Summary
Jimmy "Craw" Crawford (January 14, 1910 – January 28, 1980)[1] was an American jazz drummer in the swing era.
Photography by William P. Gottlieb.
Biography edit
Jimmy Crawford was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.[1] He was the drummer of the Jimmie Lunceford big band for nearly 14 years from 1928 to 1942.[1] According to Modern Drummer, Crawford "played with a strong, solid pulsation — a classic trademark of the Lunceford sound — and was a key factor in establishing the unique Lunceford beat."[2] Later, in the 1950s, Crawford worked as a pit drummer on Broadway in such productions as Jamaica (1957-8) and Donnybrook (1961). He recorded with numerous notable artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Sy Oliver, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, and Frank Sinatra.[2]
He died on January 28, 1980, in New York City.[1]
Influences edit
Paul Motian mentioned Crawford as one of his favorite drummers.[3]
Discography edit
- With Buster Bailey
- All About Memphis (Felsted, 1958)
With Count Basie
- Memories Ad-Lib (Roulette, 1958) - with Joe Williams
- String Along with Basie (Roulette, 1960)
With Kenny Burrell
- Bluesin' Around (Columbia, 1961 [1983])
With Buck Clarke
- The Buck Clarke Sound (Argo, 1963)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- Dizzy and Strings (Norgran, 1954)
- With Coleman Hawkins
- The Hawk Talks (Decca, 1952-53 [1955])
With Eddie Heywood
- Eddie Heywood (EmArcy, 1955)
With Quincy Jones
- The Birth of a Band! (Mercury, 1959)
- Quincy Plays for Pussycats (Mercury, 1959-65 [1965])
References edit
- ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 107. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
- ^ a b Jimmy Crawford Archived 2010-07-04 at the Wayback Machine, Modern Drummer
- ^ "Paul Motian's Favorite Drummer". YouTube. 2009-04-29. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
External links edit
- Jimmy Crawford recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.