Biography
Born Ellerton Oswald, this pianist entered the profession during the mid-1930s as a member of Jesse Stone’s group, later adopting a more distinctive professional name. He remained at the keyboard without deviation until 1969, maintaining an unwavering commitment to jazz in its various forms. Though never a household name, his command of styles exceeded that of numerous better-known contemporaries, extending from the heated early improvisations associated with soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet to the rapid-tempo hard bop featured on tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon’s The Chase! dates. In the late 1930s he performed and recorded alongside Willie Bryant, Sidney Bechet, Teddy Hill, and Frankie Newton, yet the most lasting documentation from those years stems from his work with vocalist Billie Holiday. He supplied accompaniment for two contrasting selections in her repertoire: the stark, caustic “Strange Fruit” and the relaxed, swinging “Fine and Mellow.” The supporting ensembles on those dates paired supple, propulsive rhythm sections with exceptional soloists, conferring a special distinction on every participant. That distinction carried into the 1940s, when White was employed by bandleader Artie Shaw and by reed player and arranger Benny Carter; the latter association was interrupted by World War II and resumed immediately afterward. Subsequent explorations of other leading jazz and R&B vocalists frequently reveal White’s presence as well, notably on dates with blues singer Big Joe Turner and with Lena Horne. Between 1944 and 1946 he took part in the Dexter Gordon sessions that established the saxophonist’s reputation, requiring the pianist to supply firm harmonic support throughout extended horn solos. These informal encounters appeared under such titles as The Chase! and Blowin’ the Blues Away. In 1947 he joined trumpeter Hot Lips Page’s band. He later spent eight years with trumpeter Harvey Davis’s unit at New York’s Cinderella Club before the group relocated to Jimmy Ryan’s in 1954. White continued with trombonist Wilbur DeParis into the early 1960s, then worked in several ensembles, among them Eddie Barefield’s combo in 1968. His last regular engagement was with trumpeter Jonah Jones, a collaboration that persisted until White’s death in the early 1970s.