Albert Aloysius Casey (September 15, 1915 – September 11, 2005) was an American jazz guitarist who was a member of

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

's band during the 1930s and early 1940s.

Career

Casey was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended

DeWitt Clinton High School , motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished , image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg , seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG , seal_size = 124px , ...

in New York City and studied guitar. He was a child prodigy who first played violin, then switched to ukulele. He began playing guitar in 1930 and met

in 1933. The following year, at the age of eighteen, he became a member of Waller's band, making many recordings with the band, and he is known for having played the solo in "Buck Jumpin'". After Waller's death in 1943, he led his own trio. For two consecutive years in the 1940s, he was voted best guitarist in ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' magazine. From 1957, he was a member of a rhythm and blues band led by

King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musicia ...

. Four years later he dropped out of music, though he returned in the 1970s to record with

Helen Humes Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 9, 1981) was an American singer. Humes was a teenage blues singer, a vocalist with Count Basie's band, a saucy R&B diva, and a mature interpreter of the classic popular song. Early life She was born on ...

and

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson (trumpeter), Bernard A ...

. Another absence followed until 1981, when he returned to music to play with the

Harlem Blues and Jazz Band The Harlem Blues and Jazz Band is a jazz ensemble active since the 1970s. The band was initiated by Al Vollmer in 1973, noting that a significant pool of jazz musicians who had played in the 1920s and 1930s lived in New York City and had retired ...

. He died of colon cancer on September 11, 2005. During his career, Casey worked with

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Chu Berry Leon Brown "Chu" Berry (September 13, 1908 – October 30, 1941) was an American jazz tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist during the 1930s. According to music critic Gary Giddins, musicians called him "Chu" either because he chewed on the mouthp ...

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

Billy Kyle William Osborne Kyle (July 14, 1914 – February 23, 1966) was an American jazz pianist. He is perhaps best known as an accompanist. Biography Kyle was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He began playing the piano in school and ...

Frankie Newton Frankie Newton (William Frank Newton, January 4, 1906 – March 11, 1954) was an American jazz trumpeter from Emory, Virginia, United States. He played in several New York City bands in the 1920s and 1930s, including those led by Sam Wooding, Chic ...

Clarence Profit Clarence Profit (June 26, 1912 – October 22, 1944) was a jazz pianist and composer associated with swing. Profit was born in New York, United States. He came from a musical family and began studying piano at the age of three, and he led a te ...

Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...

, and

Teddy Wilson Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive swing pianist", Wilson had a sophisticated, elegant style. His work was featured on the records of ma ...

Discography

As leader

* ''

Buck Jumpin' ''Buck Jumpin' '' is an album by guitarist Al Casey (jazz guitarist), Al Casey which was recorded in 1960 and released on the Prestige Records, Swingville label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MSwingville Label Discography accessed November 20, 2018 Rece ...

'' ( Swingville, 1960) * '' The Al Casey Quartet'' (Moodsville, 1960) * ''Jumpin' with Al: The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions'' ( Black & Blue, 1974) * ''Guitar Odyssey'' with Billy Butler (Jazz Odyssey, 1974) * ''Six Swinging Strings'' ( JSP, 1981) * ''Best of Friends'' with

(JSP, 1982) * ''Genius of Jazz Guitar'' (JSP, 1983) * ''Al Casey Remembers King Curtis'' (JSP, 1985)

As sideman

, ''Pops'' (Phoenix 10, 1980) *

, ''Live in New York'' (JSP, 2008) *

Neville Dickie Neville Dickie (born 1 January 1937 in Durham) is an English boogie-woogie and stride piano player. He has performed all over Europe and North America. Career After serving in the RAF, Dickie left Durham and moved to London, where he began playin ...

, ''Shout for Joy'' (

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

, 1997) *

Wally Fawkes Walter Ernest Fawkes (born 21 June 1924) is a British-Canadian jazz clarinetist and satirical cartoonist. As a cartoonist, he usually worked under the name "Trog" until failing eyesight forced him to retire in 2005 at the age of 81. Early hist ...

, ''October Song'' (Calligraph, 1986) *

Humphrey Lyttelton Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (23 May 1921 – 25 April 2008), also known as Humph, was an English jazz musician and broadcaster from the Lyttelton family. Having taught himself the trumpet at school, Lyttelton became a professional ...

, ''Scatterbrains'' (Lake, 2003)

References

External links

Al Casey recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. * ''

The Mississippi Rag Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

'' article by George A. Borgman, December 1999
Archived
More Questions Than Answers 2009-10-25 {{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, Al 1915 births 2005 deaths Jazz musicians from Kentucky Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky DeWitt Clinton High School alumni African-American jazz guitarists American jazz guitarists Swing guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Jazz musicians from New York (state) Harlem Blues and Jazz Band members Black & Blue Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people