920s, he ranked among the most technically accomplished, yet he never updated his idiom or fronted his own group; instead, his skill and occasional humor enriched countless significant and memorable sessions.