William Fredrick Bean (December 26, 1933 – February 6, 2012) was an American jazz guitarist from Philadelphia.

Career

Bean was born into a musical family in Philadelphia. His mother played the piano. His father was an amateur singer and guitarist, and his sister was a professional singer. He started on guitar at the age of twelve. His father taught him some of the basics on guitar before he received lessons from Howard Herbert. Then he studied for about one year with Dennis Sandole. During the late 1940s and 1950s, he performed at venues in the Philadelphia area. In the mid-1950s, he moved to New York City and recorded with

Charlie Ventura Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo; December 2, 1916 – January 17, 1992) was an American tenor saxophonist and bandleader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Career During the 1940s, Ventura played saxophone for the bands o ...

and

Red Callender George Sylvester "Red" Callender (March 6, 1916 – March 8, 1992) was an American string bass and tuba player. He is perhaps best known as a jazz musician, but worked with an array of pop, rock and vocal acts as a member of The Wrecking Cre ...

, and in 1958 he moved to Los Angeles to record for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

. In Los Angeles, he worked with

Buddy Collette William Marcel "Buddy" Collette (August 6, 1921 – September 19, 2010) was an American jazz flutist, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He was a founding member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Early life William Marcel Collette was born in L ...

, Paul Horn,

John Pisano John Pisano (born February 6, 1931) is a jazz guitarist born in Staten Island, New York. Biography Pisano has worked with Herb Alpert, Billy Bean, Chico Hamilton, Peggy Lee, and Joe Pass. Discography As leader * ''Makin' It: Guitar Duets'' with ...

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

Milt Bernhart Milt Bernhart (May 25, 1926 – January 22, 2004) was a West Coast jazz trombonist who worked with Stan Kenton, Frank Sinatra, and others. He supplied the solo in the middle of Sinatra's 1956 recording of ''I've Got You Under My Skin'' conducted ...

Les Elgart Lester Elliott Elgart (August 3, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter. Early Years Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Elgart grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with his brother Larry. They were exposed to ...

Herb Geller Herbert Arnold Geller (November 2, 1928 – December 19, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Early life His mother, Frances ''(née'' Frances Mildred Fullman, al ...

Lorraine Geller Lorraine Winifred Geller (née Walsh; September 11, 1928 – October 13, 1958) was an American jazz pianist. Geller was born in Portland, Oregon on September 11, 1928. She started out with the all-female big band Sweethearts of Rhythm, based in ...

, Calvin Jackson, and

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

. In October, 1959, Bean returned to New York City after accepting Tony Bennett's offer to join his band. He remained with Bennett's band for less than one year. Hal Gaylor, who had been Bennett's bassist, assembled a trio with Bean and pianist

Walter Norris Walter Norris (December 27, 1931 – October 29, 2011) was an American pianist and composer. Biography Early life and career Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 27, 1931, Norris first studied piano at home with his mother, then with J ...

; they called themselves The Trio and recorded an album for

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

in 1961. Gaylor said the trio had great difficulty in finding work and disbanded shortly after recording. Bean performed with

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (incl ...

, and

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

, recording albums with Mann and Lewis. He returned to his hometown of Philadelphia, retiring in 1986.Greenberg, 169.

Discography

As co-leader

* ''Makin' It – Guitar Duets'' with

(Decca, 1958) * ''Take Your Pick'' with John Pisano (Decca, 1958) * ''The Trio'' with Hal Gaylor, Walter Norris (Riverside, 1961) * ''Makin' It Again'' with John Pisano (String Jazz, 1998) * ''West Coast Sessions'' with John Pisano,

Dennis Budimir Dennis Matthew Budimir (June 20, 1938 – January 2023) was an American jazz and rock guitarist. He was considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography Budimir learned to play piano and guitar in his youth and first played profession ...

(String Jazz, 2000) * ''Finale'' (String Jazz, 2002)

As sideman

, ''The Sound of Bernhart'' (Decca, 1958) *

, ''

The Lowest ''The Lowest'' is an album by bassist and tubist Red Callender, recorded for the MetroJazz label in 1958.

'' (MetroJazz, 1958) *

, ''Polynesia'' (Music & Sound, 1959) *

Buddy DeFranco Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (February 17, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and ...

, ''Cross Country Suite'' (Dot, 1958) * Paul Horn, '' Plenty of Horn'' (Dot, 1958) *

Fred Katz Frederick Carl Katz (21 May 1877 – 13 December 1960) was an Australian trade unionist and politician. He had a long association with the Australian labour movement, holding senior leadership positions with the Federated Clerks' Union, Feder ...

, ''

Folk Songs for Far Out Folk ''Folk Songs for Far Out Folk'' is an album by Fred Katz (cellist), Fred Katz originally released on Warner Bros. Records, Warner Bros. in 1959. It features orchestral jazz interpretations of African, Hebrew and American folk tunes.

'' (Warner Bros., 1959) *

, ''

Essence Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...

'' (Atlantic, 1962) *

, ''

Brazil, Bossa Nova & Blues ''Brazil, Bossa Nova & Blues'' (also released as ''Brazil Blues'' and ''Jazz Impressions of Brazil'') is an album by American jazz flautist Herbie Mann recorded in 1962 for the United Artists label.Right Now'' (Atlantic, 1962) *

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

, ''Carmen for Cool Ones'' (Decca, 1958) *

Annie Ross Annabelle McCauley Allan Short (25 July 193021 July 2020), known professionally as Annie Ross, was a British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Early life Ross was born in Surr ...

, ''A Gasser!'' (World Pacific, 1959) *

, ''

Slippery When Wet ''Slippery When Wet'' is the third studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on August 18, 1986, by Mercury Records in North America and Vertigo Records internationally. It was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, with recording sessi ...

'' (World Pacific, 1959) * Bud Shank, ''The Pacific Jazz Bud Shank Studio Sessions'' (Mosaic, 1998) *

, ''Choice'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) *

, ''The New Charlie Ventura in Hi-Fi'' (Baton, 1956) * Charlie Ventura, ''Plays Hi-Fi Jazz'' (Tops, 1957)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bean, Billy American jazz guitarists 1933 births 2012 deaths Guitarists from Philadelphia American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania American male jazz musicians