Buster Bailey was a great clarinetist. He was well-known for his calm playing with John Kirby’s sextet but sometimes he would break free with wild solos, as on a recording called “Man With a Horn Goes Berserk”. Bailey was trained by Franz Schoepp, a classical teacher who also taught Benny Goodman. Handy’s band in 1917. In 1919, he moved to Chicago and began working with King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band and Erskine Tate. In 1924, he was a member of Fletcher Henderson’s New York orchestra. Bailey played with Henderson on and off between 1924-1934, 1936-1937 and 1937-1937. He also played with Noble Sissle (1934-1935) and the Mills Blue Rhythm Band (1934-1935). Next came the cool-toned swinging of John Kirby’s Sextet (1937-1946), which Bailey suited perfectly. After the Kirby band ended, Bailey was mostly employed as a Dixieland musician with Wilbur DeParis (1947-1949), Big chief Russell Moore (1952-1953), Henry “Red” Allen (1950-1951 and 1954-1960), Wild Bill Davison (61-63), and Saints and Sinners (63-1965), before joining the Louis Armstrong All-Stars (1965-1967). Buster Bailey was one of the most technical clarinetists of the 1920s. He never changed his style or became a leader but his talent and occasional humor were invaluable to many important and rewarding recordings. Allmusic
