Junior Mance
Junior Mance
Piano
Julian Clifford “Junior” Mance, jazz pianist, composer, author, and recording artist was born in Chicago in 1928. He started playing piano at age five. He attended Roosevelt College in Chicago as a music major but left in 1947 to join Gene Ammons' band. He next joined Lester Young for almost two years, and rejoined Ammons 1951, before being drafted into the U. S. Army. He served in the 36th Army Band along with Julian "Cannonball" Adderley.
After his military stint, Junior became part of the house rhythm section at the Bee Hive Jazz Club in Chicago in 1953 and accompanied jazz greats Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Sonny Stitt, and many others. In ‘54 he toured with Dinah Washington. Among the many recordings they made, two standouts were "Dinah Jams" and "Jam Session". These live recordings featured Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Clark Terry, Maynard Ferguson, Herb Geller, Harold Land, Keter Betts, George Morrow, and Richie Powell.
In 1956 Junior reunited with Cannonball Adderley as a member of his first working band, performing and recording for Mercury Records. He joined Dizzy Gillespie's band in 1958, a period he considers a highlight of his career. Besides the joy of playing with Dizzy, he remembers a great learning experience in musicianship, showmanship, and just about everything related to the business of music.
In 1961 Junior formed his own trio, making his first recording as a leader on Verve. The trio accompanied Joe Williams for two years. Between trio gigs, he worked with the Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis/Johnny Griffin Quintet. In the late 70s, Junior started performing with bassist, Marty Rivera, a partnership that would last for 20 years.
In 1988 Junior became a member of the faculty of the Jazz and Contemporary Music Program at the New School University in New York City where he still teaches Blues and Blues Ensembles, gives private lessons and helps students develop their careers.
During the 1990's Junior was a member of "100 GOLD FINGERS.” This elite group consists of ten outstanding pianists who tour Japan every other year. The group has included people Hank Jones, John Lewis, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Barron, Marion McPartland, Barry Harris, Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Green, and others. In 1997, Junior was inducted into The International Jazz Hall of Fame.