Buster Harding

Lavere "Buster" Harding (March 19, 1917 – November 14, 1965) was a Canadian-born American jazz pianist, composer and arranger.

Buster Harding
Birth name	Lavere Harding
Born	March 19, 1912[1][2][3] Ontario, Canada
Died	November 14, 1965 (aged 53) New York City, New York, United States
Genres	Swing music
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, arranger
Instruments	Piano
Associated acts	Count Basie

Early life

Born to Benjamin "Ben" and Ada (née Shreve) Harding in North Buxton, Ontario,[1][3] Harding was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where as a teenager he started on his own band.[4]

Later life and career

In 1939 Harding went to work for the Teddy Wilson big band, and then in the early 1940s went to work for the Coleman Hawkins band, and then Cab Calloway. He became a freelance arranger and worked with Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Count Basie, among others.[4]

In 1949 he was the musical director for Billie Holiday recording sessions. In the early 1960s Harding played with Jonah Jones, though he was known primarily as an arranger and composer.[4] Harding did not record as a leader.[5] He died on November 14, 1965, in New York City.[5]

Select discography

With Count Basie

• The Count! (Clef, 1952 [1955]) - as arranger
• Basie (Clef, 1954) - as arranger
• The Story of Jazz (Philips Records)
• Basie Ball (Philips Records)
• Sounds of Jazz (Fontana Records)
• One O'Clock Jump (Columbia Records)

With Roy Eldridge

• All the Cats Join In (MCA Records)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• The Big Band Sound of Dizzy Gillespie (Verve Records)
• Dizzy Gillespie: Best of Small Groups (Verve Records)
• Dizzy and Strings (Norgan Records, 1954) also released as Diz Big Band (Verve Records) - as arranger
• Jazz Spectrum Vol. 11: Dizzy Gillespie (Metro Records)

With Billie Holiday

• Broadcast Performances, Vol. 1: Radio And TV Broadcasts (1949-52) (ESP Disk)
• Broadcast Performances, Vol. 2: Radio And TV Broadcasts (1953-56) (ESP Disk)

References

1. Abdul, Raoul (September 14, 2005). "Deep roots in 'Musical Buxton'". New York Amsterdam News.
2. Miller, Mark (1997). Such Melodious Racket: The Lost History of Jazz in Canada, 1914-1949. Mercury Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-55128-046-2.
3. 1930 United States Census. -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga -- Cleveland. - United States Census Bureau.
4. Carr, Ian; Digby Fairweather; Brian Priestley (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. Rough Guides. p. 335.
5. Yanow, Scott " Buster Harding – Biography by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2016.