Shelly Manne

The highly respected jazz drummer Shelly Manne played with some of the top jazz ensembles of his era and his services were frequently in demand by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Woody Herman and Stan Kenton. He was born in 1920 and by the time he was in his early thirties the New York jazz drummer had earned enough to buy a ranch on the outskirts of Los Angeles, raising horses with his wife and ex-Roxette Florence Butterfield. During his time on the west coast Manne became strongly associated with the so-called 'west coast school of jazz', performing with artists such as Shorty Rogers and Chet Baker. During this period Manne experimented with avant-garde music and became linked with what is known as the 'third stream' genre, a strange crossover between jazz improvisation and classical music originally identified and defined by the composer Gunther Schuller. Manne was incredibly versatile and could play in almost any style, a talent which led to him being such a successful session player. Manne continued to improve and develop as a player right up to his death in 1984 from a heart attack. He left a huge recording legacy of outstanding performances with some of America's top artists and he remains one of the most accomplished drummers of his era.

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