29 Facts About Earl Bostic

Eugene Earl Bostic was an American alto saxophonist.

Earl Bostic turned professional at the age of 18 when he joined Terence Holder's "Twelve Clouds of Joy".

Earl Bostic made his first recording with Lionel Hampton in October 1939, with Charlie Christian, Clyde Hart and Big Sid Catlett.

Earl Bostic worked with territory bands as well as Arnett Cobb, Hot Lips Page, Rex Stewart, Don Byas, Charlie Christian, Thelonious Monk, Edgar Hayes, Cab Calloway, and other jazz luminaries.

In 1938, and in 1944, Earl Bostic led the house band at Smalls Paradise.

Earl Bostic formed his own band in 1945 and made the first recordings under his own name for the Majestic label.

Earl Bostic turned to rhythm and blues in the late 1940s.

Earl Bostic recorded A New Sound about one month later, again featuring Holmes and Pass.

Earl Bostic was pleased with the sessions, which highlight his total mastery of the blues, but they foreshadowed musical advances that were later evident in the work of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy.

Earl Bostic wrote arrangements for Paul Whiteman, Louis Prima, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, Artie Shaw, Hot Lips Page, Jack Teagarden, Ina Ray Hutton, and Alvino Rey.

Earl Bostic's signature hit, "Flamingo" was recorded in 1951 and remains a favorite among followers of Carolina Beach Music in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

Earl Bostic died on October 28,1965, from a heart attack in Rochester, New York, while performing with his band.

Earl Bostic was buried in Southern California's Inglewood Park Cemetery on November 2,1965.

Earl Bostic was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993.

Earl Bostic was influenced by Sidney Bechet and John Coltrane was in turn influenced by Earl Bostic.

Earl Bostic has fabulous technical facilities on his instrument and knows many a trick.

Earl Bostic admitted that he was interested in selling records and he went as far as to write out his popular solos note for note in order to please his admiring fans during concerts.

Nonetheless, Earl Bostic was always ready to improvise brilliantly during his live performances.

Earl Bostic was famous as a peerless jammer who held his own against Charlie Parker.

Earl Bostic was down at Minton's and Charlie Parker came in there.

When Coltrane played with Earl Bostic, I know he learned a lot.

Earl Bostic played melodies in the altissimo range with perfect execution.

Earl Bostic had innumerable ways of playing one particular note.

Earl Bostic was a master of the blues and he used this skill in a variety of musical settings.

The 1956 version of "Where or When" features Earl Bostic growling through the mid-range of the instrument behind a heavy backbeat and loud bass and it is a marked departure from his approach to the same tune recorded on Gotham in 1947 which showed off his sweet "singing" in the upper register with barely audible percussion.

Earl Bostic proved that saxophone instrumentals could climb the hit charts and other saxists with hits including Boots Randolph and Stanley Turrentine have acknowledged his influence.

Earl Bostic recorded an inimitable version of "All The Things You Are" released on the Playboy label.

Earl Bostic discussed his approach to improvising in an interview with Kurt Mohr.

Earl Bostic's recording career was diverse and it included small group swing-based jazz, big band jazz, jump blues, organ-based combos and a string of commercial successes.