American jazz bandleaders

John Von Ohlen (May 13, 1941, Indianapolis, Indiana – October 3, 2018, Cincinnati, Ohio) was an American jazz drummer who worked for Woody Herman in 1967 and 1969, then with Stan Kenton from 1970 to 1972. He began playing Trombone in middle school, and played through high school. He graduated from North Central High School in 1960. He then went to North Texas State briefly, but returned to Indianapolis shortly after.Von Ohlen led the Blue Wisp Big Band in Cincinnati from 1980 to 2018, and his own groups under his name ranging from quartets to big band. From 1967 to 1968, Von Ohlen toured with Billy Maxted’s Manhattan Jazz Band. In the 1980s and 1990s, Von Ohlen was a member of a big band led by the pianist Steve Allee.Von Ohlen died on October 3, 2018, at the age of 77.

Phil Carreón (aka Phillip Lozano Carreón, Jr.; né Alonzo Carreón; May 6, 1923 – October 13, 2010) was an American big band leader based in Los Angeles who flourished from 1946 to 1952, retiring from music in 1952.

Nathaniel Lester Lanin (August 26, 1907 – October 27, 2004) was an American jazz and pop music bandleader. He was famous for long, smoothly arranged medleys, at a consistent rhythm and tempo, which were designed for continuous dancing. Lanin's career began in the late 1920s and his popularity increased through the advent of the LP era. His music remained very popular among fans of the Ballroom dance world. Starting with Epic Records in the middle of the 1950s, he recorded a string of albums for several labels, many of which hit the US Billboard 200.

Chuck Cabot (né Carlos Guillermo Cascales; 16 May 1915 Querétaro, Mexico – 27 December 2007) was an American saxophonist and big band leader. The Chuck Cabot Orchestra launched in 1937 while Cabot (Cascales) was a student at the University of Southern California. He later transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles where he became a member of the legendary UCLA 1939 football team along with Jackie Robinson, Kenny Washington, and Woody Strode. In the early 1940 he was athletic coach at El Monte, Jefferson, and Hamilton High Schools.
His orchestra played to capacity crowds in the 1940s and 1950s in ballrooms such as Roseland in New York, the Palladium in Hollywood, and the Catalina Island Casino.
He co-partnered with Arthur Benson in the forming of Hollywood International Talents. He was instrumental in discovering and securing recording contracts for 'Los Nomadas,' the first inter-racial rock and roll band. He recognized the individual talents of the band's lead guitarist Bill Aken. (Adopted son of Cabot's friends Francisco & Lupe Mayorga) Changing Aken's name to 'Zane Ashton,' he was instrumental in launching the young singer/guitarist's solo career. He lived long enough to see his young protege inducted into the Musician's Hall of Fame as a member of 'The Wrecking Crew' in November, 2007.
Beginning in the 1960s until shortly before his death, Cascales booked performances for The Coasters, The Drifters, and The Shirelles. He also organized the Rolling Stones' first West Coast concert tour.Cabot and His Orchestra recorded on the Atomic label in Hollywood in the 1940s.
His brothers, Johnny Richards, Jose Luis Cascales (Joe), and Juan Adolfo Cascales (Jack) were also professional musicians.

Johnny Bothwell (May 23, 1919 – September 12, 1995) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader.

Donald Clayborn Sleet (November 27, 1938 – December 31, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was a member of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars and Lenny McBrowne and the Four Souls. Widely considered a gifted musician, compared to the likes of Art Farmer and Kenny Dorham, Sleet had a short career as a result of his drug abuse, recording only one album as a leader.

Robert L. Steele ("Lanny") (December 30, 1933 – October 21, 1994) was an American jazz pianist, educator, composer, and jazz festival promoter. He founded the Texas Southern University Jazz Ensemble.Steele graduated from Lamar High School in Houston, Texas. He studied music at the University of North Texas College of Music, where he was a member of the One O'Clock Lab Band.
He was a pianist for Arnett Cobb. He taught music at Texas Southern University, where he created the TSU Jazz Ensemble. He also founded the Juneteenth Blues Festival (Houston), a commemoration of the liberation of Texan African-Americans from slavery. He helped organize the Houston Jazz Festival and was a co-founder of SUMArts.

William Franklin Lee III, aka Bill Lee (February 20, 1929-October 23, 2011) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, author, and music educator who was renowned for pioneering comprehensive music education, including jazz, at the collegiate level. He led the University of Miami School of Music and was the University of Miami's third music school dean from 1964 to 1982.In 1989, Lee retired from the University of Miami but continued to work in music education at other institutions. He was distinguished professor emeritus of music theory and composition and emeritus composer in residence. Lee was vice-president and provost at the University of Miami and president and executive director of IAJE.His son Will Lee played bass guitar for Late Night with David Letterman and Late Show with David Letterman.

William Henry Hughes (March 28, 1930 – January 14, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist and bandleader. He spent most of his career with the Count Basie Orchestra and was the director of that ensemble until September 2010.