Composer and lyricist Sara Cassey (1929-1966) is virtually unknown today. She played piano but wasn't a performing jazz pianist or a singer. In fact, she never recorded an album, despite having worked for Riverside Records. Born in Detroit, she moved to New York in the mid-1950s. [Above, the only known photo of Sara Cassey, year unknown]
Her songs or, more aptly, tunes, were recorded by Hank Jones, Billy Taylor, Junior Mance, Johnny Griffin, Charlie Persip, Elvin Jones, Stan Kenton, Harry James and many others. As Bill Kirchner noted in an email, pianist Hank Jones was her biggest champion—recording several of her compositions multiple times.
Cassey lived in New York at 114 West 87th Street, in apartment 1B (above, doorway at left). Pepper Adams sublet her place in 1962. The baritone saxophonist described himself as "officially homeless" between 1961 and 1964. Gary Carner, author of Pepper Adams: Saxophone Trailblazer, quoted Adams on the subject in his book: "I had an answering service as a mailing address and was living where I could live. It was very much a hand-to-mouth existence."
Cassey's proximity to greats who recorded for producer Orrin Keepnews at Riverside allowed her to share her compositions with them starting in the late 1950s. The musicians, in turn, happy with what they heard and recorded, told colleagues about the talented young songwriter. In 1963, Cassey became a personal manager for Melba Liston and Ernie Wilkins, according to Downbeat magazine. [Photo above of Ernie Wilkins]
The reason for her death at age 37 in 1966 is unclear, since no publication in my research seems to have written an obit about her passing. Bill Kirchner tells me the cause was suicide, apparently over a failed relationship.
Let's listen to a dozen interpretations of Sara Cassey's glorious songs:
Here's Cassey's Very Near Blue recorded by flugelhornist Clark Terry with pianist Thelonious Monk on Riverside in May 1958. They were backed by Sam Jones (b) and Philly Joe Jones (d)...
Here's Cassey's Shadowland, with Hank Jones (p), Thad Jones (cnt), Frank Wess (fl), Frank Foster (ts), Art Davis (b) and Elvin Jones (d) on Elvin Jones's Elvin! album, recorded in December 1961, arranger by Frank Foster...
Here's Cassey's stunningly beautiful Ballad for Monsieur, recorded by tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin on his Kerry Dancers and Other Swinging Folk for Riverside in January 1962. The quartet: Johnny Griffin (ts), Barry Harris (p), Ron Carter (b) and Ben Riley (d)...
From the same 1962 album, here's Cassey's 25 1/2 Daze...
Here's Harry James in April 1958, from New James, playing Cassey's Warm Blue Stream, a song that could easily be used as an opening theme for a detective film set in Los Angeles of the 1950s...
Here's cornetist Nat Adderley on Cassey's Warm Blue Stream, from his Riverside album Branching Out, backed by Johnny Griffin (ts), Gene Harris (p), Andy Simpkins (b) and Bill Dowdy (d), recorded in September 1958. The trio behind Griffin was known then as the Three Sounds...
Here's vocalist Jean Turner on Cassey's Warm Blue Stream (lyrics by Dorothy Wayne), backed by the Stan Kenton Orchestra arranged by Lennie Niehaus, recorded in April 1962...
Here's Cassey's Shadowland, with Wallace Roney (tp), Robin Eubanks (tb), Craig Handy (sop,ts), Joe Locke (vib), Geri Allen (p), Lonnie Plaxico (b), and Gene Jackson (d) in December 1997...
Here are guitarists Herb Ellis and Remo Palmieri playing Cassey's Wind Flower on the album of the same name in October 1977. They were backed by George Duvivier (b) and Ron Traxler (d)...
Here's Cassey's Wind Flower recorded by pianist Hank Jones with Ron Carter (b) and Tony Williams (d), live at the Village Vanguard, in February 1977...
Here's Cassey's The Seasons by the Junior Mance Trio, featuring Junior Mance (p), Jimmy Rowser (b) and Paul Gusman (d), on his Big Chief! album, recorded for Riverside's Jazzland label in August 1961...
And here's drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and the WDR Big Band recording Cassey's Wind Flower at the WDR Studios Bocklemünd in Cologne, Germany, on March 2023...
