John Kirby (musician)
Videos
John Kirby, was an American jazz double-bassist and bandleader. In addition to sideman work, Kirby lead a chamber jazz sextet in the late 1930s and early 1940s, which scored several hit songs includin
Kirby and Buster Bailey, Washington D.C., c. May 1946 Photo: William P. Gottlieb
Onyx Club
Videos
The Onyx Club was a jazz club located on West 52nd Street in New York City.
John Kirby (musician)
…said, "He is by far the best bass player around. It had to be Kirby on the first Teddy Wilson-Billie Holiday recording date." Securing a gig at the Onyx Club on 52nd Street in 1937 confirmed Kirby's status as a bandleader, although in the first Onyx Club line-up, it was singer-drummer Leo Watson who got…
From left: Toots Thielemans, Adele Girard, and Joe Marsala in front of the Onyx of New York City, c. 1948