Shelly Manne

Drummer and bandleader Shelly Manne made thousands of recordings but is best known as a good-humored bandleader. While most often associated with West Coast jazz, his versatility placed him in contexts including swing, bebop, avant-garde, and fusion. He was also a prolific sideman in jazz and pop and played on hundreds of film and TV soundtracks. His leader debut, Here's That Manne, appeared in 1952. Between 1954 and 1962, he cut numerous titles for Contemporary including The West Coast Sound, 1959's iconic At the Black Hawk, and dates with Benny Goodman and Ornette Coleman. He played with Bill Evans and spent the '60s with Capitol (Manne, That's Gershwin) and Atlantic (Boss Sounds). He returned to Contemporary for 1969's Outside, and also led dates for labels including Mainstream and Galaxy. Manne played many session dates backing many artists; he played on Tom Waits' Small Change and Foreign Affairs. 1984's In Zurich was his final leader date.