South Of The Border / Fine And Dandy

This single from the Cecil Young Quartet was produced by King Records. Side A features “South of the Border” which was originally written as a Country Western song by Jimmy Kennedy (1902-1984) and Michael Carr (1905-1968). Side B features the Jazz standard “Fine and Dandy” by Kay Swift (1897-1993) and Paul James (1896-1969).

Jazz pianist Cecil Young (b. unknown) arrived in Seattle, Washington from New Haven, Connecticut around 1950. He had studied for two years at Yale’s School of Music and played with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker early in his career, before he joined the vaudeville group which would bring him to Seattle’s Palomar Theatre. After he decided to stay in Seattle, Young formed the Cecil Young Quartet with Gerald Brashear (b. unknown), Jimmie Rodgers (b. unknown) and Traff Hubert (1926-2001). The quartet featured an eclectic mix of skills and musical backgrounds: Young, in addition to playing the piano, could tap-dance and scat sing; Brashear was brought into the group for his tenor saxophone, but had also learned to play the conga in a Cuban style; Hubert, the bassist, was largely self-taught; and Young and Brashear complimented their musical performances with comedic acts. The Cecil Young Quartet released one LP with King Records in 1951, but it never gained national traction and the group disbanded soon after.