Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde jazz, and later fusion.
Sheldon Manne was born in New York City. Originally a saxophonist, Manne switched to drums when he was 18, following in the footsteps of his uncles and his father Max. He was influenced by swing drummer Jo Jones and was tutored by Broadway percussionist Billy Gladstone. Manne got work almost immediately with the Bobby Byrne Orchestra in 1940 and Joe Marsala's band (making his recording debut in 1941). He also briefly served in the big bands of Will Bradley, Raymond Scott, and Les Brown and played drums on Coleman Hawkins' classic "The Man I Love" session of 1943.
He began his recording career as a bandleader with 1952's Here's That Manne and in 1953 assembled Shelly Manne & His Men to cut a pair of eponymous LPs for Les Koenig's Contemporary label. The ever-evolving band issued a long string of recordings on Contemporary the label (1955-1962) including the classic, four-volume At the Black Hawk series (a fifth volume was released posthumously in 1991). Among Manne's sidemen were Stu Williamson, Conte Candoli, Charlie Mariano, Herb Geller, Bill Holman, Jimmy Giuffre, and many, many others.
Manne had the good fortune to lead the recording date Modern Jazz Performances of Songs from My Fair Lady (with pianist André Previn and bassist Leroy Vinnegar. The drummer's open musical mind resulted in fairly free pieces on The Three and the Two (trios with Shorty Rogers and Jimmy Giuffre that did not have a piano or bass, along with duets with Russ Freeman), and, in 1959, played on sessions by traditionalist Benny Goodman and vanguardist Ornette Coleman. In sum, he was nearly ubiquitous during the '50s.
Manne appeared on many film and television soundtracks and even acted in The Man with the Golden Arm. He worked with Henry Mancini very closely; Manne's seamless combinations of jazz, pop, and classical music worked well in his scores. Some of the scores he played include Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Hatari! (1962), and The Pink Panther (1963). He collaborated with Mancini for television as well, orchestrating the Peter Gunn series (1958-1961) and Mr. Lucky (1959-1960). Besides Mancini, Manne performed on movie soundtracks and TV shows featuring music by Elmer Bernstein, Rugolo, John Williams, and on the film soundtrack for Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story in 1961. That year, Manne wrote and recorded the score for The Proper Time.
In 1960, the drummer founded the popular jazz club Shelly's Manne Hole and ran it until 1974. In 1962 he played on seminal recordings by Jack Sheldon (Out), Peggy Lee (Bewitching-Lee), Barney Kessel (Let's Cook!), and Art Pepper (The Artistry of Pepper). In 1964 he released My Fair Lady with the Un-Original Cast. Manne kept his music open to freer sounds. He worked with Junior Mance, Howard Roberts, and Lalo Schifrin. In 1966, Shelly Manne & His Men issued the charting Boss Sounds on Atlantic, and in 1967 he played on albums by Frank Zappa (Lumpy Gravy), and released Jazz Gunn and Daktari. For the remainder of the decade, Manne was almost too busy. In 1968, in addition to backing composer/pianist Michel Legrand at Shelly's Manne Hole, he appeared on Bud Shank's iconic Plays the Music and Arrangements of Michel LeGrand: Windmills of Your Mind.
In 1971, Manne released Alive in London, showcasing a very electric quintet. In 1972, he played on saxophonist John Klemmer's pre-fusion album Constant Throb. In 1976 he played on more than ten albums including Pepper's The Living Legend, Art Farmer's On the Road, and the eponymous offering The Three with Joe Sample and Ray Brown. From 1976-1978, Manne played in Lew Tabakin's band on several albums. In 1979, he released French Concert featuring Lee Konitz and The Manne We Love, his final album by Shelly Manne & His Men.
Manne continued to be active on the studio scene until his death on September 9, 1984 from a sudden heart attack, two weeks after he was honored by the City of Los Angeles in conjunction with the Hollywood Arts Council; they declared September 9 "Shelly Manne Day."
(Edited mainly from AllMusic bio by Thom Jurek)
