Biography: Percy Heath, Percy Humphrey, Percy Nelson, Perry Botkin, Perry Bradford, Perry Joslin, Perry Robinson, Pete Briggs, Pete Brown, Pete Candoli,

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A product of one of jazz’s most illustrious families, Percy Heath and his sublime, swinging bass served as the cornerstone of the Modern Jazz Quartet for over four decades

Percy Humphrey Biography, Photos, Pictures

Percy and his brother, clarinetist Willie Humphrey, became well-known from the 1960s on for their playing in the erratic but enjoyable Preservation Hall Jazz Band Percy, whose other brother was trombonist Earl Humphrey (1902-1971), was never a major musician, but he played his simple melodic leads with sincerity

Percy Nelson Biography, Photos, Pictures

The Nighthawks band that flies out of Washington, DC, must have performed at every honky tonk in New England, many of them named the Dew Drop Inn Use of this band name originated decades earlier than the aforementioned house rockers, who originally formed in 1972

Perry Botkin Biography, Photos, Pictures

Forget Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Chet Atkins, or Chuck Berry, the most frequently heard guitarist in the world is none of the above Not that exactly who it is has ever been determined to anyone’s satisfaction, but a few votes at least should go for Perry Botkin

Perry Bradford Biography, Photos, Pictures

Although he lived until 1970, Perry Bradford’s main importance to music was during the first half of the 1920’s He grew up in Atlanta (where his family moved when he was six) and in 1906 started working with minstrel shows

Perry Joslin Biography, Photos, Pictures

Although he began playing piano at age three, smooth jazz pianist Perry Joslin spent the better part of his adult life working outside of the music industry A business major in college, Joslin continued to perform jazz and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1983, adding a minor in music to his resume

Perry Robinson Biography, Photos, Pictures

Throughout his career, Perry Robinson has sought to do the near-impossible: establish himself as an avant-garde leader on an instrument still closely associated with the swing era

As a musician, Pete Briggs had a mission to provide the bottom end, but eventually left all that behind to plow the bottom 40 Before ditching the music business to become a farmer, Briggs was associated with the New Orleans jazz scene — particularly Louis Armstrong, with whom he cut enough sides to partially obscure a view of the hayloft

Pete Brown had an unusual and distinctive swing-based style that sometimes used staccato phrases that were speech-like Starting originally on piano and also for a time doubling on trumpet, Pete Brown’s main ax was the alto by the time he came to New York in 1927 with Bernie Robinson’s band

Pete Candoli Biography, Photos, Pictures

The elder of the trumpet-playing Candoli brothers, Pete initially made the greater impact of the two in Woody Herman’s First Herd at the tail end of the swing era A powerful, flamboyant soloist, his big moment came toward the end of “Apple Honey,” where he would appear in a Superman costume and cut loose scorching, dissonant flurries of high notes

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