Billy VerPlanck

Billy Verplanck: A Joyous Life

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
April 30, 2013

The late trombonist-arranger Billy VerPlanck isn't particularly well known to jazz fans today—but he should be. Throughout his career, from the late 1940s to 2009, Billy had a delicate, swinging touch when writing for bands—more harmonic interplay and seduction than sheer bombast and section muscle. VerPlanck's real first name was John; he named himself Billy after hearing Woody Herman trombonist Bill Harris in the '40s. Early on, he preferred being behind the scenes—ghosting and tidying up charts when name arrangers ...
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Billy Verplanck Said It

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 10, 2010

In April 1958, Coleman Hawkins recorded Meets the Big Sax Section for Savoy. The session lived up to its billing. Hawkins was teamed with Count Basie's Marshall Royal, Frank Wess, Frank Foster and Charlie Fowlkes. The result, as you can imagine, was heavenly, inserting Hawkins' big bossy tenor into Basie's refined saxes. I posted about this session here.

The date's arrangements were by Billy VerPlanck. Recently, singer Marlene VerPlanck, Billy's widow, sent me a copy of the April 2009 interview ...
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