Tommy Flanagan

Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001, New York City) was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald. Flanagan played on a number of critically acclaimed recordings, such as John Coltrane's Giant Steps, Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, and Art Pepper's Straight Life.

Biography
As a small boy he received a clarinet as a gift for Christmas but could only think about one instrument, the piano. According to Flanagan "we always had a piano in our house" and he began playing it at the age of five.

The Tommy Flanagan Trio (with bassist Wilbur Little and drummer Elvin Jones) released their first album, Tommy Flanagan Trio Overseas, in 1957. As an accompanist, Flanagan worked with Ella Fitzgerald from 1963 to 1965 and 1968 to 1978. Beginning in 1975, Flanagan began once again to perform and record as a leader. He continued to work with other players, however, forming a trio with Tal Farlow and Red Mitchell, among other projects.

Flanagan's style was both modest and exceptionally musical. He embodied many of the most important qualities associated with jazz: swing, harmonic sophistication, melodic invention, bluesy feel and humour. Interestingly, he appeared on a number of highly innovative albums. (His controversial solo on the fast and harmonically complex title-track of Giant Steps is a rare [if famous] instance on record of the usually unflappable pianist being caught off-guard.)

Tommy Flanagan is mentioned by Japanese Author Haruki Murakami in the short story, Chance Traveller, in which he describes his experiences at a Tommy Flanagan performance.

During his career, Flanagan was nominated for four Grammy Awards — two for Best Jazz Performance (Group) and two for Best Jazz Performance (Soloist). He died on November 16, 2001, of an arterial aneurysm.

As leader

 * 1957: Overseas (Prestige)
 * 1959: The Cats (New Jazz)
 * 1959: Lonely Town (released 2000, Blue Note) With Joe Benjamin and Elvin Jones
 * 1960: The Tommy Flanagan Trio (Moodsville)
 * 1974: Solo Piano (Storyville)
 * 1975: The Tommy Flanagan Tokyo Recital (Pablo)
 * 1975: Trinity (Inner City)
 * 1977: Eclypso (Enja)
 * 1978: Plays the Music of Harold Arlen (Inner City)
 * 1978: Ballads and Blues (Enja)
 * 1978: Our Delights (Galaxy) Duo with Hank Jones
 * 1978: More Delights (Galaxy) Duo with Hank Jones
 * 1978: Something Borrowed, Something Blue (Galaxy)
 * 1980: Super Session (Enja)
 * 1981: The Magnificent (Progressive)
 * 1981: A Little Pleasure (Reservoir) With J.R. Monterose
 * 1982: Confirmation (Enja)
 * 1982: Giant Steps (Enja) Trio with George Mraz and Al Foster
 * 1982: Thelonica (Enja)
 * 1984: Alone too Long (Denon)
 * 1989: Jazz Poet (Timeless)
 * 1990: Beyond the Bluebird (Timeless)
 * 1993: Flanagan's Shenanigans (Storyville)
 * 1993: Let's (Enja)
 * 1993: Lady Be Good... for Ella (Groovin' High)
 * 1997: Sunset and the Mockingbird (Blue Note)
 * 1997: Sea Changes (Evidence)

As sideman
With Pepper Adams With Gene Ammons With Kenny Burrell With Gary Burton With Donald Byrd With Paul Chambers With Arnett Cobb With John Coltrane With Sonny Criss With Miles Davis With Ted Dunbar With Booker Ervin With Tal Farlow With Art Farmer With Ella Fitzgerald With Curtis Fuller With Dizzy Gillespie With Benny Golson With Dexter Gordon With Bennie Green With Coleman Hawkins With Jimmy Heath With Milt Jackson With Willis Jackson With Illinois Jacquet With Elvin Jones With Philly Joe Jones With Thad Jones With Clifford Jordan With Herbie Mann With Blue Mitchell With Wes Montgomery With Gerry Mulligan With Art Pepper With Julian Priester With Waymon Reed With Sonny Rollins With Pee Wee Russell With Louis Smith With Lucky Thompson With Stanley Turrentine With Frank Wess With Phil Woods
 * Encounter! (Prestige, 1968)
 * Boss Tenor (Prestige, 1960)
 * Jazzmen of Detroit with Pepper Adams, Paul Chambers, Kenny Clarke (Savoy, 1956)
 * Introducing Kenny Burrell by Kenny Burrell (Blue Note, 1956)
 * Kenny Burrell (Prestige, 1957)
 * Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane with John Coltrane (New Jazz, 1958)
 * Weaver of Dreams (Columbia, 1960-61)
 * Bluesy Burrell (Moodsville, 1962) - with Coleman Hawkins
 * Who is Gary Burton? (RCA, 1962)
 * Jazz Lab (Columbia, 1957) - with Gigi Gryce
 * Jazz Eyes (Regent, 1957) - with John Jenkins
 * Paul Chambers Quintet (Blue Note, 1957)
 * More Party Time (Prestige, 1960)
 * Movin' Right Along (Prestige, 1960)
 * Giant Steps (Atlantic, 1960)
 * Sonny's Dream (Birth of the New Cool) (Prestige, 1968)
 * Collectors' Items (Prestige, 1956)
 * Opening Remarks (Xanadu, 1978)
 * The Book Cooks (Bethlehem, 1960)
 * The Song Book (Prestige, 1964)
 * Chromatic Palette (Concord, 1981)
 * Art (Argo, 1960)
 * Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra (Mercury, 1962)
 * Ella at Juan-Les-Pins (1964, Live, Verve)
 * Ella in Hamburg (1965, Live, Verve)
 * Sunshine of Your Love (1969, Live, Verve)
 * Ella in Budapest, Hungary (1970, Live, Pablo)
 * Ella à Nice (1971, Live, Pablo)
 * Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 (1972, Live, Pablo)
 * Ella Loves Cole (1972, Pablo)
 * Newport Jazz Festival: Live at Carnegie Hall (1973, Live, Pablo)
 * Ella in London (1974, Live, Pablo)
 * Fine and Mellow (1974, Pablo)
 * Montreux '75 (1975, Live, Pablo)
 * Montreux '77 (1977, Live, Pablo)
 * Jazz ...It's Magic! (Regent, 1957)
 * Sliding Easy (United Artists, 1959)
 * Blues-ette (Savoy, 1959)
 * South American Cookin' (Epic, 1961)
 * The Dizzy Gillespie Big 7 (Pablo, 1975)
 * Carter, Gillespie Inc. with Benny Carter (Pablo, 1976)
 * Gettin' with It (New Jazz, 1959)
 * Free (Argo, 1962)
 * The Panther! (Prestige, 1970)
 * The Swingin'est with Gene Ammons (Vee-Jay, 1958)
 * Coleman Hawkins All Stars (Swingville, 1960) - with Joe Thomas and Vic Dickenson
 * At Ease with Coleman Hawkins (Moodsville, 1960)
 * Night Hawk (Swingville, 1960)
 * Good Old Broadway (Moodsville, 1962)
 * The Jazz Version of No Strings (Moodsville, 1962)
 * Coleman Hawkins Plays Make Someone Happy from Do Re Mi (Moodsville, 1962)
 * Desafinado (Impulse!, 1962)
 * Today and Now (Impulse!, 1962)
 * Really Big! (Riverside, 1960)
 * Bags & Flutes (Atlantic, 1957)
 * Bean Bags with Coleman Hawkins (Atlantic, 1958)
 * Bags' Opus (United Artists, 1958)
 * Vibrations (Atlantic, 1960–61)
 * Invitation (Riverside, 1962)
 * Statements (Impulse!, 1962)
 * Jazz 'n' Samba (Impulse!, 1964)
 * Bossa Nova Plus (Prestige, 1962)
 * Desert Winds (Argo, 1964)
 * Heart to Heart (Denon, 1980)
 * Blues for Dracula (Riverside, 1958)
 * Detroit-New York Junction (Blue Note, 1956)
 * The Magnificent Thad Jones (Blue Note, 1956)
 * Motor City Scene (United Artists, 1959)
 * A Story Tale (Jazzland, 1961) - with Sonny Red
 * Flute Flight (Prestige, 1957) - with Bobby Jaspar
 * Flute Soufflé (Prestige, 1957) - with Bobby Jaspar
 * Smooth as the Wind (Riverside, 1961)
 * The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (Riverside, 1960)
 * Jeru (Columbia, 1962)
 * Straight Life (Galaxy, 1979)
 * Keep Swingin' (Riverside, 1960)
 * 46th and 8th (Artists House)
 * Saxophone Colossus (Prestige, 1956)
 * Swingin' with Pee Wee (Prestige, 1960)
 * Here Comes Louis Smith (Blue Note, 1958)
 * Lucky Thompson Plays Happy Days Are Here Again (Prestige, 1965)
 * ZT's Blues (Blue Note, 1961)
 * The Frank Wess Quartet (Prestige, 1960)
 * Southern Comfort (Prestige, 1962)
 * Pairing Off (Prestige, 1956)