While he was often working in non-jazz pursuits he was a native New Yorker and a talented and expressive bebop guitarist. He was compared to Tal Farlow and Johnny Smith, Barney Kessel and Johnny Smith. Wayne wasn’t a big name in jazz, but he did meet major jazzmen such as Zoot Sims and Dizzy Gillespie. And improvisers who were comfortable with Wayne’s swinging and lyrical playing (a small group) loved him. Wayne could play many styles of jazz. He was able to play swing before he could play bop and Dixieland. He preferred bop, and that is the style that he’s best known for in jazz circles. Wayne was born Charles Jagelka on February 27, 1923 in the Big Apple. His birth name is still Charles Jagelka. However, when he decided to pursue a career as a musician, he found it easier and more convenient for him to go by Chuck Wayne. He didn’t begin his career as a guitarist. As a teenager, Wayne played the mandolin and swing as a musician. Wayne switched to the guitar in the early 1940s, when he was hired as a sideman for Clarence Profit, a swing pianist. Wayne spent some time in the United States Army and was very active on the 52nd Street music scene in midtown Manhattan during the ’40s. This is where he made the switch from swing to bebop. Wayne was influenced by Oscar Moore (of The Nat King Cole Trio), and Charlie Christian. It wasn’t long before he decided to make the leap from swing to bebop. Wayne was playing in Woody Herman’s big band in the mid-’40s, and 52nd Street was where Dizzy Gillespie played. Wayne, who played the banjo as well as the balalaika secondary instruments, was a sideman to George Shearing (1952-1952), and recorded some albums for Progressive in the 1950s as a leader. Wayne also had many non-jazz activities during the 1950s. These included writing for Broadway, working as a staff musician at CBS-TV, and a stint with Tony Bennett. Although he isn’t jazz per say but is an excellent example of jazz-influenced pop. Wayne didn’t give up bebop and recorded a few bop-oriented albums during the ’60s, ’70s, and two more decades in which he divided his time between jazz- and non-jazz pursuits. Wayne taught at the Westchester Conservatory of Music, just outside of New York City. He also continued to play and teach in the ’90s. Wayne died on July 29, 1997 at the age 74.
