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Thanks to Lester Perkins of Jazz On The Tube for reminding us that today Tommy Flanagan would have celebrated his 84th birthday. The great pianist died in 2001. From the time he made his debut as a teenager in his native Detroit, Flanagan was one of the busiest sidemen in music. These are just a few of the musicians with whom he toured and recorded: Milt Jackson, Miles Davis, Lucky Thompson, J.J. Johnson, Ella Fitzgerald, Jim Hall, Thad and Elvin Jones, Tony Bennett. From the late 1970s, Flanagan functioned almost exclusively at the head of a trio that employed superb bassists and drummers. In this video made in Cologne, Germany, in 1991, Flanagan had George Mraz, who played with him for many years, and Bobby Durham. Flanagan was a knowing and subtle interpreter of Billy Strayhorn’s compositions, in this case, “Raincheck.”
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