One of the top swing-oriented pianists since the 1950s, Johnny Varro has long been a fixture in the trad jazz circuit even if the greater jazz world does not seem to know that he exists. He considers his influences to be Jess Stacy, Teddy Wilson, and Eddie Miller, as well as the jazz performances he witnessed as a child put on by Jack Crystal. Learning the piano while following Crystal and his friends, Varro's first professional job was with Bobby Hackett for a tour of the East Coast in 1953. In 1957, he replaced Ralph Sutton as the intermission pianist at Eddie Condon's club and was associated with Condon througout the first half of the '60s. He worked with many top trad and swing players during that era before moving to Miami in 1964; in the late '70s he relocated to Southern California. The veteran pianist has kept up a busy schedule playing at clubs, jazz parties, and festivals where his impeccable swing style is appreciated. In the '90s and 2000s, Varro made several recordings for Arbors and continued to tour with the Swing 7, the band he has worked with since relocating to California. ~ Scott Yanow
