Jazz Trumpet Transcriptions

This site is built with the aim of providing the young trumpet players with an opportunity to discover the treasures left by the preceding generations. A listening of the recordings is obviously essential and the necessary references are in general noted in the pdf . You will also find lot of midifiles from those transcriptions.

Jacques Gilbert
Physicist by trade and amateur musician born in Quebec in 1932, Jacques Gilbert began playing trumpet in 1950 with a number of Montreal big band formations of the era. He made his semi-professional debut with the Al Nichols orchestra which was joined by the excellent Belgian guitarist René Thomas as well as the well known Canadian jazz trumpet players Guido Basso and Herbie Spaniar. In 1957 he establishes himself in Quebec city where he continues to play for local bands making frequent stints with the Roland Martel orchestra and taking part in many radio and television broadcastings.
email Jacques Gilbert : jgilb@videotron.ca

WARREN VACHE

real name: Warren Vaché, Jr. Born Feb 21, 1951 in Rahway, NJ.
Several years before Wynton Marsalis gained headlines for helping to revive hard bop, Warren Vache (along with Scott Hamilton) was among the few young jazz musicians who were reviving small-group swing. Vache, who always had a beautiful tone and a chance-taking style, is the son of a fine bassist (Warren Vache Sr.) and the brother of clarinetist Allen Vache. He studied music with Pee Wee Erwin; gained early experience playing with Benny Goodman, Vic Dickenson, and Bob Wilber; and has been a leader since the mid-'70s. Often teamed in his early years with tenorman Scott Hamilton, Vache recorded regularly and has been a regular at jazz parties and swing-oriented festivals ever since. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

• Don't miss the DVD "Warren Vaché : I Love the Trumpet". From beginner to advanced Lessons , to a History of the Jazz Trumpet, Warren Vaché renowned jazz trumpeter, and charter member of the Juilliard School Program for Jazz Studies, walks you through everything you need to know about the trumpet.

Bix BEIDERBECKE

real name: Leon Bix Beiderbecke Born Mar 10, 1903 in Davenport, IA Died Aug 6, 1931 in New York, NY
Bix Beiderbecke was one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 1920s. His colorful life, quick rise and fall, and eventual status as a martyr made him a legend even before he died, and he has long stood as proof that not all the innovators in jazz history were black. Possessor of a beautiful, distinctive tone and a strikingly original improvising style, Beiderbecke's only competitor among cornetists in the '20s was Louis Armstrong but (due to their different sounds and styles) one really could not compare them.
Beiderbecke was a bit of a child prodigy, picking out tunes on the piano when he was three. While he had conventional training on the piano, he taught himself the cornet. Influenced by the original Dixieland Jazz Band, Beiderbecke craved the freedom of jazz but his straight-laced parents felt he was being frivolous. He was sent to Lake Forest Military Academy in 1921 but, by coincidence, it was located fairly close to Chicago, the center of jazz at the time. Beiderbecke was eventually expelled he missed so many classes. After a brief period at home he became a full-time musician. In 1923, Beiderbecke became the star cornetist of the Wolverines and a year later this spirited group made some classic recordings.
In late 1924, Beiderbecke left the Wolverines to join Jean Goldkette's orchestra but his inability to read music resulted in him losing the job. In 1925, he spent time in Chicago and worked on his reading abilities. The following year he spent time with Frankie Trumbauer's orchestra in St. Louis. Although already an alcoholic, 1927 would be Beiderbecke's greatest year. He worked with Jean Goldkette's orchestra (most of their records are unfortunately quite commercial), recorded his piano masterpiece "In a Mist" (one of his four Debussy-inspired originals), cut many classic sides with a small group headed by Trumbauer (including his greatest solos: "Singin' the Blues," "I'm Comin' Virginia," and "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans"), and then signed up with Paul Whiteman's huge and prosperous orchestra. Although revisionist historians would later claim that Whiteman's wide mixture of repertoire (much of it outside of jazz) drove Beiderbecke to drink, he actually enjoyed the prestige of being with the most popular band of the decade. Beiderbecke's favorite personal solo was his written-out part on George Gershwin's "Concerto in F."
With Whiteman, Beiderbecke's solos tended to be short moments of magic, sometimes in odd settings; his brilliant chorus on "Sweet Sue" is a perfect example. He was productive throughout 1928, but by the following year his drinking really began to catch up with him. Beiderbecke had a breakdown, made a comeback, and then in September 1929 was reluctantly sent back to Davenport to recover. Unfortunately, Beiderbecke made a few sad records in 1930 before his death at age 28. The bad liquor of the Prohibition era did him in.
For the full story, Bix: Man & Legend is a remarkably detailed book. Beiderbecke's recordings (even the obscure ones) are continually in print, for his followers believe that every note he played was special. — Scott Yanow All Music Guide

ROY ELDRIDGE

Portrait of Roy Eldridge, Spotlite (Club), New York, N.Y., ca. Nov. 1946.
Gottlieb, William P. 1917- photographer.
David Roy Eldridge. Born Jan 30, 1911 in Pittsburgh, PA. Died Feb 26, 1989 in Valley Stream, NY.

Roy Eldridge, trumpet-vocal; b. 1/30/11 Pittsburgh, PA; d. 2/26/89. Also known as “Little Jazz” Roy Eldridge was a fiery, energetic trumpeter who although short in stature was a larger-than-life figure in the jazz trumpet lineage. Stylistically speaking he was the bridge between the towering trumpet stylists Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. One of a significant number of jazz greats from the city of Pittsburgh, Roy’s first teacher was his alto saxophonist older brother Joe. Some of the great rhythmic drive of Eldridge’s later trumpet exploits could be traced to his beginnings on the drums, which he began playing at age six. His first professional work came at age 16 when he worked with a touring carnival, playing drums, trumpet, and tuba. As a trumpeter Roy had come under the spell of Louis Armstrong’s irrisistable style. Among his earliest band affiliations were Oliver Muldoon, Horace Henderson, Zack Whyte, Speed Webb, and his own band, under the banner of Roy Elliott and his Palais Royal Orchestra. In 1930 he made the move to New York and headed straight to Harlem, where he gained work with a number of dance bands, among which was the Teddy Hill band. He left New York in 1934 to join the Michigan-based McKinney’s Cotton Pickers alongside such significant players as tenor man Chu Berry. Roy returned to New York to rejoin Teddy Hill in 1935, with whom he made his first recordings as a soloist in 1935. Prior to recording with Hill he toured with the Connie’s Hot Chocolates revue. After he left Hill’s band he became the lead trumpeter in Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra where his upper register abilities were highlighted. It didn’t take long for Eldridge to exert himself as a bandleader, forming his own octet in 1936 in Chicago; a band which included his brother Joe.
Eldridge recorded with the Three Deuces group, then left music for a short time to pursue radio engineering, an interesting twist considering his Chicago group’s nightly radio broadcasts. By the end of the 1930s after freelancing with such a wide array of bands Eldridge had gained notice as one of the swing bands’ most potent soloists. In 1941 he joined drummer Gene Krupa’s band. Not only did he provide trumpet fireworks for Krupa’s outfit he also sang, recording a memorable duet with the band’s female singer, Anita O’Day (NEA Jazz Master 1997) on the tune “Let Me Off Uptown” in 1941. Later, after Krupa’s band disbanded in 1943, and a period of freelancing, he toured with the Artie Shaw band in 1944. After Shaw it was time for Roy to lead his own big band, though economics forced him back to small swing groups.In 1948 Norman Granz recruited Eldridge for his Jazz at the Philharmonic, an ideal situation for Roy since he was one of the ultimate jam session trumpeters. He toured briefly with Benny Goodman and took up residence in Paris in 1950, where he made some of his most successful recordings. He returned to New York in 1951 and continued freelancing with small bands, including work with Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, and Johnny Hodges. He made notable albums for Verve Records alongside Hawkins and continued freelancing and leading a house band at Jimmy Ryan’s club in New York. In 1980 he was felled by a stroke but that didn’t cut off his musicality. Disabled from the rigorous demands of playing the trumpet, Eldridge continued to make music as a singer and pianist until his 1989 passing.

ERNIE ROYAL

Ernie Royal : A Les Tomkins interview of 1978
Ernest Andrew Royal Born Feb 6, 1921 in Los Angeles, CA. Died Mar 16, 1983 in New York, NY.
A brilliant technician with a beautiful tone and a wide range, Ernie Royal spent most of his career in the anonymous settings of studio bands, uplifting the music but only gaining fame among those in the music industry. The younger brother of altoist Marshall Royal (who was nine years older), the trumpeter picked up early experience playing in Los Angeles with Les Hite's Orchestra (1937-38) and with Cee Pee Johnson (1939). Both of the Royal brothers were with Lionel Hampton's big band (1940-42) and Ernie Royal hit the famous screaming high notes on the original Hampton version of "Flying Home."
After a period in the Army (1942-45), he worked in San Francisco with Vernon Alley, in Los Angeles with Phil Moore and then spent much of 1946 with Count Basie's Orchestra. Royal was a member of Woody Herman's Second Herd during 1947-49 and had short stints with Charlie Barnet and Duke Ellington. He played in France with Jacques Helian's Orchestra, worked with Wardell Gray in 1952 and was with Stan Kenton's Orchestra twice (1953 and 1955). After becoming a staff musician at ABC in 1957, Ernie Royal settled into the life of a well-respected studio musician, appearing on a countless number of recordings but rarely soloing. During his career he made few recordings as a leader; just ten titles in Paris in 1950 (six were reissued as part of a Xanadu album) and an LP for Urania in 1954. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

CHET BAKER

http://www.chetbaker.net/
Chesney Henry Baker, Jr. Born Dec 23, 1929 in Yale, OK. Died May 13, 1988 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Popular cool-toned trumpeter and a fragile singer whose charisma made up for his limited voice, with his good looks Chet Baker probably could have been a movie star. Instead he became a drug addict in the mid-'50s and had an extremely erratic lifestyle with horrific episodes alternating with some wonderful musical moments.
Chet Baker certainly started out on top. After getting out of the Army, he gigged with Charlie Parker on the West Coast in 1952 and then joined the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, a pianoless unit that soon became among the most popular in jazz. After Mulligan was jailed for his own drug problems, Baker (who had helped make "My Funny Valentine" into a hit) formed a quartet with pianist Russ Freeman. He began to win polls on both trumpet and vocals, toured Europe in 1955 and seemed on his way to a lucrative career. But by 1960 Baker was in an Italian jail and, although he made a few worthy recordings in the '60s, by the end of the decade his teeth had been knocked out after a botched drug deal and he was out of music.
Against all odds Chet Baker made a gradual comeback in the 1970s. Although Baker recorded far too much during his final 15 years, his nomadic lifestyle (never kicking drugs and essentially wandering all over Europe) was unstable and his occasional vocals (always an acquired taste) were generally poor, his trumpet playing actually improved as the decade progressed. In fact despite everything, Chet Baker was still in his musical prime when he fell out of a second story window (pushed or slipped?) to his death in 1988. He remains one of the great cult figures of jazz. -- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

BOBBY HACKETT

Portrait of Bobby Hackett, Paramount Theater, New York, N.Y., ca. Aug. 1946.
Gottlieb, William P. 1917- photographer.
Robert Leo Hackett Born Jan 31, 1915 in Providence, RI. Died Jun 7, 1976 in Chatham, MA.
Bobby Hackett's mellow tone and melodic style offered a contrast to the brasher Dixieland-oriented trumpeters. Emphasizing his middle-register and lyricism, Hackett was a flexible soloist who actually sounded little like his main inspiration, Louis Armstrong.
When Hackett first came up he was briefly known as "the new Bix" because of the similarity in his approach to that of Bix Beiderbecke, but very soon he developed his own distinctive sound. Originally a guitarist (which he doubled on until the mid-'40s), Hackett performed in local bands, and by 1936 was leading his own group. He moved to New York in 1937, played with Joe Marsala, appeared at Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert (recreating Beiderbecke's solo on "I'm Coming Virginia"), recorded with Eddie Condon, and by 1939 had a short-lived big band. Hackett played briefly with Horace Heidt, and during 1941-1942 was with Glenn Miller's Orchestra, taking a famous solo on "String of Pearls." Next up was a stint with the Casa Loma Orchestra, and then he became a studio musician while still appearing with jazz groups. Hackett was a major asset at Louis Armstrong's 1947 Town Hall Concert, in the 1950s he was a star on Jackie Gleason's commercial but jazz-flavored mood music albums, and he recorded several times with Eddie Condon and Jack Teagarden. During 1956-1957, Hackett led an unusual group that sought to modernize Dixieland (using Dick Cary's arrangements and an unusual instrumentation), but that band did not catch on. Hackett recorded some commercial dates during 1959-1960 (including one set of Hawaiian songs and another in which he was backed by pipe organ), he worked with Benny Goodman (1962-1963); backed Tony Bennett in the mid-'60s; co-led a well-recorded quintet with Vic Dickenson (1968-1970); and made sessions with Jim Cullum, the World's Greatest Jazz Band, and even Dizzy Gillespie and Mary Lou Williams, remaining active up until his death. Among the many labels Bobby Hackett recorded for as a leader were Okeh (reissued by Epic), Commodore, Columbia, Epic, Capitol, Sesac, Verve, Project 3, Chiaroscuro, Flying Dutchman, and Honey Dew. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

BUCK CLAYTON

Special Collections Wilbur "Buck" Clayton Collection at the Miller Nichols Library at 5100 Rockhill Road in Kansas City, Missouri.
Wilbur Dorsey Clayton. Born Nov 12, 1911 in Parsons, KS. Died Dec 8, 1991 in New York, NY.
An excellent bandleader and accompanist for many vocalists, including Billie Holiday, Buck Clayton was a valued soloist with Count Basie Orchestra during the '30s and '40s, and later was a celebrated studio and jam session player, writer, and arranger. His tart, striking tone and melodic dexterity were his trademark, and Clayton provided several charts for Basie's orchestra and many other groups. Clayton began his career in California, where he organized a big band that had a residency in China in 1934. When he returned, Clayton led a group and played with other local bands. During a 1936 visit to Kansas City, he was invited to join Basie's orchestra as a replacement for Hot Lips Page. Clayton was also featured on sessions with Lester Young, Teddy Wilson, and Holiday in the late '30s. He remained in the Basie band until 1943, when he left for army service. After leaving the army, Clayton did arrangements for Basie, Benny Goodman, and Harry James before forming a sextet in the late '40s. He toured Europe with this group in 1949 and 1950. Clayton continued heading a combo during the '50s, and worked with Joe Bushkin, Tony Parenti, and Jimmy Rushing, among others. He organized a series of outstanding recordings for Columbia in the mid-'50s under the title Jam Session (compiled and reissued by Mosaic in 1993). There were sessions with Rushing, Ruby Braff, and Nat Pierce. Clayton led a combo with Coleman Hawkins and J.J. Johnson at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, then reunited with Goodman in 1957 at the Waldorf Astoria. There was another European tour, this time with Mezz Mezzrow. He appeared in the 1956 film The Benny Goodman Story and played the 1958 Brussels World Fair with Sidney Bechet. Clayton later made another European visit with a Newport Jazz Festival tour. He joined Eddie Condon's band in 1959, a year after appearing in the film Jazz on a Summer's Day. Clayton toured Japan and Australia with Condon's group in 1964, and continued to revisit Europe throughout the '60s, often with Humphrey Lyttelton's band, while playing festivals across the country. But lip and health problems virtually ended his playing career in the late '60s. After a period outside of music, Clayton once again became active in music, this time as a non-playing arranger, touring Africa as part of a State Department series in 1977. He provided arrangements and compositions for a 1974 Lyttleton and Buddy Tate album, and did more jam session albums for Chiaroscuro in 1974 and 1975. He also became an educator, teaching at Hunter College in the early '80s. Clayton led a group of Basie sidemen on a European tour in 1983, then headed his own big band in 1987 that played almost exclusively his compositions and arrangements. That same year Clayton's extensive autobiography Buck Clayton's Jazz World, with Nancy Miller-Elliot, was published. — Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

BUNNY BERIGAN

Bunny Berigan :"I love music but I hate the music business".
Rowland Bernart Berrigan. Born Nov 2, 1908 in Hilbert, WI. Died Jun 2, 1942 in New York, NY.
Bunny Berigan, during 1935-1939, was arguably the top trumpeter in jazz (with his main competition being Louis Armstrong and Roy Eldridge). Blessed with a beautiful tone and a wide range (Berigan's low notes could be as memorable as his upper-register shouts), Berigan brought excitement to every session he appeared on. He was not afraid to take chances during his solos and could be a bit reckless, but Berigan's successes and occasional failures were always colorful to hear, at least until he drank it all away.
Bunny Berigan played in local bands and then college groups in the Midwest. He tried out for Hal Kemp's orchestra unsuccessfully in 1928 (rejected because of his thin tone, remarkably) but showed tremendous improvement by 1930 when he was hired. After a few recordings and a trip to Europe, Berigan joined Fred Rich's CBS studio band in 1931, where (except for a few months with Paul Whiteman) he would remain up to 1935. Berigan soon gained a strong reputation as a hot jazz soloist and he appeared on quite a few records with studio bands, the Boswell Sisters, and the Dorsey Brothers. In 1935, he spent a few months with Benny Goodman's orchestra, but that was enough to launch the swing era. Berigan had classic solos on Goodman's first two hit records ("King Porter Stomp" and "Sometimes I'm Happy") and was with B.G. as he went on his historic tour out West, climaxing in the near riot at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles.
Berigan soon returned to the more lucrative studio scene, making his only film appearance in 1936 with Fred Rich. In 1937, he joined Tommy Dorsey's band and was once again largely responsible for two hits: "Marie" and "Song of India." Berigan's solos on these tunes became so famous that in future years Dorsey had them written out and orchestrated for the full trumpet section. After leaving Dorsey, Bunny Berigan finally put together his own orchestra. He scored early on with his biggest hit, "I Can't Get Started." With Georgie Auld on tenor and Buddy Rich on drums, Berigan had a potentially strong band. Unfortunately, he was already an alcoholic and a reluctant businessman. By 1939, there had been many lost opportunities and the following year Berigan (who was bankrupt) was forced to break up his band. He re-joined Tommy Dorsey for a few months but never stopped drinking and was not happy being a sideman again. Soon Berigan formed a new orchestra, but his health began declining, and on June 2, 1942, he died when he was just 33. What would this brilliant swing trumpeter have done in the bop era?
Bunny Berigan's life is definitively profiled in Robert Dupuis' book Elusive Legend of Jazz. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

CHARLIE SHAVERS

Portrait of Charlie Shavers, National studio, New York, N.Y., ca. May 1947.
Gottlieb, William P. 1917- photographer.
Charles James Shavers. Born Aug 3, 1917 in New York, NY. Died Jul 8, 1971 in New York, NY
Charlie Shavers was one of the great trumpeters to emerge during the swing era, a virtuoso with an open-minded and extroverted style along with a strong sense of humor. He originally played piano and banjo before switching to trumpet, and he developed very quickly. In 1935, he was with Tiny Bradshaw's band and two years later he joined Lucky Millinder's big band. Soon afterward he became a key member of John Kirby's Sextet where he showed his versatility by mostly playing crisp solos while muted. Shavers was in demand for recording sessions and participated on notable dates with New Orleans jazz pioneers Johnny Dodds, Jimmy Noone, and Sidney Bechet. He also had many opportunities to write arrangements for Kirby and had a major hit with his composition "Undecided." After leaving Kirby in 1944, Charlie Shavers worked for a year with Raymond Scott's CBS staff orchestra, and then was an important part of Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra from 1945 until past TD's death in 1956. Although well-featured, this association kept Shavers out of the spotlight of jazz, but fortunately he did have occasional vacations in which he recorded with the Metronome All-Stars and toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic; at the latter's concerts in 1953, Shaver's trumpet battles with Roy Eldridge were quite exciting. After Dorsey's death, Shavers often led his own quartet although he came back to the ghost band from time to time. During the 1960s, his range and technique gradually faded, and Charlie Shavers died from throat cancer in 1971 at the age of 53. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

SHORTY ROGERS

Milton M. Rajonsky. Born Apr 14, 1924 in Great Barrington, MA. Died Nov 7, 1994 in Van Nuys, CA.
A fine middle-register trumpeter whose style seemed to practically define "cool jazz," Shorty Rogers was actually more significant for his arranging, both in jazz and in the movie studios. After gaining early experience with Will Bradley and Red Norvo and serving in the military, Rogers rose to fame as a member of Woody Herman's First and Second Herds (1945-1946 and 1947-1949), and somehow he managed to bring some swing to the Stan Kenton Innovations Orchestra (1950-1951), clearly enjoying writing for the stratospheric flights of Maynard Ferguson. After that association ran its course, Rogers settled in Los Angeles where he led his Giants (which ranged from a quintet to a nonet and a big band) on a series of rewarding West Coast jazz-styled recordings and wrote for the studios, helping greatly to bring jazz into the movies; his scores for The Wild One and The Man With the Golden Arm are particularly memorable. After 1962, Rogers stuck almost exclusively to writing for television and films, but in 1982 he began a comeback in jazz. Rogers reorganized and headed the Lighthouse All-Stars and, although his own playing was not quite as strong as previously, he remained a welcome presence both in clubs and recordings. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

CLIFFORD BROWN

Clifford Brown's death in a car accident at the age of 25 was one of the great tragedies in jazz history. Already ranking with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis as one of the top trumpeters in jazz, Brownie was still improving in 1956. Plus he was a clean liver and was not even driving; the up-and-coming pianist Richie Powell and his wife (who was driving) also perished in the crash.
Clifford Brown accomplished a great deal in the short time he had. He started on trumpet when he was 15, and by 1948 was playing regularly in Philadelphia. Fats Navarro, who was his main influence, encouraged Brown, as did Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. After a year at Maryland State University, he was in a serious car accident in June 1950 that put him out of action for a year. In 1952, Brown made his recording debut with Chris Powell's Blue Flames (an R&B group). The following year, he spent some time with Tadd Dameron, and from August to December was with Lionel Hampton's band, touring Europe and leading some recording sessions. In early 1954, he recorded some brilliant solos at Birdland with Art Blakey's quintet (a band that directly preceded the Jazz Messengers) and by mid-year had formed a quintet with Max Roach. Considered one of the premiere hard bop bands, the group lasted until Brown's death, featuring Harold Land (and later Sonny Rollins) on tenor and recording several superb sets for Emarcy. Just hours before his death, Brownie appeared at a Philadelphia jam session that was miraculously recorded, and played some of the finest music of his short life.
Clifford Brown had a fat warm tone, a bop-ish style quite reminiscent of the equally ill-fated Fats Navarro, and a mature improvising approach; he was as inventive on melodic ballads as he was on rapid jams. Amazingly enough, a filmed appearance of him playing two songs in 1955 on a Soupy Sales variety show turned up after being lost for 40 years, the only known footage of the great trumpeter. Fortunately, virtually all of his recordings are currently available, including his Prestige dates (in the OJC series), his work for Blue Note and Pacific Jazz (on a four-CD set), and his many Emarcy sessions (reissued on a magnificent ten-disc set). But the one to pick up first is Columbia's The Beginning and the End, which has Brown's first and last recordings. All Music Guide

LEE MORGAN

Trumpeter Lee Morgan's biting yet liquid delivery recalled the work of such precursors as Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro, albeit with a harder edge. A prodigious instrumentalist who made his first splash while still in his teens, he became a leading hard bop and jazz-funk player; his composition "The Sidewinder" was one of the biggest chart hits ever cut by a jazzman.
Born July 10, 1938, Morgan was a product of Philadelphia's Mastbaum Tech, which boasted a highly competitive music department that spawned other pros-to-be. At the age of 18, he was starring in Dizzy Gillespie's band. After bowing as a leader at 19 on Savoy, he began a fruitful relationship with Blue Note Records. He fronted some all-star sessions, appeared as a sideman on such memorable albums as John Coltrane's Blue Train, and made a stunning impression with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (see Moanin'). After a return to Philadelphia in the early '60s to fight a drug habit, Morgan came back in full effect, first with the Messengers (sharing the stage with Wayne Shorter), then on his own. In 1964, Morgan's The Sidewinder climbed to number 25 on Billboard's pop album chart. Several ultra-funky sound-alikes followed, but Morgan may have reached his creative peak on the ambitious, impressionistic 1964 set Search For The New Land.
By the late '60s, even the titles of Morgan's records were beginning to sound the same--The Rajah, The Procrastinator. However, as the '70s dawned, he began to explore new terrain with a storming group that included saxophonist Bennie Maupin. His full potential was still unfulfilled when he was fatally shot to death by a spurned girlfriend on the bandstand of the New York club Slug's on Feb. 19, 1972. He was only 33 years old. Large chunks of his work with Blakey and as a leader have been compiled on stunning boxed sets by mail-order label Mosaic Records. Chris Morris.

KENNY DORHAM

Real name: McKinley Howard Dorham. Born: Aug 30, 1924 in Fairfield, TX. Died: Dec 5, 1972 in New York, NY
Throughout his career, Kenny Dorham was almost famous for being underrated since he was consistently overshadowed by Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, and Lee Morgan. Dorham was never an influential force himself but a talented bop-oriented trumpeter and an excellent composer who played in some very significant bands. In 1945, he was in the orchestras of Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Eckstine, he recorded with the Be Bop Boys in 1946, and spent short periods with Lionel Hampton and Mercer Ellington. During 1948-1949, Dorham was the trumpeter in the Charlie Parker Quintet. After some freelancing in New York in 1954, he became a member of the first version of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and for a short time led a group called the Jazz Prophets, which recorded on Blue Note. After Clifford Brown's death, Dorham became his replacement in the Max Roach Quintet (1956-1958) and then he led several groups of his own. He recorded several fine dates for Riverside (including a vocal album in 1958), New Jazz, and Time, but it is his Blue Note sessions of 1961-1964 that are among his finest. Dorham was an early booster of Joe Henderson (who played with his group in 1963-1964). After the mid-'60s, Kenny Dorham (who wrote some interesting reviews for Down Beat) began to fade and he died in 1972 of kidney disease. Among his many originals is one that became a standard, "Blue Bossa." — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

DON FAGERQUIST

Don Fagerquist
b. 6 February 1927, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, d. 24 January 1974. After working with the Mal Hallett band in the early '40s, Fagerquist joined Gene Krupa in 1944. He stayed with Krupa for several years, comfortably adjusting his trumpet playing to the boppish style the band adopted towards the end of the decade. After Krupa's band folded Fagerquist spent a little time with Artie Shaw before becoming a member of Woody Herman's Third Herd. He later worked with Les Brown and the Dave Pell Octet, the Brown band's small-group offshoot. A striking soloist, Fagerquist's thoughtful playing style admirably suited the west coast scene and in the '50s he played extensively and sometimes recorded with Shelly Manne, Pete Rugolo, Art Pepper and others, including the popular big band assembled for record dates by Si Zentner in the mid-60s.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

Louis Armstrong House and archives
Biographie sur 'The Red Hot Jazz Archives'
Louis Daniel Armstrong. Born Aug 4, 1901 in New Orleans, LA. Died Jul 6, 1971 in New York, NY.

V ous pouvez écouter quelques-unes de ces transcriptions sur le site ReHotJazz.

Ruby BRAFF

Born Mar 16, 1927 in Boston, MA.
One of the great swing/Dixieland cornetists, Ruby Braff went through long periods of his career unable to find work because his music was considered out-of-fashion, but his fortunes improved by the 1970s. A very expressive player who in later years liked to build his solos up to a low note, Braff's playing is instantly recognizable within seconds.
Braff mostly worked around Boston in the late '40s. He teamed up with Pee Wee Russell when the clarinetist was making a comeback (they recorded live for Savoy), and after moving to New York in 1953, he fit easily into a variety of Dixieland and mainstream settings. Braff recorded for Vanguard as a leader, and with Vic Dickenson, Buck Clayton, and Urbie Green. He was one of the stars of Buck Clayton's Columbia jam sessions, and in the mid-'50s worked with Benny Goodman. But, despite good reviews and occasional recordings, work was hard for Braff to come by at times. In the 1960s, he was able to get jobs by being with George Wein's Newport All-Stars and at jazz festivals, but it was not until the cornetist formed a quartet with guitarist George Barnes, in 1973, that he became more secure. Afterward, Braff was heard in many small-group settings, including duets with Dick Hyman and Ellis Larkins (he had first met up with the latter in the 1950s), quintets with Scott Hamilton, and matching wits with Howard Alden. He remains one of the greats of mainstream jazz. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Don GOLDIE

Born Feb 5, 1930 in Newark, NJ. Died Nov 25, 1995 in Florida.
A talented soloist with a wide range, Don Goldie was the son of longtime Paul Whiteman trumpeter Harry Goldfield. Goldie performed with many types of groups, including with Buddy Rich and the society band of Lester Lanin, before gaining prominence for his playing with Jack Teagarden's Dixieland sextet (from 1959 until the trombonist's death in 1964). Goldie eventually settled in Miami, where in the early '70s he recorded 11 albums for Jazz Forum, many of which were dedicated to the work of one composer. A fixture in Miami clubs and hotels, Don Goldie committed suicide in 1995. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Dick CATHCART

b. 6 November 1924, Michigan City, Indiana, USA, d. 8 November 1993, Woodland Hills, California, USA.
Dick Cathcart played lead trumpet with Ray McKinley's first band after studying at Indiana University. A stint with Alvino Ray's group and with the Air Force followed. After the war he went with the revived Bob Crosby band, and from there to studio work. His full-bodied trumpet work on the "Pete Kelly's Blues" radio show with Jack Webb earned him the soundtrack cornet chore in the motion picture of the same name.

Doc CHEATHAM

Doc Cheatham Autobiography
Adolphus Anthony Cheatham. Born Jun 13, 1905 in Nashville, TN. Died Jun 2, 1997 in Washington, D.C.
Doc Cheatham was without question the greatest 90-year old trumpeter of all time; in fact, no brass player over the age of 80 had ever played with his power, range, confidence, and melodic creativity. Most trumpeters fade while in their 60s due to the physical difficulty of their instrument, but Cheatham did not truly find himself as a soloist until he was nearly 70.
Doc Cheatham's career reaches back to the early '20s, when he played in vaudeville theaters backing such traveling singers as Bessie Smith and Clara Smith. He moved to Chicago, recorded with Ma Rainey (on soprano sax), played with Albert Wynn, subbed for Louis Armstrong (his main idol), and had his own group in 1926. After stints with Wilbur DeParis and Chick Webb, he toured Europe with Sam Wooding. Due to his wide range and pretty tone, Cheatham worked as a non-soloing first trumpeter with McKinney's Cotton Pickers and Cab Calloway throughout the 1930s. He spent time with Teddy Wilson's big band, and was with the commercially successful Eddie Heywood Sextet (backing Billie Holiday on some recordings). In the 1950s, Cheatham alternated between Dixieland (Wilbur DeParis, guest spots with Eddie Condon) and Latin bands (Perez Prado, Herbie Mann). He was with Benny Goodman during 1966-1967, but it was not until the mid-'70s that Cheatham felt truly comfortable as a soloist. Duet sets with pianist Sammy Price launched his new career, and until his death in 1997, he recorded fairly prolifically including dates for Sackville, New York Jazz, Parkwood, Stash, GHB, Columbia, and several European labels. Cheatham was also a charming singer whose half-spoken, half-sung vocals took nothing away from his chance-taking trumpet flights. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Shorty BAKER

Harold J. Baker. Born May 26, 1914 in St. Louis, MO. Died Nov 8, 1966 in New York, NY.
Shorty Baker of the famous Saint-Louis school of trumpeters that starts with Ed Allen and ends with Miles Davis and includes Joe Thomas and Clark Terry was a player of exquisite taste. His frequents ins and outs with Duke Ellington arose from his conviction (not unjustifiable) that Duke did not fully valued his talents. However, Baker can be heard at length on a number of Ellington performances and Duke especially appreciated his pretty sound and tasteful phrasing on ballads. Among Baker's admirers was Miles Davis who had particular praise for his tone and control.

Emmett BERRY

Emmett Berry (born 1916) is another trumpet player who has not received due recognition from the public. Born in Macon, Georgia, he was raised in Cleveland where he spent his early playing years. He joined Fletcher Henderson in 1936, replacing his idol, Roy Eldridge, and did exceptionally well in that demanding chair. After a stay with Teddy Wilson's sextet at Cafe Society, Berry joined the CBS radio staff orchestra. From late 1945 to early 1950, he was with Count Basie. Discouraged from the jazz scene and suffering from mental depression, he then returned to Cleveland in 1970 where he soon became inactive as a player.

CLARK TERRY

Born in St. Louis Dec 14, 1920 in St. Louis MO., Clark Terry performed with Charlie Barnet (1947) and in Count Basie's big band and small groups (1948-51) before beginning an important affiliation with Duke Ellington, which lasted from 1951 to 1959. During this period Terry took part in many of Ellington's suites and acquired a lasting reputation for his wide range of styles (from swing to hard bop), technical proficiency, and infectious good humor. After leaving Ellington he became a frequent performer in New York studios and a staff member of NBC; he appeared regularly on the Tonight Show, where his unique "mumbling" scat singing became famous. He also continued to play jazz with musicians such as J.J. Johnson and Oscar Peterson, and led a group with Bob Brookmeyer which achieved some popularity in the early 1960s.
In the 1970s Terry began to concentrate increasingly on the flugelhorn from which he obtains a remarkably full, ringing tone. In addition to his studio work and teaching at jazz workshops, Terry toured regularly in the 1980s with small groups (including Peterson's) and as the leader of his Big B-A-D Band (formed 1970). His humor and command of jazz trumpet styles are nowhere more apparent than in his "dialogues" with himself, either on different instruments or on the same instument, muted and unmuted. J. BRADFORD ROBINSON, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz

HARRY JAMES

Harry James, real name: Harry Haag James. Born Mar 15, 1916 in Albany, GA. Died Jul 5, 1983 in Las Vegas, NV
Trumpet Blues: The Life of Harry James by Peter J. Levinson Published by Oxford University Press 334 pages, 1999 ISBN: 0195110307
Harry James was one of the most outstanding instrumentalists of the swing era, employing a bravura playing style that made his trumpet work instantly identifiable. He was also one of the most popular bandleaders of the first half of the 1940s, and he continued to lead his band until just before his death, 40 years later. James was the child of circus performers. His father, Everette Robert James, was the bandleader and trumpet player in the orchestra for the Mighty Haag Circus, and his mother, Maybelle Stewart Clark James, was an aerialist. Growing up in the circus, James became a performer himself as early as the age of four, when he began working as a contortionist. He soon turned to music, however, first playing the snare drum in the band from about the age of six and taking trumpet lessons from his father. At 12, he took over leadership of the second band in the Christy Brothers Circus, for which his family was then working. He attended grade school in Beaumont, TX, where the circus spent the winter, and when he was 14 he won a state music contest as a trumpeter. That inspired him to turn professional and begin playing in local bands. James' first job with a national band came in 1935 when he was hired by Ben Pollack. In May 1935, he married singer Louise Tobin, with whom he had two children and from whom he was divorced in June 1943. He made his first recordings as a member of the Pollack band in September 1936. Not long after, he was tapped by Benny Goodman, then leading one of the country's most popular bands, and he began working for Goodman by the end of 1936. He rapidly gained notice in the Goodman band, and by December 1937 he had begun to make recordings under his own name for Brunswick Records (later absorbed by Columbia Records). In early 1939, he left Goodman and launched his own orchestra, premiering it in Philadelphia in February. That spring, he heard the then-unknown Frank Sinatra on a radio broadcast and hired him . Click for more on allmusic.com.

JONAH JONES

Robert Elliott Jones. Born Dec 31, 1909 in Louisville, KY. Died Apr 30, 2000 in Manhattan, NY
A talented and flashy trumpeter, Jonah Jones hit upon a formula in 1955 that made him a major attraction for a decade; playing concise versions of melodic swing standards and show tunes muted with a quartet. But although the non-jazz audience discovered Jones during the late '50s, he had already been a very vital trumpeter for two decades. Jones started out playing on a Mississippi riverboat in the 1920s. He freelanced in the Midwest (including with Horace Henderson), was briefly with Jimmie Lunceford (1931), had an early stint with Stuff Smith (1932-1934), and then spent time with Lil Armstrong's short-lived orchestra and the declining McKinney's Cotton Pickers. Jones became famous for his playing with Stuff Smith's Onyx club band (1936-1940), recording many exciting solos. He gigged with Benny Carter and Fletcher Henderson and became a star soloist with Cab Calloway (1941-1952), staying with the singer even after his big band became a combo. Jones played Dixieland with Earl Hines (1952-1953), toured Europe in 1954 (including a brilliant recording session with Sidney Bechet), and then led his quartet at the Embers (1955), hitting upon his very successful formula. His shuffle version of "On the Street Where You Live" was the first of many hits and he recorded a long series of popular albums for Capitol during 1957-1963, switching to Decca for a few more quartet albums in 1965-1967. Jonah Jones recorded a fine date with Earl Hines for Chiaroscuro (1972) and still played on an occasional basis in the 1980s and early '90s; he died April 30, 2000, at the age of 91. — Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

WILD BILL DAVISSON

William Stethen Davis born Jan 5, 1906 in Defiance, OH. Died Nov 14, 1989 in Santa Barbara, CA.
Wild Bill (William Edward) Davison was born in Defiance, Ohio on the 5th of January 1906. Starting in the early 1920's he began to build his career with various bands including Ben Meroff's Chicago-based orchestra (where he first met guitarist Eddie Condon).
For most of the 1930's he was in Milwaukee, billed as "Trumpet King" Davison, and despite a lip injury in 1939 (he was hit in the mouth, appropriately for Milwaukee, by a flying beer mug) had arrived in New York by 1941. There he worked in Nick's saloon and with an Original Dixieland Jazz Band re-creation for the Katherine Dunham show which culminated in his recording 12 sides for the Commodore label a week before his 38th birthday in 1944.
He recorded some brilliant sessions with George Brunis indicating he had finally found his own style. In 1945 he joined Eddie Condon's house band, and those long nights and hard musical pace at Condon's club made him a commanding front man, a tough and reliable lead cornetist that Condon could count on; above all an original.
Along with gold-standard Condon recordings and quartet dates of his own , by 1960 Davison was a soloist. Despite his regular reunions with Condon he began a new lifetime pattern of bandleading and touring, appearing between 1965 and 1975 with over 100 bands and recording over 20 new albums. In England he toured and recorded with Alex Welsh, Fred Hunt and Lennie Hastings, and in the 1970's moved to Denmark. He was still globetrotting in 1983 and after a short illness in 1983 played in the 1985 jazz festivals and toured England in 1986. He died on November 14th 1989 at the age of 83.

KENNY BAKER

b. 1 March 1921, Withernsea, Yorkshire, England. After taking up the trumpet and playing in brass bands, Baker moved to London, in the late '30s, to become a professional musician. During the next few years he established himself as an outstanding technician capable of playing in any jazz or dance band. In the early '40s, he played in the bands of Lew Stone and George Chisholm before joining Ted Heath in 1944. He remained with Heath until 1949, and was featured on many recording sessions and countless concerts. In the early '50s he was regularly on the radio, leading his own band, the Baker's Dozen, on a weekly late-night show which lasted throughout the decade. In the '60s he led his own groups and recorded film soundtracks, all the while building his reputation as one of the best trumpet players in the world even though he played only rarely outside the UK. At the end of the decade he was featured in Benny Goodman's British band. Baker's career continued throughout the '70s, with appearances as co-leader of the Best of British Jazz touring package, and with Ted Heath recreations and the bands led by Don Lusher and other former colleagues. In the early '80s, Baker turned down an invitation to take over leadership of the Harry James band after the latter's death. He could still be regularly heard playing concerts and club dates and was also on television, usually off-camera, playing soundtracks for Alan Plater's popular UK television series THE BEIDERBECKE AFFAIR and THE BEIDERBECKE TAPES. In 1989, he took part in a major recording undertaking which set out to recreate the classic recordings of Louis Armstrong using modern recording techniques. Baker took the Armstrong role, comfortably confounding the date on his birth certificate with his masterful playing. A fiery soloist with a remarkable technical capacity which he never uses simply for effect, Baker is one of the UK's greatest contributions to the international jazz scene.

BILLY BUTTERFIELD

Billy Butterfield b. 14 January 1917, Middleton, Ohio, USA, d. 18 March 1988. As a child Butterfield was taught by cornetist Frank Simons, but as a teenager he began to study medicine. He continued playing music to such good effect that he was soon working regularly with the bands of Austin Wylie and Andy Anderson and eventually quit his medical studies. Although adept on several instruments he concentrated on trumpet, later adding fluegelhorn, and in 1937 was hired by the Bob Crosby band. Butterfield's gorgeous, fat-toned sound was particularly suited to ballads and his recording of Bob Haggart's What's New?, originally entitled I'm Free, was a hit. In 1940 he joined Artie Shaw, then worked with Benny Goodman and Les Brown, but soon entered the more reliable area of studio work. After the war Butterfield indulged himself with every sideman's dream and formed his own big band, in collaboration with former Crosby colleague Bill Stegmeyer. Butterfield took the enterprise seriously, commissioning arrangements from Ralph Burns, Bob Haggart, Bob Peck and Neal Hefti. For all his good intentions, however, the band proved to be a financial disaster. For a while he returned to studio work but then began freelancing, working with old comrades such as Eddie Condon, recording with Louis Armstrong (playing the trumpet obbligato to Satchmo's vocal on the 1949 recording of Blueberry Hill) and leading small groups. In the late '60s he became a member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band alongside former Crosby sidemen Bob Haggart and Yank Lawson. In the '70s he worked with Joe �Flip� Phillips and toured extensively, usually as a solo. Much admired by fellow musicians, and eventually attracting the kind of attention from fans he had always deserved, Butterfield enjoyed a late flowering of his career even though suffering from emphysema.

ZIGGY ELMAN

Ziggy Elman b. Harry Finkelman, 26 May 1914, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 26 June 1968. As a child Elman learned to play various brass and reed instruments, and his first professional engagement was on trombone, although his main instrument later became the trumpet. In 1936 he joined Benny Goodman and formed part of one of the best three-man trumpet sections of the swing era. With Harry James and Chris Griffin, Elman shared lead and solo duties and his dynamic, biting playing was a great asset to the band. After James left to lead his own band, Elman comfortably coped with his role as featured soloist, playing showstoppers such as Who'll Buy My Bublitchki and And The Angels Sing, which he composed himself. After leaving Goodman, Elman worked with other big bands, including those of Joe Venuti and Tommy Dorsey. In the late '40s, as name big bands were folding all around him, Elman tried leading his own big band and met with a measure of success especially with a re-recording of And The Angels Sing. In the early '50s he worked in film studios in Los Angeles but ill-health and personal problems kept him from achieving much success. In 1961 his financial situation was revealed during an alimony court hearing at which he agreed that many people thought him to be the world's greatest trumpet player, adding �But I still can't get much work.� Six of his seven bank accounts had sums varying between $1.19 and $11.00 in them, while the seventh was overdrawn.

RANDY BROOKS

Randy Brooks
b. 28 March 1917, Maine, USA, d. 21 March 1967. A child prodigy, Brooks was playing trumpet in Salvation Army bands when he was only 10 years of age. In 1937 he travelled to New York to try his luck and soon found work with Rudy Vallée: later he was a member of the bands of Hal Kemp and Claude Thornhill. In the '40s he formed his own band and had record successes with Tenderly and Harlem Nocturne. In 1945 his band accompanied Ella Fitzgerald on two tracks recorded for Decca. Brooks, who married Ina Ray Hutton in 1949 (they divorced in 1957), suffered a stroke in 1950 which cut short his career. He died in a fire at his home in March 1967.

REX STEWART

Rex Stewart
William Stewart, Jr. Born Feb 22, 1907 in Philadelphia, PA, Died Sep 7, 1967 in Los Angeles, CARex Stewart achieved his greatest glory in a subsidiary role, playing cornet 11 years in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His famous "talking" style, and half-valve effects were exploited brillantly by countless Ellington pieces containing perfect passages tailored to showcase Stewart's sound. He played in a forceful, gripping manner that reflected the influence of Louis Armstrong, Bubber Miley and Bix Beiderbecke, whose solos he once reproduced on record. Stewart played on Potomac riverboats before moving to Philadelphia. He went to New York in 1921. Stewart worked with Elmer Snowden in 1925, then joined Fletcher Henderson a year later. But he felt his talents were not at the necessary level, and departed Henderson's band, joining his brother Horace's band at Wilberforce College. Stewart returned in 1928. He remained five years and contributed many memorable solos. There was also a brief period in McKinney's Cotton Pickers in 1931, a stint heading his own band, and another short stay with Luis Russell before Stewart joined the Ellington Orchestra in 1934. He was a star throughout his tenure, co-writing classics "Boy Meets Horn" and "Morning Glory." He also supervised many outside recording sessions using Ellingtonians. After leaving, Stewart led various combos, and performed throughout Europe and Australia on an extensive Jazz at the Philharmonic tour from 1947-1951. He lectured at the Paris Conservatory in 1948. Stewart settled in New Jersey to run a farm in the early '50s. He was semi-retired, but found new success in the media. He worked in local radio and television, while leading a band part time in Boston. Stewart led the Fletcher Henderson reunion band in 1957 and 1958, and recorded with them. He played at Eddie Condon's club in 1958 and 1959, then moved to the West Coast. Stewart again worked as a disc jockey and became a critic. - by Ron Wynn All Music Guide

RAY ANTHONY

Ray Anthony played two years with Glenn Miller and ten with Jimmy Dorsey before forming his own band. Anthony led a group in the Pacific during World War II, then had a highly popular dance band. He probably has as much fame, if not more, as the writer of the theme for Dragnet, the novelty tune "The Bunny Hop," and the hit single "Dancing in the Dark." He also had plenty of film and TV work in the '50s, including an appearance in the film Daddy Long Legs. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

DIZZY GILLESPIE

Dizzy GILLESPIE
real name: John Birks Gillespie
Born Oct 21, 1917 in Cheraw, SC
Died Jan 6, 1993 in Englewood, NJDizzy Gillespie's contributions to jazz were huge. One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time (some would say the best), Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up copying Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis' emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy's style was successfully recreated. Somehow, Gillespie could make any "wrong" note fit, and harmonically he was ahead of everyone in the 1940s, including Charlie Parker. Unlike Bird, Dizzy was an enthusiastic teacher who wrote down his musical innovations and was eager to explain them to the next generation, thereby insuring that bebop would eventually become the foundation of jazz.All Music Guide

ART FARMER

Art FARMER
real name: Arthur Stewart Farmer
Born Aug 21, 1928 in Council Bluffs, IA
Died Oct 4, 1999 in New York, NY
Largely overlooked during his formative years, Art Farmer's consistently inventive playing was more greatly appreciated as he continued to develop. Along with Clark Terry, Farmer helped to popularize the flugelhorn among brass players. His lyricism gave his bop-oriented style its own personality. Farmer studied piano, violin and tuba before settling on trumpet. He worked in Los Angeles from 1945 on, performing regularly on Central Avenue and spending time in the bands of Johnny Otis, Jay McShann, Roy Porter, Benny Carter and Gerald Wilson among others; some of the groups also included his twin brother bassist Addison Farmer (1928-63). After playing with Wardell Gray (1951-52) and touring Europe with Lionel Hampton's big band (1953) Farmer moved to New York and worked with Gigi Gryce (1954-56), Horace Silver's Quintet (1956-58) and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet (1958-9). Farmer, who made many recordings in the latter half of the 1950s (including with Quincy Jones and George Russell and on some jam-session dates for Prestige) co-led the Jazztet with Benny Golson (1959-62) and then had a group with Jim Hall (1962-64). He moved to Vienna in 1968 where he joined the Austrian Radio Orchestra, worked with the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and toured with his own units. Since the 1980s Farmer visited the U.S. more often and has remained greatly in demand up until his death on October 4, 1999. Farmer recorded many sessions as a leader through the years including for Prestige, Contemporary, United Artists, Argo, Mercury, Atlantic, Columbia, CTI, Soul Note, Optimism, Concord, Enja and Sweet Basil.
All Music Guide

AL HIRT

Al Hirt
A virtuoso on the trumpet, Al Hirt was often "overqualified" for the Dixieland and pop music that he performed. He studied classical trumpet at the Cincinnati Conservatory (1940-1943) and was influenced by the playing of Harry James. He freelanced in swing bands (including both Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and Ray McKinley) before returning to New Orleans in the late '40s and becoming involved in the Dixieland movement. He teamed up with clarinetist Pete Fountain on an occasional basis from 1955 on, and became famous by the end of the decade. An outstanding technician with a wide range, along with a propensity for playing far too many notes, Hirt had some instrumental pop hits in the 1960s. He also recorded swing and country music, but mostly stuck to Dixieland in his live performances. He remained a household name throughout his career, although one often feels that he could have done so much more with his talent. Hirt's early Audiofidelity recordings (1958-1960) and collaborations with Fountain are the most rewarding of his long career; he died at his home in New Orleans on April 27, 1999. Biography by by Scott Yanow. All Music Guide

The AL "He's the King" HIRT's page. Pictures, biography and discography of New Orlean's trumpet virtuoso by Carol.

DOC SEVERINSEN

born Jul 7,1927 in Arlington, OR.
Doc Severinsen, best known to late night television audiences as the Tonight Show's flamboyant Grammy Award-winning musical director, has established a multi-dimensional career beyond his late night repertoire, including symphonic jazz and big band concert appearances, recordings, and commercials plus designing and manufacturing trumpets.

Although Severinsen's signature has been his superb trumpet playing, quick witted banter and original style of clothes on the Tonight Show, he is one of today's pre-eminent instrumentalists. Today, Doc continues to tour across the country performing concerts in an array of musical styles - he performs classical and pop music as a guest conductor/performer with symphony orchestras. In addition to guest assignments, Doc is Principal Pops Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony. Severinsen also plays sizzling jazz with his jazz group, Facets, and big band tunes with the famous former Tonight Show Band, now known as Doc Severinsen and His Big Band.

This summer, he's added a new dimension to his gifted repertory. Art Modell, owner of the Browns, thought their old Fight Song needed dusting off. Originally composed in the 1940's, the mascot tune had become out of step with the 90's. So, art turned to Doc. With a spiffy new arrangement, Doc has given the forty year old melody a new lease on life - an upbeat, very modern, jazzy rhythm.

Doc's big band tour of eleven cities up and down the Mississippi was completely sold out. Doc conducted a fifteen member band, with some of the Tonight Show's best - Ed Shaughnessy on drums, Ernie Watts on sax, and Chuck and Bob Finley on trumpets. In March, 1996, Doc went to eight cities south of the Mason-Dixon Line for a dashing tour of the Southern states

JOE WILDER

Joe Wilder
b. Joseph Benjamin Wilder, 22 February 1922, Colwyn, Pennsylvania, USA. After studying music in his home town, Wilder joined the trumpet section of the Les Hite band in his late teens. From Hite he graduated to the Lionel Hampton band and, before the 40s were over, had played with leaders such as Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmie Lunceford, Lucky Millinder and Sam Donahue. In the 50s he mostly worked in theatre bands but spent several months with Count Basie, and by the end of the decade had embarked upon a long stint as a staff musician in US radio and television studios. During this period, which extended into the early 70s, he found time to play with Benny Goodman on a tour of the Soviet Union. Later in the 70s and throughout the 80s he continued to play in studio orchestras, making occasional recordings, including a fine set with Benny Carter. In the 90s he returned as a leader and recorded two albums for Evening Star. A top-rank lead trumpeter, Wilder's technical command has ensured his successful career in the studios but that, in turn, has necessarily overshadowed his jazz playing.

RAY COPELAND

Ray Copeland. Born Jul 17, 1926 in Norfolk, VA. Died May 18, 1984 in Sunderland, MA
An accomplished composer and instructor, Ray Copeland was a solid trumpeter from the '40s until the '80s in swing, bebop, hard bop and even with stage bands. He gave many workshops and jazz history courses, and his playing demonstrated a confident, engaging tone and crackling energy, as well as effective range and timbre. Copeland studied classical trumpet and played with various rock and pop groups as a teenager in Brooklyn. He toured in the late '40s with Mercer Ellington and Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans. Copeland played with Andy Kirk and Sy Oliver in the early '50s, and played bebop and swing with Lionel Hampton, Randy Weston, Oscar Pettiford and others in the late '50s. He was featured in the 1959 film "Kiss Her Goodbye." Copeland played in The Roxy Theater Orchestra in the late '50s and early '60s, while also working with Art Blakey, Cat Anderson, Johnny Richards, Louis Bellson and Pearl Bailey. Copeland was one of Ella Fitzgerald's accompanists in 1965. He rejoined Weston in 1966, and toured Africa on State Department-sponsored events in 1967 and Morocco in 1970. He toured Europe with Thelonious Monk in 1968. Copeland played at the 1973 Newport Jazz Festival and continued performing periodically into the '80s. He also led orchestras in New York during the '70s, and his "Classical Jazz Suite in Six Movements" composition premiered at the Lincoln Center in 1970. Copeland worked in Broadway shows and toured Europe with the revue "The Musical Life of Charlie Parker" in 1974. His book "The Ray Copeland Method and Approach to the Creative Art of Jazz Improvisation" was published that same year. Copeland didn't issue any dates as a leader, but can be heard on various reissues by Monk, Weston, Blakey and Anderson. Biography by Ron Wynn. All Music Guide

MUGGSIE SPANIER

Real name : Francis Joseph Spanier. Born Nov 9, 1906 in Chicago, IL. Died Feb 12, 1967 in Sausalito, CA
Muggsy Spanier was a predictable but forceful cornetist who rarely strayed far from the melody. Perfectly at home in Dixieland ensembles, Spanier was also an emotional soloist (equally influenced by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong) who was an expert at using the plunger mute. He started on cornet when he was 13, played with Elmer Schoebel's band in 1921, and first recorded in 1924. Spanier was a fixture in Chicago throughout the decade (appearing on several important early records) before joining Ted Lewis in 1929. Although Lewis was essentially a corny showman, Spanier's solos gave his band some validity during the next seven years. After a stint with Ben Pollack's orchestra (1936-1938), Spanier became seriously ill and was hospitalized for three months. After he recovered, the cornetist formed his famous eight-piece "Ragtime Band" and recorded 16 Dixieland performances for Bluebird (later dubbed The Great Sixteen) that virtually defined the music of the Dixieland revival movement. But because his group actually preceded the revival by a couple years, it soon had to break up due to lack of work. Muggsy joined Bob Crosby for a time, had his own short-lived big band, freelanced with Dixieland bands in New York, and starting in 1950 he gradually relocated to the West Coast. During 1957-1959 Spanier worked with Earl Hines' band and he continued playing up until his retirement in 1964, touring Europe in 1960 and always retaining his popularity in the Dixieland world. By Scott Yanow. All Music Guide

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