Teddy Brannon

A single-minded perception that the nickname "Teddy" comes only from "Theodore" has perhaps added to the shroud of obscurity surrounding a musician who, like many, should really be better known. Humphrey "Teddy" Brannon, emerging into New Jersey out of the wilds of Moultrie, GA, became a superb pianist, playing in rhythm sections in which there were members whose names would make the editors of jazz journals drool. He was also important to the doo wop scene, both composing and arranging numbers for several hit groups. Brannon's cousin, Babs Gonzales, did become somewhat famous, mostly for being a weirdo. So Brannon's obscurity could seem unfair, yet when the subject is jazz pianists it is the sheer number to choose from that contributes greatly to what sometimes seems like a huge discard heap. Considering this, the fact that Humphrey Brannon and Teddy Brannon are often considered two different people literally doubles his problem, cloning him into not just one obscure pianist but two. Discographer Tom Lord was even fooled, listing six recording sessions for a Humphrey Ted Brannon and more than 50 for Teddy Brannon, all of this activity taking place between the early '40s and early '60s. The pianist played from the age of nine, noodling his way into local dance bands in high school and then gigging in Newark nightclubs between 1937 and 1942, sometimes leading the groups. After that he went to work for Benny Carter for three years, then gigged on the 52nd Street scene in New York City. In the '50s a series of credits with major jazz stars begins, many of whom had been impressed with Brannon's accomplishments as a bandleader in the last several years of the previous decade. His performances with Don Byas, Roy Eldridge, Buddy Rich, Bennie Green, and Johnny Hodges represent superb jazz from this era, swinging hard and nibbling at bebop. The pianist followed his affiliation with the brilliant Hodges by spending years tossing chord changes at the hard-charging Illinois Jacquet. In the meantime he was spending more and more time in recording studios assembling material for vocal groups such as the Blenders. Brannon backed singers Dinah Washington, Ruth Brown, Billie Holiday, and needless to say, his cousin. The hilarious Gonzales track warning one and all to "Watch Them Resolutions" features Brannon on organ; his interest in keyboard alternatives also extended to the celeste. ~ Eugene Chadbourne