Willie Dennis ( née William DeBerardinis, January 10, 1926 – July 8, 1965) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

known as a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

musician but who was also an excellent

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 ...

soloist.

Career

After working with Elliot Lawrence,

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 ...

, and

Sam Donahue Samuel Koontz Donahue (March 18, 1918 – March 22, 1974) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, and musical arranger. He performed with Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Billy May, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton. Biography Donahue ...

, Dennis also performed with Charles Mingus, appearing on two of Mingus's albums in 1959, '' Blues & Roots'' and '' Mingus Ah Um.'' In 1953, Dennis recorded ''Four Trombones'' (released in 1957) for Mingus's

Debut Records Debut Records was an American jazz record company and label founded in 1952 by bassist Charles Mingus, his wife Celia, and drummer Max Roach. This short-lived label was an attempt to avoid the compromises of working for major companies. Intended ...

. The other three trombones were J. J. Johnson, Kai Winding and

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

. In 1951, Dennis began studying with

Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...

. To make ends meet, he worked as an attendant at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

. The fullest recorded example of Dennis's solo work is on a little-known 1956 Savoy disc by English pianist

Ronnie Ball Ronald Ball (December 22, 1927 – October 1984) was a jazz pianist, composer and arranger, born in Birmingham, England. Biography Ball moved to London in 1948, and in the early 1950s he worked both as a bandleader and under Ronnie Scott, To ...

(also a student of Tristano), ''All About Ronnie'', in the company of Ted Brown and

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

. Dennis toured with Mingus in 1956. He published an essay, "The History of the Trombone," in ''

Metronome A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...

''. In the late 1950s Dennis returned to his big band roots, joining

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

in 1959 after stints with Benny Goodman (with whom he travelled to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

in 1962) 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 ...

. In the 1960s, Dennis often performed with

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

. Dennis was known for his extremely fast articulation on the trombone, obtained by means of varying the natural harmonics of the instrument with minimal recourse to the slide (a technique known as "crossing the grain"), for instance, during his improvised solo on a performance of "Chuggin'" with the Gerry Mulligan Concert Band.

Personal life

Dennis married singer

Morgana King Maria Grazia Morgana Messina (June 4, 1930 – March 22, 2018), known as Morgana King, was an American jazz singer and actress.Liner notes by Joel Dorn – Morgana King album ''The Complete Reprise Recordings'' (2000).Liner notes by Ed Osborne � ...

in 1961; the couple had no children. He died in 1965 in an automobile accident in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

.Jack, Gordo
Fifties Jazz Talk, An Oral Retrospective
(2004) pp. ''85'' - Liner notes by Fr. Norman O'Connors - Morgana King album ''It's A Quiet Thing''

Discography

*''Four Trombones'' (Debut, 1957) - with J. J. Johnson, Kai Winding and

With Cannonball Adderley *'' Domination'' (Capitol, 1965) With

Manny Albam Manny Albam (June 24, 1922 – October 2, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, record producer, and educator. Early life A native of the Dominican Republic, Albam grew up in New York City. He was attracted to jazz at an ea ...

*'' Jazz Goes to the Movies'' (Impulse!, 1962) With

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

*'' Jazz Mission to Moscow'' (Colpix, 1962) With Mundell Lowe *''

Themes from Mr. Lucky, the Untouchables and Other TV Action Jazz ''Themes from ''Mr. Lucky'', ''The Untouchables'' and Other TV Action Jazz'' is the second album by American jazz guitarist Mundell Lowe with theme music from detective, legal, and police television programs. The album was recorded in 1960 for RCA ...

'' (RCA Camden, 1960) With

Gary McFarland Gary Robert McFarland (October 23, 1933 – November 3, 1971) was an American composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist. He recorded for the jazz imprints Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s. '' Down Beat magazine'' said he made "on ...

*'' The Jazz Version of "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying"'' (Verve, 1962) *'' Point of Departure'' (Impulse!, 1963) With Charles Mingus *''Jazz Workshop – Autobiography in Jazz'' (Debut, 1953) *'' Blues & Roots'' (Atlantic, 1959) *'' Mingus Ah Um'' (Columbia, 1959) *'' The Complete Town Hall Concert'' (Blue Note, 1962

994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...

With

*''

Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour ''Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour'' (subtitled ''Guest Soloist: Zoot Sims'') is a live album recorded by American jazz saxophonist and bandleader Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded in California, Berlin and Milan 1960 ...

'' (Verve, 1960 962 *''

Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard ''Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard'' is a live album by jazz saxophonist and bandleader Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded at the Village Vanguard in late 1960 which were released on the Verve label.

'' (Verve, 1960

961 Year 961 (Roman numerals, CMLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 6 – Siege of Chandax: Byzantine forces under Nikephoro ...

*''

Gerry Mulligan Presents a Concert in Jazz ''Gerry Mulligan Presents a Concert in Jazz'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist and bandleader Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded in 1961 which were released on the Verve label.

'' (Verve, 1961) *''

Gerry Mulligan '63 ''Gerry Mulligan '63'' (subtitled ''The Concert Jazz Band'') is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist and bandleader Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded in late 1962 which were released on the Verve label.Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album ''The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signifi ...

*'' Full Nelson'' (Verve, 1963) With

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band app ...

*'' All the Sad Young Men'' (Verve, 1962) With

*'' Richcraft'' (Mercury, 1959) *'' Rich Versus Roach'' (Mercury, 1959) *''

The Driver ''The Driver'' is a 1978 American neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Walter Hill. It stars Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, and Isabelle Adjani. O'Neal is the getaway driver for robberies whose exceptional talent has prevented him be ...

'' (EmArcy, 1960) With Shirley Scott *'' Great Scott!!'' (Impulse!, 1964) With

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

*'' Lost Tapes-Baden Baden 1958'' (SWR, 2014) With

*''Chicago April 1951'' (Uptown, 2014) With

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

*'' Rights of Swing'' (Candid, 1961)

References

External links

* Willie Dennis at Allmusicbr>Willie Dennis at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dennis, Willie 1926 births 1965 deaths American jazz trombonists Male trombonists Road incident deaths in New York City Musicians from Philadelphia 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trombonists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Tonight Show Band members