Jess Stacy
| Jess Stacy | |
|---|---|
Jess Stacy, c. 1945
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jesse Alexandria Stacy |
| Born | August 11, 1904 |
| Origin | Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 1995 (aged 90) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Associated acts |
Earl Hines Floyd Towne Bob Crosby Tommy Dorsey Benny Goodman Lee Wiley |
Jesse Alexandria Stacy (August 11, 1904 – January 1, 1995) was an American jazz pianist who gained prominence during the swing era. He is perhaps best known for his years with the Benny Goodman band during the late 1930s, particularly his performance at Goodman's Carnegie Hall concert in 1938.
Stacy was born in Bird's Point, Missouri, a small town across the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois. His first piano teacher was Mabel Irene Bailey who played piano for the silent movies. In 1918 Stacy moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. There Stacy received his only formal music training studying under Professor Clyde Brandt, a professor of piano and violin at Southeast Missouri State Teachers College (now Southeast Missouri State University), while sweeping up nights at Clark's Music Store.
By 1920 Stacy was playing piano in saxophonist Peg Meyer's jazz ensemble at Cape Girardeau High School and at the Bluebird Confectionary on Broadway and Fountain and also at the Sweet Shop on Main Street. Originally labeled by schoolmates as "The Agony Four", "that band took them out of Cape Girardeau where, according to Stacy, 'everyone was square as a bear'".
By 1921 the ensemble was known as Peg Meyer's Melody Kings and started touring the Mississippi River on 'The Majestic' and other riverboats.
At some unknown date in the early 1920s Stacy moved 'upriver' to Chicago, Illinois, where he received notice performing with Paul Mares, leader of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, playing a genre of jazz which came to be called "Chicago-style". Stacy cites his main influences at the time as Louis Armstrong and, especially, pianist Earl Hines, pianist for both Armstrong and the Carroll Dickerson band. Stacy would frequently go to wherever Hines was playing and later played with Hines' band as 'relief piano player' in The Grand Terrace Cafe [as did Nat "King" Cole and Teddy Wilson] but during this time Stacy was mostly playing with Floyd Towne’s dance orchestra.
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