Elliot Lawrence

If he had been born ten years earlier, Elliot Lawrence might have been one of the more significant bandleaders of the swing era. As it worked out, he was a bit of a prodigy, leading a strong dance band when he was only 20, but by then (1945), the swing era was ending. Lawrence recorded steadily as a leader between 1946 and 1960 (for Columbia, Decca, King, Fantasy, Vik, and Sesac), sometimes using Gerry Mulligan arrangements, but he mostly worked in the studios. After 1960, Lawrence stopped recording jazz altogether to compose, arrange, and conduct for television, films, and the theater. Few of his jazz-oriented sessions are available, but his hard-to-find music is worth exploring. Elliot Lawrence died in Manhattan on July 2, 2021; he was 96 years old. ~ Scott Yanow