Biography
George Irish bore a surname that aligned neatly with his adopted hometown of Boston, yet his actual birthplace was Panama. He entered the professional music world relatively late, first gaining notice in the late ’30s when he began both composing arrangements and performing on saxophone for bandleader Blanche Calloway. At that stage he was already approaching thirty, and he would not live to see his fiftieth birthday. The intervening years brought sustained work alongside several of the era’s most inventive jazz bandleaders, an immersion that sharpened his own skills considerably. Irish later channeled that accumulated knowledge into teaching at the Academy of Music in Arlington, Massachusetts, remaining active in the classroom until his death in 1959.
After leaving Calloway’s ensemble, Irish joined pianist Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra within a year. He subsequently spent time with both Benny Carter and Fletcher Henderson until 1942, internalizing the inventive charts he encountered even when he was not writing them himself. Don Redman, another leading exponent of forward-looking swing arrangements, marked the last major engagement before Irish turned fully to education.
After leaving Calloway’s ensemble, Irish joined pianist Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra within a year. He subsequently spent time with both Benny Carter and Fletcher Henderson until 1942, internalizing the inventive charts he encountered even when he was not writing them himself. Don Redman, another leading exponent of forward-looking swing arrangements, marked the last major engagement before Irish turned fully to education.
Albums