LEGENDS OF KANSAS CITY

reflects a lifetime of achievement by Kansas City Jazz musician Monte Easter. Born in 1913, his first band featured Johnny Otis on drums, singer Bardu Ali (formerly with Chick Webb) and Chuck Thomas on tenor sax.

Trained at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, under Jimmy Stamps, Easter's sound influenced and participated in the careers of many of music's popular entertainers. Guitarist Jimmy Nolan, Singer Gloria Shannon, pianist Jay McShann, Charles Brown, Ernie Freeman, T-Bone Walker, blues singer Pearl Traylor,

singer Judy Canova, saxman Hubert Allen, Martha Potts, bass player Addison Farmer and drummer Charlie Blackwell represent just a few of the entertainers who worked with Monte Easter during their careers. In 1946, Easter backed singer Mary DePina for a session on Aladdin Records which resulted in four songs that placed him in the Billboard Encyclopedia of Hit Recordings.

After his initial successes recording on Sterling Records and with various other artists' labels, Easter signed in 1951 with Lew Chudd's Imperial Records on Hollywood Boulevard. With arrangements by Ernie Freeman, Monte Easter and his Harlem Swingsters released four records including "I'm Hunched" (meaning " I'm hip to that jive"). This success led Easter and his band to performing in venues such as the Uptown Ballroom in Los Angeles (formerly the Savoy). Easter also recorded on the Discovery label beginning in 1952 and on the Aladdin label starting in October of 1953. " After Dark", recorded on Aladdin with Monte Easter on vocals was reviewed by Billboard (February 1954) stating, "That is the time of night Easter says he has a ball, and from the sounds projected by Easter and the boys here, it is easy to believe." "Just a rockin" and "Blues in the Evening" , released on Aladdin, also received positive reviews.

After several more years recording songs like "Weekend Blues" and "Going Back to Kansas City", Easter retired from music and took a job at the Post Office. He eventually went back to Kansas City returning to Los Angeles in 1975. In the 1980's, he began singing regularly and formed "Kansas City Jazz" featuring his old buddies Eddie Davis on tenor sax, Cauchy Roberts, alto sax, Wallace Brodis, tenor sax, Duke Burell, piano, Bill Hadnot, bass, Jim Daniels, guitar, Oscar Bradley on drums and himself on trumpet. He later founded his own label "Intrigue" and released twelve of his own compilations including, "I was mad", "Do the Hoosie Doosie", "Sounds of Kansas City", "Disco in Frisco", "Jump Boys Jump", " Way Past Midnight", " Sherm Alley", "Sweet Lovin' Woman", "My Luck is Bound to Change" and the re-release of "Weekend Blues"  Monte died in December of 2001 in Los Angeles, California.   (Exerpts borrowed, with permission, from ""I'm Hunched", The Monte Easter Story", written by Opal Louis Nations, copyright 1998)