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Jazz Musician Pseudonyms
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Compiled by Jack Woker
Although it receives little support by the record industry, the media, and society at large, jazz-though not thriving-is still managing to survive. There is no shortage of young musicians flocking towards the music, and new CD releases are certainly not in short supply. And though jazz represents a relatively small market, there is still a listener base, and jazz discs are (contrary to what record executives tell their artists)still being sold. The reason for this is not hard to understand. Aside from the obvious high level of art found within the music itself, one finds every cog in the jazz wheel; it's history, it's linage, the colorful personalities, the tragic heroes, the unsung geniuses, the fables, legends, and war stories; the totality which makes up the art form, to be utterly fascinating. One of the many honors and pleasures a jazz musician receives is the occasion to hear first-hand stories about the jazz musicians he or she admires the most. Many stories are long held secrets only spoken by people deep inside of the jazz community: stories of racism, battles with drug addiction, individual quests for musical expression, the problems of creating in the face of adversity. And while some stories are sad, others are uplifting, and very inspiring to many, many a jazz musician. Stories of the obstacles and challenges that the masters of this music so bravely faced, can be extremely motivational to a young artist wishing to pursue a career playing jazz. It is a reason to continue the struggle to make this music, when it seems nobody else gives a damn.
Of course, not all of the stories are so dark. There is a lot of comedy in jazz as well. Some of it is intentional; most of it-like the music, is improvised. Of great interest to many a jazz fan-player and listener alike-has been the usage of pseudonyms by many prominent jazz artists. The reason behind the deception appears to be relatively simple: When an artist is under exclusive contract with a particular label, but wishes to record a session for another label either as a leader or as a sideman, he must first be granted a release from the label for which he is under contract. There may be other reasons as well, such as an artist may simply wish to remain anonymous for personal reasons, but the former explanation is a more common scenario. Just contemplating the notion that these players would think that by using an alias they would fool anyone is hilarious in itself. Most prominent jazz musicians get to a point where their playing style becomes like their DNA ; a musical fingerprint that unmistakably identifies who they are.
Did Cannonball Adderley, a player with a highly discernable sound think that he would fool anyone with the name Buckshot La Funke ? What about Stan Getz? Everybody knows his sound! Did he think he could get away with the name Dju Berry ? And if that weren't silly enough, what about the pseudonyms Ken Stanton, Manny Shell , and Phil Forest ? Are these identities so hard to figure out? The long list of jazz pseudonyms below is bound to turn heads and elicit chuckles. Exactly why Mel Powell came up with Shoeless Joe Jackson is beyond me. Did Shoeless Joe play a mean horn, or did Mel at one time consider a career in baseball? The answer to this, and other puzzling questions regarding the secret identities of our jazz super heroes may forever elude us.
Contributors: Chuck Nessa, Dave Royko, Francois Ziegler, Martin Milgrim, John Hood, Tim Brockett, Anthony Agostinelli, Linda Shank, Ed Barr, John Pickworth, Peter Friedman, Doug Norwood, Luca Conti, David Toman, Henry Schmidt, Dennis Whitling, Ed Berger, M. Heckman, Steve Schwartz, Jonathan Kutler, Danny D'Imperio, Tim Hume, Phil Stein, Lenny Mazel, Bob Roberts, Paul Costuros, Larry Israel and Bill Gallagher.
Special thanks to Michael Fitzgerald and his Jazz Research page.
Although it receives little support by the record industry, the media, and society at large, jazz-though not thriving-is still managing to survive. There is no shortage of young musicians flocking towards the music, and new CD releases are certainly not in short supply. And though jazz represents a relatively small market, there is still a listener base, and jazz discs are (contrary to what record executives tell their artists)still being sold. The reason for this is not hard to understand. Aside from the obvious high level of art found within the music itself, one finds every cog in the jazz wheel; it's history, it's linage, the colorful personalities, the tragic heroes, the unsung geniuses, the fables, legends, and war stories; the totality which makes up the art form, to be utterly fascinating. One of the many honors and pleasures a jazz musician receives is the occasion to hear first-hand stories about the jazz musicians he or she admires the most. Many stories are long held secrets only spoken by people deep inside of the jazz community: stories of racism, battles with drug addiction, individual quests for musical expression, the problems of creating in the face of adversity. And while some stories are sad, others are uplifting, and very inspiring to many, many a jazz musician. Stories of the obstacles and challenges that the masters of this music so bravely faced, can be extremely motivational to a young artist wishing to pursue a career playing jazz. It is a reason to continue the struggle to make this music, when it seems nobody else gives a damn.
Of course, not all of the stories are so dark. There is a lot of comedy in jazz as well. Some of it is intentional; most of it-like the music, is improvised. Of great interest to many a jazz fan-player and listener alike-has been the usage of pseudonyms by many prominent jazz artists. The reason behind the deception appears to be relatively simple: When an artist is under exclusive contract with a particular label, but wishes to record a session for another label either as a leader or as a sideman, he must first be granted a release from the label for which he is under contract. There may be other reasons as well, such as an artist may simply wish to remain anonymous for personal reasons, but the former explanation is a more common scenario. Just contemplating the notion that these players would think that by using an alias they would fool anyone is hilarious in itself. Most prominent jazz musicians get to a point where their playing style becomes like their DNA ; a musical fingerprint that unmistakably identifies who they are.
Did Cannonball Adderley, a player with a highly discernable sound think that he would fool anyone with the name Buckshot La Funke ? What about Stan Getz? Everybody knows his sound! Did he think he could get away with the name Dju Berry ? And if that weren't silly enough, what about the pseudonyms Ken Stanton, Manny Shell , and Phil Forest ? Are these identities so hard to figure out? The long list of jazz pseudonyms below is bound to turn heads and elicit chuckles. Exactly why Mel Powell came up with Shoeless Joe Jackson is beyond me. Did Shoeless Joe play a mean horn, or did Mel at one time consider a career in baseball? The answer to this, and other puzzling questions regarding the secret identities of our jazz super heroes may forever elude us.
Pseudonym | Real Name | Album |
Shoeless Henry Aaron | Harry Allen | Bob Wilber "Budafora Blowup," Arbors 1996 |
Gabriel Armstrong | Jon Faddis | Al Grey "Live At The Floating Jazz Festival," Chiaroscuro, 1990 |
Barbecue Joe | Wingy Manone | Champion, 1930 |
Kunst Bauer | Art Farmer | Teo Macero "What's New?," Columbia, 1955 |
Buzzy Bavarian | Al Gafa | Kai Winding, "Dirty Dog," Verve, 1966 |
Johnny Beecher | Plas Johnson | "Sax Fifth Avenue," Charter, 1962 |
Sam Beethoven | Jimmy Raney | Cohn-Perkins-Kamuca "The Brothers," RCA, 1955 |
Ferris Bender | Jackie McLean | Art Blakey "Night in Tunisia," Vik, 1957 |
Ralph & Bert Berg | Reinhold Svensson & Charles Norman | Metronome, 1950 |
Dju Berry | Stan Getz | Jimmy Gourley "No More," Musica, 1981 |
John Birks | Dizzy Gillespie | Jazz At The Philharmonic, Disc, 1946 |
Blockbuster | Cannonball Adderley | Jon Hendricks "A Good Git Together," Pacific Jazz, 1959 |
B. Bopstein | Dizzy Gillespie | Tony Scott, Gotham, 1946 |
Jud Brotherly | Cannonball Adderley | "Ray Brown With The All-Star Big Band," Verve, 1962 |
Boots Brown | Shorty Rogers | "Rock That Beat," Groove, 1952-53 RCA Victor singles, 1958 |
Tiger Brown | Maynard Ferguson | "Jazz Studio 4," Decca, 1955 |
John Burk | Dizzy Gillespie | Wilbert Baranco, Black & White, 1946 |
Lord Calvert | Nat King Cole | The Keynoters, Keynote, 1946 |
Steve Canyon | Stan Kenton | |
Billy Carton | Benny Carter | Varsity Seven, Varsity, 1939 |
Unidentified Cat | Gato Barbieri | Carla Bley, Watt |
Pete Cera | Pete Jolly | Jon Eardley "Quartet," Prestige, 1955 Shorty Rogers "The Swinging Mr. Rogers," Atlantic, 1955 |
Charlie Chan | Charlie Parker | "Jazz At Massey Hall," Debut, 1953; Miles Davis "Collector's Items," Prestige, 1953 |
Friendly Chap | Buddy Guy | Junior Wells "Hoodoo Man Blues, Delmark |
Prince Charming | Count Basie | Kansas City Seven, Keynote, 1944 |
Cootie Chesterfield | Pete Candoli | Peggy Lee "Black Coffee," Decca, 1953 |
Joe Chevrolet | Joe Dodge | Paul Desmond "Quartet Featuring Don Elliott," Fantasy, 1956 |
Chicago Flash | Gene Krupa | JATP, Asch, 1944 |
I Ching | Freddie Redd | Howard McGhee "The Connection," Felsted, 1960 |
Clarence Clump | Benny Carter | Capitol, 1948 |
Sven Coolson | Stan Getz | Jimmy Raney "Plays," Prestige, 1953 |
Little Miss Cott | Shirley Scott | Stanley Turrentine "Dearly Beloved," Blue Note, 1961 |
E. Dankworth | Wynton Marsalis | Marcus Roberts "Deep In The Shed," RCA Eric Reed "It's Alright To Swing" |
John Doe | Howard Lucraft | Howard Lucraft "Showcase For Modern Jazz," Decca, 1957 |
Lonesome Dragon | Bob Moses | Gary Burton "A Genuine Tong Funeral," RCA, 1967 |
Dan Drew | Elliot Lawrence | "Rock That Beat," Groove, 1952-53 |
Blind Willie Dunn | Eddie Lang | w/ Lonnie Johnson, 1928-29 |
Sir Edward | Harold Vick | "The Power of Feeling," Encounter |
Darlene Edwards | Jo Stafford | "The Piano Artistry Of Jonathan Edwards," Columbia |
Jonathan Edwards | Paul Weston | |
Ly N. Ell | Lionel Hampton | Eddie Condon, Commodore, 1938 |
Swede Enlovely | Charlie Shavers | George Williams "Rhythm Was His Business," RCA |
Keats Ennam | Shelly Manne | |
Maggsi Evonce | Howard McGhee | Leo Parker, Savoy, 1947 |
Gib Fender | Howard Roberts | June Christy "The Cool School," Capitol, 1959 |
"Baron" Fingus | Charles Mingus | George Wallington Trio, Prestige, 1952 |
Chicago Flash | Gene Krupa | |
Art Flickreiter | Andre Previn | Dave Pell "The Big Small Bands," Capitol, 1959 |
Phil Forest | Phil Woods | Nat Pierce "Jazz Romp," Keynote, 1955 |
Billy Franklin | Don Goldie | "Golden Horn," Design |
Phil Funk | Phil Woods | |
Ernst Von Funkenstein | Ernie Freeman | Jimmy Witherspoon "Baby Baby Baby," Prestige, 1963 |
Gabriel | Dizzy Gillespie | Tempo Jazz Men, Dial, 1946 |
Irving Garner | Paul Smith | "The Best Of Irving Garner," Verve, 1956 Buddy DeFranco "Plays Artie Shaw," Verve, 1957 |
Sir Jonathan Gasser | Johnny Smith | "Jazz Studio 1," Decca, 1953 |
Hen Gates | Jimmy Forman | |
Hen Gates | Dizzy Gillespie | Charlie Parker, Savoy, 1945 |
Jimmy Gloomy | James Moody | Tubby Hayes "Tubby's Back In Town," Smash, 1962 |
Doc Goldberg | Milt Hinton | George Williams "We Could Make Such Beautiful Music," RCA |
Izzy Goldberg | Dizzy Gillespie | |
Goliath | Lou Bennett | Jack Sels, Delahay, 1961 |
DaWilli Gonga | George Duke | Cal Tjader "Amazonas," Fantasy; Joe Henderson "Black Miracle," Milestone, 1975; Tom Waits "Blue Valentine," 1978; others. |
Blue Grant | Grant Green | Don Patterson "Tune Up," Prestige, 1971 |
Roy Green | Ray Brown | Joyce Collins "Girl Here Plays Mean Piano," Jazzland, 1960 |
Rod Gregory | Dick Hyman | "Holiday For Lovers," Waldorf, c. 1955 |
Earl Grey | Lou Levy | Shorty Rogers "Martians Come Back," Atlantic, 1955 |
Zane Grudge | Don Lamond | Guss Hoo "New York Land Dixie," RCA, 1956 |
Aye Guy | Nat King Cole | Lester Young "Trio," Clef, 1946 |
Ruth Haag | Betty Grable | Harry James, Columbia, 1945 |
Sir Osbert Haberdasher | Jimmy Raney | Al Cohn, "Mr. Music," RCA, 1954 |
Carleton Harkins | Coleman Hawkins | Varsity Seven, Varsity, 1939 |
Bunny Harris | Jimmy Raney | Dick Collins "King Richard... ," RCA, 1954 |
Bernie Hart | Milt Bernhart | Jerry Fielding "Swingin' In Hi Fi," Decca, 1956 |
Harvey | Johnny Hodges | Billy Taylor, Keynote, 1944 |
Bert Herbert | Herb Geller | "Jazz Studio 4," Decca, 1955 |
Junior Hifitz | Milt Hinton | Gus Hoo "New York Land Dixie," RCA 1956 |
Gus Hoo | Billy Butterfield | "New York Land Dixie," RCA, 1956 |
Ike Horowitz | Al Cohn | Urbie Green "East Coast Jazz," Bethlehem, 1955 |
Shoeless Joe Jackson | Mel Powell | JATP, Disc, 1946 |
Shoeless John Jackson | Benny Goodman | Mel Powell, Commodore, 1942 |
John Jackson | Benny Goodman | Teddy Wilson, Brunswick, 1936 |
Sonny Jackson | King Curtis | Sue, 1961 |
Jo Jaguar | Martial Solal | Vogue EPs, 1956 |
Jinx Jingles | Teddy Charles | Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams, Warwick, 1961 |
Phil Johnson | George Shearing | Night Blooming Jazzmen, Mainstream, 1973 |
Spider Johnson | Cannonball Adderley | Riverside single, 1962 |
Little Jazz | Roy Eldridge | Little Jazz Ensemble, Keynote |
Jug | Gene Ammons | Bennie Green "Soul Stirrin,'" Blue Note, 1958 |
Stix Kahn | Teddy Charles | "Mundell Lowe Quintet," RCA Victor, 1954 |
Ken Kenney | Red Norvo | "Jazz Studio 4," Decca, 1955 |
Chuck Kidde | Charlie Shavers | Coleman Hawkins "Hawk in Hi Fi, RCA Victor, 1956 |
John Kildare | Dizzy Gillespie | Albinia Jones, National, 1945 |
Oliver King | Thad Jones | Charles Mingus/John LaPorta "Jazzical Moods," Period, 1954 |
Willie "The Rock" Knox | Dick Hyman | "Ragtime Piano," Waldorf, c. 1955 |
Kokomo | Jimmy Wisner | "Asia Minor," Felsted |
Felix Krull | Horace Parlan | Booker Ervin "That's It," Candid, 1961 |
Buckshot La Funke | Cannonball Adderley | " Here Comes Louis Smith ," Blue Note, 1958 |
Bob Landy | Bob Dylan | "The Blues Project," Elektra |
George Lane | Eric Dolphy | John Coltrane "Ole," Atlantic, 1961 |
Vera Lane | Helen Ward | Teddy Wilson, Brunswick, 1936 |
Kansas Lawrence | Carmell Jones | Vi Redd "Bird Call," United Artists, 1962 |
Bengt Laxeau | Bengt Hallberg | Monica Zetterlund "Swedish Sensation," Columbia, 1958 |
L. Lee | Benny Carter | Lionel Hampton, Victor, 1939 |
Bud Legge | Bud Shank | June Christy "The Intimate June Christy," Capitol, 1963 |
Often LePow | Seldon Powell | George Williams "We Could Make Such Beautiful Music," RCA |
Jelly Roll Lipschitz | Leonard Feather | Leo Watson, Signature, 1946 |
Little Brother | Nat Adderley | King Curtis "The New Scene Of King Curtis," New Jazz, 1960 |
Red Loring | Red Nichols | Julia Lee, Capitol, 1947 |
Hey Louis | Louis Hayes | Pepper Adams & Donald Byrd "Motor City Scene," Bethlehem |
Manhattan Red | Urbie Green | Jimmy McPartland, Design, 1960 |
Maurice | Fats Waller | Eddie Condon, Commodore, 1940 |
Buddy Maynard | Maynard Ferguson | Jerry Fielding "Swingin' In Hi Fi," Decca, 1956 |
Henry McDode | Hampton Hawes | Jimmy Witherspoon "Singin' The Blues," World Pacific, 1958 |
Moe and Joe | J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding | Tony Aless "Long Island Suite," Roost, 1956 |
Wilbur Mosby | Don Patterson | |
Rock Murphy | Barney Kessel | Verve 45's |
Shorty Nadine | Nat King Cole | Jazz At The Philharmonic, Disc, 1944 |
Virgil Nameless | Johnny Dankworth | |
Nature Boy | Nat "King" Cole | Stan Getz "Groovin' High," Crown, 1947 |
Lord Nelson | Sonny Stitt | Sensation, 1948 |
Jimmy O'Heigho | Jimmy Cleveland | George Williams "Rhythm Was His Business," RCA, 1956 |
Hammond Olson | Reinhold Svensson | Metronome, 1952 |
Olson Brothers | Reinhold Svensson & Charles Norman | Esquire?, 1950 |
A. N. Other | Allen Eager | |
Knuckles O'Toole | Dick Hyman | Waldorf and other labels, 1950s |
Pete Pesci | Bobby Hackett | Eddie Condon, "Bixieland," Columbia, 1955 |
Hunt Peters | J.J. Johnson | Elvin Jones "And Then Again," Atlantic, 1965 |
Ronnie Peters | Cannonball Adderley | Milt Jackson "Plenty Plenty Soul," Atlantic, 1957 |
Fefe Phophum | Hal McKusick | Gus Hoo "New York Land Dixie," RCA 1956 |
Mac Pierce | Hugh McCracken | King Curtis "Trouble In Mind," Tru-Sound, 1961 |
Buddy Poor | Buddy Rich | Harry James "Wild About Harry," Capitol, 1957 |
Al Portch | Laurindo Almeida | Pete Rugolo "Percussion At Work," Mercury, 1957 |
Cue Porter | Johnny Hodges | Billy Strayhorn "Cue For Saxophone," Felsted, 1958 |
Al Price | Bill Berry | |
Bubber Prince | Sammy Price | Albinia Jones, National, 1945 |
The Prince | Shorty Rogers | "Jazz Studio 4," Decca, 1955 |
Amanda B. Reckondwith | Ruth Underwood | George Duke |
Ragtime Reinhold | Reinhold Svensson | Metronome, 1953 & 1955 |
Dirty Rivers | Muddy Waters | Otis Spann "The Blues Never Die," Prestige, 1964 |
Little Rock | Pharoah Sanders | Leon Thomas "Spirits Known and Unknown," Flying Dutchman, 1969 |
Jolly Roger | Shorty Rogers | Teddy Charles "New Directions," Prestige, 1953 |
Slim Romero | Fats Navarro | Illinois Jacquet, Aladdin, 1947 |
Swing Roo | Cozy Cole | Teddy Wilson, Brunswick, 1937 |
Art Salt | Art Pepper | Shorty Rogers "Cool & Crazy," RCA Victor, 1954 |
Steve Sax | Steve Lacy | Joe Lee Wilson "Secrets From the Sun," Sun, c. 1976 |
Joe Scott | Wynton Kelly | Sonny Criss "At The Crossroads," Peacock, 1959 |
Manny Shell | Shelly Manne | "Wild One" soundtrack, Decca, 1954 |
Roger Short | Shorty Rogers | "Wild One" soundtrack, Decca, 1954 |
C.C. Siegel | J.J. Johnson | Charlie Parker 10th Memorial Concert," Limelight, 1965 |
Big Skol | Sonny Boy Williamson | Roland Kirk "Kirk in Copenhagen," Mercury, 1963 |
Brother Soul | Milt Jackson | Quincy Jones "This Is How I Feel About Jazz," ABC, 1956 |
George Spelvin | Bud Shank | |
Joe Splink | Clifford Scott | Richard Groove Holmes "Somethin' Special," Pacific Jazz; Carmell Jones "Business Meeting" Pacific Jazz |
Kant Standhim | Stan Kenton | |
Ken Stanton | Stan Kenton | |
Cinderella G. Stump | Jo Stafford | Red Ingle, Capitol, 1947 |
Mad Milt Summerblouse | Boomie Richman | Gus Hoo "New York Land Dixie," RCA 1956 |
Theoshis Tannis | Roland Kirk | Eddie Baccus "Feel Real," Smash, 1962 |
Erskine Tearblotter | Lou McGarity | Gus Hoo "New York Land Dixie," RCA 1956 |
A Tenor man | Ben Webster | Carmen McRae "Birds Of A Feather," Decca, 1958 |
Ed Theodore | Prob. Teddy Edwards | Mel Tormé "I Dig The Duke, I Dig The Count," Verve, 1960-61 |
Zeke Tolin (anagram of Lee Konitz) | Lee Konitz | "Gil Evans +10," Prestige, 1957 |
Blue Train | John Coltrane | Cecil Taylor "Stereo Drive," United Artists, 1958 |
Bernard Trapps | Buddy Rich | George Freeman "Man & Woman ," Groove Merchant, 1974 |
Flip Turner | Flip Phillips | Jazz At The Philharmonic, Mercury, 1947 |
Shad Turner | Jay Johnson | |
Peter Urban | Art Farmer | Teddy Charles "Tentet," Atlantic, 1956 |
James Van Dyke | Jimmy Cleveland | Gigi Gryce, "Orchestra/Quartet," Signal, 1955 |
Luke "The Wailer" | Danny Bank | George Handy "Handyland, U.S.A.," 1954 |
Wally Wales | Bobby Hackett | George Wein, "George Wein Sings," Atlantic, 1955 |
Herb Walsh | Herb Geller | "Best From The West," Blue Note, 1954-55 |
Billy Ward | Buster Bailey | Oriole, 1925 |
Jim Whatsmyname | Jimmy Cleveland | Lucky Thompson's ABC Paramount Lps, 1956 |
The Wizzard | Raymond Cheng | Frank Lowe, "Black Beings," ESP |
Eddie Wood | Eddie Heywood | Rex Stewart, Capitol, 1945 |
Baldy Wynn | Moe Wechsler | Gus Hoo "New York Land Dixie," RCA 1956 |
Drummer X | Chico Hamilton | John Pisano/Billy Bean "Makin' It, Decca, 1958 |
Trumpeter X | Harry Edison | Manny Albam "Jazz Greats... ," Coral, 1957 |
Ennam Yllehs | Shelly Manne | Dave Pell, "The Big Small Bands" Capitol, 1959 |
Ashby de la Zooch | Irving Ashby | Charles Mingus, Four Star, 1946 |
Jack Zoot | Zoot Sims | Ernie Wilkins, RCA, 1955 |
Contributors: Chuck Nessa, Dave Royko, Francois Ziegler, Martin Milgrim, John Hood, Tim Brockett, Anthony Agostinelli, Linda Shank, Ed Barr, John Pickworth, Peter Friedman, Doug Norwood, Luca Conti, David Toman, Henry Schmidt, Dennis Whitling, Ed Berger, M. Heckman, Steve Schwartz, Jonathan Kutler, Danny D'Imperio, Tim Hume, Phil Stein, Lenny Mazel, Bob Roberts, Paul Costuros, Larry Israel and Bill Gallagher.
Special thanks to Michael Fitzgerald and his Jazz Research page.