Alvin Stoller

Who was Alvin Stoller?

Alvin Stoller was an American jazz drummer. Though he seems to have been largely forgotten, he was held in high regard in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in New York City, Stoller studied with drum teacher Henry Adler and launched his career touring and recording with swing era big bands as notable as those of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Charlie Barnet. He backed singers like Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra on some of their major recordings. His drums may be heard on many of Ella Fitzgerald's "Songbook" recordings; on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook, he performed with the Duke Ellington orchestra itself, alongside Ellington's own Sam Woodyard.

Stoller also recorded with Art Tatum, Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Benny Carter, Herb Ellis, and Erroll Garner among many other jazz greats. In the 1950s, Stoller settled in the Los Angeles area, where he became respected for his work in the Hollywood studios, lasting for several decades. Leonard Feather considered him a "first-rate, swinging drummer".