Thornel Schwartz

Thornel Schwartz Jr., or Thornal Schwartz Jr. (May 29, 1927, Philadelphia - December 30, 1977, Philadelphia) was an American jazz guitarist. He played electric guitar on the recordings of many Philadelphia jazz musicians, especially electronic organ players.

Schwartz is known as Thornel on recording titles and in standard jazz reference works, but Gary W. Kennedy of The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz notes that Schwartz spelled his own and his father's name "Thornal" on his social security application.^[1] Schwartz attended the Landis Institute for piano, but became known as a jazz guitarist starting in the 1950s. He was Freddie Cole's guitarist early in the decade, then worked with Jimmy Smith and Johnny Hammond Smith later in the decade. In the 1960s he recorded with Larry Young (musician), Jimmy Forrest, Charles Earland, Byrdie Green, Sylvia Syms and extensively with Jimmy McGriff, and in the 1970s with Groove Holmes.

Discography

With Jimmy Forrest

• Forrest Fire (Prestige, 1960)

With Jimmy McGriff

• A Bag Full of Soul (Solid State, 1966)
• The Worm (Solid State, 1968)
• Let's Stay Together (Groove Merchant, 1966 [1972])

With Johnny "Hammond" Smith

• All Soul (New Jazz, 1959)
• That Good Feelin' (New Jazz, 1959)
• Gettin' Up (Prestige, 1967)

With Jimmy Smith

• A New Sound... A New Star... (Blue Note, 1956)
• A New Sound A New Star: Jimmy Smith at the Organ Volume 2 (Blue Note, 1956)
• The Incredible Jimmy Smith at the Organ (Blue Note, 1956)
• At Club Baby Grand (Blue Note, 1956)
• Respect (Verve, 1967)

With Sylvia Syms

• For Once in My Life (Prestige, 1967)

With Larry Young

• Testifying (Prestige, 1960)
• Young Blues (Prestige, 1960)
• Groove Street (Prestige, 1962)

References