Eddie Barefield

Eddie Barefield was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, and bandleader whose versatile musicianship kept him active for more than six decades. A respected figure of the swing era, he performed and recorded with some of jazz's most celebrated bandleaders, including Cab Calloway, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Born Edward Emanuel Barefield on December 12, 1909, in Scandia, Iowa, he grew up in Des Moines and began studying music at an early age. After learning piano, he took up the saxophone and began performing professionally in the Midwest during the 1920s. His career gained momentum when he joined Bennie Moten's influential Kansas City orchestra in 1932, followed by engagements with Zack Whyte and McKinney's Cotton Pickers.

In 1933, Barefield joined Cab Calloway's orchestra, beginning a musical association that would continue intermittently for decades. Equally accomplished as a performer and arranger, he contributed to the orchestras of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, and other leading swing-era figures. During the late 1930s and 1940s, he worked with Les Hite, Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman, Benny Carter, and Duke Ellington, while also leading his own ensembles and serving as musical director for Ella Fitzgerald.

Barefield's talents extended well beyond the bandstand. He worked extensively in radio, recording studios, Broadway productions, and theatrical orchestras, demonstrating an adaptability that helped sustain his career as musical tastes changed. During the 1970s and early 1980s, he performed with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus orchestra while continuing to appear in jazz settings.

Although best known for his work as a sideman, Barefield also recorded under his own name. His 1977 album The Indestructible E. B., released on the Famous Door label, featured an accomplished ensemble of swing musicians and younger players, including trumpeters Jon Faddis and Warren Vaché.

A fluent improviser on saxophone and clarinet, Barefield was admired for his expressive playing, command of swing, and considerable arranging skills. Though he never achieved the widespread recognition of some of his contemporaries, his contributions spanned several generations of jazz history, from the Kansas City orchestras of the early 1930s to the traditional jazz revival of his later years.

Eddie Barefield died in New York City on January 4, 1991, at the age of 81.

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