Haywood, Cedric
Haywood, Cedric
Haywood, Cedric, jazz pianist; b. Houston, Tex., 1914; d. there, Sept. 9, 1969. He played in the high school band alongside Amett Cobb. He joined Chester Boone’s Band in 1934, then was with Milton Larkin’s Band from 1935-40, and again briefly in 1942. After working briefly in other bands, he moved to San Francisco in 1943 shortly before enlisting in the Army. On his release, he worked with various bands including three years mainly with Illinois Jacquet (1949–51). In 1952, he returned to San Francisco, where he worked with the Cal Tjader Quartet. For the next few years, he worked as a freelance player and arranger, and then joined Kid Ory in 1955, worked mainly with Ory for several years including two tours of Europe. In the early 1960s, he was working regularly with tenorist Brew Moore then, moved back to Houston in the summer of 1963, where he did club work leading his own big band. He died after suffering a stroke in 1969.
—John Chilton Who’s Who of Jazz/Lewis Porter