Leslie Spann Jr. (May 23, 1932 – January 24, 1989) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

guitarist and flautist. As a sideman he recorded with

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition " ...

Benny Bailey Ernest Harold "Benny" Bailey (August 13, 1925 – April 14, 2005) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bailey briefly studied flute and piano before turning to trumpet. He attended the Cleveland Institute ...

, Bill Coleman,

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 1932. ...

Red Garland William McKinley "Red" Garland Jr. (May 13, 1923 – April 23, 1984) was an American modern jazz pianist. Known for his work as a bandleader and during the 1950s with Miles Davis, Garland helped popularize the block chord style of playing in jazz ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

, Sam Jones,

Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

Duke Pearson Columbus Calvin "Duke" Pearson Jr. (August 17, 1932 – August 4, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer. ''Allmusic'' describes him as having a "big part in shaping the Blue Note label's hard bop direction in the 1960s as a record produ ...

Jerome Richardson Jerome Richardson (November 15, 1920 – June 23, 2000) was an American jazz musician, tenor saxophonist, and flute player, who also played soprano sax, alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto flute and piccolo. He played with Ch ...

Charlie Shavers Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams, Tommy Dorsey, and Billie Holiday. He ...

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his ...

Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

, and

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

. As a leader he recorded only once, the album ''

Gemini Gemini may refer to: Space * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac ** Gemini in Chinese astronomy * Project Gemini, the second U.S. crewed spaceflight program * Gemini Observatory, consisting of telescopes in the Northern ...

'' in 1961.

Career

Les Spann was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. From 1950 to 1957, he studied music at

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...

. At the end of that time he worked with

Phineas Newborn Jr. Phineas Newborn Jr. (December 14, 1931 – May 26, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, whose principal influences were Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Bud Powell. Biography Newborn was born in Whiteville, Tennessee, and came from a musical famil ...

and in 1958 with

Ronnell Bright Ronnell Lovelace Bright (July 3, 1930 – August 12, 2021) was an American jazz pianist. He made cameo appearances in the TV shows ''The Jeffersons'' and '' Sanford and Son'', also working on ''The Carol Burnett Show''. Career Bright played pian ...

. The following year, he joined a quintet in New York City led by

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

, performing solos on flute and guitar and appearing on two of Gillespie's albums for

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...

. After a year with Gillespie, he went to Europe as a member of

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

's big band. Two more albums followed, this time with Spann joining a sextet that included

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

, and

Harry "Sweets" Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard bac ...

. He recorded with Hodges again in 1967. Around 1970, he played flute in a quartet led by the guitarist Kenny Burrell. He died in New York City in 1989.

Discography

As leader

* ''

'' (Jazzland, 1961)

As sideman

With Bill Coleman * ''From Boogie to Funk'' (1960) * ''The Great Parisian Session'' (1960) With

* '' Side by Side'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

, 1959) with

* '' Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues'' (Verve, 1959) * ''

Paris Blues ''Paris Blues'' is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film directed by Martin Ritt, starring Sidney Poitier as expatriate jazz saxophonist Eddie Cook, and Paul Newman as trombone-playing Ram Bowen. The two men romance two vacationing Americ ...

'' (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

, 1961) With

* '' The Ebullient Mr. Gillespie'' (Verve, 1959) * ''

Have Trumpet, Will Excite! ''Have Trumpet, Will Excite!'' is a 1959 studio album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Reception ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' rates the album three stars and states that "there's a case for saying that this is one of the best of all Gillespie's ...

'' (Verve, 1959) With

* ''A Smooth One'' (1960) * ''

Blue Hodge ''Blue Hodge'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges featuring performances recorded in 1961 and released on the Verve label.

'' (Verve, 1961) * ''

Triple Play In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season. Th ...

'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, 1967) With

* ''

The Birth of a Band! ''The Birth of a Band!'' is an album by Quincy Jones that was released by Mercury with performances by Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, and Phil Woods.

'' (

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

, 1959) * ''Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series, Vol. 1'' 1960 * ''

I Dig Dancers ''I Dig Dancers'' is an album Quincy Jones that was released by Mercury with performances recorded in Paris and New York City.

'' (Mercury, 1960) * ''At Basin Street East'', Billy Eckstine/Quincy Jones (1961) * ''

Newport '61 ''Newport '61'' is a live album by Quincy Jones that was recorded on July 3, 1961, at the Newport Jazz Festival. Track listing # "Meet B.B." (Quincy Jones) – 3:58 # "Boy in the Tree" (Jones) – 5:01 # "Evening in Paris" (Jones) – 5:11 # " ...

'' (Mercury, 1961) * ''

The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones ''The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones'' is an album by Quincy Jones that was released by Mercury.

'' (Mercury, 1961) With Sam Jones * '' The Chant'' (

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 ...

, 1961) * '' Down Home'' (Riverside, 1962) With

* '' The Matadors Meet the Bull'' (

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

, 1965) * ''

What's New!!! ''What's New!!!'' (subtitled ''Sonny Stitt Plays the Varitone'') is an album by saxophonist Sonny Stitt recorded in 1966 and released on the Roulette label. The album represents Stitt's first recorded use of the varitone, an electronic amplificat ...

'' (Roulette, 1966) * ''

I Keep Comin' Back! ''I Keep Comin' Back!'' (subtitled ''Sonny Stitt on the Varitone'') is an album by saxophonist Sonny Stitt recorded in 1966 and released on the Roulette label. The album represents Stitt's second album featuring the varitone, an electronic amplif ...

'' (Roulette, 1966) With others * '' Phineas Newborn, Jr. Plays Harold Arlen's Music from Jamaica'',

(RCA Victor, 1957) * ''

Abbey Is Blue ''Abbey Is Blue'' is the fourth album by American jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln featuring tracks recorded in 1959 for the Riverside label.

'',

(Riverside, 1959) * ''

Ben Webster and Associates ''Ben Webster and Associates'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Ben Webster featuring tracks recorded in 1959 for the Verve label.Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

(Verve, 1959) * ''

Big Brass ''Big Brass'' is an album by trumpeter Benny Bailey featuring performances recorded in late 1960 and originally released on the Candid Records, Candid label.Edwards, D., & Callahan, M.Candid Records discographyaccessed October 19, 2015

'',

( Candid, 1960) * ''

That's Right! ''That's Right!'' is an album by jazz cornetist Nat Adderley and the Big Sax Section released on the Riverside Records, Riverside label featuring Adderley with his brother Cannonball Adderley, Jimmy Heath, Charlie Rouse, Yusef Lateef, Tate Houston, ...

'',

(Riverside, 1960) * '' Uhuru Afrika'',

(Roulette, 1960) * ''

The Magnificent Trombone of Curtis Fuller ''The Magnificent Trombone of Curtis Fuller'' is an album by jazz trombonist Curtis Fuller, released in 1961 on the Epic label.Fitzgerald, MCurtis Fuller Leader Entry accessed October 22, 2019 Reception Allmusic awarded the album 4 stars with i ...

'',

( Epic, 1961) * ''

Kwamina ''Kwamina'' is a musical with the libretto by Robert Alan Aurthur and music and lyrics by Richard Adler. Production The musical opened in out of town tryouts in Toronto, where, as noted by Ken Mandelbaum "The reviews were promising",Mandelbaum, ...

'',

(Mercury, 1961) * ''Going to the Movies''

(1962) * ''One More Time'',

Wild Bill Davis Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918 – August 17, 1995) was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electric organ recordings and for his tenure with t ...

(1962) * '' Solar'',

( Jazzland, 1962) * ''

The Complete Town Hall Concert ''The Complete Town Hall Concert'' is a live album by the American bassist, composer and bandleader Charles Mingus, recorded at The Town Hall in New York City and first released on the United Artists label in 1962 as ''Town Hall Concert''.

'',

(

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

, 1962

994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...

* ''

Honeybuns ''Honeybuns'' is the seventh album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson featuring performances by Pearson's nonet recorded in 1965 and released on the Atlantic label in 1966.

'',

(

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, 1965) * '' Lock, the Fox'',

(RCA Victor, 1966)

References

*"Les Spann", '' Grove Jazz'' online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Spann, Les 1932 births 1989 deaths Tennessee State University alumni American jazz guitarists American jazz flautists Guitarists from Arkansas 20th-century American guitarists Jazz musicians from Arkansas 20th-century flautists