Chauncey Morehouse (March 11, 1902 – October 31, 1980) was an American

jazz drummer Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques an ...

Biography

Morehouse was born in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

, United States, and was raised in

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Franklin County, in the South Central Pennsylvania, South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Gre ...

, where he played drums from a very early age. As a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

er, he led a group called the Versatile Five. He landed a job with

Paul Specht Paul Specht (March 24, 1895 – April 11, 1954) was an American dance bandleader popular in the 1920s. Biography Born in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, Specht was a violinist, having been taught by his father Charles G. Specht, a violinist, org ...

's orchestra from 1922 to 1924 (including a tour to England in 1923). He played with

Jean Goldkette John Jean Goldkette (March 18, 1893 – March 24, 1962) was a jazz pianist and bandleader. Life Goldkette was reportedly born on March 18, 1893, in Valenciennes, France,Russel B. Nye (1976). Music in the Twenties: The Jean Goldkette Orchestr ...

from 1925 to 1927,

Adrian Rollini Adrian Francis Rollini (June 28, 1903 – May 15, 1956) was an Americans, American jazz instrumentalist, multi-instrumentalist who primarily played the bass saxophone, piano, and vibraphone. He is also known for playing novelty instruments such ...

in 1927, and Don Voorhees in 1928–29. In the period 1927–29 he also recorded with

Frankie Trumbauer Orie Frank Trumbauer (May 30, 1901 – June 11, 1956) was an American jazz saxophonist of the 1920s and 1930s. His main instrument was the C melody saxophone, a now-uncommon instrument between an alto and tenor saxophone in size and pitch. He al ...

Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke ( ; March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical a ...

Red Nichols Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965) was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader. He was one of the most prolific and influential jazz musicians in the late 1920s and early 1930s, appearing on over 4,000 ...

The Dorsey Brothers The Dorsey Brothers were an American studio dance band, led by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. They started recording in 1928 for OKeh Records. History The Dorsey Brothers recorded songs for the dime store labels (Banner, Cameo, Domino, Jewel, Oriole ...

, and

Joe Venuti Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist. Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie Lan ...

. From 1929 Morehouse was active chiefly as a studio musician, and in radio and television. In 1938, he assembled a percussion ensemble which played instruments that were designed by Morehouse and Stan King and that were tuned chromatically. He invented a set of N'Goma drums – "14 chromatically tuned snare drums mounted on a circular bar" – around 1932. He worked in studios into the 1970s; in that decade he retired from studio work and began playing jazz again, including at festivals. He played at Carnegie Hall in 1975, with other former members of the Goldkette orchestra. Formerly a resident of the Vincentown section of

Southampton Township, New Jersey Southampton Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 10,317, a decrease of 147 (−1.4%) from the 10,464 recorded at the 2010 census, w ...

, Morehouse died on October 31, 1980, at a nursing home in

Medford, New Jersey Medford is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,497, an increase of 1,464 (+6.4%) from the 2010 census count of 23,033, which in turn reflected ...

, at the age of 78."Chauncey Morehosue, 78, jazz drummer"
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', November 4, 1980. Accessed June 7, 2020. "Chauncey Morehouse, 78, a jazz drummer, died Friday at a nursing home in Medford, N.J. He formerly lived in Vincentown, N.J."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morehouse, Chauncey 1902 births 1980 deaths American jazz drummers Musicians from Niagara Falls, New York People from Franklin County, Pennsylvania Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania People from Medford, New Jersey People from Southampton Township, New Jersey 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Dorsey Brothers members Musicians from Burlington County, New Jersey Drummers from New Jersey Drummers from New York (state) Drummers from Pennsylvania