Alto saxophonist Earl Bostic played jazz, swing, jump and rhythm and blues during his career and put out a number of popular records including "Flamingo," "Temptation," "Special Delivery Stomp" and "Harlem Nocturne." Bostic was born on April 25, 1913 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

As a youngster Bostic played clarinet and saxophone in his school band and in a Boy Scout band, as well. He played his first professional gigs at age 18 with Terence Holder’s Twelve Clouds of Joy and with Fate Marable, and still found time to earn a degree at Xavier University in New Orleans. By 1939 was playing in the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, which at the time included Charlie Christian and Big Sid Catlett.

For a time Earl Bostic led the house band at Small’s Paradise in New York City and was a regular at the late night jam sessions at Harlem’s Minton’s Playhouse where he jammed with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Coleman Hawkins and Dizzy Gillespie in the early 1940s. By the latter part of the decade, though, Bostic was playing mostly rhythm and blues and had several hit records with his small groups. These groups sometimes included early performances Stanley Turrentine, Benny Golson, Blue Mitchell and John Coltrane.

In 1953 Earl Bostic and his Orchestra played at the famous “Cavalcade of Jazz” performance at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. Bostic was also a prolific arranger and wrote for Paul Whiteman, Louis Prima, Artie Shaw, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton and Alvino Rey. His compositions include "Let Me Off Uptown" and "Brooklyn Boogie." Bostic died after suffering a heart attack while playing with his band in Rochester, New York on October 28, 1965. He was only 52 years old.

Here is a link to Earl Bostic playing one his well-known tunes:

"FLAMINGO"