Jazz Articles about Tommy Newsom

RIP Tommy Newsom

by Jack Bowers
May 8, 2007

Big bands lost a true and loyal friend when Tommy Newsom died April 28 of liver and bladder cancer at age seventy-eight. Newsom, who gained a measure of fame as the butt of host Johnny Carson's jokes on The Tonight Show about his presumably drab personality and outfits to match, was a superb saxophonist and arranger who was a member of Doc Severinsen's all-star band for thirty years, serving as assistant music director for much of that time.

Before joining ...

Tommy Newsom: Friendly Fire

by Jack Bowers
April 12, 2002

Tommy Newsom, the butt of many a Johnny Carson joke when he played in the Tonight Show band, isn’t nearly as colorless as Johnny would have had us believe. Beneath that bland exterior lies the soul of an impassioned swinger, as Newsom proves on Friendly Fire, his long–overdue debut for Florida–based Arbors Records. Tommy has chosen an able sparring partner in veteran valve trombonist Bob Enevoldsen who has been one of the West Coast’s most respected musicians for nearly half ...

Tommy Newsom Sextet: Friendly Fire

by Mike Neely
October 1, 2001

You may know Tommy Newsom as the congenial big band sidekick on the Johnny Carson Show. But you may not know that he plays a bluesy, big-assed saxophone with intelligence, and style. On Friendly Fire he’s put together a quintet of pros who swing with something to say. Included is trombonist Bob Enevoldsen. Anyone who’s listened to West Coast jazz seriously will recognize Enevoldsen as a first choice big band trombonist who recorded on classic sessions with Bill Holman, Gerry ...