Biography
Wilbert Baranco earned acclaim from fellow players for his exceptional skill at the piano and his commanding presence as a bandleader, yet he remained largely unknown beyond those circles. During the 1930s and 1940s he built a local audience in the San Francisco region first as a pianist and later as a leader of ensembles; although he prepared for flight duty when World War II began, he never entered military service and instead continued directing groups, including Wilbert Baranco & His Rhythm Bombardiers and the Wilbert Baranco Trio. Visiting jazz figures often stayed at his residence, where Art Tatum and other notables at various times performed or lodged beneath his roof. Without securing any extended recording agreement, Baranco’s standing persisted mainly through the memories of more prominent peers and the limited radio transcriptions later released on disc, chiefly by Hindsight. Directing from the keyboard, he assembled mid-1940s units that featured Snooky Young, Jackie "Kelso" Kelson, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charles Mingus.
Albums
