Shelly Manne

Shelly Manne (June 11 1920–September 26 1984), born Sheldon Manne in New York, New York, was an American jazz drummer. He was frequently associated with West Coast Jazz, but his broad range of contributions to music, not only jazz, showed that he could not be readily pigeonholed.

West Coast jazz

Many have debated the value of the music created at that time, in that place, and by those musicians. Some, perhaps not quite fairly, use "West Coast jazz" as a derogatory term. The early 1950s in Los Angeles saw considerable experimentation, some of it attempting new ways of combining jazz with European classical music. Some of the recording sessions, in many of which Manne participated, produced music that came off as overly cerebral, feeding the critics with reasons to dismiss all jazz produced on the West Coast.

Related Topics:
West Coast jazz - European classical music

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tending to link Manne with West Coast jazz in another less than complimentary sense was the series of albums he recorded with pianist André Previn and with members of his groups, based on music from popular Broadway shows, movies, and television programs. (The first and most famous of these was the one based on My Fair Lady, recorded with Previn, Manne, and bassist Leroy Vinnegar in 1956.) The music – with each album devoted to a single show – was improvised upon in the manner of jazz, but always in a light, immediately appealing style aimed at popular taste. Not that this music was necessarily bad, but it did not always go over well with aficionados of "serious" jazz music, which may be one reason why Manne has been frequently overlooked in accounts of major jazz drummers of the 20th century.

Related Topics:
Pianist - André Previn - My Fair Lady - Leroy Vinnegar - 1956 - 20th century

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever one's opinion of West Coast jazz – whatever West Coast jazz really was – it must be considered that in Manne's case such music represented only a small part of his playing. In Los Angeles and occasionally returning to New York and elsewhere, Manne recorded with musicians of all schools and styles, ranging from those of the swing era through bebop to later developments in modern jazz.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~