Roy Eldridge
One of the most exciting trumpeters to emerge during the swing era, Roy Eldridge's combative approach, chance-taking style and strong musicianship were an inspiration (and an influence) to the next musical generation, most notably Dizzy Gillespie. Although he sometimes pushed himself farther than he could go, Eldridge never played a dull solo.
Roy Eldridge started out playing trumpet and drums in carnival and circus bands. With the Nighthawk Syncopators he received a bit of attention by playing a note-for-note re-creation of Coleman Hawkins' tenor solo on "The Stampede." Inspired by the dynamic playing of Jabbo Smith (Eldridge would not discover Louis Armstrong for a few years), Eldridge played with some territory bands including Zack Whyte and Speed Webb and in New York (where he arrive in 1931) he worked with Elmer Snowden (who nicknamed him "Little Jazz"), McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and most importantly Teddy Hill (1935). Eldridge's recorded solos with Hill, backing Billie Holiday and with Fletcher Henderson (including his 1936 hit "Christopher Columbus") gained a great deal of attention. In 1937 he appeared with his octet (which included brother Joe on alto) at the Three Deuces Club in Chicago and recorded some outstanding selections as a leader including "Heckler's Hop" and "Wabash Stomp." By 1939 Eldridge had a larger group playing at the Arcadia Ballroom in New York. With the decline of Bunny Berigan and the increasing predictability of Louis Armstrong, Eldridge was arguably the top trumpeter in jazz during this era.
During 1941-1942 Eldridge sparked Gene Krupa's Orchestra, recording classic versions of "Rockin' Chair" and "After You've Gone" and interacting with Anita O'Day on "Let Me Off Uptown." The difficulties of traveling with a White band during a racist period hurt him, as did some of the incidents that occurred during his stay with Artie Shaw (1944-1945) but the music during both stints was quite memorable. Eldridge can be seen in several "soundies" (short promotional film devoted to single songs) of this era by the Krupa band, often in association with O'Day, including "Let Me Off Uptown" and "Thanks for the Boogie Ride." He is also very prominent in the band's appearance in Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire, in an extended performance of "Drum Boogie" mimed by Barbara Stanwyck, taking a long trumpet solo -- the clip was filmed soon after Eldridge joined the band in late April of 1941, and "Drum Boogie" was a song that Eldridge co-wrote with Krupa.
Eldridge had a short-lived big band of his own, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, and then had a bit of an identity crisis when he realized that his playing was not as modern as the beboppers. A successful stay in France during 1950-1951 restored his confidence when he realized that being original was more important than being up-to-date. Eldridge recorded steadily for Norman Granz in the '50s, was one of the stars of JATP (where he battled Charlie Shavers and Dizzy Gillespie), and by 1956, was often teamed with Coleman Hawkins in a quintet; their 1957 appearance at Newport was quite memorable. The '60s were tougher as recording opportunities and work became rarer. Eldridge had brief and unhappy stints with Count Basie's Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald (feeling unnecessary in both contexts) but was leading his own group by the end of the decade. He spent much of the '70s playing regularly at Ryan's and recording for Pablo and, although his range had shrunk a bit, Eldridge's competitive spirit was still very much intact. Only a serious stroke in 1980 was able to halt his horn. Roy Eldridge recorded throughout his career for virtually every label.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
Artistas similares
-
-
Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! - Alive! At The Village Gate
Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Hodges
Jazz - Editado por Verve Reissues el 1 ene. 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oscar Peterson & Roy Eldridge
Jazz - Editado por Pablo el 8 dic. 1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
That Warm Feeling
Jazz - Editado por Verve Reissues el 1 ene. 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Little Jazz: The Best Of The Verve Years
Jazz - Editado por Verve Reissues el 1 ene. 1994
Discoteca Ideal Qobuz16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anthology: The Definitive Collection (Remastered)
Jazz - Editado por Master Tape Records el 17 sep. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Three Classic Albums Plus (Roy And Diz / Little Jazz / Swing Goes Dixie) (Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Editado por Avid Entertainment el 27 mar. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Roy And Diz (Expanded Edition)
Jazz - Editado por Verve el 1 ene. 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tatum Group Masterpieces, Vol 2 (Album Version)
Art Tatum, John Simmons, Roy Eldridge, Alvin Stoller
Jazz - Editado por Pablo el 1 ene. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Uptown
Jazz - Editado por Columbia Jazz Masterpieces el 30 ene. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
At The Opera House (Expanded Edition / Live / 1957)
Jazz - Editado por Verve Reissues el 1 ene. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Trumpet Kings At Montreux 1975 (Live)
Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry
Jazz - Editado por Original Jazz Classics el 16 jul. 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Roy Eldridge and His Little Jazz
Jazz - Editado por Legacy Recordings el 1 ene. 1951
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grand Reunion Recorded Live At The Village Vanguard (Live At The Village Vanguard/1965)
Earl Hines, The Earl Hines Trio, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins
Jazz - Editado por Verve Reissues el 14 mar. 1965
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Trumpet Kings Meet Joe Turner (Album Version)
Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Clark Terry
Jazz - Editado por Pablo el 19 sep. 1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Maturity
Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie
Jazz - Editado por Pablo el 3 jun. 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Norman Granz, Jazz At The Philharmonic - Frankfurt, 1952 (Live)
Lester Young, Flip Phillips, Roy Eldridge, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Max Roach
Jazz - Editado por Pablo el 20 nov. 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Little Jazz
Jazz - Editado por Inner City Records el 9 jun. 1950
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Montreux '77
Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, Niels Pedersen, Bobby Durham
Jazz - Editado por Pablo el 1 ene. 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
I Remember Harlem
Jazz - Editado por Inner City Records el 1 ene. 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo