JazzWax List: Giants of Jazz

Extra-large jazz artists typically wound up with colorful nicknames that suited their silhouettes. But what if we were to assemble an ensemble of musicians whose names fit the bill, forgetting about whether or not they were contemporaries or even that portly? Here's my list of entries for our playful Giants of Jazz sextet, complete with a vocalist and arranger...

• Fats Navarro (trumpet)
• Tubby Hayes (tenor)
• Porky Cohen (trombone)
• Fats Waller (piano)
• Chubby Jackson (bass)
• Big Sid Catlett (drums)
• Big Joe Turner (vocals)
• Neal Hefti (arranger)

If you have names of other musicians who belong in this "big" band, please add them to the Comments section. [Pictured above: Chubby Jackson]

Comments

[Bill Forbes]

Mr Five By Five (aka Jimmy Rushing, vocals)
Big Nick Nicholas (tenor)
Fats Sadi (French vibist)
Big Maybelle (vocals)

[Claude Neuman]

Can your band use a girl singer of Jurassic dimension ?

http://jazzbluesclub.com/uploads/posts/thumbs/1279285711_cover.jpg

(Pun originated here : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041716/quotes?qt0427479 )

P.S. : Fats Sadi was belgian

[Paul@slaughterphoto.com]

How about Mr. 5x5, Jimmy Rushing.

[Ed Leimbacher]

Nice joke adding Hefti to the list. Does that mean that the great Saxophone Colossus--a giant among mere mortals--accordingly tops all? He may no longer be as tall as in younger days but as a musician he just keeps gaining in stature.

[don frese]

Of course, there is also the ironic "Tiny" Kahn, the marvelous drummer who weighed over 300 lbs.

[Don Brown]

And for an emcee you could use Ernie "Bubbles" Whitman, AFRS announcer on broadcasts intended for black members of the Armed Forces during World War II. Whitman, who was an enormous man, was usually introduced as 'the stomach that walks like a man".

[Bob Miller]

Not necessarily a jazz player, but one of the great names in barrelhouse pianist Big Tiny Little (Jr).

[Mike Vax]

Another that comes to mind immediately is Big Tiny Little on piano who passed away not too long ago.
Mike Vax

[Jon-Erik Kellso]

Big Chief Russell Moore, trombonist

[John P. Cooper]

Velma Middleton
Paul Whiteman
Manny Pounze
"Fat Slacks" Jackson
Chu Berry

[barry block]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Fats

[Ru_pattison]

Everyone has forgotten about Cannonball Adderley?

[Steve Provizer]

Cannonball Adderly, Jelly Roll Morton, Fathead Newman

[Brew]

"Little Jazz" Roy Eldridge, Oran "Hot Lips" Page, "Mighty Flea" Gene Connors (or Conners), Thomas "Fats" Waller, Edward Kennedy "The Duke" Ellington, William "The Count" Basie, "Pres" Lester Willis Young ... All giants, though not physically spoken of course; with the exception of Mr. Waller.

[Jack Gallagher]

If Neal Hefti can be counted, then I'd add Jim Rotondi. (I know it's "rotund" and a stretch.....)

[Jack Gallagher]

.....Fats Navarro

[Vince Offrete]

Little Jazz? Hot Lips? Duke?

Don't really get the concept, do ya? And Fats Waller is in Marc's list in the article (it helps to read the article).

I laughed out loud at the Hefti citation - now THAT was funny.

Thanks for another fun list.

[Joel Lewis]

Bullmooose Jackson?

[Jaffa The Cat]

Walter "Phatz" Morris !

[Brew]

Addendum:

Johnny Griffin aka "The Little Giant" should be mentioned too; or let's include another great player, clarinetist Mr. http://usuarios.multimania.es/albertsystem/Irving%20Fazola.gif ---> Irving "Faz" Fazola.

Another man with a giant sound: "Big T" Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden.

Not exactly jazz but big rocks 'n' rolls with Fats Domino. The blues lists loads of big types, little big men, and other mighty fellows:

Big Maceo (Merriweather), and Big Bill Broonzy come to my mind.

By the way: "Fats", "Phats", "Faz" -- How many different spellings for one and the very same dress size ... ;)