Mannie Klein: Keynote, 1946

Mannie Klein is all but forgotten today. Yet the trumpeter, with 672 sessions, is among the most recorded trumpeters in jazz history, nearly matching Louis Armstrong's output. Klein began recording in 1922 and worked with a steady stream of bands. In 1928 alone, he recorded with Red Nichols and His Five Pennies, the Dorsey Brothers and Paul Whiteman among other leading bands of the day. Throughout the 1930s, Klein recorded in dozens of bands, including those led by Ben Selvin and Frankie Trumbauer. In the early 1940s, he recorded on Artie Shaw's Frenesi, Freddie Slack's Cow Cow Boogie and Lionel Hampton's Flying Home. By the mid-1940s, Klein was easily one of the most in-demand section players.

Then in Hollywood in February 1946, Keynote Records producer Harry Lim pulled Klein loose and had him lead a superb sextet to record four sides—Something to Remember You By, After You've Gone, Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen and At Sundown. The band featured Mannie Klein (tp), Babe Russin (ts), Skitch Henderson (p), George Van Eps (g), Artie Shapiro (b) and Jackie Mills (d). The pairing of Klein and Russin was a stroke of genius on Lim's part. The two had recorded together several times in the 1930s and early 1940s, but in this small group, we get to hear Klein's gentle, conversational trumpet and Russin's gruff, smoky tenor saxophone. [Photo above, from left, Harry Lim, Jelly Roll Morton and Steve Smith, owner of New York's Hot Record Society store]

Klein had a highly controlled technique that was seasoned by years of playing in some of jazz's most challenging bands. He is perhaps best known for leading Frankie Laine's That's My Desire session for Mercury in 1946. He's also on all of the Artie Shaw Musicraft sides, including those with Mel Torne and the Meltones, and was in Billy May's studio bands at Capitol in the 1950s. To give you a sense of Klein's prowess, the May trumpet section on these days typically featured Klein, Conrad Gozzo, John Best and Uan Rasey. Klein's May affiliation led to steady recording work with the Four Freshmen and Ray Anthony. Klein also is in Nelson Riddle's trumpet section for Frank Sinatra's Songs for Swingin' Lovers. Klein's recording pace slowed in the 1960s, which means he was likely recording TV show themes and movie soundtracks. I know he was on the Gidget and Bewitched themes. Klein died in 1994.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find the four Klein tracks mentioned above on the Keynote Jazz Collection: 1941-1947 (Fresh Sound) here.

JazzWax clips: Here's At Sundown (dig Manny Klein up against Babe Russin with Van Eps keeping the peace on guitar)...

 

Here's Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen...

 

Here's Frankie Laine in 1946 singing That's My Desire with a group led by Mannie Klein, with Babe Russin on tenor sax and Don Bonne on clarinet...

 

Here's a home movie of Klein's birthday party in February 1933 (and Prohibition was still in place). He was 25...