Al Casey Dies at 89; Guitarist for Fats Waller

Other jobs brought him dates with pianist Art Tatum and saxophonist Coleman Hawkins as well as bebop stars Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Mr. Casey struggled through the next two decades as swing fell from favor, at one point working for the New York City Health Department as a Xerox operator.

He joined a rhythm-and-blues band led by saxophonist King Curtis and also played with Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and Curley Hamner. But he grew to dislike rock music's chord structure, dismissing it as simplistic or "distorted."

In 1981, he began a 20-year association with the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band, established by a New York orthodontist named Albert Vollmer who revered the jazz players of the 1930s. Featuring veterans of bands led by Armstrong, Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver, Mr. Casey liked to point out he was the group's youngest member.

Highly regarded in Europe -- he met jazz aficionados who had an encyclopedic knowledge of his recording history -- he remained largely overlooked in the United States.

"We worked with the biggest bands in the country," he told the New York Times in 1997. "We don't sound that bad. I can't understand why we don't get the recognition.''

Mr. Casey continued to enjoy experimenting with swing, which he had no doubt could "sound modern" despite the music's departure from mainstream tastes. Among his admirers were members of the eclectic band Squirrel Nut Zippers, which honored Mr. Casey with the song "Pallin' With Al."

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Althea Jonathan Casey of New York; and a son, Al Casey Jr. of Las Vegas.