Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of

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 ...

, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

era of the 1940s and "one of the best jazz singers too". Teagarden's early career was as a sideman with the likes of

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

and lifelong friend Louis Armstrong.

Early life

Teagarden was born in

Vernon, Texas Vernon is a city and the county seat of Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 11,002. History The original town was called Eagle Springs by the indigenous community as early as 1858. After th ...

, United States. His brothers Charlie and Clois "Cub" and his sister

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

also became professional musicians. His father was an amateur brass band trumpeter and started him on baritone horn; by age seven he had switched to trombone. His first public performances were in movie theaters, where he accompanied his mother, a pianist. "Teagarden, Jack (Weldon Leo)"
, Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians.

Music career

Teagarden's trombone style was largely self-taught, and he developed many unusual alternative positions and novel special effects on the instrument. He is usually considered the most innovative jazz trombone stylist of the pre-

era –

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and sp ...

once called him "the best trombone player in the world"."The Best Trombone Player in the World", by

Gary Giddins Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for ''The Village Voice'' from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986 Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented concerts using a ...

, originally published in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'', March 1977; reprinted in ''Riding on a Blue Note: Jazz & American Pop'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1981. By 1920, Teagarden was playing professionally in San Antonio, including with the band of pianist

Peck Kelley John Dickson "Peck" Kelley (October 22, 1898 – December 26, 1980) was an American jazz pianist. He was best known for his 1920s band Peck's Bad Boys, which included Jack Teagarden, and Pee Wee Russell. Early life John Dickson "Peck" Kelley w ...

. In the mid-1920s he started traveling widely around the United States in a quick succession of different bands. In 1927, he went to New York City where he worked with several bands. By 1928 he played for the

Ben Pollack Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, ...

band. In the late 1920s, he recorded with such bandleaders and sidemen as Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Bix Beiderbecke,

Red Nichols Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965) was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader. Biography Early life and career Nichols was born in Ogden, Utah, United States. His father was a college music profes ...

Jimmy McPartland James Dugald "Jimmy" McPartland (March 15, 1907 – March 13, 1991) was an American cornetist. He worked with Eddie Condon, Art Hodes, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, and Tommy Dorsey, often leading his own bands. He was married to pi ...

Mezz Mezzrow Milton Mesirow (November 9, 1899 – August 5, 1972), better known as Mezz Mezzrow, was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist from Chicago, Illinois. He is remembered for organizing and financing recording sessions with Tommy Ladnier ...

, Glenn Miller, Eddie Condon, and Fats Waller. In 1931, Teagarden’s early orchestra recorded the tune “Chances Are” with Fats Waller playing piano and Jack singing and playing trombone. Miller and Teagarden collaborated to provide lyrics and a verse to

Spencer Williams Spencer Williams (October 14, 1889 – July 14, 1965) was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs " Basin Street Blues", "I Ain't Got Nobody", " Royal Garden Blues", " I've Found a New ...

' " Basin Street Blues", which in that amended form became one of the numbers that Teagarden played until the end of his days. Teagarden sought financial security during the Great Depression and signed an exclusive contract to play for the

Orchestra from 1933 through 1938. In 1946, Teagarden joined Louis Armstrong's All Stars. In late 1951, Teagarden left to again lead his own band. He died in New Orleans at the age of 58, suffering from pneumonia.

Discography

* ''Big Jazz'' with Rex Stewart (Atlantic, 1953) * ''Holiday in Trombone'' (EmArcy, 1954) * ''Jack Teagarden Plays and Sings'' (Urania, 1954) * ''Meet the New Jack Teagarden Volume I'' (Urania, 1954) * ''Jazz Great'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * ''Accent On Trombone'' (Urania, 1955) * ''Big T's Jazz'' (Decca, 1956) * ''This Is Teagarden!'' (Capitol, 1956) * ''Swing Low, Sweet Spiritual'' (Capitol, 1957) * ''Jazz Ultimate'' with Bobby Hackett (Capitol, 1958) * ''Jack Teagarden at the Roundtable'' (Roulette, 1959) * ''Shades of Night'' (Capitol, 1959) * '' Mis'ry and the Blues'' (Verve, 1961) * '' Think Well of Me'' (Verve, 1962) * ''The Dixie Sound of Jack Teagarden'' (Roulette, 1962) * ''Jack Teagarden'' (Verve, 1962) * ''The Blues and Dixie'' (Rondo-lette, 1963) * ''A Portrait of Mr. T'' (Roulette, 1963) * ''Swinging Down in Dixie'' (Golden Tone, 1963) * ''King of the Blues Trombone'' (Epic, 1963) * ''Big T's Dixieland Band'' (Capitol, 1977) * ''Big T & the Condon Gang'' (Pumpkin, 1978) * ''Original Dixieland'' (Everest Archive, 1978) * ''Big Band Jazz'' (Everest Archive, 1979) * ''Mighty Like a Rose'' (Koala, 1979) * ''The Swingin' Gate'' (Jasmine, 1981) * ''The Big Band Sound of Bunny Berigan & Jack Teagarden'' (Folkways, 1982) * ''Tribute to Teagarden'' (Pausa, 1983) * ''Birth of a Band'' (Giants of Jazz, 1985) * ''100 Years from Today'' (Grudge, 1990) * ''The Complete Capitol Fifties Jack Teagarden Sessions'' (Mosaic, 1996) * ''It's Time for T'' (Naxos, 2006) * ''Father of Jazz Trombone'' (Avid Entertainment, 2004)

As guest

Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen, Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been claimed by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armst ...

, '' Red Allen, Kid Ory & Jack Teagarden at Newport'' (Verve, 1957) *

, ''Dixieland'' (Savoy, 1956)

References

External links