Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. Within months of moving to New York in 1956, he had recorded with Miles Davis and on Sonny Rollins' album Saxophone Colossus. Recordings under various leaders, including Giant Steps of John Coltrane, continued well into 1962, when he became vocalist Ella Fitzgerald's full-time accompanist. He worked with Fitzgerald for three years until 1965, and then in 1968 returned to be her pianist and musical director, this time for a decade.
After leaving Fitzgerald in 1978, Flanagan attracted praise for the elegance of his playing, which was principally in trio settings when under his own leadership. In his 45-year recording career, he recorded more than three dozen albums under his own name and more than 200 as a sideman. By the time of his death, he was one of the most widely admired jazz pianists and had influenced both his contemporaries and later generations of players.
Early life
Flanagan was born in Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan, on March 16, 1930. He was the youngest of six children – five boys and a girl. His parents were both originally from Georgia. His father, Johnson Sr, was a postman, and his mother, Ida Mae, worked in the garment industry.
At the age of six, Flanagan's parents gave him a clarinet for Christmas. He learned to read music from playing the clarinet, but within a few years he preferred the piano. The family had a piano in the house, and Flanagan received lessons from one of his brothers, Johnson, and Gladys Wade Dillard, who also taught Kirk Lightsey and Barry Harris. Flanagan graduated from Northern High School, which he attended with other future musicians, including saxophonist Sonny Red.
Flanagan's early influences included Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson, both of whom he heard on the radio and playing in the Detroit area, as well as Nat King Cole and local pianists Earl Van Riper and Willie Anderson. These, however, played in an earlier style, and the young Flanagan and his friends were more interested in the newer bebop, including that played by pianist Bud Powell, who had a strong effect on Flanagan's musical thinking and improvising.
Later life and career
1945–1955 – Around Detroit
Flanagan's first concert was around 1945, with trombonist Frank Rosolino. Given Flanagan was only around 15 years old at the time, he could not stay in the bar area of the club between sets, so he went to another room and did some homework. As a teenager, he played in a band led by Lucky Thompson that also contained Pepper Adams and Kenny Burrell. Still in his teens, Flanagan also sat in on piano for some appearances by Charlie Parker in Detroit. During 1949, Flanagan had his first residence, at the Blue Bird Inn in Detroit. In 1950, he played with Rudy Rutherford, until the clarinetist returned to the Count Basie band. Flanagan then played jazz and rhythm and blues with saxophonist George Benson in Toledo, Ohio, before being drafted into the army in 1951.
After basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Flanagan auditioned as a pianist for an army show. He gained the role, which prevented him from being sent to the Korean War at that time; approximately a year later, however, he was sent to Kunsan, with the war ongoing. There, he worked as a motion-picture projectionist. After two years' service he was discharged and returned to Detroit, where he soon became pianist at the Blue Bird again. He again worked with Burrell, as well as Donald Byrd and Yusef Lateef, among others.
1956–early 1978 – After move to New York
Flanagan moved to New York in 1956. He was unsure of how long he would stay, having been persuaded to go by Burrell; the two men initially stayed with Burrell's aunt in Harlem. Flanagan soon found work in clubs and studios, including recording Detroit – New York Junction with Thad Jones in March. Later the same month he returned to recording, this time with Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, for tracks released on Collectors' Items. Rollins was leader for another session three months later: Saxophone Colossus, which was labeled an "undisputed masterpiece" by The Penguin Guide to Jazz.