Buster Harding

Lavere "Buster" Harding (19 March 1912 – 14 November 1965) was a Canadian-born American jazz pianist, composer and arranger. Born to Benjamin "Ben" and Ada (née Shreve) Harding in North Buxton, Ontario. Harding was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where as a teenager he started on his own band. In 1939 he went to work for the Teddy Wilson big band, and then in the early 1940s went to work for the Coleman Hawkins band, and then Cab Calloway. He became a freelance arranger and worked with Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Count Basie, among others. In 1949 he was the musical director for Billie Holiday recording sessions. In the early 1960s Harding played with Jonah Jones, though he was known primarily as an arranger and...