Leonard Gaskin

Leonard Gaskin (August 25, 1920 – January 24, 2009)

Gaskin played on the early bebop scene at Minton's and Monroe's in New York in the early 1940s. In 1944 he took over Oscar Pettiford's spot in Dizzy Gillespie's band, and followed it with stints in bands led by Cootie Williams, Charlie Parker, Don Byas, Eddie South, Charlie Shavers, and Erroll Garner.

Discography As leader 1961 – Leonard Gaskin at the Jazz Band Ball, (Swingville) 1962 – Darktown Strutter's Ball, (Swingville)

As sideman 1945 – Miles Davis: First Miles (Savoy) 1946 – Don Byas: 1946 (Classics) 1949 – J. J. Johnson / Kai Winding / Bennie Green: Trombone by Three (OJC) 1949 – J. J. Johnson: J. J. Johnson's Jazz Quintets (Savoy) 1950 – Charlie Parker: Charlie Parker All Stars – Charlie Parker at Birdland and Cafe Society (Cool & Blue, 1950–1952) 1951 – Illinois Jacquet: Jazz Moods (Verve) 1953 – Miles Davis: Miles Davis with Horns (Prestige/OJC) 1955 – Billie Holiday: Lady Sings the Blues (Verve) 1955 – Sonny Terry / Brownie McGhee: Back Country Blues 1956 – Jimmy Scott: If Only You Knew (Savoy) 1956 – Big Maybelle: Candy (Savoy) 1956 – Sammy Price: Rock (Savoy) 1957 – Bud Freeman: Chicago / Austin High School Jazz in HiFi (RCA) 1957 – Eddie Condon: The Roaring Twenties (Columbia) 1958 – Ruby Braff: Easy Now (RCA) 1958 – Rex Stewart: Rendezvous with Rex (Felsted) 1959 – Rex Stewart & Dicky Wells: Chatter Jazz (RCA Victor) 1959 – Marion Williams: O Holy Night (Savoy) 1961 – Lightnin' Hopkins: Last Night Blues (Bluesville) 1961 – Arbee Stidham: Tired of Wandering (Bluesville) 1961 – Al Smith: Midnight Special (Bluesville) 1961 – Roosevelt Sykes: The Honeydripper (Bluesville) 1961 – Sunnyland Slim: Slim's Shout (Bluesville) 1961 – Lightnin' Hopkins: Lightnin' (Bluesville) 1961 – Curtis Jones: Trouble Blues (Bluesville) 1961 – Shakey Jake: Mouth Harp Blues (Bluesville) 1961 – Mildred Anderson: No More in Life (Bluesville) 1962 – The Staple Singers: Hammer and Nails (Riverside) 1962 – Rhoda Scott: Hey! Hey! Hey! (Tru-Sound) 1962 – Odetta: Sometimes I Feel Like Cryin' (RCA Victor) 1963 – Willis Jackson: Grease 'n' Gravy, The Good Life (Prestige) 1963 – Sonny Terry: Sonny Is King (Bluesville) 1963 – Lightnin' Hopkins: Goin' Away (Bluesville) 1963 – Red Holloway: The Burner (Prestige) 1963 – Jimmy Witherspoon: Blues Around the Clock (Prestige) 1963 – Bob Dylan: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (Columbia) 1964 – Lightnin' Hopkins: Down Home Blues (Bluesville) 1964 – Sonny Stitt: Primitivo Soul (Prestige) 1965 – Illinois Jacquet: Spectrum (Argo) 1965 – Lightnin' Hopkins: Soul Blues (Prestige) 1968 – Solomon Burke: King Solomon (Atlantic) 1972 – Louisiana Red: Louisiana Red Sings the Blues (Atlantic) 1997 – Stan Getz: The Complete Roost Recordings (Roost, 1950–1954) 2001 – Richard Negri: Meditations on a Downbeat, Words Spoken through Jazz (LightMoose)