John Albert Guarnieri (March 23, 1917 – January 7, 1985) was an American jazz and stride pianist, born in New York City. One of the most talented pianists of the 1940s, Johnny Guarnieri had the ability to closely imitate Fats Waller, Count Basie, and even Art Tatum. Not too surprisingly, he was in great demand during his prime years.
Born in New York City on March 23, 1917, Guarnieri logically might have been expected to take up the violin, since he is a descendant of the famous Guarnerius family of violinmakers. But he took to the piano at 10, and not long after graduation from Roosevelt High School, landed his first name-band job, with George Hall, in 1937.
After an interlude with Mike Riley's combo, Guarnieri rejoined Hall for a while and then jobbed around in local clubs until, in December, 1939, he auditioned successfully for Benny Goodman's orchestra, recording frequently with both the big band and B.G.'s sextet. In 1940, Guarnieri became a member of Artie Shaw's orchestra and gained fame playing harpsichord on Shaw's popular Gramercy Five recordings. His solos were the first examples of jazz recorded on the instrument.
After further associations with Goodman (1941) and Shaw (1941-1942), he was with Tommy Dorsey (1942-1943) and then freelanced. Throughout the 1940s, Guarnieri was active as a sideman, recording with artists such as Charlie Christian, Cozy Cole, Ike Quebec, Charlie Kennedy and Hank D'Amico.
He also led his own group called the "Johnny Guarnieri Swing Men" and recorded with them on the Savoy label, a group that included Lester Young, Hank D'Amico, Billy Butterfield and Cozy Cole. He also led a trio in the 1940s composed of himself, Slam Stewart and Sammy Weiss, recording again for Savoy. During the 1940s, he also recorded for the short-lived Majestic label, playing solo piano and with his trio.
Among Guarnieri's many recordings during this era were important dates with Lester Young ("Sometimes I'm Happy"), Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart, Don Byas, and Louis Armstrong ("Jack-Armstrong Blues"). He also recorded frequently as a leader during 1944-1947, including one date on which Lester Young was his sideman. Guarnieri joined the staff of NBC in the late '40s. In 1946, Guarnieri's trio was broadcast twice by the BBC Home Service in the UK in a short series highlighting American, British and French jazz artists dubbed as 'Kings of Jazz'. In 1949, Guarnieri recorded an album with June Christy entitled June Christy & The Johnny Guarnieri Quintet.
In 1954, Guarnieri joined the staff at NBC, where he endured eight years of stability and anonymity. For a while he was on the equivalent of the Tonight show, when it was called Broadway after Dark. Guarnieri moved to California in the '60s where he often played solo piano. The decision to move west was motivated by a combination of events, mainly marital problems and a desire to write for motion pictures.
His later records often found him playfully performing stride in 5/4 time. He recorded as a leader through the years for such labels as Savoy, Majestic, Coral (1956), Golden Crest, Camden, Dot, Black & Blue, Dobre, and Taz-Jazz (1976 and 1978). In the 1970s, Guarnieri toured Europe a few times ans recorded numerous albums on his new label "Taz Jazz Records" and until 1982 worked at the "Tail of the Cock" nightclub in Studio City, California. Guarnieri was also noted for his embellishment and juxtaposition of jazz with classical piano, such as Scarlatti and Beethoven and in his later years he shifted more toward jazz education.
In the early 1980s, Guarnieri recorded Johnny Guarnieri Plays Duke Ellington on a Bösendorfer Grand "SE" player piano, for the Live-Performance Jazz Series. Guarnieri was based in Los Angeles later in his life, but traveled to the East Coast to play a concert in January 1985. He played at the Vineyard Theatre at East 26th Street in New York City on January 6, but had to stop at the intermission because of dizziness. He went to a friend's house to rest, but was admitted to St Barnabas hospital in Livingston, New Jersey the following day, where he died following a heart attack.
(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic & Jazz Profiles)