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Aaron Sachs

Aaron Sachs, who was born in New York City, started as a young swing protégé of Benny Goodman, and later eased into bebop music, playing with Earl Fatha Hines. He then formed his own bands, with some success recording and touring. He married singer Helen Merrill in 1948, a union which lasted only a few years. Their only child was their son, Allan P Sachs, professionally known as Alan Merrill born in 1951. In the 1960s, Aaron Sachs went into Latin music, playing with the greats of that genre, including Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez. Aaron Sachs has written a hit song for Tito Rodriguez, titled "El Mundo De Las Locas" and also composed for drum legend Louis Bellson, with the mainstay tune "Blast off". He also co-wrote a popular song for bandleader Machito with Henry Glover during the twist dance craze titled "Twist Changa" (parts one and two) a double a-sided single in 1959, on Roulette records. Sachs recorded several solo albums (cf. discography). He has also recorded with Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughn, Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Red Norvo, Gene Krupa, Anita O'Day, Cozy Cole, and many other significant artists in the jazz field.

Red Norvo: The Secret Session

Read "The Secret Session" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
February 11, 2026

Red Norvo's The Secret Session arrives like a message in a bottle, its cork finally loosened after more than 80 years. Recorded in late 1942, in the dead of night and against the grain of wartime caution and a recording ban called by the American Federation of Musicians union, these sides capture a septet caught between eras. Besides Norvo, the band featured musicians who would go on to become stars in their own right, including trumpeter Shorty Rogers, trombonist Eddie ...

Obituary

Aaron Sachs and Jimmy Scott, Gone

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
June 19, 2014

It is sad to hear of the recent deaths of Aaron Sachs and Jimmy Scott. Sachs was a gifted clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who never became as well known as many of hiscontemporaries despite yeoman work in bands led by Van Alexander, Red Norvo, Benny Goodman, Earl Hines, Benny Goodman, Tom Talbert and Buddy Rich, among others. In the 1960she became a stalwart in Latin jazz, playing for Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez. Sachs would have been 91 on ...
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