Cootie Williams
Cootie Williams, one of the finest trumpeters of the 1930s, expanded upon the role originally formed by Bubber Miley with Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Renowned for his work with the plunger mute, Cootie was also a fine soloist when playing open. Starting as a teenager, Cootie Williams played with a variety of local bands in the South, coming to New York with Alonzo Ross' Syncopators. He played for a short time with the orchestras of Chick Webb and Fletcher Henderson (recording with the latter), before joining Duke Ellington as Miley's replacement in February 1929. He was a fixture with Duke's band during the next 11 years, not only recording many classics with Ellington (including "Echoes of Harlem" and "Concerto for Cootie"), but leading some of his own sessions and recording with Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, and Billie Holiday, in addition to being a guest at Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert in 1938. His decision to leave Ellington and join Goodman's orchestra in 1940 was considered a major event in the jazz world. During his year with B.G., Williams was well-featured with both the big band and Goodman's sextet. The following year he became a bandleader, heading his own orchestra which, at times in the 1940s, featured such up-and-coming players as pianist Bud Powell, tenorman Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, altoist/singer Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, and even Charlie Parker.
Although he had a hit (thanks to Willis Jackson's honking tenor) on "Gator," by 1948 Cootie had cut his group back to a sextet. Playing R&B-oriented music, he worked steadily at the Savoy, but by the 1950s was drifting into obscurity. However, in 1962, after a 22-year absence, Cootie Williams rejoined Duke Ellington, staying even beyond Duke's death in 1974 as a featured soloist. By then his solos were much simpler and more primitive than earlier (gone was the Louis Armstrong-inspired bravado), but Cootie remained the master with the plunger mute. He was semi-retired during his final decade, taking a final solo in 1978 on a Teresa Brewer record, and posthumously serving as an inspiration for Wynton Marsalis' own plunger playing.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Cootie Williams And His Orchestra Selected Hits Vol. 2
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 21 Mar 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto For Cootie: Selected Recordings 1928-62
Jazz - Released by ACROBAT on 8 Mar 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Know You Love Me (Mono Version)
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Duke Ellington's Trumpeters (1937-1940)
Jazz - Released by Disques Black & Blue on 26 Mar 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jam Sessions Vol. 10 (1957)
Jazz - Released by Documents on 1 Sep 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Echoes of Harlem
Jazz - Released by Redwood Records on 14 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
You Are So Dear To Me
Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra, Cootie Williams
Jazz - Released by Dear To Me on 15 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hawaiian Songs
Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra, Cootie Williams
Jazz - Released by hawaiian songs on 14 Jan 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sweet Lorraine
Jazz - Released by Jazz League Music on 6 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Around Midnight
Vocal Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on 1 Nov 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Echoes of Harlem (Mono Version)
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1945 - 1946
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 14 Sep 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Look Into My Eyes, Dear Heart
Cootie Williams, Barney Bigard & His Jazzopators, Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Dear Heart on 16 Aug 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Letter
Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra, Barney Bigard & His Jazzopators & The Quintones
Jazz - Released by The Letter on 8 Nov 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ensemble Dancers
Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra, Barney Bigard & His Jazzopators & The Quintones
Jazz - Released by Ensemble Dancers on 2 Jan 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cootie Williams – Bud Powell – Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (1944) - The Early Years Vol. 6
Eddie ?Lockjaw? Davis, Cootie Williams, Bud Powell
Jazz - Released by Documents on 1 Sep 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Solid Trumpet Of Cootie Williams
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The One Man Band
Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra, Barney Bigard & His Jazzopators & The Quintones
Jazz - Released by One Man Band on 6 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rhythm & Jazz In The Mid Forties
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -