Artist:Tommy Flanagan
Song:Minor Mishap
Album:The Cats
Tommy Flanagan was a very classy jazz pianist best known as Ella Fitzgerald's accompanist in the 60s. Like his pal Louis Hayes, Flanagan was from Detroit and he preferred to remain in the background. He was born Mar. 16, 1930. He moved to New York in 1956. 1957's The Cats is actually Flanagan's debut as a leader but for some reason, Prestige didn't credit him on the original release. Musicians are John Coltrane on sax, Idrees Sulieman on trumpet, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Doug Watkins on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Flanagan wrote all but one of the songs. Concord Jazz corrected this slight when they issued this on CD in 2004 with a new cover with Flanagan's name prominent. These are great musicians so it's worth checking out. For most of the 60s & 70s, Flanagan was pianist & arranger for Ella Fitzgerald. He reestablished himself as a leader in the 80s with great music on various labels. Tommy Flanagan had a heart condition and died on Nov. 16, 2001 at age 71. Tommy Flanagan wasn't flashy but you don't want to overlook his music. Here's Tommy Flanagan performing Raincheck with George Mraz & Lewis Nash in 1991.
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