Results for "Trumpet"

Larry Sonn

Born: January 17, 1919

Larry Sonn, at 91, is alive and well in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. He was born in Woodmere on Long Island near New York City on January 17, 1919. Trumpet player, arranger, composer, and internationally known band leader, Larry was graduated from the Julliard School of Music in New York. He began his career with the Southern Symphony Orchestra in Columbia, South Carolina, as first trumpet, but later turned to the popular idioms of jazz and the big band sound. He soon was playing trumpet and arranging for the top orchestras in the U.S. including Glenn Miller, Teddy Powell, Bobby Byrne, Charlie Barnett, and Vincent Lopez. One series of engagements in the early 40's took him from New York to Philadelphia, and on to San Antonio

Valaida Snow

Born: June 2, 1904

The tale of Valaida Snow is dramatic, a beautiful gifted entertainer, singer, dancer, arranger, and jazz trumpeter who succeeded against all odds. Valaida’s exceptional talent, determination and charm brought her international fame. Her talents nearly unlimited, a savvy business woman who spoke seven languages, she blew hot jazz trumpet in the style of Louis Armstrong. Billed as “Queen of the Trumpet” she appeared in some of the top theatrical productions of her day. The toast of Paris and London in the early 1930s she wrote and recorded her theme song, “High Hat, Trumpet and Rhythm.” Valaida Snow’s life is an inspiring tale of determination and spirit Valaida Snow was born into a family of musicians: Her mother taught Valaida, her sisters Alvaida and Hattie, and her brother, Arthur Bush, how to play multiple instruments. Valaida and all her siblings became professional musicians. Valaida was taught by her mother to play cello, bass, violin, banjo, mandolin, harp, accordion, clarinet, saxophone and trumpet

Paul Smoker

Born: May 8, 1941

Paul Smoker studied and performed both jazz and classical music while growing up in Davenport, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa (eventually receiving a DMA in trumpet) where one of his fellow students was David Sanborn. While in high school and college he played in the clubs across the Mississippi River in Rock Island and Moline, as well as Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, getting to work with Dodo Marmarosa, Buddy DeFranco, and Al Jarreau, among others. He was also a member of the Iowa Brass Quintet, touring throughout the United States, and the U of Iowa Center for New Music. As a trumpeter his influences include avant-garde classical sources as well as the jazz trumpet tradition, and also the saxophonists John Coltrane and Anthony Braxton

Wadada Leo Smith

Born: December 18, 1941

ISHMAEL WADADA LEO SMITH trumpet-player, multi- instrumentalist, composer and improviser has been active in the creative contemporary world music for over thirty years. His theory of Jazz and World music was significant in his music development as an artist and educator. Born in Leland, Mississippi, Smith's early musical life began in the high school concert and marching bands. At the age of thirteen, he became immersed within the Delta Blues and Improvisation music traditions. He received his formal musical education with his father, the U.S. Military band program (1963), Sherwood School of Music (1967-69), and Wesleyan University (1975-76). As an Improvisor-Composer, Smith has studied a variety of music cultures (African, Japanese, Indonesian, European and American) and has developed a Jazz and world music theory, and a notation system to fully express this music which he calls "Ankhrasmation". He has taught at the University of New Haven 1975-'76, the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY

Louis Smith

Born: May 20, 1931

Louis Smith is a talented, but under recorded, straight-ahead bop trumpeter who led two dates in the '50s before retiring to teach at the University of Michigan and the nearby Ann Arbor Public School system. For most of his career, he remained a teacher, making a brief comeback in the late '70s before returning to education. It wasn't until the mid-'90s that he began a recording career in earnest, turning out a series of albums for the Steeplechase label. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Louis Smith began playing trumpet as a teenager. He graduated high school with a scholarship to Tennessee State University, where he studied music and became a member of the Tennessee State Collegians. Folllowing his college graduation, Smith did a little graduate work at Tennessee before transferring to the University of Michigan, where he studied with professor Clifford Lillya. At Michigan, he had opportunities to play with traveling musicians, including Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. In January 1954, Smith was drafted into the Army, spending a little over a year and a half in his tour of duty. Once he left the Army in late 1955, he began teaching at the Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, Georgia. While teaching at Booker T. Washington, Smith continued playing bop and hard bop in clubs, and was able to jam with Cannaonball Adderley, Kenny Dorham, Donald Byrd, Lou Donaldson, Zoot Sims and Philly Joe Jones, among many others. In 1956, he made his recording debut as a sideman on Kenny Burrell's Swingin'. A year later, he had the opportunity to lead his own recording session for Tom Wilson's Boston-based label, Transition. He assembled a quintet featuring Cannonball Adderley (who performed under the pseudonym Buckshot La Funke), bassist Doug Watkins, drummer Art Taylor and pianists Duke Jordan and Tommy Flanagan, who alternated on the date. Transition went out of business before the label had the chance to release the record. Blue Note chief Alfred Lion purchased all the Transition masters and signed Smith to an exclusive contract, releasing the session as Here Comes Louis Smith. During 1958, the trumpeter played on two Blue Note sessions—Kenny Burrell's Blue Lights and Booker Little's Booker Little 4 and Max Roach—in addition to leading the date that became Smithville. That brief burst of activity turned out to be his only recording dates for 20 years. Smith moved back to the Ann Arbor, Michigan area, where he taught at the University of Michigan and public schools. Between 1978 and 1979, he cut a pair of albums — Just Friends and Prancis'—before returning to teaching. A decade later, Smith began his recording career in earnest. After playing on Mickey Turner's Sweet Lotus Lips in 1989, he signed with Steeplechase and recorded Ballads for Lulu in 1990. He didn't return to the studio for another four years, but he did record two albums — Silvering and Strike up the Band — in 1994. The Very Thought of You appeared in 1995. A year later, Smith recorded I Waited for You, which was followed by There Goes My Heart in 1997. - AMG. Louis Smith had a stroke in 2005. SEMJA has published bulletins every now and then about his recovery. Louis has been working to regain his ability to speak with the help of several types of therapies. One of the more successful is music therapy, which he has been involved with for almost a year. Lars Bjorn, SEMJA President, recently had a chance to visit with Louis at one of his sessions at the University of Michigan Residential Aphasia Program and came away amazed at the ability of music to bring back some of Louis' lost skills. Louis' progress is no doubt due to his hard work; his previous musical ability; the skills of his musical therapist, Lynn Chenoweth, who sees him in one-on-one and group sessions; and the constant support provided by his wife Lulu.

Jabbo Smith

Born: December 24, 1908

Hailed a one of the original trumpet kings, Cladys Smith was born in Pembroke, GA on December 24, 1908. He was sent to the Jenkins Orphanage by his mother Ida Smith when he was six year old. Jabbo began playing the cornet at age eight and began touring with the Jenkins Band at age ten. During his stay at the orphanage Jabbo constantly ran away and in 1925, at age 17 he left for good in order to play professionally with Harry Marsh in Philadelphia. During the 1920s and 1930s, Jabbo was seen as a rival to Louis Armstrong. Jabbo played in New York for a while with such bands as the Charlie Johnson Band, Sidney Bechet and the James P

Bobby Shew

Born: March 4, 1941

Born In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bobby Shew began playing the guitar at the age of eight and switched to the trumpet at ten. By the time he was thirteen he was playing at local dances with a number of bands and by fifteen had put together his own group to play at dances, occasional concerts and in jazz coffee houses. He spent most of his high school days playing as many as six nights a week in a dinner club, giving him an early start to his professional career.

He then spent three years as the jazz trumpet soloist in the famed NORAD multi-service band. Shortly after leaving he joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under the direction of Sam Donahue, which, among other things, gave him the chance to perform quite a bit with trumpet legend Charlie Shavers. After his stint with Tommy Dorsey, Bobby was asked to play with Woody Herman's band upon Bill Chase's recommendation. He then spent some time playing for Della Reese and Buddy Rich, who's big band had just been formed.

Jack Sheldon

Born: November 30, 1931

Along with Lester Young in the '30s, Dizzy Gillespie in the '40s, and Zoot Sims in the '50s, Jack Sheldon is one of the Original Lions of the West Coast Sound. Jack's a premier improviser, is one of only a handful of trumpet players throughout jazz history who has developed his own distinctive "signature sound". It's an inimitable sound that comes from his heart and soul, what Miles Davis called "a voice". As an integral part of the West Coast Scene of the 1950s, he played an important role in developing that era's bebop- inspired sound. His solid connection to that vibrant period in West coast Jazz surfaces with each impeccable solo. Sheldon's collaborative list is indeed long and impressive: Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Curtis Counce, Shelly Manne, Art Pepper, Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Rosemary Clooney, Diane Schuur and many other greats. Nominated five times for the Playboy International Artist Of The Year Award, Jack Sheldon continues to dazzle audiences with his prodigious chops and unerring sense of swing

Woody Shaw

Born: December 24, 1944

Woody Shaw, Jr. was born in Laurinburg, N.C. onDecember 24th, 1944 to Rosalie Pegues Shaw andWoody Shaw, Sr. He grew up in Newark, New Jersey,and began playing trumpet at the age of 11. Shawattended Arts High School in Newark where he studiedtrumpet and music theory with Jerome Ziering. Newarkhas a rich Jazz history and many notable Jazz artists areoriginally from there, including Sarah Vaughan, WayneShorter, Eddie Gladden, Larry Young, and GrachanMoncur III. His first and perhaps greatest inspiration, interms of the trumpet, came from listening to LouisArmstrong and, not long after, Clifford Brown.

Charlie Shavers

Born: August 3, 1920

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