The Savoy Sultans was the name of two related 20th-century 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 ...

ensembles.

Savoy Sultans (1937–1946)

The original Savoy Sultans were formed by saxophonist

Al Cooper Lofton Alfonso Cooper (1911 – October 5, 1981) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. He founded the Savoy Sultans and was their leader from 1937 to 1946. He was the half-brother of Grachan Moncur II Grachan Moncur II (sometimes ...

, and played at the

Savoy Ballroom The Savoy Ballroom was a large ballroom for music and public dancing located at 596 Lenox Avenue, between 140th and 141st Streets in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Lenox Avenue was the main thoroughfare through upper Harle ...

from 1937 to 1946. This small

swing jazz Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands ...

ensemble comprised, at various times,

Jack Chapman John Curtis "Jack" Chapman (May 8, 1843 – June 10, 1916) was an American Major League Baseball player and manager who was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began playing in the National Association when he played for the Brooklyn Atlantics a ...

, Sam Massenberg, Dave Burns,

Jesse Drakes Jesse Drakes (22 October 1924 - 1 May 2010) was an American jazz trumpet player. He was born in New York City. Drakes hung out at Minton's Playhouse in his youth, and attended Juilliard in the 1940s. He played in the 1940s with Al Cooper's Savoy ...

and Pat Jenkins on trumpets; Skinny Brown, Rudy Williams, Ed McNeil, Lennie Simmons, Thomas Turrentine Sr. and George Kelly on saxophones; Cyril Haynes, piano;

Grachan Moncur II Grachan Moncur II (sometimes credited as Grachan Moncur, born September 2, 1915 – November 3, 1996) was an American jazz bassist with the Savoy Sultans. Early life Moncur was a multi-instrumentalist as a teenager, learning trombone, tuba, an ...

on double bass; Alex "Razz" Mitchell on drums and vocalist Evelyn White. Opening at the

on Lenox Avenue,

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, on

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

in 1937,Sleevenotes for ''Stompin' at the Savoy'' (1964) DECCA DL4444 they recorded seven times with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

between 1938 and 1941. According to one reviewer,''The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz 1930–1945''
Gunther Schuller. New York:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1989. their recorded legacy leaves much to be desired, although contemporary reports by musicians such as

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 ...

gave the group high praise. They broke up in 1946.

Savoy Sultans (1974–early 1990s)

The name Savoy Sultans was resurrected by

Panama Francis David Albert "Panama" Francis (December 21, 1918 – November 13, 2001) was an American swing jazz drummer who played on numerous hit recordings in the 1950s. Early life Francis was born in Miami, Florida, on December 21, 1918. His father was ...

in 1974 for a one-off concert, and was turned into a regular ensemble in 1979. He maintained the same instrumentation but added rhythm guitar. This group recorded for

Black & Blue Records Black & Blue Records was a record company and label founded in France in 1968 that specialized in blues and jazz. Black & Blue reissued music from small American labels before producing original releases. Some of these releases were by black mu ...

in 1979 and again with

Stash Records Stash Records was an American independent jazz record label based in New York City that flourished from 1975 through the late 1990s. Its name was drawn from the subject of its first album, ''Reefer Songs'' (1976). Bernie Brightman ''(né'' Berna ...

in 1982 and 1983. Members included Francis Williams, Irv Stokes, Spanky Davis,

Norris Turney Norris Turney (September 8, 1921, Wilmington, Ohio, United States – January 17, 2001, Kettering, Ohio) was an American jazz flautist and saxophonist. Biography Turney began his career in the American Midwest, Midwest, playing in territory bands ...

, Howard E. Johnson,

Bobby Watson Robert Michael Watson Jr. (born August 23, 1953), known professionally as Bobby Watson, is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. Music career Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He ...

, and

Red Richards Charles Coleridge "Red" Richards (October 19, 1912, New York City – March 12, 1998, Scarsdale, New York) was an American jazz pianist. Biography Richards began playing classical piano at age ten and concentrated on jazz from age sixteen after h ...

. George Kelly reprised his role in this later ensemble.

References

External links

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

Savoy Sultans The Savoy Sultans was the name of two related 20th-century American jazz ensembles. Savoy Sultans (1937–1946) The original Savoy Sultans were formed by saxophonist Al Cooper, and played at the Savoy Ballroom from 1937 to 1946. This small swing ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{Authority control American jazz ensembles from New York City