Ode to Tommy Flanagan

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By: Joe Farmer Follow

Tommy Flanagan has been a soloist and accompanist of choice throughout the 20th century. Like many African-American musicians of that time, his status as a virtuoso was somewhat neglected by a society then very reluctant to recognize the value of its most talented artists from the black community. This discreet instrumentalist was nonetheless a jazz giant who released dozens of albums under his name and responded gracefully to requests from personalities like Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, or John Coltrane. Tommy Flanagan is said to have celebrated his 90th birthday on March 16, 2020.

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Telling the story of Tommy Flanagan forces us to go back in time, to a time when the big bands of the swing era punctuate the daily lives of American citizens. We are in the 1930s and Thomas Lee Flanagan, known as Tommy, was born in Detroit, Michigan. The future capital of Soul-Music has not yet made its artistic revolution and Motown Records does not exist in the musical landscape of this big city in the north of the United States. However, little Tommy already has his ears wide open and his naive curiosity feeds a still immature gift for harmony and melody. He doesn't know it yet, but he has predispositions for art and music in particular. It was during adolescence that his talents as a performer were revealed.

The anthology of Tommy Flanagan, published in 2008. Lone Hill Jazz

From 1956 to 1998, Tommy Flanagan never stopped recording and performing around the world. Although he represented for many of his admirers a guardian of tradition, he did not want to be fixed in a genre, a style, a category, which had no meaning in his eyes. If you do not know the history of jazz, its music may seem learned and difficult to access, but Tommy Flanagan did not care. He trusted the openness of his contemporaries and rightly considered that the thrill could occur at any time. It was enough to let yourself be carried away by emotion.

Like his elder Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan had the privilege of accompanying the great Ella Fitzgerald. Some recordings testify to his prestigious and sometimes acrobatic performances. Taking risks, renewing oneself is a requirement for any talented improviser. The pitfall is to repeat itself and stagnate. Nostalgia is never a source of progress. Tommy Flanagan knew it and, even if the memories of a golden age of jazz were running through his mind, as he was one of its fervent contributors, he constantly wanted to question himself so as not to be surpassed .

Among the heirs of Tommy Flanagan, we can cite Kenny Barron. This other excellent pianist, originally from Philadelphia, was born in 1943 and was very early inspired by the playing of his illustrious predecessor. On December 6, 1978, he had the pleasure of recording an album with his chaperone. This disc, entitled " Together" , is now a jazz classic.

A nod from Tommy Flanagan to his illustrious partner, Ella Fitzgerald. Polygram

20 years later, in 1998, another personality full of admiration for Tommy Flanagan will have the privilege of sharing several hours of studio with his hero. Her name is Michèle Hendricks, she is a singer, and wanted to salute the memory of the illustrious Ella Fitzgerald, who died a few months earlier. Logically, she turned to the man who had been her pianist for so many years. The Maestro was desired, but finally accepted this discographic challenge. It took almost two decades for us to discover this unique recording by Michèle Hendricks with Tommy Flanagan. This album, " A little bit of Ella, Now & Then ", appeared in 2016 and received the prize for the best vocal jazz disc awarded by the jazz academy in Paris. By listening to these studio sessions, you realize how much Tommy Flanagan mastered the art of improvisation. Whatever the changes in tones, rhythms, harmonies, he always managed to adapt.

Michèle Hendricks can legitimately take pride in having recorded an entire album with Tommy Flanagan. This great artist has marked an entire generation of musicians and lovers of beautiful music. We are also entitled to wonder if the succession is assured. The gradual disappearance of virtuosos of yesteryear questions us about the value of current pianists. Do they have the touch, the maturity, the experience that requires piano excellence. Tommy Flanagan, at the end of his life, worried about the little interest of young people for his art. His doubts are today contradicted by the advent of a generation of truly talented instrumentalists, the Christian Sands, Alfredo Rodriguez, Harold Lopez Nussa, Roberto Fonseca, Thomas Enhco, Grégory Privat, and a few others, who have known inspire the heritage of their elders to imprint their sound identity in the great and rich history of jazz. But let the present not prevent us from celebrating the icons of the past. Tommy Flanagan was, without a doubt, a pillar of African-American culture and a model for many of his disciples.

Michèle Hendricks pays tribute to Ella Fitzgerald in the presence of Tommy Flanagan. Crystal records

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