The Elusive Bill DeArango

I first encountered Bill DeArango during my early explorations of bebop – specifically, Dizzy Gillespie’s 1940s recordings for RCA Victor. The tune: Ol’ Man Rebop. The guitar solo blew me away. Who was that guy? DeArango had a relatively brief career, recording-wise. After he got out of the service in 1944, he hit 52^nd Street and started gigging with the likes of Ben Webster, as chronicled in this Harvey Pekar comic. He quickly emerged as a leading bop guitarist, with Dizzy, Eddy “Lockjaw” Davis, and others.

DeArango recorded an album or two in the early 50s and then headed back to Cleveland, where he owned a music store, played with the local heavyweights, and explored freer kinds of jazz. His last album, with Joe Lovano, was issued on Gunther Schuller’s GM Records. Someone has started a Bill DeArango Web site that has a lot more information about the man and his music – and some amazing audio samples.

Here’s Ol’ Man Rebop and Jim Dawgs, a 1945 swinger led by Newark, NJ's own Ike Quebec, who's worth a post himself.