Howard McGhee
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2015) |
Howard McGhee | |
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![]() Rochester, New York, 1976 | |
Background information | |
Born | Tulsa,Oklahoma, U.S. | March 6, 1918
Died | July 17, 1987 New York City, New York | (aged 69)
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Trumpet |
Labels | DialSavoy, Bethlehem, Contemporary |
Coleman Hawkins
Howard McGhee(March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987)[1]was one of the first Americanbebopjazz trumpeters, withDizzy Gillespie,Fats NavarroandIdrees Sulieman.He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger bebop trumpeters such asFats Navarro.
Biography
[edit]Howard McGhee was born inTulsa, Oklahoma,United States, and raised inDetroit,Michigan.[2]
During his career, he played in bands led byLionel Hampton,Andy Kirk,Count BasieandCharlie Barnet.He was in a club listening to the radio when he first heardCharlie Parkerand was one of the earliest adopters of the new style, a fact that was disapproved by older musicians likeKid Ory.[citation needed]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Thelonious_Monk_and_Howard_McGhee%2C_Minton%27s_Playhouse_%2C_Sept_1947_%28Gottlieb_10248%29.jpg/230px-Thelonious_Monk_and_Howard_McGhee%2C_Minton%27s_Playhouse_%2C_Sept_1947_%28Gottlieb_10248%29.jpg)
In 1946–1947, some record sessions for the new labelDialwere organized in Hollywood, with Charlie Parker and McGhee. The first was held on July 29, 1946. The musicians were Charlie Parker, Howard McGhee, Jimmy Bunn, Bob Kesterson, andRoy Porter.With Parker's health near to collapse, he played "Max is Making Wax", "Lover Man",and"The Gypsy".[3]
McGhee continued to work as asidemanwith Parker.[2]He played on titles such as "Relaxin' at Camarillo", "Cheers", "Carvin the Bird" and "Stupendous". Around this time, McGhee was a leading musician in the Los Angeles bebop scene, participating in many concerts, recording, and even managing a night club for a period.[3]His stay in California ended because of racial prejudice, particularly vicious towards McGhee as half of a mixed-race couple.[4]
Drug problems sidelined McGhee for much of the 1950s, but he resurfaced in the 1960s, appearing in manyGeorge Weinproductions.[2]His career sputtered again in the mid-1960s and he did not record again until 1976.[2]He led one of three big jazz bands trying to succeed in New York in the late 1960s. While the band did not survive, a recording was released in the mid-1970s.
He taught music through the 1970s, both in classrooms and at his apartment in midtown Manhattan and instructed musicians likeCharlie Rousein music theory.[citation needed]He was as much an accomplished composer-arranger as he was a performer.
McGhee died on July 17, 1987, at the age of 69, a memorial service was held for him on July 24, 1987.[1]
Discography
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Thelonious_Monk%2C_Howard_McGhee%2C_Roy_Eldridge%2C_Teddy_Hill%2C_Minton%27s_Playhouse%2C_New_York%2C_N.Y.%2C_ca._Sept._1947_%28William_P._Gottlieb_06231%29.jpg/240px-Thelonious_Monk%2C_Howard_McGhee%2C_Roy_Eldridge%2C_Teddy_Hill%2C_Minton%27s_Playhouse%2C_New_York%2C_N.Y.%2C_ca._Sept._1947_%28William_P._Gottlieb_06231%29.jpg)
As leader/co-leader
[edit]- 1946–47Trumpet at Tempo(Dial[rel. 1996])
- 1948Howard McGhee and Milt Jackson(Savoy)
- 1950Howard McGhee, Vol. 1(Blue Note) withFats Navarro
- 1951Night Music(Dial)
- 1952Jazz South Pacific(Regent) withJ.J. Johnson,Oscar Pettiford[AKAJazz Goes to the Battlefront]
- 1953Howard McGhee, Vol. 2(Blue Note) withGigi Gryce
- 1955The Return of Howard McGhee(Bethlehem) [AKAThat Bop Thing]
- 1956Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries(Bethlehem)
- 1960Dusty Blue(Bethlehem)
- 1960Music from the Connection(Felsted)
- 1961Together Again!!!!(Contemporary) withTeddy Edwards
- 1961Maggie's Back in Town!!(Contemporary)
- 1961The Sharp Edge(Fontana) [AKAShades of Blue]
- 1962Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out(United Artists)
- 1963House Warmin'!(Argo) originally issued in 1962 on Winley Records asNothin' But SoulunderGene Ammons' name.
- 1976Here Comes Freddy(Sonet) withIllinois Jacquet
- 1976Just Be There(SteepleChase) withHorace Parlan,Kenny Clarke
- 1977Cookin' Time,Howard McGhee Orchestra (Zim Records)
- 1978Live at Emerson's,Howard McGhee Sextet (Zim Records)
- 1978Jazz Brothers(Jazzcraft) withCharlie Rouse
- 1978Home Run(Jazzcraft) withBenny Bailey
- 1979Young at Heart(Storyville) with Teddy Edwards
- 1979Wise in Time(Storyville) with Teddy Edwards
As sideman
[edit]WithLorez Alexandria
- Deep Roots(Argo, 1962)
WithGeorgie Auld
- Rainbow Mist(Delmark,1944 [1992]) compilation of Apollo recordings
WithBilly Eckstine
- Maggie: The Savoy Sessions(Savoy, 1947 [1995]) includes the infamous Eckstine/McGhee four song session, originally recorded in Chicago for Vitacoustic Records; personnel: Howard McGhee (tp), Billy Eckstine (vtb), Kenny Mann (ts),Hank Jones(p),Ray Brown(b),J.C. Heard(d), Marcel Daniels (v).
WithJohnny Hartman
- Songs from the Heart(Bethlehem, 1955)
- All of Me: The Debonair Mr. Hartman(Bethlehem, 1956)
WithColeman Hawkins
- Hollywood Stampede(Capitol, 1945 [1972])
- Disorder at the Border(Spotlite, 1952 [1973])
WithChubby Jackson
- Chubby Jackson All Star Big Band(1950)
- Chubby Jackson Sextet and Big Band(Prestige, 1947–1950 [1969])
WithJames Moody
- Cookin' the Blues[live] (Argo, 1961 [1964])
WithAndré Previn
- André Previn All-Stars(1946)
- Previn at Sunset(Polydor,1972)
WithMel Tormé
- George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess(Bethlehem, 1956) withFrances Faye
- At the Crescendo(Bethlehem, 1957)
- Songs for Any Taste(Bethlehem, 1957)
With others
[edit]- 1954Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic,Billie Holiday(Clef, rec. 1945–1946)
- 1956Way Out Wardell,Wardell Gray(Modern)
- 1960The Music from "The Connection",Freddie Redd(Blue Note)
- 1962Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra,Johnny Hodges(Verve)
- 1962Good Old Zoot,Zoot Sims(New Jazz)
- 1963Introducing Phil Porter and His Organ,Phil Porter (United Artists)
- 1963At Newport '63,Joe Williams(RCA Victor)
- 1967Tribute To Charlie Parker (From The Newport Jazz Festival)(RCA Victor, rec. 1964)
- 1968Boppin' & Burnin',Don Patterson(Prestige)
- 1969Early Quintets,Phil Woods(Prestige, rec. 1959)
- 1976Red Top: The Savoy Sessions (1947–1953),Gene Ammons(Savoy)
- 1976The Jazz Singer,Eddie Jefferson(Inner City, rec. 1959–1961)
- 1989Autumn in New York,Sonny Stitt(Black Lion, rec. 1967)
- 1991California Boppin' 1947,Sonny Criss(Fresh Sound)
- 1993The Chronological...1940–1942,Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy(Classics)
- 1995Dodo Marmarosa On Dial: The Complete Sessions (1946–1947),Dodo Marmarosa(Spotlite)
- 1996The Chronological...1944–1945,Wynonie Harris(Classics)[5]
- 1996The Chronological...1945,Slim Gaillard(Classics)
References
[edit]- ^abPalmer, Robert (July 18, 1987)."Howard McGhee, 69, Is Dead; A Trumpeter and Composer".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedAugust 23,2017.
- ^abcd"Howard McGhee | Biography & History".AllMusic.RetrievedJuly 29,2021.
- ^abOwens, Thomas (1996).Bebop.Los Angeles Berkeley: Oxford University Press. p.108.ISBN978-0-19-510651-0.
- ^Barron, Stephanie (2000).Reading California: art, image, and identity, 1900-2000.Los Angeles Berkeley: Los Angeles County Museum of Art University of California Press.ISBN0520227670.
- ^"Howard McGhee | Credits | AllMusic".AllMusic.RetrievedJuly 24,2017.
Further reading
[edit]- DeVeaux, Scott (1997).The birth of bebop: a social and musical history.Berkeley: University of California Press.ISBN9780520216655.
External links
[edit]- AllMusic Discography
- Howard McGhee papers,Institute of Jazz Studies,Rutgers University
- 1918 births
- 1987 deaths
- American jazz trumpeters
- American male trumpeters
- Bebop trumpeters
- Cass Technical High School alumni
- Hard bop trumpeters
- Blue Note Records artists
- Savoy Records artists
- 20th-century American musicians
- 20th-century trumpeters
- 20th-century American male musicians
- American male jazz musicians
- Bethlehem Records artists
- Contemporary Records artists
- Argo Records artists
- Jazz musicians from Detroit