NYC October 1957 (Count Basie and His Orchestra taped
the legendary record "The Atomic Basie")
| Sonny Payne... |
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b. Percival Payne, 4 May 1926, New York City, New York, USA, d. 29 January 1979.
Payne began studying drums at an early age, encouraged by the fact that his father, Chris Columbus, was a jazz drummer. Payne's first jobs included spells with Oran ‘Hot Lips’ Page, Earl Bostic and Tiny Grimes. In 1950 he joined the Erskine Hawkins band, where he spent three years, then led his own band for a couple of years before joining Count Basie. He was with Basie for over 10 years, leaving to form his own small group and working as staff drummer for Frank Sinatra. In 1966 he began another long engagement with a big band, this time led by Harry James. In 1973 he was back with Basie, then played with amongst others Illinois Jacquet during the mid-70s. An aggressive, showman-drummer, Payne was an indifferent timekeeper but brought a sense of sustained excitement to any band in which he played. Even the Basie band, accustomed to such immaculate timekeepers as Jo Jones and Gus Johnson, was given a lift by Payne when he was at his best and, even when he was at his worst, audiences loved him.
Source: centrohd.com
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Sonny Payne had the role of his lifetime as Count Basie's drummer. It was the perfect position for the hard-driving drummer and he fit in perfectly with pianist Basie and guitarist Freddie Green during the prime years of Count's second great band. The son of drummer Chris Columbus, Payne studied early on with Vic Berton and played locally. In 1944 he began a professional, playing with the Dud & Paul Bascomb band, Hot Lips Page, Earl Bostic (1945-47) and Tiny Grimes (off and on during 1947-50). Payne spent three years (1950-53) with the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra and led his own band for two years, but all of this was really a prelude to his main assignment. With Count Basie during 1955-65, Sonny Payne toured constantly, appeared on many classic recordings and defined the band's drum chair. After leaving in 1965, he briefly led a trio, worked with Frank Sinatra and then had a long stint with Harry James' Big Band (1966-73); James always did want his band to sound like Basie's! In his later years Sonny Payne had a short second period with Count (1973-74), toured Europe with Illinois Jacquet and also returned to James' orchestra shortly before his death. Sonny Payne never led a record date of his own but was on many Basie records, some by James plus a few combo dates.
Scott Yanow
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This Picture comes from the archive of Adrian McCloskey (the stepson of Sonny Payne)
Sonny Payne and Eddie Jones
Photo: Chuck Stewart
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| performed with:
Count Basie
Freddie Green
Frank Foster
Henry Coker
Frank Wess
Marshall Royal
Joe Newman
Charlie Fowlkes
Thad Jones
Benny Powell
Al Grey
Snooky Young
Eddie Jones
Wendell Culley
Sonny Cohn
Joe Williams
Ella Fitzgerald
Eric Dixon
Billy Mitchell
Chris Connor
Bill Henderson
Big Joe Turner
Frank Sinatra
George Gershwin
Harry James
Sarah Vaughan
Tony Bennett
Tiny Grimes
Ray Charles
Nat King Cole
Mel Tormé
Teresa Brewer
Paul Quinichette
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
Duke Ellington
...and many more
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Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles
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This DVD presents fifteen of the true “legends of jazz drumming” in astounding extended solos and in rare, never-before-seen drum duels filmed over the last five decades. Among the highlights are uncut solos from big band legends Sonny Payne, Rufus Jones, Buddy Rich, Sam Woodyard and Louie Bellson; and small group giants Art Blakey and Joe Morello. Rare drum battles include meetings between Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole, Buddy Rich and Ed Shaughnessy, Chico Hamilton, Gene Krupa and Lionel Hampton; Elvin Jones, Sunny Murray and Art Blakey; and a once-in-a-lifetime battle between Buddy Rich and Jerry Lewis! Bonus track is the original theatrical trailer for “The Gene Krupa Story,” never seen outside movie theaters, where it was shown in 1958.
Running Time:
60 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles Vol. 2
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Fifteen thunderous, drum solos from legends like Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, "Papa" Jo Jones,
Art Blakey, Shelly Manne, Sonny Payne, Sam Woodyard, Rufus "Speedy" Jones and others, spanning the years 1947 to 1989, many never before released on home video or DVD. Bonus clips include Bobby Troup's "history of the jazz drum set," from 1958 and a great segment featuring the Gene Krupa Jazz Trio impersonating Russian musicians from 1946!
Special DVD Features: A photo gallery, notes on each clip, and a short bio of each drummer are available using the web link function!
Running Time: 73 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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Classic Jazz Drummers - Swing and Beyond
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Highlights include films of the legendary Sid Catlett with Louis Armstrong, Ray Bauduc with Jack Teagarden, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich with their own orchestras, Gus Johnson with the rarely-heard Count Basie small group, Joe Harris with the pioneering Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Panama Francis with Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, never-before-seen solo footage of Philly Joe Jones, Stan Levey with a small group, the groundbreaking bop of Kenny Clarke and many others.
A certifiable find: The only existing film of that influential New Orleans pioneer, the one and only Warren “Baby” Dodds.
Classic Jazz Drummers presents six decades of legendary drummers soloing and battling.
Special DVD Features: Four bonus clips featuring Sonny Payne, Shelly Manne, Lionel Hampton and Philly Joe Jones as well as an exclusive photo gallery of these early jazz drummers.
Running Time: 70 minutes
$29.95 plus shipping
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