Artist: Roy Eldridge Genre(s):
Jazz
Pop
Blues
Discography:
Decidedly Year: 2002
Tracks: 4
Fiesta in Brass Year: 1999
Tracks: 21
After You've Gone Year: 1991
Tracks: 22
Little Jazz Boogie Year:
Tracks: 1
One of the most exciting trumpeters to emerge during the swing geologic era, Roy Eldridge's combative approach, chancetaking 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 extinct playing trumpet and drums in fair and circus bands. With the Nighthawk Syncopators he received a bit of attention by playacting a note-for-note recreation 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 old age), Roy 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 (world Health Organization nicknamed him "Little Jazz"), McKinney's Cotton Pickers and most significantly Teddy Hill (1935). Eldridge's recorded solos with Hill, backing Billie Holiday and with Fletcher Henderson (including his 1936 strike "Christopher Columbus") gained a swell share of attention. In 1937 he appeared with his octet (which included brother Joe on contralto) at the Three Deuces Club in Chicago and recorded some outstanding selections as a loss leader including "Heckler's Hop" and "Wabash Stomp." By 1939 Roy had a bigger grouping playing at the Arcadia Ballroom in New York. With the go down of Bunny Berigan and the increasing predictability of Louis Armstrong, Eldridge was arguably the big top trumepter in jazz during this earned run average.
During 1941-42 Eldridge sparked Gene Krupa's Orchestra, recording classical 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 point smart him as did some of the incidents that occurred during his stay with Artie Shaw (1944-45) only the music during both stints was quite memorable. Eldridge backside be seen in several "soundies" (short promotional photographic film devoted to single songs) of this epoch by the Krupa band, frequently in tie-up with O'Day, including "Let Me Off Uptown" and "Thanks for the Boogie Ride." He is likewise very prominent in the band's appearance in Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire, in an extended performance of "Drum Boogie" mimed by Barbara Stanwyck, pickings a long trumpet solo -- the snip was filmed soon later on Eldridge joined the band in late April of 1941, and "Drum Boogie" was a birdcall that Eldridge co-wrote with Krupa.
Eldridge had a transitory big band of his have, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic and then had a bit of an personal identity crisis when he completed that his playacting was not as modernistic as the beboppers. A successful quell in France during 1950-51 restored his confidence when he completed that beingness original was more than significant than being up-to-date. Eldridge recorded steadily for Norman Granz in the fifties, was one of the stars of JATP (where he battled Charlie Shavers and Dizzy Gillespie) and by 1956 was oft teamed with Coleman Hawkins in a quint; their 1957 visual aspect at Newport was quite memorable. The sixties were tougher as recording opportunities and work became rarer. Eldridge had brief and unhappy stints with Count Basie's Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald (feeling unneeded in both contexts) simply was prima his have group by the final stage of the tenner. He spent a great deal of the 1970s playing regularly at Ryan's and transcription for Pablo and, although his range had shrunk a bit, Eldridge's private-enterprise spirit was silent very much intact. Only a sober stroke in 1980 was able-bodied to stanch his horn. Roy Eldridge recorded throughout his life history for almost every label.