One of the most talented pianists of the 1940s,
Johnny Guarnieri had the ability to closely imitate
Fats Waller,
Count Basie, and even
Art Tatum. Not too surprisingly, he was in great demand during his prime years.
Guarnieri started classical piano lessons when he was ten and soon switched to jazz. In 1939, he joined
Benny Goodman's orchestra, recording frequently with both the big band and
B.G.'s sextet. In 1940,
Guarnieri became a member of
Artie Shaw's orchestra and gained fame playing harpsichord on
Shaw's popular Gramercy Five recordings. After further associations with
Goodman (1941) and
Shaw (1941-1942), he was with
Tommy Dorsey (1942-1943) and then freelanced. Among
Guarnieri's many recordings during this era were important dates with
Lester Young ("Sometimes I'm Happy"),
Roy Eldridge,
Ben Webster,
Coleman Hawkins,
Rex Stewart,
Don Byas, and
Louis Armstrong ("Jack-Armstrong Blues"). He also recorded frequently as a leader during 1944-1947, including one date on which
Lester Young was his sideman.
Guarnieri joined the staff of NBC in the late '40s, appeared in the
Coleman Hawkins/
Roy Eldridge television pilot After Hours (1961), moved to California in the '60s where he often played solo piano, and a few times in the 1970s toured Europe.
Guarnieri's later records often found him playfully performing stride in 5/4 time. He recorded as a leader through the years for such labels as Savoy, Majestic, Coral (1956), Golden Crest, Camden, Dot, Black & Blue, Dobre, and Taz-Jazz (1976 and 1978). ~ Scott Yanow