Eddie Costa, Another One Who Died Too Young

happy hipster

I've been on a real kick of exploring some of the lesser known lights of jazz, as my last few posts will attest. Have you heard of the incredible Eddie Costa? He was a West Coast player who was equally proficient on piano and vibes, he had a percussive attack on the keys that really is all his own.

He played some great music with Bill Evans handling the keys while Eddie played vibes. Another great group in the history of jazz.

Luckily Eddie left some fine music behind before his tragic car accident (wait, ignore that - we avoid talking about the details of the bad endings that came to jazz musicians, though perhaps if I am feeling particularly nihilistic one day I could write all about it) and one of my favourites, at least as of this morning as I drove to work, is his rendition of 'Get Happy'. Friends, listen for a few seconds and you'll see what I mean about his wonderful rhythmic talents. It's a gem of a song and I urge you to seek him out.