Bees and Plummer Park

Pete Jolly (Wurlitzer electric piano, accordion), Chuck Berghofer (double bass), Paul Humphrey (drums) and Milt Holland (percussion). From the album Seasons (1970) by Pete Jolly.

Pete Jolly was an American West Coast jazz (cool jazz sub-genre) and bebop pianist and accordionist well-known in the 1950s and early 1960s who, in addition to developing his own recording career, participated in film soundtracks and songs for television. He worked as a studio musician during the day and in jazz clubs in Los Angeles at night for forty years. Born in the city of New Haven, his father taught him to play the accordion at the age of three and appeared on CBS Radio’s Hobby Lobby programe four years later. Next he started playing piano and in 1946, at age thirteen, moved with his family to Phoenix, where he met guitarist and jazz teacher Howard Roberts, from whom he received musical instruction and with whom he made a good friendship.

Afterwards Jolly enrolled in the Musicians Union and while studying in high school played in a trio at the Jazz Mill club and supported veteran alto saxophonist, trumpeter, clarinetist, composer and big band director Benny Carter, and trumpeter Chet Baker when they stopped there as part of their tours. In 1952 he was invited by Roberts to travel to Los Angeles and his first performances were with tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader Georgie Auld. Later he met trumpeter, flugelhorn player and one of the main West Coast jazz pioneers Shorty Rogers, with whom he established a long collaboration on fifteen albums from 1954 to 1962, most notably The Swinging Mr. Rogers (1955), Martians Stay Home (1955) and Manteca Afro-Cuban Influence (1958) with a big band and several Latin percussionists.

During those years Jolly also appeared on albums by singer Anita O’Day, singer, drummer and composer Mel Tormé, alto saxophonist Art Pepper, tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca, trumpeter Chet Baker, clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, pianist, composer and record producer Marty Paich and vibraphonists Terry Gibbs and Red Norvo. His technique was extraordinary, he had a rock solid rhythm and a light and flowing style, although somewhat shy, so he never got the recognition as a soloist that he deserved.

John Pisano (guitar), Pete Jolly (Hammon organ, Wurlitzer electric piano), Chuck Berghofer (double bass), Paul Humphrey (drums) and Milt Holland (percussion). From the album Seasons (1970) by Pete Jolly.