Biography
Joe Sanders distinguished himself throughout his professional life as a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and bandleader, yet he stayed rooted as a Kansas City jazz figure of lasting local renown. Among the instrumental pieces he created were the fiery “Blazin’,” the densely inventive “Brainstorm,” the forward-looking “Hallucinations,” and the aptly titled “Louder and Funnier.” His central vehicle remained the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks, which he rebranded Joe Sanders’ Original Nighthawks after the early-’30s passing of co-founder Carleton Coon.
Coon and Sanders—who performed under the nickname the Old Left-Hander—assembled the group in Kansas City in the years immediately following the First World War. During the era of territory bands, their regional base covered the Midwest; a sequence of 1924 radio broadcasts opened doors to engagements in hubs such as Chicago. Each summer, once the highways opened across states including Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks traveled with the relentless focus of circling birds of prey. After Coon’s death, Sanders sustained and expanded the ensemble’s reach by pursuing recording work in Hollywood. In his final decades the Kansas City Opera Company supplied him with steady employment.
Coon and Sanders—who performed under the nickname the Old Left-Hander—assembled the group in Kansas City in the years immediately following the First World War. During the era of territory bands, their regional base covered the Midwest; a sequence of 1924 radio broadcasts opened doors to engagements in hubs such as Chicago. Each summer, once the highways opened across states including Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks traveled with the relentless focus of circling birds of prey. After Coon’s death, Sanders sustained and expanded the ensemble’s reach by pursuing recording work in Hollywood. In his final decades the Kansas City Opera Company supplied him with steady employment.
Albums
Singles
