Alvin Stoller

Alvin Stoller (October 7, 1925 – October 19, 1992) was an American jazz drummer. Though he seems to have been largely forgotten, he was held in high regard in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in New York City, Stoller studied with drum teacher Henry Adler and launched his career touring and recording with swing era big bands led by Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Charlie Barnet. He backed singers including Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra on some of their major recordings. His drums may be heard on many of Ella Fitzgerald's "Songbook" recordings; on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook, he performed with the Duke Ellington orchestra itself, alongside Ellington's own Sam Woodyard.

Stoller also recorded with Art Tatum, Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster (see Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster), Benny Carter, Herb Ellis, and Erroll Garner among many other jazz greats. In the 1950s, Stoller settled in the Los Angeles area, where he became respected for his work in the Hollywood studios, lasting for several decades. Leonard Feather considered him a "first-rate, swinging drummer". That Buddy Rich, whom some consider to have been the greatest of all jazz drummers,^[1] chose Stoller to play drums on an album in which Rich himself sang suggests the esteem Stoller earned from his fellow musicians.

Stoller played snare drum and received label credit for "Yankee snare drumming", on Stan Freberg's version of Mitch Miller's "Yellow Rose of Texas", in which his loud playing interrupts the singer, Freberg. Stoller had played the prominent snare on the original Mitch Miller recording.

Discography

With Georgie Auld

• In the Land of Hi-Fi with Georgie Auld and His Orchestra (EmArcy, 1955)

With Sammy Davis Jr

• It's All Over but the Swingin' (Decca, 1957)

With Harry Edison

• Sweets (Clef, 1956)

With Roy Eldridge

• Dale's Wail (Clef, 1953)
• Urbane Jazz (Verve, 1955) with Benny Carter

With Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong and the Russell Garcia Orchestra

• Porgy and Bess (Verve, 1957)

With Phineas Newborn, Jr.

• While My Lady Sleeps (RCA Victor, 1957)

With Mel Torme

• Mel Torme Sings Fred Astaire (Bethlehem, 1956)

With Herb Ellis, Oscar Peterson and Jimmy Giuffre

• Ellis in Wonderland (Norgran, 1956)

Notes

1. Korall, pp. 250, 251.

References

• Feather, Leonard. The Encyclopedia of Jazz (Horizon Press, 1960)
• Korall, Burt. Drummin' Men (Schirmer Books, 1990)