Robert Roland Chudnick (September 27, 1927 – May 27, 1994), known professionally as Red Rodney, was an American jazz trumpeter.

Biography

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, Pennsylvania, he became a professional musician at 15, working in the mid-1940s for the big bands of

Jerry Wald Jerome Irving Wald (September 16, 1911 – July 13, 1962) was an American screenwriter and a producer of films and radio programs. Life and career Early life Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, he had a brother and sons who were act ...

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peop ...

, Georgie Auld, Elliot Lawrence,

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

, and Les Brown. He was inspired by hearing

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

to change his style to

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 ...

, moving on to play with

Claude Thornhill Claude Thornhill (August 10, 1908 – July 1, 1965) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the jazz and pop standards "Snowfall" and "I Wish I Had You". Early years Thornhill was the son of J. Chester Thornhill ...

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...

, and

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

. He was Jewish. He accepted an invitation from Charlie Parker to join his quintet. and was a member of the band from 1949 to 1951. Being the only white member of the group, when playing in the southern United States he was billed as "Albino Red" as a ruse to avoid prejudice against mixed race musical combos. During this time he recorded extensively. During the 1950s, he worked as a bandleader in Philadelphia and recorded with

Ira Sullivan Ira Sullivan (May 1, 1931 – September 21, 2020) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist, and composer born in Washington, D.C., United States. An active musician since the 1950s, he often worked with Red Rodn ...

. He became addicted to heroin and started a pattern of dropping in and out of jazz. During 1969, Rodney played in Las Vegas with fellow Woody Herman colleague, trombonist Bill Harris, as part of the Flamingo casino house band led by Russ Black. Similar work continued through 1972. In the early 1970s he was bankrupted by medical costs following a stroke. He returned to jazz. In 1975 he was incarcerated in Lexington, Kentucky for drug offenses. While jailed he gave music lessons to guitarist Wayne Kramer of the MC5. He reunited with Ira Sullivan and performed with

. From 1980 to 1982, Rodney made five albums with Sullivan. On these albums he started to play post bop jazz. He continued to work and record into the 1990s. He performed on a Charlie Parker tribute album by

Charlie Watts Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021) was an English musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021. Originally trained as a graphic artist, Watts developed an i ...

, drummer for the Rolling Stones. He provided an early showcase for saxophonist Chris Potter, who was a member of his group and only 19 years old when Rodney recorded ''Red Alert'' in late 1990. He performed at

Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orches ...

and the

JVC Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

. He worked as an adviser for ''

Bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

'', a movie about Charlie Parker directed by

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

. Michael Zelniker played him in the movie. Rodney died on May 27, 1994, from lung cancer.

Discography

As leader

* ''Modern Music from Chicago'' (Fantasy, 1956) * ''Red Rodney: 1957'' (Savoy, 1957) * ''

Red Rodney Returns ''Red Rodney Returns'' is an album by trumpeter Red Rodney which was recorded in 1959 and released on the Argo label.Edwards. D. & Callahan, MArgo Album Discography, Part 1: Jazz Series (1956-1965) accessed May 8, 2018 Track listing ''All compo ...

'' (Argo, 1959) * ''Broadway'' (Status, 1965) * ''

Bird Lives! ''Bird Lives!'' is an album by trumpeter Red Rodney featuring performances of tunes by, or associated with, Charlie Parker which was recorded in 1973 and released on the Muse label.

'' (Muse, 1974) * ''

Superbop ''Superbop'' is an album by trumpeter Red Rodney which was recorded in 1974 and released on the Muse label.Muse Recor ...

'' (Muse, 1974) * ''Red Rodney with the Bebop Preservation Society'' (Spotlite, 1975) * '' The Red Tornado'' (Muse, 1976) * ''Yard's Pad'' (Sonet, 1976) * '' Red, White and Blues'' (Muse, 1978) * '' Home Free'' (Muse, 1979) * '' Live at the Village Vanguard'' (Muse, 1980) * '' Night and Day'' (Muse, 1981) * '' Spirit Within'' with Ira Sullivan (Elektra Musician, 1982) * ''

The 3R's ''The 3R's'' is an album by trumpeter Red Rodney with saxophonists Richie Cole and Ricky Ford which was recorded in 1979 and released on the Muse label in 1982.

'' Richie Cole and

Ricky Ford Ricky Ford (born March 4, 1954) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Ford was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States,) and studied at the New England Conservatory. Ricky Ford AllMusic In 1974, he recorded with Gunther Schulle ...

(Muse, 1982) * '' Sprint'' (Elektra Musician, 1983) * '' Hi Jinx at the Vanguard'' (Muse, 1984) * '' Social Call'' with Charlie Rouse (Uptown, 1984) * '' Alive in New York'' (Muse, 1986) * ''

Red Giant A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass (roughly 0.3–8 solar masses ()) in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius large and the surface temperature around o ...

'' (

SteepleChase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

, 1988) * ''

Red Snapper Red snapper is a common name of several fish species. It may refer to: * Several species from the genus ''Lutjanus'': ** ''Lutjanus campechanus'', Northern red snapper, commonly referred to as red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlanti ...

'' (

, 1988) * ''

'' (

, 1988) * ''No Turn on Red'' (Denon, 1989) * ''Code Red'' (Continuum, 1989) * ''Then and Now'' (Chesky, 1992)

As sideman

, ''

To Diz with Love ''To Diz with Love'' is a live album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie with an array of guest stars recorded at the Blue Note in 1992 and released on the Telarc label.

'' (Telarc, 1992) *

, ''The Fourth Herd'' (Jazzland, 1960) *

Clifford Jordan Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993) was an American jazz tenor saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after ...

, ''

Dr. Chicago ''Dr. Chicago'' is an album by saxophonist Clifford Jordan which was recorded in 1984 and released on the Bee Hive label.Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool j ...

, '' Live at Laren'' (Soul Note, 1984) *

, ''Gene Krupa's Sidekicks'' (Columbia, 1955) * Elliot Lawrence, ''The Uncollected Elliot Lawrence and His Orchestra 1946'' (Hindsight, 1982) *

, ''Bird at St. Nick's'' (Jazz Workshop, 1957) * Charlie Parker, ''Swedish Schnapps'' (Verve, 1958) *

Ali Ryerson Ali Ryerson (born 21 October 1952 in New York City) is a flutist with a background in both classical and jazz, as well as being an instructor. She has performed and toured worldwide with a wide range of artists including Billy Taylor, Kenny Barr ...

, ''Blue Flute'' (Red Baron, 1992) *

, '' Ira Sullivan Does It All'' (Muse, 1983) *

Bob Thiele Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals * Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

, ''Louis Satchmo'' (Red Baron, 1992) *

, ''The Uncollected Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra'' (Hindsight, 1977)

References

Sources

* ''Fresh Air'' on WHYY, December 30, 2002 * Morton, Richard and Cook, Brian. ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'', New Edition, London, Penguin, 1994 * Morton, Richard and Cook, Brian. ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD'', sixth Edition, London, Penguin, 2002,

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodney, Red 1927 births 1994 deaths 20th-century trumpeters American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters American people convicted of drug offenses Bebop trumpeters Hard bop trumpeters Musicians from Philadelphia Chesky Records artists Muse Records artists Savoy Records artists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Jewish jazz musicians Uptown Records (jazz) artists Fantasy Records artists Deaths from lung cancer in Florida