Dash, St. Julian Bennett (1916-1974)
Tenor saxophonist, composer and stylist; graduate of Avery, 1934; oldest of seven sons of Ethel Capers and Charles St. Julian Dash of Charleston; at Avery, he played with the Night Hawk’s Orchestra, the Royal Crusaders, and the Carolina Cotton Pickers, a seminal Charleston band established by former Jenkins Orphanage Band musicians; he learned the saxophone by imitating the sounds of jazz bands at the family-owned Dash Hall on 148 Smith Street in Charleston – a popular dance emporium at the time; played tenor in The Revellers and The Alabama State Collegians at Alabama State Teachers College in 1934-36; joined Erskine Hawkins in 1938 as a tenor saxophonist with his orchestra and led a remarkable 20-year career with the orchestra; played with Erskine Hawkins Orchestra as the house band for the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem; composed “Tuxedo Junction” in 1939 with Erskine Hawkins and William Johnson; with Hawkins, he is featured on many recordings including “No Soap”, “Dolomite”, and “Swinging on Lenox Avenue”; his discography also includes original compositions such as “Zig Zag”, and his own recordings including “Willow Weep for Me”, “Julian’s Dash”, and “A Portrait of Julian Dash” featuring Charlestonian and pianist, Clifton Smalls; he also recorded with Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, and Jay McShann; he passed away in New York City and is laid to rest in the Humane Friendly Cemetery in Charleston.
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Selected Albums
