Truman Eliot "Jack" Jenney (May 12, 1910 – December 16, 1945) was an American jazz trombonist.

Early life

Born in

Mason City, Iowa Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro G ...

, Jenney first played trumpet, then switched to trombone. His father was a musician and music teacher. Jenney performed in his father's band from age 11, but his professional work began with

Austin Wylie Austin James Wylie (1893 – December 7, 1947) was an American jazz bandleader. Biography Wylie led a dance band in the 1920s and early 1930s which operated as a territory band based out of Cleveland, Ohio, though he also broadcast on national r ...

in 1928.

Career

During his career, Jenney worked with Isham Jones,

Red Norvo Red Norvo (born Kenneth Norville; March 31, 1908 – April 6, 1999) was an American musician, one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba, and vibraphone as jazz instruments. His reco ...

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

, Mal Hallett, and Waring's Pennsylvanians. He appeared in the film '' Syncopation''.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

biography He has been called "the greatest trombonist of the Big Band era" and won the '' DownBeat'' Reader's Poll for trombone in 1940. He led his own band for a year in 1938 and 1939, but it was a financial failure. He was drafted into the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in 1943, but also played as a studio musician the following year.

Death

He died on December 16, 1945, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, from complications following an appendectomy.

References

External links

Memories of the First Annual Jack Jenney Jazz Festival
1910 births 1945 deaths American jazz trombonists People from Mason City, Iowa Musicians from Iowa Deaths from appendicitis United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trombonists {{US-jazz-trombonist-stub