Clarence Profit 1912

Pianista e caporchestra statunitense (New York, 26.6.1912 – 22.10.1944). Appena adolescente, figura già in orchestrine da ballo delle quali, a volte, prende la guida. Nel 1930 fa parte dei Washboard Serenaders di Teddy Bunn, ma subito dopo si impone una sorta di lungo esilio nelle Antille, dove assume la guida di un’orchestra. Tornato a New York nel 1936 forma un trio con chitarra e contrabbasso (che anticipa quello di Nat King Cole) con cui si esibisce in svariati locali, e del quale faranno parte, in epoche diverse, i chitarristi Jimmy Shirley, Billy Moore e Chuck Wayne.
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Il suo stile è stato segnato all’inizio dallo stride di James P. Johnson; in seguito Profit mostrerà, col suo trio, di aver trovato un tocco sottile e qualche intuizione armonica sui tempi. Assieme a Edgar Sampson ha composto Lullaby In Rhythm (1938).

[A. C.]

American pianist and conductor (New York, 26.6.1912 - 22.10.1944). As a teenager, he already appears in dance orchestras, of which he sometimes takes the lead. In 1930 he was part of Teddy Bunn's Washboard Serenaders, but immediately afterward, a sort of long exile was imposed in the Antilles, where he took the lead of an orchestra. Returning to New York in 1936, he forms a trio with guitar and double bass (which anticipates that of Nat King Cole) with which he performs in various venues, and which will include, in different eras, the guitarists Jimmy Shirley, Billy Moore, and Chuck Wayne.

The James P. Johnson stride initially marked his style; later, Profit will show, with his trio, that he has found a subtle touch and some harmonic intuition about the times. Together with Edgar Sampson, he composed Lullaby In Rhythm (1938).
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[A. C.]