BIRTHDAYS 1896 Frank Black, Bandleader b. Philadelphia, PA, USA. d.
1903 Joe Britton, trombone b. Birmingham, AL, USA. d. 1972.
(Worked with "Sister" Rosetta Tharp.)
Biography
A
sweet home Alabama fellow, this trombonist was among the second
generation of professional American jazz musicians and also straddled
the worlds of blues and R&B, poking the long slide of his trombone
into any combo that was lucky enough to have him. His credits are
lengthy following his student days under the guidance of Fess Whatley.
Classic blues singer Bessie Smith took him on the road from 1924
through 1926 as a member of her backing group, at first the Fred
Longshaw Orchestra and then the Bill Woods Orchestra.
The
next year, he jumped to an outfit called Frank Bunch & the Fuzzy
Wuzzies, most likely the most obscure name in the list of the groups he
played for. He settled in New York in the '30s and fastened a grip on
that city's fast-moving and faster-growing jazz scene, working with
Ellsworth Reynold's Bostonians, Teddy Hill, the band of classic jazz
drummer Kaiser Marshall, Charlie Johnson, Edgar Hayes, and the Vernon
Andrade Orchestra. Positions with bigger jazz names were his in the
'40s: he worked with saxophonist and composer Benny Carter from
1940-1941 and modern trumpet maestro Dizzy Gillespie, while at the same
time collaborating on older styles of jazz. It was his chance to
finally work with Jelly Roll Morton, with whom he also gigged and
recorded in that decade, and Kansas City jazz pioneer Jay McShann. He
also worked with Lucky Millinder for three years beginning in 1942.
Blues
shouter Wynonie Harris was also a frequent employer, and although this
was not always a gig that provided a trombonist with a lot of solo
space, Britton shows up on a half-dozen of Harris' raunchy R&B
records, not to mention compact disc box set reissues. He also plays in
a similar vein on recordings by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Britton also
performed and recorded with the great jazz pianist Earl Hines. The
trombonist dabbled into orchestra arrangements and his work in this
field is spotlighted on the album Breaks, Blues and Boogies by fellow
bone-man Vic Dickenson. Britton retired from full-time professional
playing in the '50s, but gigged off and on into the '60s, including a
regular stint in a band led by saxophonist Wesley Fagan.
~ Eugene Chadbourne
1892 Harry Carroll, composer d. 1962, Mt. Carmel, PA, USA.
MORE:
nfo.net/cal/tc3.html 1887 Louis Hirsch, composer b. New York, NY, USa
d. May 13, 1924, New York, NY, USA.
1893 Ray Leveen, songwriter b. Newark, NJ, USA.
Worked with Louis Jordan Orch.
1889 Roy Lopez, cornet b. New Orleans, LA, USA.
d. April 27, 1970, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
1915 Richard Thomas "Dick" Vance, Trumpet b. Mayfield, KY, USA. d. 1985
Biography
Dick
Vance was a fine trumpeter who unfortunately did not solo on record all
that often. He grew up in Cleveland and, after a short period playing
violin, Vance switched to trumpet. He worked in J.Frank Terry's band in
Cleveland and then was with Lil Armstrong's little-known orchestra
(1934-35). After moving to New York, Vance played with Willie Bryant,
Kaiser Marshall and then more importantly Fletcher Henderson's
Orchestra (1936-38) where he was the lead trumpeter and an occasional
vocalist. Vance joined Chick Webb's Big Band in 1939, staying with the
organization for a couple years after Ella Fitzgerald took over (after
Webb's passing), arranging many of the charts.
Vance then had
stints with Charlie Barnet, Don Redman, Eddie Heywood's Sextet
(1944-45), Ben Webster and others. He attended Juilliard Institute
during 1944-47, played in pit orchestras for decades and Vance
contributed arrangements to many orchestras including those of Duke
Ellington, Harry James, Cab Calloway and Earl Hines. He was also part
of Fletcher Henderson's last Sextet (1950), was with Duke Ellington
during 1951-52 (arranging most of the music for the album Ellington
'55), toured with Don Redman (1953) and played frequently in the Savoy
Ballroom in the 1950's. Later in his life he toured Europe with Eddie
Barefield in 1969. Dick Vance led two obscure albums in his career, one
apiece for Sue (1962) and Strand (from the mid-60's).
~ Scott Yanow
1907 George Godfrey Wettling, Drums b. Topeka, KS, USA.
d. June 6, 1968, New York, NY, USA.
Played with Bunny Berigan, Eddie Condon, Benny Goodman; Jack Hylton; Red Norvo; Artie Shaw; Paul Whiteman.
Biography
One
of the great Dixieland drummers, George Wettling's ability to alertly
change patterns behind each soloist usually inspired the other
musicians to play their best. He was part of the Chicago jazz scene of
the 1920s (where he moved with his family in 1921), and Baby Dodds was
his main idol. Wettling, who recorded with Paul Mares in the mid-'30s,
was still mostly an unknown when he came to New York in 1935, playing
briefly with Jack Hylton Orchestra. He did a fine job with Artie Shaw's
1936 big band, as well as the orchestras of Bunny Berigan (1937), Red
Norvo, Paul Whiteman (1938-1940), and Muggsy Spanier. However, his most
rewarding work was done with small groups, notably his sessions in 1938
with a trio also including Bud Freeman and Jess Stacy; he also recorded
with Jimmy McPartland, Wingy Manone, and Eddie Condon.
The
Condon connection was most significant, for after stints with Joe
Marsala and Ben Pollack, Wettling became a regular with Condon on his
Town Hall broadcasts and at his club. Wettling's "day job" was as a
staff musician at ABC (1943-1952). He worked off and on with Condon to
the end of his life and also gained some notoriety for his abilities as
an artist (some of his work appeared on album jackets) and as an
occasional jazz critic for Downbeat and Playboy. He played with
virtually everyone in the Chicago jazz field, as well as Benny Goodman,
Billie Holiday, Sidney Bechet, and even Chico Marx. Although he did not
lead bands on a regular basis for long (due to excessive alcohol
consumption), George Wettling led excellent Dixieland dates for Decca
(1940), Black & White (1944), Keynote, Stycon, Columbia (1951),
JSP, Kapp, and Stereocraft (1958).
~ Scott YanowDrummer World Bio:
www.drummerworld.com/drummer...ing.htmlMore:
www.angelfire.com/mac/keepi...ttling.htm
Notable Events
on this date include:
1925. Broadcasting
live from Nashville, Tennessee, a radio program later called "the Grand
Ole Opry", but originally named the 'Barn Dance' (after a Chicago radio
program called the 'National Barn Dance' that had begun broadcasting
the previous year) was heard for the first time. The show would become
one of the longest-lived and most popular showcases for western music.
Songs Recorded/Released
on this date include: 